Tiffany & Co.

[all4gss]

Hi ya,

I''m thinking of investing in an e-ring. I''d like to find a 1ct. princess cut platinum solitare from Tiffany & Co. I''ve seen several Tiffany rings pass through ebay and was wondering if there are other such auction/for sale sites that i may keep an eye on. I know i could just get in touch with Tiffany but being a student it would take me half a decade to produce that sort of intial investment. I''ve seen many of the Tiffany products selling for a half to two thirds of their retail value from Tiffany.

While i''m bringing it up. Am i correct in assuming that Tiffany is the leader in this market. I''m new to the game, found a woman i''d like to spend quite a few many years with but i''d better start investing soon if i want to have it in hand within a year as i''m still a student and about to start my graduate work.

Thanks for your time and opinions,

Keith

 

[Mara]

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On 12/30/2003 3:14:02 PM all4gss wrote:





While i'm bringing it up. Am i correct in assuming that Tiffany is the leader in this market.

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Hee Hee....which market?

I don't think Tiffany is the leader of anything, except maybe overinflated prices for their rings. Keep in mind that Tiffany stones are cut just like every other stone, there is nothing special or branded about them (yet anyway)...Tiffany buys their stones from the same people that other vendors do, so there is no real guarantee that your stone is any better than anyone else's. They are just able to command more because of their brand name and because of that their markup is ridiculous.

If you really want a Tiffany stone (btw I don't think Tiffany has princess cut stones, their take on that is the Lucida stone), try to get one on eBay as you noted or auction houses...but that's tricky too, how do you really know it's a legit Tiffany?

I would build my own hands down using a Lucere or a Flanders or similar type stone and then get a replica of the Tiffany Lucida setting if you want the look to be the same. We have had people do this in the past and been ecstatic with the results. Run a few 'searches' and see what you find.

Good luck!

 

[Giangi]

Mara is right, they do not offer a princess cut solitaire, but have the Lucida, which is fairly close to a Lucere' or a Flanders or a 'box' square radiant.

 

[Caratz]

Tiffany has a great reputation, but you pay a large premium for the name. If you (or your lady) feel like you need a brand name, buy a Tiffany. If you want to stretch your budget as far as you can go for the best possible stone for the money, keep doing your homework.

 

[valeria101]

Why are you using the word 'investment' in your post? Surely you know by now that diamonds bought retail do not qualify as investment, be they Tiffany or not.

I must note that most "Tiffany" stuff on Ebay has never been in a Tiffant store, but, well, there are RARE exceptions. You can buy a Tiffant ring second hand, of course. For example, here is one and Trocadero.com is a nice place to surf, with less "catches" than E-bay

What 'market" do you have in mind when you say ~ "Tiffany is a market leader"? Tiffany has diluted quite alot its brand and does sell quite a few things well outside the range of "investment" jewelry. Surely there are competing names who nave not or have less done so.

Oh, and where have you seen a princess-cut is a Tiffany ring?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Signedpiecesinc. is an eBay seller with nice Tiffany & Co. items.

I would be very careful about purchasing Tiffany on eBay from just any old seller because there's a lot of knockoffs, especially among their silver pieces. Tiffany isn't a leader however, as Mara said, and personally, I think their diamonds are a waste of money. They do have some beautiful jewelery and I even own an authentic silver piece that's very elegant, BUT, for an eng. ring, I think you could do much better purchasing a loose stone of exceptional quality and have it mounted into a high quality platinum Tiffany replica setting. You'll save TONS this way and have enough money left over to purchase your future wife some gorgeous diamond earrings to match her ring

FWIW, I had a replica made of one of Tiffany's diamond necklaces and it looks AMAZING and we saved about two thousand dollars!

Michelle

 

[all4gss]

Thanks for all of your feed back. I've been surfing a page for a bit, niceice.com and picked up a few tips. I wasn't sure about Tiffany having a princess cut, part of the reason i asked. I dont care much for the paying extra bucks for a name brand. However the little lady works at Ethan Allan and insists that it's reasonable to pay 9K dollars for a couch, er.. sofa sorry I think mainly she likes that blue box and to see tiffany & co inside the band.

What are your thoughts on the difference between asscher and princess cut? she likes the square emerald cut look.

Again, thank you for all of your help..

Keith

 

[blingslinger]

Why Tiffany's when you could buy a blinging 1 ct signature cut princess diamond at Blue Nile.
Just like Tiffany's but without having to pay for the name.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

But you also are paying for a name w/Blue Nile. I've seen much better prices through other online vendors. In fact, a few of the diamonds I've looked at in the .8 range have all been in the ball park of $1000 more at Blue Nile than on other reputable sites.

Michelle

 

[valeria101]

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On 12/30/2003 5:37:31 PM all4gss wrote:



What are your thoughts on the difference between asscher and princess cut? she likes the square emerald cut look.
Keith----------------

Yeah, it sounds likeyou need a Tiffany ring. The difference between princess nad Asscher: well, the first is the cut I like least and the other edges towards the top of MY scale. Princesses are suposed to have better sparkle and light return than step cuts (like Asschers and Emerald cuts) and surely have a different presence, sometimes described as small, pinfire flashes as oposed to the broader and more parcimonious light reflections from an Asscher. These are very, very different...

However, it sounds like you need a Lucida cut

which blends the two looks above and surely screams "Tiffany here" - since this is one requirement.

There is another branded cut which closely resembles Lucida: it is called Lucere. Some say that yet another diamond cut, the Queen of Harts (QOH), also fits the bill. Surely, both cuts cary a premium for being diferent, specialty makes. The QUH has been developed to match the light return of the round cut - just an extra argument for it. Jonathan at Good Old Gold sells both and you have to ask to find out the prices for these, and check whatever discount results from buying a named cut and a knock-off setting. The closest Lucida avatar I can imagine would be the CC setting at Niceice with a Lucere or QOH in it. The same with an Asscher cut in it may not pass for the reference item, but should be a nice sight indeed

It should be noted that the comments about how Tiffany diamonds are not the best, mostly (and rightly) apply to round cuts. For these, light return is the key of cut quality (well, there are other aspects, of course) and Tiffany does not guarantee this for their stones. However, for a fancy cut stone, especially a step cut, light return is no longer the primary cut quality argument, but plays along with other requirements (proportions, symmetry...) which, I strongly believe, would be more than met by a Tiffany stone.

Hope this helps a bit.