Estate Ring Question

[stepcutnut]

Hi all-I purchased an estate Tiffany & Co band several years ago and was hoping to find more info on the piece as it is very unique and was a very well loved band-it is now in need of a good polish/refurbishment.

I was wondering if anyone has any other suggestions for me than going through T&Co's archives department(which I won't be doing as they charge $1000.00) and customer service was of no help either.

Thanks in advance

 

[denverappraiser]

In terms of repair and refurbish work, most platinumsmiths are happy t do it. Do make sure to choose someone with experience with antique and vintage things and get an estimate before work begins but it's not usually all that difficult.

If you're looking for the history of the piece, like when it was made and for whom, no one but Tiffany will have the required records and, as you've discovered, they don't work cheap. A capable appraiser should be able to give you a pretty good idea of the era it was made as well as the materials involved and it's usually bunches less money.

 

[stepcutnut]

Here are a couple of really poor pics of the band-it is expandable from a size 7.5-9, Plat and 18k with approx. 1.0cttw.

 

[Upgradable]

n/m You were posting pictures as I was complaining about lack threreof.

 

[stepcutnut]

In terms of repair and refurbish work, most platinumsmiths are happy t do it. Do make sure to choose someone with experience with antique and vintage things and get an estimate before work begins but it's not usually all that difficult.

If you're looking for the history of the piece, like when it was made and for whom, no one but Tiffany will have the required records and, as you've discovered, they don't work cheap. A capable appraiser should be able to give you a pretty good idea of the era it was made as well as the materials involved and it's usually bunches less money.

Thanks for the info-my main worry with refurbishment of the band is that it's construction is unusual and I would be slightly worried about who works on it(maybe I shouldn't be, but I am really gun shy with jewelers these days, as finding one locally has been very difficult). Any recommendations of someone who you might think capable/willing to tackle this piece?

 

[stepcutnut]

How can you expect us to repond effectively when THERE ARE NO PICTURES????

There are 2 Not the best admittedly, but more interested in info on someone to contact that is well versed in estate pieces from Tiffany that won't charge $1000 for their services.

 

[stepcutnut]

Has anyone used T&Co valuation report services?

 

[Lula]

It's a very nice ring. To me, it looks like it's from the 1980s, but depending on how it's constructed --- specifically what's in the center of the ring that allows it to expand -- it could be older.

Have you looked on ebay for vintage Tiffany blue books (catalogs)? Several times a year, going back to at least the 1960s-1970s, Tiffany publishes high-quality catalogs with photos/descriptions of their pieces. There are several sellers on ebay that sell these catalogs, and while it's sort of a hit-and-miss approach, you may very well find your ring in one of them, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper buying a few catalogs on e-bay than paying $1,000 for an evaluation.

If you live near a design/fashion school, e.g., Pratt, Parsons, they may have archives or an archivist that can help you date the ring, too.

Wink Jones from High Performance Diamonds has refurbished and restored vintage and new jewelry for members of this forum.
http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/

 

[denverappraiser]

I count it as a conflict of interest for an appraiser to be recommend specific jewelers but that doesn't look to be an especially difficult job. I agree that it's a difficult thing to shop for a goldsmith and there are some pretty bad ones out there. The best way I've found to find a benchman is to go visit their stores and ask to see samples of their work. They usually have some pieces for sale and ask to see one that they're proud of. Most I've met like to talk and are happy to brag on their work if you let 'em. Take a loupe to it and inspect it carefully. Look especially at the finish details and look especially at the places that are difficult to finish like between the prongs or inside the undercuts inside. Talk to your friends and neighbors about who they may have used. Google their name and any obvious misspellings to see if anything comes up from others. If you're still worried, start out by giving them a job that you're not very attached to like a ring sizing an see how they do. Lastly, if you find one that works out well for you, come back here and start a thread with their name in the title so that future shoppers in your town will have an easier search than you have.

 

[chas]

Hi stepcutnut,

Two excellent jewelers come to mind: Ari at Singlestone http://www.singlestone.com/index.php?page=home and Arthur Gordon at Jewelsmiths http://www.jewelsmiths.net/..

I have had refurbishment work done by both on estate pieces and the quality of the work was top notch!

Chas

 

[stepcutnut]

It's a very nice ring. To me, it looks like it's from the 1980s, but depending on how it's constructed --- specifically what's in the center of the ring that allows it to expand -- it could be older.

Have you looked on ebay for vintage Tiffany blue books (catalogs)? Several times a year, going back to at least the 1960s-1970s, Tiffany publishes high-quality catalogs with photos/descriptions of their pieces. There are several sellers on ebay that sell these catalogs, and while it's sort of a hit-and-miss approach, you may very well find your ring in one of them, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper buying a few catalogs on e-bay than paying $1,000 for an evaluation.

If you live near a design/fashion school, e.g., Pratt, Parsons, they may have archives or an archivist that can help you date the ring, too.

Wink Jones from High Performance Diamonds has refurbished and restored vintage and new jewelry for members of this forum.
http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/

Thanks Lula! It's uniqueness is what drew me to it initially I do know that it is probably from the 40's or 50's based on family history, so giving the Tiffany blue books might be an interesting try.

 

[stepcutnut]

I count it as a conflict of interest for an appraiser to be recommend specific jewelers but that doesn't look to be an especially difficult job. I agree that it's a difficult thing to shop for a goldsmith and there are some pretty bad ones out there. The best way I've found to find a benchman is to go visit their stores and ask to see samples of their work. They usually have some pieces for sale and ask to see one that they're proud of. Most I've met like to talk and are happy to brag on their work if you let 'em. Take a loupe to it and inspect it carefully. Look especially at the finish details and look especially at the places that are difficult to finish like between the prongs or inside the undercuts inside. Talk to your friends and neighbors about who they may have used. Google their name and any obvious misspellings to see if anything comes up from others. If you're still worried, start out by giving them a job that you're not very attached to like a ring sizing an see how they do. Lastly, if you find one that works out well for you, come back here and start a thread with their name in the title so that future shoppers in your town will have an easier search than you have.

For me I do not think asking for recommendations from people in the business is a conflict of interest, just as a great tool to weed out yet another bad jeweler experience. I also think that this ring refurbishment needs someone extremely competent as the construction is quit complex with several piston type movements that are all enclosed on the inside of the band. I appreciate the info on how to go about finding a good jeweler, but I have tried all those things and have had many terrible experiences now that I am really limited since moving to a small town.

 

[stepcutnut]

Hi stepcutnut,

Two excellent jewelers come to mind: Ari at Singlestone http://www.singlestone.com/index.php?page=home and Arthur Gordon at Jewelsmiths http://www.jewelsmiths.net/...

I have had refurbishment work done by both on estate pieces and the quality of the work was top notch!

Chas

Thanks so much for the recommendations and personal testimonials! I truely appreciate it as I have had some really horrible jeweler experiences since moving!!!

 

[stepcutnut]

n/m You were posting pictures as I was complaining about lack threreof.

No problem Uppy!!!

 

[Lula]

It's a very nice ring. To me, it looks like it's from the 1980s, but depending on how it's constructed --- specifically what's in the center of the ring that allows it to expand -- it could be older.

Have you looked on ebay for vintage Tiffany blue books (catalogs)? Several times a year, going back to at least the 1960s-1970s, Tiffany publishes high-quality catalogs with photos/descriptions of their pieces. There are several sellers on ebay that sell these catalogs, and while it's sort of a hit-and-miss approach, you may very well find your ring in one of them, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper buying a few catalogs on e-bay than paying $1,000 for an evaluation.

If you live near a design/fashion school, e.g., Pratt, Parsons, they may have archives or an archivist that can help you date the ring, too.

Wink Jones from High Performance Diamonds has refurbished and restored vintage and new jewelry for members of this forum.
http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/

Thanks Lula! It's uniqueness is what drew me to it initially I do know that it is probably from the 40's or 50's based on family history, so giving the Tiffany blue books might be an interesting try.

You're welcome. It really is an interesting piece, and with the additional information about the family history and the construction, and also looking more closely at the pave segments (though it's always tough to judge in photos), your ring does look older than the 1980s. I'm not sure how long Tiffany has been printing their catalogues. But another idea occurs to me -- old magazines, like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, etc. Any large library will be able to give you a hand in locating old issues of these magazines. They may be in micro fische (spelling?) format, though, which can be a pain to view. But it's an unusual ring that was probably pretty fashionable at the time it was made, so Tiffany's may well have included it in an ad campaign. Good luck to you, and let us know what you find out about it!