Tiffany''''s & negotiating

[Dentaltech]

I know I know another tiffany''s topic

In any event I have searched and searched to try and NOT post another one but have yet to find my answer.

I will be going to a Tiffany store to be gouged for their name soon and was wonderfing if negotiating is done there?

Thanks for your replies,
Dentaltech

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Dentaltech:

Someone posed this question a few weeks ago if I am not mistaken. However, the short review of the answers was that 1) you can always try 2) but it is not likely that they will.

Truth is that Tiffany''s can always find *someone* to buy their merchandise at the price they are willing to sell it.

Good Luck with your purchase.

 

[Hest88]

You''re not going to be able to negotiate at Tiffany.

 

[rosy]

There''s no negotiation at Tiffany''s & there''s sales tax on top of the sticker price.

 

[bichon]

I don''t know about Tiffanys, but Cartier may be willing to negotiate the price if you are spending a significant amount of money. I think you need to do this discretely ... without other customers around. When my boyfriend was at Cartier and asked about special pricing, the salesperson looked around to make sure no one was listening and mentioned that if he was ready to buy, he might be able to offer "preferential pricing". Well, he ended up not buying at Cartier so he''s not sure how "preferential" the price would have been. But it''s worth a try.

 

[finerthings]

T&C will not negotiate. Enjoy your experience, and have fun!! (I know that sounds wierd - what with the $$$ you will be forking out, but honestly how many times in your life do you think you will be doing this...hopefully only once!!) BTW pictures are mandatory.

 

[Dentaltech]

Thanks for the information. I kinda figured that it was a look at the tag and gag sort of experience. In any event I look forward to the experience and will be happy to slap down the plastic so that I may move to the next step in my life.

Thanks to all the replied,
DENTALTECH

 

[rosy]

Could I ask what size & style of diamond you are interested in purchasing at Tiffany''s? Do you have a budget or do you have a good idea of what the prices are at Tiffany''s?

 

[Dentaltech]

The size I will be getting is slightly bigger then 1.5 in the traditional tiffany setting. I was in the store 4 months ago and saw one for about 23k. I do not remember the exact details on the stone but there was no stones there with any real defects to them. Budget is out the door for under 25k

My girl is definetly name brand concious, but I also know she has no idea how much a premium this name brings. I for one will not start this marriage off cheaping out. Its only money, I can always make more of it

Hope this answers your question,
DENTALTECH

 

[rocks]

dentaltech...

mention to your girlfirend that having to have a tiffany ring is like having to have "da vinci" veneers b/c you saw them on extreme makeover....sure, they make a fabulous product, but, there are high quality local labs that do the same job at a better price!

just a suggestion.....

 

[Mara]

If you've got your mind set on the Tiffany ring....by all means, go for it!

But....maybe she'd like a 2c super ideal H&A for $24k?

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=GIA-13410020

 

[rosy]

Wow, that''s a lot of money to spend on a 1.50 carat ring. For that money you could get an even larger ring elsewhere with a phenomenal setting. If you got your ring elsewhere & got a very, very, nice expensive setting you would still have money left over. It really shouldn''t matter if it''s Tiffany''s or not. If it''s beautiful people will notice the beauty of the ring, not where you bought it from.

 

[ChapmanLovesHarvard]

Don''t let them talk you out of what you want to buy. I am sure you know that you could buy a bigger ring for the same price somewhere else, but if you know your girlfriend and know that would make her happy, do it. Perhaps the tiffany''s name is more important to her than a bigger size. We might all have different opinions on that, but if that is for her, that is for her. I think it is great that you are trying to make your girlfriend so happy. And I love your quote "it''s just money, I can always make more."

Happy ring hunting and congrats!

 

[rosy]

No one is trying to talk him out of buying from Tiffany''s. The facts are his girlfriend has no idea that the premium for a Tiffany''s is as high as it is. Maybe if she knew she would 1) not want him to buy from there 2) not care & still be willing to pay the premium or 3) want him to spend the same amount of money elsewhere but get a bigger rock. The thing is it''s better to know all the facts now, before you buy the ring, that''s what this forum is for. Once you''ve bought the ring it''s too late. Trust me, you don''t want to have buyers remorse on such a high ticket item.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 12/2/2004 1

9:41 AM
Author: ChapmanLovesHarvard

Don''t let them talk you out of what you want to buy. I am sure you know that you could buy a bigger ring for the same price somewhere else, but if you know your girlfriend and know that would make her happy, do it. Perhaps the tiffany''s name is more important to her than a bigger size. We might all have different opinions on that, but if that is for her, that is for her. I think it is great that you are trying to make your girlfriend so happy. And I love your quote ''it''s just money, I can always make more.''

Happy ring hunting and congrats!

making more money is one thing,paying 35% more compare to p.s. vendors price

for the same grade diamond is another.

 

[PhillipSchmidt]

What a dimema,

I am sure there are better that names then Tiffany that offer more for less. Tiffany only makes designs that are easy to produce cheaply, but if she is brand oriented then you might have no choice but go with the flow, whatever the cost.

I can''t say else. I make he stuff, but it is interesting hearing your thoughts

 

[finerthings]

I deleted my post cuz I'm too grouchy today.

 

[sxn675]

I don''t think that anyone was bashing on his plan, just telling him to do some homework and talk to his girlfriend. When my husband was going to propose, several of his friends told him to go to Tiffany''s and that''s what he was going to do. We didn''t know exactly how much the premium was and also didn''t know that Tiffany diamonds come from the same cutters as other places. Once we found out those things, we decided to go with a branded stone from one of the pricescope vendors. But, some of my husband''s friends also found out the same information and went with Tiffany''s because they put a premium on the name. Neither decision is "right". In the end, of course he''ll do what he wants, but isn''t it better to do it as an educated consumer?

 

[reena]

Date: 12/2/2004 9:41:14 AM
Author: sxn675
I don''t think that anyone was bashing on his plan, just telling him to do some homework and talk to his girlfriend. When my husband was going to propose, several of his friends told him to go to Tiffany''s and that''s what he was going to do. We didn''t know exactly how much the premium was and also didn''t know that Tiffany diamonds come from the same cutters as other places. Once we found out those things, we decided to go with a branded stone from one of the pricescope vendors. But, some of my husband''s friends also found out the same information and went with Tiffany''s because they put a premium on the name. Neither decision is ''right''. In the end, of course he''ll do what he wants, but isn''t it better to do it as an educated consumer?

exactly. my FI said that if i hadn''t been involved in the process he would have gone to tiff''s too, because he doesn''t know a thing about diamonds and figured that it would be a "safe" place to buy (both in terms of getting reasonable quality and in terms of me liking the final product). however, i was involved in the process, and after doing my research here i came to the conclusion that i would much prefer a larger stone from somewhere else.

i don''t think there''s a single thing wrong with making an educated decision to buy at tiff''s. but i DO think it''s a shame to see people buy there and pay that huge premium simply because they aren''t aware of the other options that are out there. (and BTW dentaltech i''m not necessarily saying that this applies to you. but, i think that''s what the posters here were getting at--ie, trying to make sure you were making an educated choice.)

so, sorry to finerthings and others who get their panties in a bunch every time a tiff''s post comes up and people try to make the poster aware that there ARE other ways to get a quality diamond without coughing up the tiff''s premium, but the whole point of this site is consumer education. to me, that means helping people to understand the full range of their options so that they can make an educated purchase that''s right for them and their FI-to-be. and that''s exactly what was going on in this post.

 

[windowshopper]

nice job reena--

Buying a diamond (or any stone) for engagement or as a gift should still be a romantic and magical thing--no offense (I love pricescope) but pricescope and the internet (no offense to any vendor) is NOT romantic or magical....................thr romance of stones and beautiful design is largely owed to tiffany, cartier, vca, hw, shreve, faberge blah blah blah....................places who set the bar for fine deisgn and such. the problem is that most of US are not buying the schlumberger bow ring with a 6 carat EC for 142,000....(that i really want

) M ost of what people are buying is a .5 carat that pays for the romance and the marketing. Incidentally--I believe the legacy and the newer (somewhat reasonably priced) lines that are deco nods are an attempt to bring some of the old tiffany magic down to a normal level and bridge between .5 and 6 carat.....................

 

[finerthings]

Ok Reena your quote... "so, sorry to finerthings and others who get their panties in a bunch every time a tiff''s post comes up"...irks me and goes two ways. So go ahead and buy your diamonds and generic copies for less money over the internet or where ever, I don''t care. It is a matter of personal choice.

 

[reena]

Date: 12/2/2004 10:43:48 AM
Author: finerthings
Ok Reena your quote... 'so, sorry to finerthings and others who get their panties in a bunch every time a tiff's post comes up'...irks me and goes two ways. So go ahead and buy your diamonds and generic copies for less money over the internet or where ever, I don't care. It is a matter of personal choice.

well said, finerthings.

 

[solange]

As far as I am concerned, there is no romance or magic in buying a ring at Tiffany. The Tiffany of today is not the prestige establishment it once was.Much of their merchandise is quite ordinary.

My husband never liked my pear shape engagement ring. I loved it and had it for many years. For our last anniversary, I got a card with a made up gift certificate telling me to buy a bigger, beautiful round stone which was the shape he originally wanted me to have.

I went to Tiffany to look. I was not even offered a seat and I stood aroung for about 15 minutes and then had to approach a salesperson. He showed me what they had and their quality went down to I color, good symmetry and polish and vs2. These are not the best. Also the salesperson did not know much about stones and could offer little information. I was looking for stone 4 carats or over and I wanted better service than that.I had not found Pricescope at that time.

I went to Harry Winston, was greeted by a doorman and ushered to a comfortable seat at a desk. A salesman immediately approached and was extremely courteous, helpful and knowledgeable. I told what I was looking for and he told me about how much it would cost( at least $95,000). I told him I did not want to waste his time because it was out of my price range.Their stones were superb. He said let me show you some of our stones anyway so you can get an idea when you look elsewhere. I do not recall exactly but I think the lowest color they carried was F. This is what I call luxurious service if you want to spend the extra bucks. I seem to recall that recently someone mentioned on Pricescope that her fiance was able to negotiate a price at one of the prestigious Fifth Avenue jewelry shops. Also, Signed Pieces has Tiffany rings at resale prices.

I wound up buying from Whiteflash on Pricescope because I wanted the best deal for my money. But if I were inclined to pay for prestige, quality, ambiance and service, I would not choose Tiffany. I would go to Van Cleef, Harry Winston, Hollis Reh, Fred Leighton, Edith Weber, Cartier. etc. My husband wanted me to do this but I could not bring myself to buy something I could get elsewhere for less.

 

[windowshopper]

i was referring more to the legacy of design by the big jewelers and how that has created a lot of the love of gems etc---not that you get it today if you are just jane smith (no offense to jane smith)

 

[ChapmanLovesHarvard]

I think Dentaltech sounds pretty educated. He says in his first post that he is going to pay a lot just for the name. And any girl who know the name "tiffany" knows it is going to be expensive. He didn''t ask he he should buy it or not, he asked about negotiation.

 

[RockGirl]

wow! some people get pretty touchy on this site. But I guess when you post 2,008 times... this kinda becomes your life.

 

[reena]

Date: 12/2/2004 12:29:37 PM
Author: RockGirl
wow! some people get pretty touchy on this site. But I guess when you post 2,008 times... this kinda becomes your life.

wow! some people get pretty bitchy on this site.

oh, and you can make that 2,009.

 

[Dentaltech]

I love to see lively conversations by passionate people on their favorite topics

My girlfriend and I have been in a T&C store and I made darn sure she didn''t see the prices. I know it’s her fantasy and I want to give it to her. Maybe I am a fool for spending this much but I am a happy fool. The truth is the unbroken circle of love that a ring represents weather if it’s from T&C or a cheap mall store is what I am after. With that being said, I will fulfill her dream and give her The "Tiffany fantasy". I know that she has and will continue to give me more than any ring could ever cost and for that I am the wealthiest man in the world.

DENTALTECH

 

[yanekie25]

Congrats!!! I am sure she will love it.

Sorry, your question sparked so many issues. I think the fact of the matter is ultimately it''s your choice, but it should be educated. At least if you found PS, you wanted to be educated. Personally, I originally wanted the Tiffany magic, but I didn''t know the premium involved. After some education and understanding what makes a diamond beautiful, I didn''t want to pay the premium. I preferred a bigger rock. I let that be known to BF. To each his own. I do love your quote though "It''s only money, I will just make more of it".

Do post of pic of the beauty once you get it.

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Date: 12/2/2004 12:44

7 PM
Author: Dentaltech

My girlfriend and I have been in a T&C store and I made darn sure she didn''t see the prices. I know it’s her fantasy and I want to give it to her. Maybe I am a fool for spending this much but I am a happy fool. The truth is the unbroken circle of love that a ring represents weather if it’s from T&C or a cheap mall store is what I am after. With that being said, I will fulfill her dream and give her The ''Tiffany fantasy''. I know that she has and will continue to give me more than any ring could ever cost and for that I am the wealthiest man in the world.

DENTALTECH

I think it is sweet that you want to give her her fantasy. I am sure she will love anything that you give her. "Maybe I am a fool for spending this much, but I am a happy fool." I know that is all I needed to hear. Congratulations on your engagement. I wish you long lives together full of happiness!