Tiffanys vs. GIA certs - can you trust them?

[nespa]

I''ve been shopping for a while & wanted to get some opinions - can you trust Tiffany certifications? They *say* they have their own grading system...however it seems GIA would be more widely recognized.

I.e., if they say a ring is a "D", Tiffany''s claims they will *guarantee* it''s a D for LIFE.

What are your ideas?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, you can trust Tiffany grading. But whether one wants to pay a 40% mark-up to get the Tiffany name is another question. You can get as good and better cut stones elsewhere for considerably less money.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

I''ve always found Tiffany''s grading to be very reliable, on a par with GIA Gem Trade Lab standards.

 

[oldminer]

Tiffany is slightly more strict in their grading than the GIA. It makes little sense to be so ultra- conservative to most of us, but when you have such a valuable brand name they believe it is worth the extra degree of critical grading they choose to do. I hear they sell more D-IF diamonds than any other vendor in the world.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 11/14/2006 7:07:50 PM
Author: oldminer
I hear they sell more D-IF diamonds than any other vendor in the world.

That doesn''t shock me at all .... it stands to reason that the same folks who would be "status concious" enough to select "top grade" stones would turn to a status retailer like Tiffany''s. They just happen to be the most widespread jewelry "status" retailer.