Tiffanys

[paddymick_2000]

Hi,

Just a general question.

Does anyone know what the average premium you would pay for a diamond ring in Tiffanys compared to an identical ring (similar) in one of the high street stores.

I have always heard people discribe it as a bit of a rip off.

Thanks
Paddy

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

I tried on a 1 carat ring with channel set sides stones 0.35 carats H VS2 and the price tag was $13,995 + tax

I have a Michael B. three sided pave ring weighing about 1.5ct and a 1.5ct AGS00 diamond set in it and it was just a little bit more expensive than the Tiffany''s... 3ctw vs. 1.35ctw

 

[mrmedoes]

You should be able to do a search on Tiffany''s here in the forums and find tons of examples of costs. I don''t know that there is an exact rule of thumb, but you can definitely see that it''s a lot more.

 

[ame]

It is a big ripoff. While others disagree, my experience is that their cut standards really are not good, they sell color and clarity, NOT quality cut. Unless you plan to spend a mil.

I think they make a 200% profit, easily.

 

[hoorray]

When I looked there for earrings last year (simple studs), the price difference was about 40+%. (That''s actually a conservative comparison to today''s prices.)

 

[bar01]

For my"Tiffany Style" 3 stone e-ring from a pricescope vendor - my ring was 60 to 100% less.

Based on the excellent appraisal from Richard Sherwood, the estimated high end B&M store price was still at least 30-50% less than the Tiffany price I saw.

 

[paddymick_2000]

where is a good place to go in Manhattan to buy diamond rings at a reasonable price where you wont get ripped off

 

[PrincessBride]

My coworker has a diamond engagement ring from Tiffany''s. I don''t know how much it is or her quality, but she told me the great thing about buying from Tiffany''s is that they have a lifetime warranty on their diamond. If you lose the diamond, they''ll replace it for you as long as you still have the ring that is.

 

[pearcrazy]

Having the ring insured would cover any type of loss and cost substantially less than the inflated Tiffany''s price tag.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 1/12/2005 8:43:38 PM
Author: PrincessBride
My coworker has a diamond engagement ring from Tiffany''s. I don''t know how much it is or her quality, but she told me the great thing about buying from Tiffany''s is that they have a lifetime warranty on their diamond. If you lose the diamond, they''ll replace it for you as long as you still have the ring that is.

PB
so thats why tiff charge 2x the internet price

,just in case they had to replace it in the future.

 

[jenwill]

I was in Tiffany''s recently and tried on a 1 carat emerald cut F/VS1 that they had priced at $13,500. The same size/color/clarity from some vendors here runs $4620-5151. So, basically if I had bought, I would have paid about $8400 for a plain Tiffany setting........

 

[ame]

I dont know if GOG is in manhattan but Rhino is a guy to talk to.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Barry @ SuperbCert is great and they are right on 47th street.

 

[KBerly]

Mark from Engagement Rings Direct is down there somewhere too...5th Ave http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/

 

[paddymick_2000]

Thanks everybody

I will make a point to drop in on Good Old Gold

they seem to have soome of the best recommendations

Thanks
Paddy

any other info would be greatly appriciated

forgive the spelling

 

[pad3006]

A lot of you on here trash the heck out of Tiffanys but you really dont see the point of Tiffanys pricing. Sure it costs more but they have been around for a long time and so if years down the line someone wants to have something done to the ring it can be done. However at some of these internet vendors, there is no assurance that they will be around for years to come.
Plus as someone else said they stand behind there product and all always make sure that the customer leaves happy provided the customer is reasonable. To the person that said get insurance, thats stupid b/c then you have to look for a new stone and that doesnt even insure you will get the stone you want. Its much better to have the piece of mind from a retailor who stands behind there product.

An engagement ring is a symbol, not just a peice of jewelry. I understand some of your points you can get a bigger stone for the same price but thats not the point, the point is to buy the best, not to get the best deal and not to deal with people who could rip you off. There are plenty of stories of people getting ripped off by shady jewelers.
I realize a lot of you will say i am wrong and do not agree, but it is rediculus how so many of you trash them and i felt the need to step up and give my two cents.

 

[Mara]

Date: 1/15/2005 12:41

0 PM
Author: pad3006
A lot of you on here trash the heck out of Tiffanys but you really dont see the point of Tiffanys pricing. Sure it costs more but they have been around for a long time and so if years down the line someone wants to have something done to the ring it can be done. However at some of these internet vendors, there is no assurance that they will be around for years to come.
Plus as someone else said they stand behind there product and all always make sure that the customer leaves happy provided the customer is reasonable. To the person that said get insurance, thats stupid b/c then you have to look for a new stone and that doesnt even insure you will get the stone you want. Its much better to have the piece of mind from a retailor who stands behind there product.

An engagement ring is a symbol, not just a peice of jewelry. I understand some of your points you can get a bigger stone for the same price but thats not the point, the point is to buy the best, not to get the best deal and not to deal with people who could rip you off. There are plenty of stories of people getting ripped off by shady jewelers.
I realize a lot of you will say i am wrong and do not agree, but it is rediculus how so many of you trash them and i felt the need to step up and give my two cents.

Well it's not Friday anymore but of course I just have to chime in! Honestly, all this Tiffany drama never fails to amaze me...who is 'trashing' them?? People are giving their opinions.

It's awesome that you felt the need to 'step up' and give your two cents, but if you realize that most people DO NOT feel the same way you do, why waste your words? Really! Your words fall on mostly deaf ears on this forum and here's why.

Pricescope IS about the BEST DEAL. It's about getting the best stone or ring for your money. Not everyone has the 40-60% markup to plunk down on a Tiffany ring just because you think they will be around later when you, what,...need something fixed on the stone? There's no guarantee that Tiffany will be around in 10/20/50 years...the past is not necessarily a true indicator of the future. Just as with any other stone purchase, you don't have that absolute guarantee. So I personally don't think that should be a huge factor in a purchase, there are no guarantees.

Secondly, you note getting ripped off by jewelers, well of course that happens..it's life! How do you circumvent getting taken for a ride? Well the answer is not necessarily just go shop at Tiffany's....how about actually doing some homework and research to find out where you want to spend your money and on what. It's not just about the best, or the biggest stone, but again, the combination that works best for people's budgets. I don't just automatically spend more at one store just to avoid getting ripped off elsewhere, I do enough homework to understand if there ARE other options.

Lastly, you are assuming that in those 10/20/50 years one would not want to even consider another stone or an upgrade, so that if you do get insurance and lose the stone or it is stolen, looking for a new stone MAY BE precisely what someone does want. I can guarantee that if something happened to my stone in 10 years and I got the insurance payout, I would LOVE looking for a new stone and would probably get a new setting and/or larger stone then too. Why not! Something different. Life does not always need to be the same.

So realize that you may think differently than the masses here and of course do not see your reasoning as wrong, but those who ARE here on Pscope looking for the best deal for their funds, and think beyond just paying a 40-60% markup for your reasons are not necessarily wrong either.

 

[pad3006]

yeah as I said I do know that you and others feel differently which I respect but no one seems to see things the way I do and if someone comes here reading the threads they may think retailors like tiffanys are horrible, they just offer something different from what an internet jewelers does, that was my only point.

 

[hellokitty]

I agree 100% with Mara. Well said! Just bc you shop at a place other than tiff, doesnt mean you will get ripped off. Getting ripped off means spending twice as much for some product just because they can charge that premium. I know i can buy " the best " and get the best deal bc of all i have learned prom PS, the internet and the many people that have bought jewelry from some of the vendors here.. just my opion about tiffs
anna

 

[perry]

Tiffanies is not "horrible". They are just charging a premium price for a premium name (marketing).

If you ego says that having a tiffany ring is valuable - then buy all means buy one. It's your money, your ring, and you have to live with it.

Many other people just see Tiffany as someplace selling good, but not great, diamonds for a high price and care not one iota about the importance of the tiffany name.

In my case I need to maximize what I can get for my money as quite honestly I don't have piles of money laying arround to spend without regard. In fact, coughing up $5000+ for the center diamond on a ring is a tough thing to do and will have an affect on my finanaces this year (I am paying cash - but coming up with that amount of free cash is not the easiest thing to do). Even though many buy on credit - even then the cost of an engagement ring (or other trinket) gives pause for many (and often years of payments).

The concept of paying about twice that just for a name doesn't even register as an idea that makes any sense to me.

The concept that Tiffany can service their jewelry better than many of the local jewelers is laughable at the thought. Fine, so I have to pay a few dollars now and then down the road. I would have to pay the same just to buy the gas to travel to the nearest Tiffanies.

I will admit that there is a gal at work who got a Tiffany ring several months ago as her engagement ring. So some people are willing to travel to get them.

Perry

 

[Jennifer5973]

Date: 1/15/2005 6:20:59 PM
Author: perry
Tiffanies is not ''horrible''. They are just charging a premium price for a premium name (marketing).

If you ego says that having a tiffany ring is valuable - then buy all means buy one. It''s your money, your ring, and you have to live with it.

Many other people just see Tiffany as someplace selling good, but not great, diamonds for a high price and care not one iota about the importance of the tiffany name.

BINGO.

 

[heart prongs]

From what I understand, you get guaranteed nice color and clarity from Tiffany's, but the cut isn't all that...and that's what's important. Tiffany's is an easy way to do the least amount of research and receive the most amount of oohs and aahs from people who (most likely) know very little about stones. Frankly, I'm more impressed with more original, custom-designed settings that that the buyer and the jeweler put a lot of thought and effort into! That said -- nobody says that Tiffany's doesn't have nice jewelry, erings included, but to pay such a premium is downright laughable!

It's like buying airline tickets...you're on Orbitz and you can choose to get to your destination in coach for $238 on one airline or you can select the one for $578 dollars, similar time, class, etc...on another just as reputable airline. You obviously go with what costs less, all things considered...I don't know if that was a very good comparison, but it came to mind so I decided to share.

Anyway, that's what I think...klr

 

[codex57]

Date: 1/15/2005 12:41

0 PM
Author: pad3006

Plus as someone else said they stand behind there product and all always make sure that the customer leaves happy provided the customer is reasonable. To the person that said get insurance, thats stupid b/c then you have to look for a new stone and that doesnt even insure you will get the stone you want. Its much better to have the piece of mind from a retailor who stands behind there product.


An engagement ring is a symbol, not just a peice of jewelry. I understand some of your points you can get a bigger stone for the same price but thats not the point, the point is to buy the best, not to get the best deal and not to deal with people who could rip you off. There are plenty of stories of people getting ripped off by shady jewelers.

I realize a lot of you will say i am wrong and do not agree, but it is rediculus how so many of you trash them and i felt the need to step up and give my two cents.

My main problem with your post is that you call them "the best." I agree, an E-ring is a symbol, not just a piece of jewelry. However, you call them the best when it's common knowledge among the more knowledgeable customers that Tiffany's doesn't give you a good cut necessarily. You talk about people getting ripped off, but you can say Tiffany rips people off by screening only size, color, and clarity and then sticking in any cut and charging 100% or more for their name. Sure they'll likely be around in case you have problems, but what's that really worth? If the ring's damaged, they'll fix it... for a fee. I bet you can find tons of jewelers willing to fix the ring for a fee. If you crack the diamond, can you return it and get a new one for free? Nordstrom's would likely take it back. Will Tiffanys? I think not. So, what good is it to have them around later? Just so they can sell you another expensive piece of jewelery? So you have to find another stone if insurance makes you. SO what? If you lose your Tiffany ring, you have to find another Tiffany one. Not only do you have to pay for it yourself since you think insurance is worthless, but you again run the risk of getting a not so good cut stone cuz Tiffany's stones range in quality so much.

The only thing you get with Tiffanys is that others know you can afford to drop a big bundle on jewelry. A good comparitive company is Prada, particularly accessories like their wallets. Expensive, and style is generally regarded as nice. However, quality can never be called "the best." For some people, showing off that you can afford an expensive item is what they want. Doesn't mean they own "the best."

 

[PrincessBride]

I love Tiffany''s stuff just becuase it''s a Tiffany''s, but I couldn''t justify buying diamonds there because to get a really good quality diamond is extremely overpriced. Also, IMO, I don''t think their quality is all that good anyway. My bf gave me a silver necklace from there. After 2 years, the clasp broke and the it tarnishes so quickly. I sent it in to have it fixed and it costs me $25. My mom bought a diamond ring from a local jeweler with side diamonds and one of the side diamonds fell out and got lost. They fixed and replaced it with another real side diamond (not cz) for free!

 

[codex57]

Date: 1/20/2005 6:52:36 PM
Author: PrincessBride
I love Tiffany''s stuff just becuase it''s a Tiffany''s, but I couldn''t justify buying diamonds there because to get a really good quality diamond is extremely overpriced. Also, IMO, I don''t think their quality is all that good anyway. My bf gave me a silver necklace from there. After 2 years, the clasp broke and the it tarnishes so quickly. I sent it in to have it fixed and it costs me $25. My mom bought a diamond ring from a local jeweler with side diamonds and one of the side diamonds fell out and got lost. They fixed and replaced it with another real side diamond (not cz) for free!

Least yours lasted 2 years. The necklace I bought for my g/f lasted 2 months. Bought end of November, broke like last week so this is recent news. Cheap ass crap is what it is. Looks pretty tho.

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

I wouldn''t buy a e-ring from Tiffany''s either. However, I did get some perfume from there for X-mas. It is called "Pure" and smells VERY nice.. Hubby says it is only for occasions that he is with me that I get to wear it b/c it smells so nice!

 

[PrincessBride]

Date: 1/20/2005 7:22:52 PM
Author: codex57

Date: 1/20/2005 6:52:36 PM
Author: PrincessBride
I love Tiffany''s stuff just becuase it''s a Tiffany''s, but I couldn''t justify buying diamonds there because to get a really good quality diamond is extremely overpriced. Also, IMO, I don''t think their quality is all that good anyway. My bf gave me a silver necklace from there. After 2 years, the clasp broke and the it tarnishes so quickly. I sent it in to have it fixed and it costs me $25. My mom bought a diamond ring from a local jeweler with side diamonds and one of the side diamonds fell out and got lost. They fixed and replaced it with another real side diamond (not cz) for free!

Least yours lasted 2 years. The necklace I bought for my g/f lasted 2 months. Bought end of November, broke like last week so this is recent news. Cheap ass crap is what it is. Looks pretty tho.

Did you get the heart shaped silver necklace? It''s the one where you string the necklace through the heart.

 

[Blue824]

I think its just totally just a personal opinion, but it is good to be aware that you can get diamonds for less. I have to agree with Pad3006, that when ever someone asks about Tiffanys its always the negatives that come out instead of positives, but if you like the store and constantly hear so many negatives, it can come off as bashing. Point taken that Pricescope is about helping people find the best combination of style/quality/value. Obviously with the high premium "value" doesn''t really pop into someone''s mind when thinking about T&Co!! For a while I went through a phase that my e-ring HAD to be from Tiffanys, but then I realized I could get one for a lot less. That''s the difference between an educated consumer and one that doesnt want to do the research. But really, they have to be doing something right to have all the Tiffany-style pieces all around.

Personally, I LOVE all my Tiffanys jewelry. I''ve had some pieces for years and they have not broken or tarnished and I seriously wear the hell out of the, like in the shower, to the gym, never take certain pieces off because they''re important to me. I guess I also like T&Co a lot because they''ve always been so polite/helpful/kind to me. I know others have stories otherwise, but for me, the service I receive can either make me a life long customer or I''ll never step foot in there again.

I can list complaints about jewelry breaking from lots of other stores, you''re going to hear bad stories about almost anywhere if you look for them. One bracelet I recieved from somewhere else wanted $25 just to basically close a link that had come loose and I needed to pay the shipping fees to their repair location. Talk about ridiculous.

This summer I went jewelry shopping with my brother for his gf, and we visited a variety of stores, like BBB and some others I can''t remember and we got treated horribly. First at BBB the sales lady ROLLED HER EYES AT US when we told her my brothers price range, then ungratefully showed us the selection. We found something he really liked, but we couldn''t stand the sales people and walked right out and ended up paying around $200 more for a similar item at a place that treated us nicely.

So really, I think the point of my babble was this: I think it really does depend on a variety of factors to choose where you''ll buy your e-ring from. It''s not a small purchase and should be made wisely. Shop around. Do your research. Go with what feels right. It is a personal decision as to what will make you (and your S.O.) happy

 

[dobie]

I got my GF the Open Heart necklace in 18K YG at the beginning of Dec and she hasn''t any problems with it yet. I''ve noticed there are a lot of knock-offs around that don''t look as nice as the original. I even saw one with a ring soldered to the heart for the chain pass thru.

 

[BLINGQUEEN]

FYI about silver. First off, the more a piece is worn the less likely it is to tarnish. Second, while not wearing silver keep it in tarnish resistant lined jewelry box. And third, silver will tarnish but that doesn''t mean it''s ruined. A good silver cleaner, even Tarnex found at walmart etc. should do the trick.