The blue box!

[Imdanny]

Ok, I'm bad for doing this, but I just found this at LIFE's site:

"Tiffany & Co.® (Official) Exquisite holiday gifts wrapped in the iconic Tiffany Blue Box® "

Tiffany Blue Box with a circle with an R in it!

You must know that the Tiffany Blue Box is a registered trademark!

It's just a cardboard box!

/rant over

 

[Imdanny]

Here on the other hand are some impressive boxes in my opinion.

http://www.luxury-insider.com/Current_Affairs/post/2008/12/09/The-Cartier-Red-Box.aspx

I don't like the earrings, though. They look like coffins.

 

[JewelFreak]

The red one is nicer, Danny. Icky earrings but I doubt you'll find them in the store! Tiffany was smart to trademark their boxes; otherwise everybody on earth would be copying what has become an iconic symbol of the company. Very good business decision.

I get annoyed at Christmas when they use red ribbon with them, though. It clashes -- the red they use has too much yellow in it for turquoise boxes. JMO.

--- Laurie

 

[JewelFreak]

P.S. Those boxes cost Tiffany a fortune. They're heavy cardboard, good quality, and the color matching has to be perfect, very particular about that. Also their ribbon is real satin ribbon, not paper-based, and that's expensive. Part of what you pay for in the price of your Tiff jewelry.

--- Laurie

 

[LadyMaria]

Here on the other hand are some impressive boxes in my opinion.

http://www.luxury-insider.com/Current_Affairs/post/2008/12/09/The-Cartier-Red-Box.aspx

I don't like the earrings, though. They look like coffins.

And I thought Barbie dolls were bad for having unrealistic proportions! That mannequin's waist looks ridiculous.

I do like the box!

 

[iLander]

Here on the other hand are some impressive boxes in my opinion.

http://www.luxury-insider.com/Current_Affairs/post/2008/12/09/The-Cartier-Red-Box.aspx

I don't like the earrings, though. They look like coffins.

And I thought Barbie dolls were bad for having unrealistic proportions! That mannequin's waist looks ridiculous.

I do like the box!

And WHAT is with her hair?!!

 

[Blackpaw]

Coffin-earrings indeed that's weird!

I do like their square boxes though, i can tell you id have a bit of a fit if i found one of those boxes under the tree a fit of happiness of course...

 

[Imdanny]

P.S. Those boxes cost Tiffany a fortune. They're heavy cardboard, good quality, and the color matching has to be perfect, very particular about that. Also their ribbon is real satin ribbon, not paper-based, and that's expensive. Part of what you pay for in the price of your Tiff jewelry.

--- Laurie

OK, let me ask you this. Cartier's boxes are at least as iconic. Are they a registered trademark? (Serious question, I don't know.)

Also, do you feel that the circle with the "R" in it might seem a little "corporate" upon looking at it (in other words, it does to me, am I being unreasonable?).

 

[Imdanny]

Coffin-earrings indeed that's weird!

I do like their square boxes though, i can tell you id have a bit of a fit if i found one of those boxes under the tree a fit of happiness of course...

You and me both! I'm hoping to get my first in January.

 

[JewelFreak]

Cartier's boxes are at least as iconic. Are they a registered trademark? (Serious question, I don't know.)

Also, do you feel that the circle with the "R" in it might seem a little "corporate" upon looking at it (in other words, it does to me, am I being unreasonable?).

Dunno if Cartier's boxes are registered or not. I see a difference between Tiff's & Cartier's marketing strategies, which may be changing if Cartier is beginning to emphasize their box. Ever since Avon bought (& later sold) Tiffany back in the, what, 80s, was it?, it has been marketed as an aspirational commodity, which has gotten worse in the last 20 yrs. The Blue Box I'm sure came out of their marketing dept. -- I'm an old international marketing hand; from a PR point of view, a symbol like the Blue Box is worth a lot. Customers feel that giving or having an item in that box says something about themselves. Exactly what Tiff's sells: snobbery.

Cartier does some of the mass type jewelry but my impression is that they've kept an emphasis on quality & sophistication more than Tiffany has (I've never bought anything at Cartier so am no expert -- this comes from looking at their ads). They have branch stores only in high-end places like Beverly Hills, etc., not in every mall in every city. It's a little more exclusive that way. They may have trademarked their box & not used the R, or not. Looks like they are now trying to build it up as a Cartier symbol, though.

The circled R provides notice to anyone who might want to imitate that item on other goods or services (or close enough to be confused w/it) that you have registered it with the Federal Patent & Trademark Office; consequently you own it. Poachers are liable in court for damages. The U.S. does not require its display but some other countries do. From a legal website: "Trademark laws protect 'words, names, symbols, sounds, or colors' that distinguish goods and services from those manufactured or sold by others and to indicate the source of the goods. Trademarks, unlike patents, can be renewed forever as long as they are being used in commerce." So it's a purely business practice -- gosh, almost all companies with trademarks show the R (or TM, which means it's a trademark but not registered w/the USPTO) on their brands somewhere. Theft of a trademark can cost a business more than theft of goods.

--- Laurie

 

[Imdanny]

Fair enough. Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed reply.

 

[yennyfire]

I just don't get the desire to have a piece of jewelry from Tiffany's...why would you want to pay at least triple for an item you can find elsewhere? I do believe that vintage Tiffany's was of a quality that couldn't be found elswhere....at the time (i.e at least 50 years ago), it was the highest quality product that money could buy...now, I think it's just a symbol that people pay for....there is nothing exceptionally unique about their pieces and if you're a smart consumer, you can get a similar item of the same quality for less than half the price....

 

[JewelFreak]

Well put, Yennyfire. And true.

--- Laurie

 

[marymm]

Well, I'll tell you my reason... one of my all-time favorite movies is Audrey Hepburn's iconic "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and my DH knows that and associates the store with the movie (as do I). Through the years he's gifted me with several of their sterling silver pieces (mostly Elsa Peretti but a few of their signature T&Co pieces). Whether he goes there alone or we drop in together to browse, we have always been treated very well by the sales associates. We would never buy any serious pieces from Tiffany's, partly b/c of the overblown pricing but also b/c of undisclosed CS treatment - but it does give me a thrill to be presented with one of their blue boxes tied with ivory or red satin. The sterling pieces have a nice weight to them and have held up very well through the years. (I've just realized that, now I'm so into CS, DH really doesn't pick out jewelry for me anymore.)

(ETA: it IS a kind of experience-shopping that certainly is factored into the pricing of even the sterling pieces... but I'm not sure that is a bad thing. And DH and I have been in other jewelry stores where we've felt distinctly uncomfortable, watched assiduously by sales staff if not actually followed around. As long as you're aware of the "branding" and how that affects pricing, I tend to think of Tiffany's as an expensive restaurant, where you're paying more for the ambiance and the service but otherwise a steak is a steak. Not that there aren't truly creative chefs out there, but still, same kind of massive mark-up if you think of the cost of the ingredients... A rough analogy, but it basically makes my point.)

 

[swingirl]

P.S. Those boxes cost Tiffany a fortune. They're heavy cardboard, good quality, and the color matching has to be perfect, very particular about that. Also their ribbon is real satin ribbon, not paper-based, and that's expensive. Part of what you pay for in the price of your Tiff jewelry.

--- Laurie

Wouldn't people rather have their money spent on the jewelry itself rather than a cardboard container? Tiffany has made a fortune with their marketing of the blue box. I mean the box stays in the drawer. It's the jewelry that comes out to play!

 

[marymm]

I agree that some people would rather have their money spent on the jewelry itself rather than a cardboard container. Most if not all jewelery I buy does come in some form of a box, however, whether I buy from an online vendor or a B&M. Some of the boxes are plain white cardboard and others are more elaborate, colored and/or embossed. The few times I've purchased a ring online and it's arrived in a bubble mailer just encased in a miniature zip-lock bag, I've been disappointed -- and not only b/c it was not cushioned adequately for the shipping process but also b/c, particularly if it is a gift, I've got find a box somewhere myself.

Seriously, is it the norm these days for people to buy jewelry and it is not put into a box?

 

[Imdanny]

We would never buy any serious pieces from Tiffany's, partly b/c of the overblown pricing but also b/c of undisclosed CS treatment - but it does give me a thrill to be presented with one of their blue boxes tied with ivory or red satin.

You might be interested to know that they've now added a list of the treatments they use. It's a little hard to find on their website but it's under "product care."

Here's the link...

http://www.tiffany.com/shared/pdfs/carebooklet.pdf

 

[Imdanny]

P.S. Those boxes cost Tiffany a fortune. They're heavy cardboard, good quality, and the color matching has to be perfect, very particular about that. Also their ribbon is real satin ribbon, not paper-based, and that's expensive. Part of what you pay for in the price of your Tiff jewelry.

--- Laurie

Wouldn't people rather have their money spent on the jewelry itself rather than a cardboard container? Tiffany has made a fortune with their marketing of the blue box. I mean the box stays in the drawer. It's the jewelry that comes out to play!

Maybe I'm being a little hard on Tiffany but somehow I feel they can take it.

Seriously, if you're going to make "branding" and "your brand" a huge part of your company's identity, I think it's fair game for a potential consumer to like those things are not.

When I grew up, we had "companies," not "brands," and we had "advertising," not "marketing." The idea was the company made something and told you what was good about it. Buying a "famous box" is an ephemeral idea that doesn't appeal to me.

But I think Tiffany is an interesting company with an interesting history. I've looked at their website from one side to the other. I think some of their pieces are great. A lot of their pieces are not what I would think of as "Tiffany" quality and overpriced. Again, just my opinion.

I think their plain gold and platinum wedding bands, for instance, are very, very high quality. I considered one of them. Ultimately, it came in second. If I wanted something they sold, I'd buy it, even though their blue box doesn't appeal to me.

 

[JewelFreak]

I'm with you, Danny. A Tiffany box means precisely zero to me, but since they've become a mass jeweler they sell to the masses & a symbol like that is a big puff-up for many folks. I don't care, whatever floats their boat -- we're free to avoid the place. I don't think the prices are worth it. However, on occasion I buy wedding presents there -- platters or bowls -- not because they're any better than others but because I know the specific bride will be pleased to get a blue box; in those cases it's about the recipient's pleasure, not mine.

However, from a business perspective, they feel -- and I think they're right -- that when customers buy an expensive (relative) piece at a high-end image store, they expect that reflected in the packaging. When I worked there they experimented w/cheaper boxes -- flat pieces that you folded into shape. It was a disaster; they ripped, fell apart, different dye lots were slightly different shades. It lasted no more than a month. Customers were disgusted. It's a matter of carrying a high-quality image through to other parts of the business. Yeah, you pay for it in the price of the piece; they are a business, not a charity. Even though Tiff isn't for me, I can't find a problem w/that. You get superior boxes from Boucheron or Sotheby's too.

--- Laurie

 

[Imdanny]

I agree with what you're saying, Laurie. They have a high quality box, and they have to, because they have to follow through on details. It's like the difference between a nice business card and one that's printed on thin paper at a copy place.

Now, if I could only figure out my Cartier ring size. I'll put my research on that in my ring sizing thread.

I hope you had a very nice Holiday, Laurie!