Tiffany''s Salesperson View on GIA

[KrWz]

I was in Tiffany's earlier yesterday w/ a buddy of mine just looking around at rings and diamonds so that my friend could get ideas on whats out there for when he decides to finally get a ring. The lady at Tiffany's was telling us some stuff but one thing I wondered about was when she talked about Certification. She was saying that the Tiffany grading system certs are guarenteed but the GIA certs they also provide (for 1carat+) are not as good because there is no guarentee on what the GIA says being true. She also said that the GIA is just for 'americans' to make them happy so that they can see #s and specs but in reality the main thing to do is just look at the ring and see if its beautiful and brilliant. She also said that the GIA does not even exist in Europe and if you ask anyone in Eurpoe about a GIA that they wont have any idea what you're talking about. I was wondering how true her statements were. Thanks

 

[Lord Summerisle]

certainly not true.

in GB there are several shops i have been into which provide diamonds certed by GIA. (including the online store cooldiamonds.com) but also certs by BGA, HRD & IGI are also common when you look. (tho there is less knowledge over here about good cuts)

have a look around here, theres a comparison report on the standard of grading of several labs including GIA and AGS

 

[valeria101]

It may be true that the vast majority of GIA reports are used in the US, but that doesn''t make the international fame and network of this institution to vanish. The statement is rather weird. Perhaps the lady had just geared her sales pitch after what their usual clientelle wants to hear... It is hard to believe Tiffany doesn''t train their sales staff !

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I wonder if Tiffany will stop selling Steep Deep AGS 0 type diamonds now that they have been exposed by all and sundry as not ideal?

 

[pricescope]

It is Tiffany's policies. They saying the same things about certification guarantees on their website:
Tiffany Certification
Tiffany Gemological Laboratory

"Unlike the documentation that may accompany stones purchased elsewhere, the Tiffany Diamond Certificate is an actual guarantee".

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 5/21/2005 3:40:32 AM
Author:KrWz
I was in Tiffany''s earlier yesterday w/ a buddy of mine just looking around at rings and diamonds so that my friend could get ideas on whats out there for when he decides to finally get a ring. The lady at Tiffany''s was telling us some stuff but one thing I wondered about was when she talked about Certification. She was saying that the Tiffany grading system certs are guarenteed but the GIA certs they also provide (for 1carat+) are not as good because there is no guarentee on what the GIA says being true. She also said that the GIA is just for ''americans'' to make them happy so that they can see #s and specs but in reality the main thing to do is just look at the ring and see if its beautiful and brilliant. She also said that the GIA does not even exist in Europe and if you ask anyone in Eurpoe about a GIA that they wont have any idea what you''re talking about. I was wondering how true her statements were. Thanks

Boy, she really laid it on thick, didn''t she?

A few clarifications:

She was saying that the Tiffany grading system certs are guarenteed but the GIA certs they also provide (for 1carat+) are not as good because there is no guarentee on what the GIA says being true.

There is no "guarantee" from *any* grading lab; the role of a grading lab is to offer an UNBIASED, expert opinion about a stone''s properties. Since grading labs aren''t sellers, they cannot offer guarantees. Only the seller of merchandise can do that.

She also said that the GIA is just for ''americans'' to make them happy so that they can see #s and specs.

I''m a bit surprised that this is how Tiffany wants their salespeople to portray their grading reports this way.

She also said that the GIA does not even exist in Europe and if you ask anyone in Eurpoe about a GIA that they wont have any idea what you''re talking about.

GIA stands for Gemological Institute of AMERICA. It''s an American organization, so of course it''s most prominently featured here. However, she''s patently lying when she says GIA doesn''t exist in Europe and no one is Europe knows what GIA is. GIA has campuses in Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Moscow, and London. I know geography changes rapidly these days, but I''m still fairly certain that Italy, Moscow and London ARE still part of "Europe".

Her sales skills leave much to be desired.

 

[KrWz]

Thanks for the info guys! I''m guessing since me and my friend look a little younger (like just barely over 20 but we''re really close to our 30''s) she probably tailored her sales pitch a little to try to ''convince'' us the most. Thanks to pricescope though i''ve learned to try to use as much knowledge as I can to try to keep steady and at least help my friends try to be better consumers. I''ve been giving my friend info on Diamonds that i''ve learned on here and have been providing him the spiel of all of the different things he needs to consider when purchasing the diamond. He was totally buying into Tiffany''s after his first talks with the salespeople but its a good thing that I reminded him to keep an open mind and to look around too and how surprised he''d be. Thanks again for the info guys!

 

[blueroses]

You''re a good friend! Send him PS''s way and he can probably either save some $$ or get around 40% more for his money!

 

[denverappraiser]

Indeed this contains an interesting set distortions and half-truths. Some of this was done above but I’ll do some deconstruction of the comments.

She was saying that the Tiffany grading system certs are guarenteed but the GIA certs they also provide (for 1carat+) are not as good because there is no guarentee on what the GIA says being true.

It’s true that a GIA lab exam is not a guarantee or warranty of any kind. Any dealer who sells a diamond that they are declaring to be of a particular grade is attaching their own guarantee as part of the sale. It’s basic US law. In effect she is right, the guarantee comes from Tiffany and not from GIA but this is true of every other dealer in the country as well. Some have more valuable guarantees than others. Tiffs is a fine outfit but they are hardly the only one. The most important document for this guarantee is the receipt, not the lab report.

She also said that the GIA is just for 'americans' to make them happy so that they can see #s and specs but in reality the main thing to do is just look at the ring and see if its beautiful and brilliant.

True enough. Paperwork is usually provided for the benefit of people who like to see #’s and dealers are interested in making their customers happy. What’s wrong with that? There are plenty of non-American’s who also seem to like these numbers and GIA has a worldwide reputation for providing accurate and useful information. They are not the only provider of this kind of data nor do they claim to be. They offer excellent services for all who want them and it seems to be popular. Once again, what’s wrong with that?

Tiffany should train their sales people better.
Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[Mara]

"Unlike the documentation that may accompany stones purchased elsewhere, the Tiffany Diamond Certificate is an actual guarantee".

________________

That is an interesting statement because who is guaranteeing that the TDC is correct in what it says? What if you want a second opinion. If they don''t trust the GIA...then a Tiffany appraiser only?

As a savvy consumer I''d be suspicious of any store guaranteeing things like color and cut of their stones, they are selling these items to me, of course they want them to look good on paper.

But the GIA is an impartial judge in a way, just like an independent appraiser....they call it like they see it and their pockets are not lined according to what they say...so I''d give something like that alot more ''clout'' than something from a store (any store!) that was selling me the stone.

How is this Tiffany cert guarantee diff than the Zales guarantee? IMO not at all and just because it''s ''Tiffany'' does not mean it''s the right way.

 

[Kaleigh]

Honestly when we got my upgrade at Tiffany''s I really only scutinized the GIA cert on the stone. The tiffany diamond certificate didn''t mean that much to me.

 

[denverappraiser]

That is an interesting statement because who is guaranteeing that the TDC is correct in what it says?

Tiffany lab is a self regulating entity. They are guaranteeing that if a Tiffany lab stone is presented in unaltered condition to the Tiffany lab in the future, it will receive the same grade. They recognize no outside experts. It''s guaranteed to be a particular grade because they say it''s a particular grade and they guarantee to say it again next week if you ask again (asking this question and submitting your stone for examination is billable and they aren''t cheap, by the way). It''s a very circular argument.

How is this Tiffany cert guarantee diff than the Zales guarantee?

They don''t claim it is. They say it''s unlike the documentation that may accompany stones purchased elsewhere. I''m confident that this is true.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver