Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ring?

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hello!
Can you tell me your thoughts on this Tiffany ruby ring and what is the absolute MOST I should pay for it? I see they are accepting best offers. I am still on my quest for a signed ruby ring..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TIFFANY-CO-PLAT-3-STONE-RUBY-DIAMOND-RING-2-87tcw-F-COLOR-DIAMONDS-BOXES-/330892803735?pt=US_Fine_Rings&hash=item4d0abf7e97
Thanks as always!

 

[chrono]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

I do not know how to authenticate the hallmark but it's a pretty ring. My beef is that the stone is too pink to be a ruby and I don't know the treatment(s) done to it.

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

Thanks Crono. I think in the far away pic the stone looks a bit darker. I think the first one is lightened.. That's what it looks like to me.
I know you don't have all the facts.. but just off the cuff.. how much would you offer?

 

[chrono]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

Pricing is heavily dependent on treatment, so it could swing wildly from very little to a lot and unfortunately, Tiffany isn't exactly open with this disclosure. Even in the faraway picture, it looks more pinkish purple than red. It is like asking me how much I would pay for a Porsche (or whatever fancy big name car you like) without knowing how loaded the car is, mileage, condition and how well it runs. Well, not exactly the same but you get the idea.

Here's the breakdown for a brand new ring, not including how much the Tiffany brand name is worth. I could be way off base without knowing the details.
Ruby - It is silky and if presumed heat only, might be around $3000. More if unheated, less if diffused. No idea if it is lead glass filled which will also drop the value significantly.
2 diamonds - $1600 each if well cut and brand new (GIA 3X)
Platinum setting - $1500? $2000?

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

Yeah.. I know what you mean..
I thought between below 10K.. that was my guestimate.

 

[LD]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

I agree with Chrono 100%.

The other thing that you need to consider is that the vendor is a flipper. If you look at his/her feedback, he/she buys from other Ebay sellers and then sells on. The problem I have with that is that it's more difficult to authenticate. So, if you do buy this then you MUST make it dependent on Tiffany authenticating the paperwork. I'm not sure if they would (and I know they don't authenticate jewellery pieces) but paperwork is different. There's certainly no harm in phoning to check.

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

Hi LD!
Unless the stones were switched I do believe it's an authentic Tiffany ring. The markings look right and there seems to be abundant paperwork. I don't know if there is any way to figure out if the stones were the original ones or not.
I see this seller on Ebay all the time and do feel like they have good feedback. I didn't know they bought items on Ebay to flip.. just thought they bought items from locals in FL. I am going to look at their past feedback and see what they have bought. Thanks for the idea.

 

[JewelFreak]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

I would approach this with much caution, and not at all without vendor's agreement on lab certification of the ruby's treatment (or lack of). He doesn't mention treatment -- may not know, or may not want to be asked. Also it's not a "rich red ruby" as the seller describes it; it's purpley-pink. You have no guarantee the ruby is original to the ring -- and if it is, Tiffany's standards on treated stones are not high. Anybody can create a document like the one shown (which tells you zip about the stone itself), ostensibly from Tiffany. It could be worth anything from not much to what the seller asks, as Chrono said.

Have you checked the vendor out on Toolhaus? Might be worth a peek despite his "100% satisfaction" rating. I'm not a ruby buyer, boo hoo, but I think you can do better.

--- Laurie

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

Ooooo... they are an Ebay flipper! They have bought a lot of high end pieces from Ebay.

 

[LD]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

Jewel Freak is absolutely right. Check out the Toolhaus feedback. Many comments about fakes. One case a buyer was refunded by Paypal because the item was fake.

This is what can happen if you buy from flippers.

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

It's funny.. I search Ebay daily (yup.. I need a life!) for Tiffany ruby. I feel that if it came up on Ebay recently I would have seen it!

 

[aaronl]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

When Tiffany states a "replacement value" for a ring, do they claim that to be the actual figure they would charge for an equivalent piece if it were in stock?

 

[LD]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

It's funny.. I search Ebay daily (yup.. I need a life!) for Tiffany ruby. I feel that if it came up on Ebay recently I would have seen it!

1. Stone flippers don't just sell/buy on Ebay
2. On Ebay they typically have a number of stores registered separately and not linked so you can't see from their feedback what they've bought and how much for (a large proportion of their auctions will be private for this reason).
3. Please check out the Toolhaus feedback - that's far more reliable than what you see on Ebay.

Let me ask you something .......... What would you say to a friend if they were going to spend $10,000 with somebody they didn't know, with no guarantees and some evidence that they had sold fakes before?

Lastly Tiffany's coloured stones are generally NOT good quality. You pay a very high premium for a sub-standard coloured gem. I would urge you not to buy one but at the end of the day it's your money!

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

Lastly Tiffany's coloured stones are generally NOT good quality. You pay a very high premium for a sub-standard coloured gem. I would urge you not to buy one but at the end of the day it's your money!

This, unfortunately.

 

[JewelFreak]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

I am still on my quest for a signed ruby ring..

Why signed? For the price of a big-brand ring, you can have much better quality without the "name." Nobody seeing a ring on your finger will know who made it -- & probably would not think to ask (anybody whose opinion matters would not care). The price of Tiffany or other fancy names is inflated by the cost of maintaining that snob appeal: expensive advertising, address, store decor.

Check the Tiffany website -- they sell gems with treatments most of us wouldn't accept (& we're not snotty, simply know the difference in real value vs. price). In fact you have no guarantee that whatever they tell you about a gem's treatment is true (not that they deliberately lie, but salespeople don't know & often are not educated). Can you imagine their allowing you to buy a ring dependent on what AGL said about it?

You can find designers with incredible talent who make far more beautiful & imaginative jewelry & are particular about the gems they use, but don't have mall stores & big ads in the NYTimes -- and you can spend an equal amount to what Tiff charges for average-quality stuff. Like Carolyn Tyler, my current pipe dream: http://www.carolyntylerjewelry.com/default.asp?IDPro=008C263B2BF4&menu=Silver & many many others.

What we value is personal, so if a piece looks better to you with a big name on it, that's what makes you happy. If I had $10k to spend, though, I'd want every dime of it to buy the best materials, skill, & imagination.

--- Laurie

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

Hi all!
Thanks for your advice.. it's appreciated. I'm not running to buy this ring because it's still a lot of money even at 10K. I am not stuck on a branded piece because of the snob appeal.. it's really the reselling factor that I'm thinking about. I like to buy a branded piece every now and then from Ebay at a good discount. Wear it for a few years.. and then resell it hopefully making a bit of money or at least breaking even.. almost like renting it. I feel like a branded piece is easier to sell (and for me to buy) because there is a usually a "list price" associated with it. I'm an amateur and it makes me more confident in my decisions. It does seem as though colored stone pieces have many more variables then ones with only diamonds.
I usually buy branded items that have no stones or that are paved and don't have single large stones because it's so easy to swap a stone.
Anywho.. thanks again! I always look to this colored stone board for informed opinions and I appreciate it.

 

[Jax172]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

As someone who likes to "window shop" at Tiffany's - this ruby doesn't look up to the kind I've seen in their stores. They are usually much more red than this. And I actually haven't seen rubies in their stores for quite some time now.

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

I usually buy branded items that have no stones or that are paved and don't have single large stones because it's so easy to swap a stone.

Once you swap out the stone, you can't see it as an authentic branded item again. For the listing you had, this is what might have happened to this ring since the ruby is subpar.

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Wise ruby experts.. what is your opinion on this Ebay ri

Hi all!
I feel like a branded piece is easier to sell (and for me to buy) because there is a usually a "list price" associated with it. I'm an amateur and it makes me more confident in my decisions. It does seem as though colored stone pieces have many more variables then ones with only diamonds.
I usually buy branded items that have no stones or that are paved and don't have single large stones because it's so easy to swap a stone.

Once you alter a branded piece, you can't sell it as an authentic branded piece anymore. It might be what happened to the ring in your listing because the ruby is subpar.