New to me T&Co three stone ring with ruby sidestones

[cpster]

Hi colored stone experts!

I recently acquired a three stone Tiffany and Company ring. The center stone is a 40 point white diamond and the two ruby sidestones are approximately 24 points each. It was originally purchased back in 2004 and Tiffany placed a replacement value of slightly under $3800 on the ring back then. I believe that Tiffany no longer sells rubies, but have also read about how the quality of their rubies went down towards the end.

I plan on bringing the ring into Tiffany for sizing, but am debating whether or not it is worth paying the $200 to have a new valuation report done. Should I just bring it to a local jeweler and have an appraisal done? I have no idea how much such an appraisal would cost, guessing less than $100. The ring came with the original Tiffany diamond certificate, so I guess I am just looking for an appraiser to validate that the diamonds and rubies are real.

Does anyone know if Tiffany ever sold treated rubies?

I paid less than half of the appraised value.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[JaneSmith]

Tiffany sells treated conrundum. Sorry. They even have a little booklet with all their approved treatments and will not disclose or price accordingly. They accept Be diffusion, I'd have to check about fracture filling.
As for the diamond, just go to costco or any jewelry store and get them to do a quick test with their little diamond zapper. One touch and you know fake from real. Should be a free test.

Picture of ring please?

 

[minousbijoux]

Yes, unfortunately, I agree with JS. Tiffany has not been known as a purveyor of pristine colored stones for some time, and they don't go out of their way by any means to inform the buyer of treatments, unless you are knowledgeable enough to ask.

As to an appraisal - what is your purpose for having it evaluated? I'm sure others can chime in as to your ring's authenticity, but a reason to have Tiffany review the ring is to make sure its an authentic Tiffany with original stones. If you already know for sure its an all-original T&Co, then you don't really need to have their appraisal. If its for insurance purposes, then you'll want to find an appraiser with expertise in colored stones.

 

[VapidLapid]

Tiffany & Co has low standards and poor disclosure.

 

[chrono]

Quote: Heated to improve color and clarity. Infused with colorless substances to improve color and clarity.
Layman speak: The corundum (sapphire and ruby) are heated and diffused to improve colour. It is also fracture filled to improve clarity.

See page 7
http://www.tiffany.com/shared/pdfs/carebooklet.pdf?v=2012

Unless the stone was sold with paperwork that specifically stated it was untreated or heat treated only, expect the most intrusive treatment to have been applied.

 

[cpster]

Hi again,

Thanks so much for the replies. I am very much a colored stone newbie and I'm glad this purchase wasn't a huge amount. I am happy with the price I paid and figured I could resell it for as least as much if I grow tired of it due to the Tiffany name.

I'm fairly certain the setting is authentic. I need to go find my loop to see if I can see arrows in the diamond. The certificate number does match the number inscribed on the shank and the hallmarks look good to me. I will try to take pictures later tonight for your opinions.

I probably won't get it insured. I will take it in to get sized and know that Tiffany will not size it if the setting is not authentic. Great tips on going to Costco or a local shop and asking for them to zap it for me. It would be nice to know for sure that the stones are original, but I'm not sure if that is worth the $200 fee. I would do it for sure if I had paid several thousand more, but not sure if it's worth it at the price I paid. Now that I know that Tiffany did sell treated rubies, I don't think that the value of this ring will have increased dramatically. The rubies are sidestones too. I purchased the ring to wear on vacation when I don't want to wear my true engagement ring.

Thanks for taking the time to chime in.

 

[chrono]

Unfortunately, Tiffany is also well known on PS for selling average cut diamonds, not well cut diamonds. H&A is only a sign of excellent symmetry. Most well cut diamonds show hearts and arrows but most H&A diamonds are not necessary ideal cut diamonds.

If it is an authentic piece, I would enjoy it as is since you didn't pay a lot for it.

 

[minousbijoux]

I bet its lovely. We wouldn't turn down photos, if you feel like posting them.

 

[Agneau]

I bet its lovely. We wouldn't turn down photos, if you feel like posting them.

I second this! Pictures

The possibility of fracture filled
/infused rubies...
In my opinion, I think finding out if they are fracture filled will help you be able to take care of them correctly.

 

[distracts]

Tiffany no longer issues valuation reports to anyone but the original owner. It's lame.

 

[cpster]

Tiffany no longer issues valuation reports to anyone but the original owner. It's lame.

I did not know this! Well that makes my decision easy.

 

[cpster]

I bet its lovely. We wouldn't turn down photos, if you feel like posting them.

I second this! Pictures

The possibility of fracture filled
/infused rubies...
In my opinion, I think finding out if they are fracture filled will help you be able to take care of them correctly.

I will try to work on some pictures later today or tomorrow. If I assume the worse with fracture filling, does this mean ultrasonic is a no no?

 

[iLander]

NO! No ultrasonic! Step away from the ultrasonic! Also a no-no for tanzanite!

Phew!

Yup, we need us some pics up in here.

 

[distracts]

Tiffany no longer issues valuation reports to anyone but the original owner. It's lame.

I did not know this! Well that makes my decision easy.

There was just a thread in RockyTalky about this recently, which is why I know. DenverAppraiser even called to confirm.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/has-tiffany-changed-their-authentication-policy.183472/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/has-tiffany-changed-their-authentication-policy.183472/[/URL]

 

[chrono]

No steamer and no US.

 

[JewelFreak]

Clamor for photos of your ring!

Tiff's policy on authentication is a real head-scratcher. There seem to be periods, however, for which they have no records of all their designs. I remember a few times when I worked there -- 10+ yrs ago -- people brought in vintage pieces; NYC said they didn't have design records for that time. Boggled me. Tiffany has been bought & sold enough times that it's possible, if the stuff was indeed kept at all in the old days, it could have been tossed -- accidentally or just stupidly -- in clean-outs, I suppose. Maybe they were embarrassed to hand a piece back with a shrug & "I dunno!" It would make more sense to offer authentication post-xx date, no matter who the owner is, though.

One time they made an exception, my eyes bugged & I melted all over the display case. A woman turned up bearing an evening purse she inherited -- and holy moley! A clutch bag in 18K gold, prong-set solidly all over with sapphires, about 3 mm rounds, over the entire surface. The clasp was diamond set. I can't imagine what that puppy was worth. Came back from NY with the info that materials were all genuine, probably a one-off, & they couldn't say it was Tiff but couldn't say it was not -- since it was hallmarked, probably the real deal. I'll never see anything like that IRL again!

--- Laurie

 

[SB621]

Oh how Tiffany's has lost so much respect in my eyes since joining PS

 

[minousbijoux]

Clamor for photos of your ring!

One time they made an exception, my eyes bugged & I melted all over the display case. A woman turned up bearing an evening purse she inherited -- and holy moley! A clutch bag in 18K gold, prong-set solidly all over with sapphires, about 3 mm rounds, over the entire surface. The clasp was diamond set. I can't imagine what that puppy was worth. Came back from NY with the info that materials were all genuine, probably a one-off, & they couldn't say it was Tiff but couldn't say it was not -- since it was hallmarked, probably the real deal. I'll never see anything like that IRL again!

--- Laurie

Ooh, Laurie, I love this story! I wish I could've seen it too...

 

[cpster]

Back with some pictures!

 

[minousbijoux]

Well it looks very pretty to me. I like the red of the rubies. Given that it looks to be fairly low light, I bet the ring sings in sunlight and other bright light! Do the rubies have good clarity? In the last picture, they look like they might, but its hard to tell.

 

[MrsM]

Lovely ring! I have been following your thread with great interest as I have the "inverse" of your T&Co ring, i.e. mine has a cushion ruby as the center stone flanked by two round diamonds. Unfortunately, I bought mine long ago before discovering PS and I paid a pretty penny for it also. Now that I know the ruby is treated, I am quite bummed as I know I could have gotten a lot more for the price I paid. Still love the look of the ring, but knowing more about T&Co and their CS has me down... Glad you got a good price on yours!!

 

[distracts]

Ooooh, it's very pretty!

 

[Rosebloom]

Re: New to me T&Co three stone ring with ruby sidestones

It's stunning! I just love the combination of diamonds and rubies.

 

[LD]

It's a very pretty ring. I love rubies and double love seeing them with diamonds! I have two square rubies that I've wanted to put into a trilogy as side stones for ages but haven't got round to doing it! Now you've made me go and look for them!

What does the hallmark say please? It's not clear enough to make out. Is it Tiffany & Co. Pt950 and 750?

 

[motownmama]

GORGEOUS!! I seriously love your new ring!

 

[bunnycat]

It's a lovely ring!

I have a question about stone testing. Can they be tested for diffusion treatment somewhere while they are still set? At least you'd know just how careful you had to be with them then.

 

[chrono]

Diffusion is essentially a permanent and stable dye; there is no need for special or added care. Lead glass filled stones do require special care though.

 

[LD]

It's a lovely ring!

I have a question about stone testing. Can they be tested for diffusion treatment somewhere while they are still set? At least you'd know just how careful you had to be with them then.

Yes (a) only a lab can test for diffusion and (b) I believe only AGL offer this service - they're the ones you would want to use anyway. If I remember correctly you may have to pay a little extra.

 

[chrono]

Both GIA and AGL (in the US) have equipment that tests for diffusion. A small hole is drilled into the underside of the stone though. Rest assured it is minuscule. Sometimes, signs of diffusion or non diffusion can be seen by the gemmologist under very high magnification so the specialized equipment isn't necessary. As far as I know, only AGL will test a mounted stone.

 

[bunnycat]

Thank you for the info on diffusion testing and for taking time out to answer!