Seeking Advice on Choosing a Graff Engagement Ring

[newtojewels]

I do just want to push back slightly one more time, not to change your mind but because I think that saying some of the jewelers who were mentioned would be equivalent to a Honda and Graff is equivalent to a Porsche or Mercedes really isn't fair. Getting a custom and handmade ring from an expert independent jeweler is still a luxury purchase which is more like a different kind of luxury car than not being a luxury car at all. It isn't a matter of quality difference, it's more like which kind of luxury appeals to you. In purse land, Graff versus one of the hand-forging jewelers might be kind of like comparing a Chanel to a Delvaux.

If you love the idea of trying things on in a beautiful boutique and having that kind of experience, then the Graff or Harry Winston experience might be the right luxury experience for you. The idea of sitting in an office or working with the jeweler remotely or not having beautiful packaging might feel too non-luxurious for you, which is obviously fine. I just want to point out that it isn't the only kind of luxury. For example, although she isn't the right jeweler for your ring, I worked with Cheyenne Weil for a gemstone ring and exchanged over 30 emails with her including drawings of different options, seeing the wax she had hand-carved in various stages of the process so I could weigh in as she went along, having her advise me on the best metal color for my gemstone, and then seeing in-progress photos of the cast ring as it was completed and polished. And my setting was not expensive! It isn't the boutique luxury experience and there was no champagne and no beautiful packaging, but getting to personalize so much and have so much discussion time with the actual jeweler making my ring was a luxury experience of a different kind that I personally prefer to my experience in the Graff boutiques I've been to.

So basically, I think we just want to make sure that you're getting the right experience for you and a beautiful ring in the end that you will look at and love. Most people here find luxury in the diamond itself being perfectly cut to maximize sparkle while being as big and colorless as possible and/or in the handmade custom setting process, especially for an engagement ring where the designer markup is significant, hence the push away from Graff. But if you'll get more joy out of the Graff luxury experience, then obviously that's the experience you should have! Experts here can help you make sure that you get the best diamond you can within that experience because that's what their focus is.

 

[canuk-gal]

I love Graff, and totally understand why you are drawn to them. Have you actually started working with someone there? They have a different business structure than the other big jewelry houses, and actually do not hold to their sticker prices. You can make offers and they'll give pretty hefty discounts once they know you're serious. In my experience, they are actually far better priced than Tiffany, HW, etc, at least in the 3+ ct range. I like their step cuts and their hearts best out of what they offer (and their gorgeous fcds, of course). I hope you find a ring you love!

Good to know! Is this for jewellery as well? Their stuff if gorgeous.

 

[Polabowla]

It's not the same thing because Graff diamonds are at a whole different level. Additionally , they're hand selected for each engagement ring by a member of the Graff family . They have incredible diamonds that they own and aren't using virtual diamonds either.
That's aside from the brand cachet that the name Graff carries.
Frankly, Tiffany diamonds do not compare. They grade their own stones in house btw, so you're subject to their biased judgement on grading. I examined a number of them when I was searching for my ring and was not impressed.
Mishmish, follow your heart and enjoy your special Graff piece

 

[Polabowla]

Good to know! Is this for jewellery as well? Their stuff if gorgeous.

Yes it is , their pieces are not comparable to others

 

[CircularBrilliant]

Good to know! Is this for jewellery as well? Their stuff if gorgeous.

Yes, to my understanding they operate this way generally. They are a wonderful jewelry house! Not only do they have truly stunning pieces, I have found their SAs to be far more knowledgeable than most and very enjoyable to work with. I was pleasantly surprised to find that their prices were quite reasonable, relatively speaking, despite the brand cachet. (I wound up falling in love with a true antique engagement ring, but had I gone with a modern piece, would most likely have gotten a step cut from Graff).

 

[mishmish33]

I love Graff, and totally understand why you are drawn to them. Have you actually started working with someone there? They have a different business structure than the other big jewelry houses, and actually do not hold to their sticker prices. You can make offers and they'll give pretty hefty discounts once they know you're serious. In my experience, they are actually far better priced than Tiffany, HW, etc, at least in the 3+ ct range. I like their step cuts and their hearts best out of what they offer (and their gorgeous fcds, of course). I hope you find a ring you love!

Thank you for sharing your experience and insights about Graff—I really appreciate the information! I’m intrigued by the idea of negotiating with them, but I’m trying to understand how to approach it effectively.

Could you provide more detail about how to ask for a discount and what range I might expect? For example, are we talking about 1-2% or something more substantial, like 10-20%? I’ve heard they’ve become stricter with discounts in recent years, so I’m curious if your experience is recent or from a while ago.

I also wonder how to balance narrowing down my options with negotiating. Would it be better to focus on just one piece I truly love and push for a discount on that, or to present a couple of options I’m considering? For instance, if I’m interested in an 80k piece but would be willing to commit if it were closer to 60k, should I mention that?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the best approach, as I’m definitely planning to try to negotiate if possible. Thanks again for your
help!

 

[Bonfire]

I’m struggling with whether it’s worth paying a premium for color. When I tried to compare different colors in the store, I honestly couldn't see much of a difference. I’m questioning whether I should pay for something I don’t personally notice or if it significantly affects the value and overall quality.

To address your first post, Yes, color effects value. As does size and clarity.
Color is subjective, if you can’t see the difference between high and lower color grades then let your heart guide you.
We can’t decide for you what priorities you value.
Good luck and come back with photos once you decide.

 

[HGar]

For instance, if I’m interested in an 80k piece but would be willing to commit if it were closer to 60k, should I mention that?

Doesn’t matter who you are dealing with, you should never disclose your top price because unsurprisingly they will only ever show you items to that value, not the lesser.

 

[freddyboston]

well you could "play" with them - put them on the defensive - don't let on that you value their brand name so highly... ask them them why they are asking 80k for 2.2ct "Near Colorless" G when you could get a premium cut F from WF for half the price......

let them start the discounting discussion....

 

[canuk-gal]

Yes, to my understanding they operate this way generally. They are a wonderful jewelry house! Not only do they have truly stunning pieces, I have found their SAs to be far more knowledgeable than most and very enjoyable to work with. I was pleasantly surprised to find that their prices were quite reasonable, relatively speaking, despite the brand cachet. (I wound up falling in love with a true antique engagement ring, but had I gone with a modern piece, would most likely have gotten a step cut from Graff).

Graff treated me like royalty. And had I not just bought pair of earrings at Kwiat (an hour earlier LOL) I would have bought something there for sure. And will in future.

Sorry for the hijack OP, back to regular programming

 

[CircularBrilliant]

Thank you for sharing your experience and insights about Graff—I really appreciate the information! I’m intrigued by the idea of negotiating with them, but I’m trying to understand how to approach it effectively.

Could you provide more detail about how to ask for a discount and what range I might expect? For example, are we talking about 1-2% or something more substantial, like 10-20%? I’ve heard they’ve become stricter with discounts in recent years, so I’m curious if your experience is recent or from a while ago.

I also wonder how to balance narrowing down my options with negotiating. Would it be better to focus on just one piece I truly love and push for a discount on that, or to present a couple of options I’m considering? For instance, if I’m interested in an 80k piece but would be willing to commit if it were closer to 60k, should I mention that?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the best approach, as I’m definitely planning to try to negotiate if possible. Thanks again for your
help!

In my experience, it was a pretty substantial discount, like 20-30%. When shopping around, I also looked at Tiffany's, Harry Winston, etc, and was so surprised at how much more affordable things were at Graff (at least in the 3ct+ range). I liked Graff's step cuts the best anyhow, so it would have been an easy win-win to go with them. Admittedly, it has been about 5 years since I was last looking at a big piece there, so perhaps things have changed, but it would be a surprise to me if negotiating were actually off the table now. I vaguely remember there being some claim by Trump that Graff had given him an extra special discount on Melania's ring because he's Trump, and Graff publicly refuted that claim--my read on the situation was that he probably did pay a good chunk less than the sticker price, but mistakenly assumed that was due to special treatment for him, instead of just how they do business

My advice would be to try on as much as you can to figure out what you want (and keep in mind, if you like a certain center stone but would like it to be in a different Graff setting, they should be able to make that happen for you too). When you find a ring that really makes your heart flutter, make them a reasonable offer and see what they say. I firmly believe in doing your research and going in informed, but letting your heart choose such a sentimental piece--practical considerations like budget matter, but you should get a ring you truly love!

 

[mishmish33]

Hi Mishmish, I have an engagement ring from Graff so I understand exactly how and why it's important to you; I feel the exact same way!
Mine is an H color and the color doesn't bother me, but I do notice it when it's next to my HW band that has F-G colored stones.
Definitely take your time, and ask them to bring the rings next to the windows so you can get a better feel for the color.
IMO nothing comes close to Graff , I love and treasure my ring from them.

Thank you for your response Polabowla! I'd love too see your ring if you don't mind sharing!
After owning your ring is there anything that you'd choose differently now? E.g. would you go up in color to match better with your HW band?
Your last sentence - completely agree, I might be unable to articulate why but I feel the exact same after I tried their rings on.

 

[mishmish33]

In my experience, it was a pretty substantial discount, like 20-30%. When shopping around, I also looked at Tiffany's, Harry Winston, etc, and was so surprised at how much more affordable things were at Graff (at least in the 3ct+ range). I liked Graff's step cuts the best anyhow, so it would have been an easy win-win to go with them. Admittedly, it has been about 5 years since I was last looking at a big piece there, so perhaps things have changed, but it would be a surprise to me if negotiating were actually off the table now. I vaguely remember there being some claim by Trump that Graff had given him an extra special discount on Melania's ring because he's Trump, and Graff publicly refuted that claim--my read on the situation was that he probably did pay a good chunk less than the sticker price, but mistakenly assumed that was due to special treatment for him, instead of just how they do business

My advice would be to try on as much as you can to figure out what you want (and keep in mind, if you like a certain center stone but would like it to be in a different Graff setting, they should be able to make that happen for you too). When you find a ring that really makes your heart flutter, make them a reasonable offer and see what they say. I firmly believe in doing your research and going in informed, but letting your heart choose such a sentimental piece--practical considerations like budget matter, but you should get a ring you truly love!

Thank you so much for your detailed response!! I'm not used to negotiating prices, so this is super helpful! Tbh I feel a little intimidated by the thought of saying, e.g. I would like to purchase this for $40K (with the sticker price of $50 or $60). Is that how you do it? And I'm not sure how much to push if the SA says - unfortunately we do not offer discounts. Or should I lead with the fact that I know that you provide discounts and I would like to purchase this ring for $XYZ price. I'm sorry for stupid questions, just want to prepare the best I can

Funny story about M's ring lol

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Thank you so much for your detailed response!! I'm not used to negotiating prices, so this is super helpful! Tbh I feel a little intimidated by the thought of saying, e.g. I would like to purchase this for $40K (with the sticker price of $50 or $60). Is that how you do it? And I'm not sure how much to push if the SA says - unfortunately we do not offer discounts. Or should I lead with the fact that I know that you provide discounts and I would like to purchase this ring for $XYZ price. I'm sorry for stupid questions, just want to prepare the best I can

Funny story about M's ring lol

I'm mostly commenting because I'm dying to see the ring you end up with lol.

But to answer the question on how to negotiate - the way I approach negotiating is to basically say something like "what's the best price you can offer?" and let them set a number on the table first. At my jeweller (who is a local, not a high end designer) I will usually ask him to give me a break up of materials cost vs labour but you can't exactly do that at Graff because their labour cost is naturally going to be crazy high. Still, you should ask them the price for the centre stone vs the setting separately. I'm sure the centre stone is heavily marked up and they may be more willing to take a cut there.

If they say oh, X is the best price we can offer; then say "oh, okay, what is the price for the setting vs the centre stone?" then have some comp prices in hand - I would also get comps from a high end jeweller like Tiffany and be like, well there was a ring for 0.6X at Tiffany with similar stats, but of course I would prefer to buy from you blah blah so is there any wiggle room on the price?

If you are definitely pushed to name a price I would tell them a price that is approx 40% lower than the quoted price. Let them negotiate you upwards.