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"Tiffany" scored a 5.7 on HCA?

jgny

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I came across this ring on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290543034450&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

The ring also had a GIA report, so I thought it would be interesting to see what it scored on the HCA.

http://www2.gia.edu/reportcheck/ind...tVerification&reportno=5131020920&weight=3.53

Now, assuming for the moment that it is an authentic Tiffany ring, I ran the #s through the HCA and got a 5.7!

Factor Grade
Light Return Fair
Fire Fair
Scintillation Fair
Spread
or diameter for weight Very Good
Total Visual Performance 5.7 - Good - Only if price is your main criterion

Is this an example of the classic steep/deep? Would it be plausible that Tiffany would sell a stone of this cut quality?

Or is it more likely that the stone is not a Tiffany stone? But there is a Tiffany diamond certificate.

I'm not planning on purchasing this (obvious fish eye in the pics) , but I was just shocked at the cut quality of this stone assuming it is a real Tiffany. I've been looking at the secondary market for a large stone and the 2-3 Tiffany stones I've seen that also have had GIA certs all scored excellent on GIA/HCA.
 

kenny

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jgny|1304555823|2912530 said:
Is this an example of the classic steep/deep? Would it be plausible that Tiffany would sell a stone of this cut quality?

Sure.
This 3.53 ct was cut deep, 62.5%, to achieve that 3.5 ct. milestone where the price per carat goes up.
Tons of money was at stake and more people are gaga over and blinded by the Tiffany name than knowledgeable about cut.

And sheesh! You'd think for $98,000 they could at least clean the diamond for the pics. :knockout:
 

Amys Bling

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what?? say it's now so! seriously though, if Tiffany is known for their high standards and they do indeed sell "fair" cut stones, then I think many people may be decided by their "motto" of only selling the best- and "buying Tiffany quality". This right here may make people start to second guess the price tag associated with Tiffany!
 

Haven

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The GIA cert is from 2011--did they have to take the stone out of the setting to certify it? I'm just curious.

I wish they would have cleaned the stone before taking pictures of it!
 

Dreamer_D

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Well, it goes not meet our exacting standards for cut, but to be "fair" (tee hee) it is VG for cut on the GIA cert. So it is not a total dog.
 

Amys Bling

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Dreamer_D|1304560640|2912629 said:
Well, it goes not meet our exacting standards for cut, but to be "fair" (tee hee) it is VG for cut on the GIA cert. So it is not a total dog.


haha, true, BUT I think many people go into Tiffany thinking they are buying "the best" but it's not necessarily the case...
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

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Dreamer_D

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Amys Bling|1304560919|2912634 said:
Dreamer_D|1304560640|2912629 said:
Well, it goes not meet our exacting standards for cut, but to be "fair" (tee hee) it is VG for cut on the GIA cert. So it is not a total dog.


haha, true, BUT I think many people go into Tiffany thinking they are buying "the best" but it's not necessarily the case...

Yes, that is true. I cannot imagine the number of diamonds in this size is very large, and then imagine the number of stones that are that size *and* warrant a GIA Ex for cut *and* score under 2 on the HCA. We are talking very few available worldwide at any given time. Maybe 1-2 stones (or more for all I know, but add color and clarity restrictions and it gets less). So if we think of it that way, this is perhaps not such a dog and Tiffany might not be fooling anyone! They also use a different cut quality criteria than GIA, though I have no idea what it is.

I think Tiffany is a rip off like many do, of course. But my ideas about cut quality are mellowing a little bit with time ;)) I would not buy that diamond, I would not buy it with the Tiffany premium, but I don't think people are getting hosed if they do choose to pay the Tiffany premium for a stone like that. Not any more than anybody gets a little hosed buying from a designer name brand anyways :rodent:
 

Dreamer_D

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Garry H (Cut Nut)|1304561294|2912642 said:
Firstly you would want to know for sure the ring AND THE DIAMOND really is from Tiffany.

I think Tiffany have improved their cut standard over the past decade.
However this thread is 5 years old nearly, and there was a range of cut quality available from T back then.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-day-at-tiffanys-with-the-i-scope.69733/

Garry do you know if Tiffany has grades of cut and do they offer different pricing for the different grades? Or do they sort of gloss over it...
 

Amys Bling

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Gary- 1. love your avatar! 2. Very true about verifying the fact that both the setting and the stone are Tiffany.


Dreamer D- Agreed! I am a little looser on the cut grades, as I think that "very good" cut stones can be as beautiful depending on various factors. AND, you make a good point re: the number of stones in that size and cut available in general and then to have one of better cut quality avialbale, I am sure is not an easy task
 

suzettesdiamonds

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Umm.... Tiffany, Mikimoto, Cartier...all brands that are known for luxury. Sure, some of their stuff, like everything in this world, may disappoint at some point, some place, some time. Nothing is perfect. However, these luxury brands are pretty close to the ideal of luxury. They sell only the top, top percent of very fine goods, and have a pretty tight control over their suppliers because of their buying power. I do not scoff at these brands. By and large, they are reputable and very dependable. They have a very long reputation of quality. That said, one can never tell from a picture if the diamond was popped into a Tiffany setting. I would doubt it, because the seller has a significant feedback history, and most retailers selling want to stay in business, rather than make a one time quick sale. (Or they would not be in business for very long, right?) I know it is easy to be skeptical over a ring of this cost, but, it seems to be a beautiful piece, and if it is a Tiffany stone, may very well be worth the money. I am not sure I see a fish eye- where are you seeing this in these pictures of the diamond?
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

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Amys Bling|1304562234|2912660 said:
Gary- 1. love your avatar!
Thanks Amy, yours is a winner!

The stone has GIA excellent cut proportions but would have been downgraded because the polish is good only.
On the undated Tiffany report (which makes me suspicious, but never seen one before, so maybe they dont date them?) it is Good for both sym and polish. Not what you would expect for a Lux brand? But I have seen the same and worse in all the other big brands on a secret shopping trip in Geneva 2 years ago.

However the GIA report was done this year - so how reliable is the vendor? Anyone know? The band has clear solder joins onto the head too?
 

Dreamer_D

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Garry H (Cut Nut)|1304568134|2912721 said:
Amys Bling|1304562234|2912660 said:
Gary- 1. love your avatar!
Thanks Amy, yours is a winner!

The stone has GIA excellent cut proportions but would have been downgraded because the polish is good only.
On the undated Tiffany report (which makes me suspicious, but never seen one before, so maybe they dont date them?) it is Good for both sym and polish. Not what you would expect for a Lux brand? But I have seen the same and worse in all the other big brands on a secret shopping trip in Geneva 2 years ago.

However the GIA report was done this year - so how reliable is the vendor? Anyone know? The band has clear solder joins onto the head too?

I see this too.
 

jgny

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This looked like a fisheye -to me, but I'm not the expert. Maybe it's just the light leakage? I'll defer to Garry for his opinion. Tiffany%20Fisheye%20eBay.jpg

Garry - love the IS and ASET. :appl: :appl: :appl: for all you contribute, I love the HCA tool. You should see the looks I get when I pull out my IS in a jewelry store here in Asia. They have a lot of high color high quality stone but the cut quality in general is not so great. Talk about cutting for size!
 

slg47

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ok I'm not sure about fisheye or not but dang that diamond is dirty!
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

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jgny|1304576051|2912776 said:
This looked like a fisheye -to me, but I'm not the expert. Maybe it's just the light leakage? I'll defer to Garry for his opinion. Tiffany%20Fisheye%20eBay.jpg

Garry - love the IS and ASET. :appl: :appl: :appl: for all you contribute, I love the HCA tool. You should see the looks I get when I pull out my IS in a jewelry store here in Asia. They have a lot of high color high quality stone but the cut quality in general is not so great. Talk about cutting for size!

Thanks JGNY
Not a fisheye, but in fact it alsmost appears this stone has a pavilion angle nearer 41 degrees than 41.6.
And is dirty of SI2 / I1
 

hearts-arrows_girl

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I look in Tiffany & Co, every time I go to Las Vegas, just for fun. Most of the stones I see there, I would pass on. They do have some nice ones, but you have to be educated and picky to find them.
What did you end up doing with the 3.01 stone your friend in the industry got you, that you couldn't return? I remember you were thinking of getting it re-cut. I thought you said the table was 64, then mentioned 62.5. It interested me because I too brought home a stone that I returned because it didn't perform, and it was a little awkward, so I really felt your pain. (my exchanged stone is fabulous, well worth the uncomfortable return trip) I followed that thread, but maybe I missed a post. (I read that you could return it, then you couldn't) I was just curious what happened to it, since you are looking for a new stone now.
 
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