Tiffany diamonds, not that great???

[ctang]

I went to Tiffany today and saw a couple of RB rings around $6000-7500 range. For this price, I was shown a few 0.7-0.8 carat, G/I color, VS1/VS2 stones/rings.


Then the sales person made a rare move (I think), he went to the back and brought out 2 certificates for the stones he was showing me. I was very surprised by the certs, one was 62.9% depth, don''t remember the other depth, one was 34.1 degree crown angle, the other was 35.1 degree crown, I think both were 40.1 pavillion angle. Both had vg/vg for sym and polish, and 56-57% table.


Wow, I have been looking for 34.3-34.8 crown angle, 40.8 pavil angle, and 59-61.9% depth, ex/ex on polish and sym.


Am I too strict, or Tiffany diamonds are actually just hype, or they have discovered some secret I haven''t heard yet, or was I looking at their "average-cut" price range?


Does anyone have a real Tiffany cert and is willing to share the cert detail?


- ctny

 

[rosy]

Hi Ctang,
I can share my personal experience owning a Tiffany diamond of that size & color. My cert does not have crown & pavillion angles on it but it did have depth 59.3% & table of 60%. It was also Good on both symmetry & polish. Even though that does not fall into the "ideal" category as defined by tools such as the HCA I can tell you that I was complimented all the time on my ring. I went to look at a few larger Tiffany diamonds recently & have noticed that they seem to cut all their diamonds with larger tables so you have a larger looking diamond for its carat weight. They purposely do this to increase Brilliance (white light) but in the process sacrifice some of the fire (colored light) of the diamond. If I compare my Tiffany ring to a Hearts & Arrows, the hearts & arrows show more colored light. So if you're looking for colored light Tiffany's is not the way to go. If you want more Brilliance or white light they're a good choice. I also think that the high quality of their settings adds TREMENDOUSLY to the beauty of the diamond & that's what makes the Tiffany brand & that's what makes people notice it. Take that high quality setting away & I'm not sure if that diamond will look the same. When buying a Tiffany ring it's the whole package that gets you noticed. A girl in my office has a very large 1.75 Hearts on Fire diamond that is very beautiful but it's setting is just average. If you were to put that in a Tiffany setting imagine how much more beautiful it would be. (I don't mean Tiffany look a likes, I mean the real thing). In all the years I had my Tiffany's I never had it cleaned yet it always looked very white & sparkly, never ever dull & people loved it! I think they recognized the high quality of it's overall look. If you want the craftmanship & quality of a Tiffany setting that comes with the diamond which really only Tiffany can provide than go with the Tiffany's. If you're looking for lots of colorful fire shooting out of your diamond than I don't recommend shopping at Tiffanys. Personally I like the Brilliance of a diamond more than it's colorful light so Tiffanys would be a fine choice for me. It's all a matter of personal preference. But I don't think you can go wrong with a Tiffanys unless you can't afford it. No one would ever say your Tiffany's is not nice.

 

[diagem]

Rosy, VERY nicely said...

 

[pearcrazy]

I won't get into what Tiffany's is or isn't. Yes, you will get a quality diamond ring with a huge inflated price tag. But there is comfort in knowing that Tiffany's does adhere to a higher than B&M standard in stone color and clarity. As far as cut goes, who knows, but since beauty is in the eye so they say, if it looks good to you and you don't mind paying a hefty premium for that itty bitty Tiffany's stamp inside then go for it. As far as settings go, I myself cannot tell the difference in a Tiffany's setting and a no name setting. My aunt has a Tiffany's brand platinum 6 prong setting, my mom has a plain old 6 prong setting. Both have .75 carat diamonds. I CANNOT tell the difference and I consider myself pretty much like the average consumer.

I do take issue with the statement that Tiffany's holds itself to a higher color and clarity diamond standard that PS vendors. HUH?? PS vendors offer all ranges of color and clarity diamonds and let the consumer choose what he wants. You are right about one thing--Tiffany's definately makes money!!

Blueman, before you bash us here on PS for reminding posters that cut IS king and they CAN do better for their money somewhere else, remember that this is a forum to help and inform those looking for good diamonds at good prices.

 

[diagem]

Dear B-Man

dont underestimate 167 years of surviving a very tough business....

Tifany didnt get to where they are by bluffing their way...

Do you homework and then comment...

Be smart, you dont sound it right now...

 

[reena]

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On 10/24/2004 2:26:09 AM ctang wrote:





Then the sales person made a rare move (I think), he went to the back and brought out 2 certificates for the stones he was showing me. I was very surprised by the certs, one was 62.9% depth, don't remember the other depth, one was 34.1 degree crown angle, the other was 35.1 degree crown, I think both were 40.1 pavillion angle. Both had vg/vg for sym and polish, and 56-57% table.

Wow, I have been looking for 34.3-34.8 crown angle, 40.8 pavil angle, and 59-61.9% depth, ex/ex on polish and sym.

Am I too strict . . . or they have discovered some secret I haven't heard yet . . .?
----------------

IMO, no. there's nothing wrong with buying at tiffany if you don't mind paying their premium, but i wouldn't throw everything i've learned here out the window when doing so. keep looking until you find one with specs you like--it's too much money to spend to compromise.

blueman, i was not surprised to see you whip out your "tiffany color/clarity standards" argument again, but it really has no application here--this poster was asking about CUT. (i see that your post anticipates this point by noting that "comments about cut aren't relevant to your post", but the real problem is that your post isn't relevant to the question posed.) ctang is obviously sophisticated enough of a purchaser to know the ins and outs of color and clarity, so tiffany's refusal to sell diamonds below I/VS2 isn't going to have much of an effect on her purchase.

 

[rosy]

Hi Ctang,
Another comment I wanted to add on my Tiffany ring. A few of my compliments were, "It's so beautiful, but it's a little small". It was a .70 carat. I think for the kind of budget you have 6000-7500 it would be better to shop elsewhere & get a 1 carat unless you can increase your budget to 10,000-11,000 which would buy you a 1 carat from Tiffanys. Also, don't forget to factor in the sales tax into your budget. Believe me it's not fun when someone says you're ring is beautiful but a little small!


Rosy

 

[valeria101]

I could not agree more that a Tiffany ring is a 'whole package'. However, you don't have to end up with a great diamond pegged into some unimpressive wireframe if you do not go for the respective brand after all.