Ugly diamonds at Tiffany??

[pinkie621]

I am confused. I have read this site for years and I know about the general feelings toward Tiffany, so no need to repeat that I could get a better diamond for less elsewhere.

I was in Tiffany recently and tried on a few 1 carat solitaires, I couldn''t believe how poor one of the diamonds looked. It was a 1.13 G VS1. I don''t know if it''s just me or what, but it looked very dark, like greyish.

I was under the assumption that because T & Co only sells down to a certain grade, every diamond there would be beautiful. G-Vs1 is a very high grade too, I know there are other factors (cut), but seriously, what''s up with this?

 

[ayala_jessica]

It is surprising. Maybe the stone had a very strong fluorescence (but then I don''t know if Tiffany carries stones with high fluorescence) or maybe the cut was not so good and there was leakage under the table...Hard to say but surprising because even if all the T&CO diamonds are not H&As, their stones are usually of good quality especially in solitaires..

 

[pinkie621]

Yes I think they only sell medium and lower flour. I love love love love Tco and have always intended to choose their classic solitaire but I hadn''t seen one out of the case before.

 

[ayala_jessica]

If you really want a T&Co solitaire have you thought about buying a H&A online with a reputable vendor and give it to T&CO to be set ? My guess is that it is possible that they accept to set customers'' stones in their own settings. At least, it would be worth inquiring...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 2/16/2007 3:40:14 PM
Author: ayala_jessica
If you really want a T&Co solitaire have you thought about buying a H&A online with a reputable vendor and give it to T&CO to be set ? My guess is that it is possible that they accept to set customers'' stones in their own settings. At least, it would be worth inquiring...

Very sadly, that is not possible. Tiffany will not set a stone you bring in into their setting. Believe me, a lot of us would haev done that if they would!

I''ll have to say that when I was in Tiffany, I found their lighting made it impossible to tell the difference in color in the stones. The lighting in there is not like any other you''d ever likely be in, so I wouldn''t worry too much about it. I am sure the diamond is well cut and wouldn''t look dark in other lighting. Ideal cut stones do have the tendency to look dark in certain lighting.

 

[jaz464]

To me, their lighting makes their diamonds very fiery but does make them look a little dark or greyish. Probably wouldn''t look that way away from their lighting.

 

[denverappraiser]

It was probably a problem with the lighting in the store or perhaps just a dirty stone. I’m a little surprised at either of these being a problem at a T&Co showroom but diamonds from Tiffany’s are all at least pretty good. If they show you one that doesn’t suit your personal fancy, ask to see another but I don’t recall ever hearing anyone describe one of their stones as ‘ugly’. If you’re prepared to meet their price, there is no reason that you should be less than 100% satisfied with the product.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Ann]

I was in our local Tiffany''s a short while ago. I looked a 3 stones, a 3ct RB, a 5ct RB and a 5ct. EC

Only the 3ct RB looked ok, the others just had no life. We were in a small room, not in the shopwroom and honestly
I don''t remember the lighting.

My Whiteflash ACA put their RB''s to shame.

 

[CaptAubrey]

Date: 2/16/2007 3:44:09 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 2/16/2007 3:40:14 PM
Author: ayala_jessica
If you really want a T&Co solitaire have you thought about buying a H&A online with a reputable vendor and give it to T&CO to be set ? My guess is that it is possible that they accept to set customers'' stones in their own settings. At least, it would be worth inquiring...

Very sadly, that is not possible. Tiffany will not set a stone you bring in into their setting. Believe me, a lot of us would haev done that if they would!

Tiffany, like most high-end jewelers and designers, will only sell a package deal. If you want their settings, you buy their stones.

 

[Beacon]

Date: 2/16/2007 3:44:09 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 2/16/2007 3:40:14 PM
Author: ayala_jessica
If you really want a T&Co solitaire have you thought about buying a H&A online with a reputable vendor and give it to T&CO to be set ? My guess is that it is possible that they accept to set customers'' stones in their own settings. At least, it would be worth inquiring...

Very sadly, that is not possible. Tiffany will not set a stone you bring in into their setting. Believe me, a lot of us would haev done that if they would!

I''ll have to say that when I was in Tiffany, I found their lighting made it impossible to tell the difference in color in the stones. The lighting in there is not like any other you''d ever likely be in, so I wouldn''t worry too much about it. I am sure the diamond is well cut and wouldn''t look dark in other lighting. Ideal cut stones do have the tendency to look dark in certain lighting.

Glad I''m not the only one! I had an E and a G in their "salon" area for the life of me I could not tell them apart. It was frustrating me! Usually I can tell. Their lights are definitely something odd.

Just today I had an F and a D at my appointment with the appraiser. It was possible to see the difference. Both the appraiser and I could see it in certain lighting. But I bet if we took those into Tiffany they would disappear into the Miracle Light at the store.

When you think about it, it''s a bad thing for Tiffany. Perhaps many of their customers are pretty high end types and want high color. But if you cannot see the difference once you are in the store it seems less likely you will buy the high color one.

 

[iheartscience]

I''ve noticed this in diamonds before, too! I looked at some Hearts on Fire diamonds just for kicks and I couldn''t believe how dark they looked. The colors were all in the G-H-I range, too.

I think it has something to do with contrast brilliance. Does anyone know if this is correct? And can anyone explain it further?

I don''t think I would like other Hearts and Arrows diamonds in person, either, because of this. I think the darkness of the arrows wouldn''t appeal to me.

I prefer fancy shapes because they seem to give off more white sparkle than rounds do. (I guess the flip side is that rounds have more fire?)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 2/16/2007 9:44:28 PM
Author: thing2of2
I''ve noticed this in diamonds before, too! I looked at some Hearts on Fire diamonds just for kicks and I couldn''t believe how dark they looked. The colors were all in the G-H-I range, too.

I think it has something to do with contrast brilliance. Does anyone know if this is correct? And can anyone explain it further?

I don''t think I would like other Hearts and Arrows diamonds in person, either, because of this. I think the darkness of the arrows wouldn''t appeal to me.

I prefer fancy shapes because they seem to give off more white sparkle than rounds do. (I guess the flip side is that rounds have more fire?)

Oh, my! You do not see dark arrows in a hearts and arrows stone at all! The only time you see that is when a the reflection of the camera is making the arrows appear dark in a photo. They do not appear this way just looking at the diamond. It looks like any other diamond other than it has better symmetry that most diamonds.

I don''t believe fancy shapes have more sparkle than ideal cut rounds. But fancy shapes certainly have their own appeal.

 

[iheartscience]

I wasn''t aware you couldn''t see arrows in real life! I thought that''s why they always show up in posters'' photos of their H&A diamonds.

And I don''t think fancy shaped diamonds are more sparkly than round diamonds. But to my eye, they often appear to have more of a *white* sparkly appearance, whereas round diamonds have more of a dark/light contrasting appearance, if that makes sense.

But I have eagle eyes and can definitely see things other people can''t...so that could have something to do with it.

In fact, the jeweler was very surprised that I noticed the Hearts on Fire diamonds looked darker than the other fancy shapes. And I think that''s who mentioned contrast brilliance to me as well.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 2/16/2007 10:20:20 PM
Author: thing2of2
I wasn''t aware you couldn''t see arrows in real life! I thought that''s why they always show up in posters'' photos of their H&A diamonds.

And I don''t think fancy shaped diamonds are more sparkly than round diamonds. But to my eye, they often appear to have more of a *white* sparkly appearance, whereas round diamonds have more of a dark/light contrasting appearance, if that makes sense.

But I have eagle eyes and can definitely see things other people can''t...so that could have something to do with it.

In fact, the jeweler was very surprised that I noticed the Hearts on Fire diamonds looked darker than the other fancy shapes. And I think that''s who mentioned contrast brilliance to me as well.

Actually the darkness of the stars depends on the color of your skin and hair, and the type of lighting coming from around your head etc

Since most of you ladies get given lots of diamonds and you do not see the dark stars, it only goes to show that you are all blonde and that is further proof that blondes have more fun

, and therefore are given

more diamonds

Most often you will see the star as a bright star - like the negative view of the pattern you see in a camera photo.

But another of the reasons I find people prefer slightly shallow diamonds is they show brighter main star patterns than slightly deeper diamonds (like the ones I do not like that GIA gives Ex).

 

[Miranda]

Date: 2/16/2007 10:38:51 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)

Date: 2/16/2007 10:20:20 PM
Author: thing2of2
I wasn''t aware you couldn''t see arrows in real life! I thought that''s why they always show up in posters'' photos of their H&A diamonds.

And I don''t think fancy shaped diamonds are more sparkly than round diamonds. But to my eye, they often appear to have more of a *white* sparkly appearance, whereas round diamonds have more of a dark/light contrasting appearance, if that makes sense.

But I have eagle eyes and can definitely see things other people can''t...so that could have something to do with it.

In fact, the jeweler was very surprised that I noticed the Hearts on Fire diamonds looked darker than the other fancy shapes. And I think that''s who mentioned contrast brilliance to me as well.

Actually the darkness of the stars depends on the color of your skin and hair, and the type of lighting coming from around your head etc

Since most of you ladies get given lots of diamonds and you do not see the dark stars, it only goes to show that you are all blonde and that is further proof that blondes have more fun

, and therefore are given

more diamonds

Most often you will see the star as a bright star - like the negative view of the pattern you see in a camera photo.

But another of the reasons I find people prefer slightly shallow diamonds is they show brighter main star patterns than slightly deeper diamonds (like the ones I do not like that GIA gives Ex).

Hehe, you crack me up, Garry! I guess I''m glad to be a blondie!!!

The last time I was in Tiffany''s their light was irritating low. Yes, there was a ton of sparkle coming off of the stones in the case, but, the colors didn''t look great. I went into a special room with the E colored stone I was looking at that had different types of simulated light such as sunlight and office light. It looked like an E there, but, in the showroom it looked the same as the F-H colored stones.

 

[iheartscience]

Hahaha...I guess I should go back to being a blonde, then. (I had blonde hair for so long everyone thought I dyed my hair when I let the blonde grow out!)

But seriously, I appreciate the expert explanation! I think most people (including myself) never think about lighting conditions, dark hair vs. light hair, etc.

 

[Lynn B]

I generally love T&Co stuff, but I got to see their Jazz ring in person (not in the store w/ the famous lights) and I was really disappointed in the diamonds! They were small, probably .10 and down, but they were mediocre AT BEST. Pretty dull and lifeless... and the ring was clean! I don''t know what their criteria for melee may be, but I was not impressed!

 

[Stone Hunter]

During my diamond search I went to Tiffany''s and I didn''t see anything that I really really liked. Their lighting was very odd. The D/IF cushion I tried on showed dark spots (contrast?) in it that were NOT symmetrical. I really expect symmetry especially if you''re using D/IF material.

I have a friend with H&A ring and I can see the arrows while she''s wearing it. I am blonde though. That must have something to do with it.

 

[kcoursolle]

Huh, ugly diamonds? My experience with viewing tiffany''s diamonds is that they are beautiful...but really nothing special. I''m more impressed with their settings.