tiffany ring in need of advice!

[waypricescope]

Hello guys,

I've been a lurker on this site reading up all I can and educating myself with the 4 C's, proportions, etc. Though I know this has been advised against many times, I will be purchasing my ring at Tiffany

Here are the specs
1.35 carat
F color
VS1 clarity
No Fluorescense
Cut, symmetry, and polish excellent

depth 61.2
table 57
crown height 14.8
pavilion depth 43
crown angle 34.2
pavilion angle 40.8
star length 50
lower half length 80

thin to medium girdle
faceted
no culet

on the clarity plot, this is what i got pre purchase
theres a very tiny cloud and 1 pinpoint face up thats very small
theres 2 pinpoints in the pavilion

hca score is 1.2 with excellent in the first 3 and very good for spread

in person, i did a blind test in which i chose 3 other diamonds with similar cut clarity and color with this one and was able to choose the one i wanted just looking at the fire and scintillation

i have not taken an aset yet but will definitely bring one there to view.
i also need advice on that. how do i go about using in store lighting to view a mounted ring?

this looks like a winner but i would like expert opinions on this candidate!

thank you

 

[WillyDiamond]

Most people on the forum would argue that a better performing diamond can be found than a Tiffany stone, and save you money.
However, if it is important to you to give a Tiffany ring to your GF, then it is your right, and your money and do as you please.
Best of luck.

 

[gm89uk]

The stone proportions seem good. No comment can be made about symmetry. Tiffany do not use GIA or AGS but as far as I've read, their certification is generally reliable. You should have no worries at a VS1. On the idealscope website there are tips on how to take it ASETs even with it set. In terms of store lighting, really a diffuse back light is the best way to go..

This is not meant in anyway to discourage you from Tiffany, but what were the reasons if you don't mind me asking for choosing to go with them eventually? What were the reasons given to not go with them? Lastly, how much premium do Tiffany ask for a 1.3 F VS1

 

[waypricescope]

The stone proportions seem good. No comment can be made about symmetry. Tiffany do not use GIA or AGS but as far as I've read, their certification is generally reliable. You should have no worries at a VS1. On the idealscope website there are tips on how to take it ASETs even with it set. In terms of store lighting, really a diffuse back light is the best way to go..

This is not meant in anyway to discourage you from Tiffany, but what were the reasons if you don't mind me asking for choosing to go with them eventually? What were the reasons given to not go with them? Lastly, how much premium do Tiffany ask for a 1.3 F VS1

When you say seem good. is it just barely making it or is it good good? I poured over countless hours of reading and research to find ideal proportions as a "rejection" tool. this one is decent although scoring 1.2 only. I pretty know what the HCA score is going to be by looking at proportions. It was disappointing to see that Tiffany has a lot of stones that do not fall under 1.5 in the HCA. I showed them the tool and asked them to filter everything that's not 1.5 or lower and 3 excellent for return, fire, scintillation.

i used a 10x loupe and could barely see the arrows because of the focus (i'm very shaky with it) but with a 20x, i can see the proportional arrows very easily. it reassures me that i am getting an excellent cut diamond. this is just looking at the ring with dim lighting and with their store lighting. i didnt bring my aset scope but will do so later today to finalize my decision.

i did many searches on blue nile for price benchmarks, and reviewed a lot of jamesallen, briangavin, and whiteflash diamonds to look at their hearts and arrows. though i know im getting a better deal for a better stone on these sites, my personal preference was always to be a 6 prong original tiffany setting, not a excellent stone on a tiffany look alike 6 prong.

i actually had a bad experience with my first rep because all she did was lay 6 diamonds in front of me without any specs or anything and asked me to choose. though i only intended to test the waters, i couldnt believe in the customer service i received when working with her. either she banked on me making a misinformed decision or she's used to clients not caring about it since it is a tiffany ring nonetheless. the diamonds presented ranged from 20.2 to 22.5 to 24.4 to 27.2. it was hard to make a decision because it seemed silly that im paying 2000 more for a bigger stone or better grade. then i finally did my research and filtered a lot of their diamonds. i had a lot of fun working with my rep. she communicated with me effectively. she put in her amount of labor in helping me out. it was very educating and informative for me as well. the clarity plot on my diamond is very good. couldnt notice a thing and cant even see under a microscope.

anyway, i went with them for the service that i received from my second rep. i went with them for their branded name. i went with them for the lifetime guarantee and cleaning service (small price i know). lastly, i went with them because a tiffany wont be scrutinized as much (ooo! is that a tiffany?) and if compared with another one of my gf's fellow engaged friends and she so happens to have a tiffany (ooo! you have a tiffany too? look at mine!), chances are that my fiance's ring will win

 

[gm89uk]

Thanks for explaining your reasoning!

HCA is a filtering tool. Anything under 2.0 warrants further investigation. There is no need to limit your options to lower than 1.5, 1.8 is not worse than 1.0 or 0.3. HCA takes into account averages and makes certain presumptions about diamonds and that is why it cannot be used as a selection tool.

Your diamonds have perfectly ideal proportions but those values are only an average of 8 values each. The crowns can either be tightly around 34.2 for example, or they could be an average from 32.5 to 36 (extreme example) with the 'average' falling in ideal proportion. That's why an ASET or an idealscope is more important than a good HCA score.

Have a look at the useful explanations by Texas Leaguer here regarding HCA:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-garry-h-cut-nut-how-does-the-hca-score-work.226239/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-garry-h-cut-nut-how-does-the-hca-score-work.226239/[/URL]

Just to be aware that I think I came across some comments regarding the tiffany knife edge setting and comfort (if there is no extra band) MAY be an issue, and some have opted for look alikes which are more rounded further down. I will let others chime in on this though.

And I'm sure you're aware but for that budget you could get a super ideal 2C HSi1 that has been vetted to be eye clean diamond with ~+/-1.1mm size difference in diameter.

You just have to think what would your future fiancé care about more, the tiffany brand, or a 2-2.1 carat vs a 1.35. While a VS1 is indeed playing it safe, all things equal it will be no prettier to the naked eye than an eyeclean VS2 (and the vast majority are) or a carefully selected Si1.

 

[ringo865]

Lots of vendors make Tiffany style six prong solitaires. Kathy show this pic to your gf and ask if she wants the left Tiffany 1.35 or the right 2.1 in a Tiffany style setting.

 

[msop04]

Lots of vendors make Tiffany style six prong solitaires. Kathy show this pic to your gf and ask if she wants the left Tiffany 1.35 or the right 2.1 in a Tiffany style setting.

Yes. This.

Tiffany is waaaaaayyyyy overpriced. Get her a bigger (and better) diamond and put it in a beautiful Tiff style setting. Vatche U-113, WF knife edge, and CVB "Jovyn" are all gorgeous Tiff-style settings...