Tiffany Ring....

[cartisdm]

plus tax......and plus my credit card payment!

I looked around on their site, it''s a little odd navigating around. I really like the Lucida and the classic round. Click Here

As for the band, I won''t get it from Tiffany. She would also like the engagement ring to be "sandwiched" between two wedding bands. I would like an something on either side of the center diamond, it definitely won''t be anything significant though. In the link above I think it gets the point across, but it''s out of my price range. Any ideas?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:02:07 PM
Author: Lioness

Date: 11/18/2008 5:37:16 PM

Author: neatfreak

Date: 11/18/2008 5:08:30 PM

Author: Lioness

Date: 11/18/2008 4:48:35 PM


Author: neatfreak

Date: 11/18/2008 4:38:39 PM


Author: musey

Date: 11/18/2008 3:47:29 PM



Author: cartisdm



My question is, what can I expect to pay? Their website doesn''t really give a lot of details about price because I don''t think it includes the diamond.

It does. You use the drop-down menu to select a carat weight, and it''ll tell you the base price for that size of stone in the setting. Looks like 0.5 starts at $4,030. That would be about on point for your budget, after tax.

Yup. I think you can get about 1/2 a carat in the basic tiffany setting, I VS2.

Plus tax.

Very true. I was thinking for his budget, not for the price listed on the website!

Sorry, ladies. I guess I was reading quickly and didn''t mean to insinuate any mathematical errors or your part. I was just trying to point out the sales tax thing, and show another advantage of online vendors. Am I mistaken in thinking that some of the online vendors do not charge sales tax?

Yes you are mistaken somewhat. They can''t charge you tax if they ship it out of state. But that doesn''t mean you aren''t supposed to pay it to your own state.

 

[October2008bride]

Just chiming in to say that if Tiffany is a big deal, I would definitely go for that Signed Pieces one before someone else picks it up before the holidays.

I think that the price there is amazing PLUS the 10% off!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:03:11 PM
Author: cartisdm
plus tax......and plus my credit card payment!


I looked around on their site, it''s a little odd navigating around. I really like the Lucida and the classic round. Click Here


As for the band, I won''t get it from Tiffany. She would also like the engagement ring to be ''sandwiched'' between two wedding bands. I would like an something on either side of the center diamond, it definitely won''t be anything significant though. In the link above I think it gets the point across, but it''s out of my price range. Any ideas?

I think you should not buy from Tiffany''s personally...that''s my idea! You can get a lot more for your money elsewhere if she isn''t insisting on a Tiffany''s ring...

 

[musey]

I completely agree with neatfreak. Most women would rather have a nicer ring bought elsewhere than have a lesser ring that has the Tiffany "bragging rights."

If you insist on Tiffany, which is fine, with your budget I wouldn't get anything other than secondhand (in which case you probably wouldn't get "the box"

). You have a perfectly lovely budget, but Tiffany isn't made for "lovely" budgets, it's made for exorbitant ones

 

[musey]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:03:11 PM
Author: cartisdm
plus tax......and plus my credit card payment!

Whole other can of worms... you may want to keep your idea of financing the ring under wraps, people on PS (myself included) tend to generally disagree with using credit for e-ring purchases. I just thought you could use a warning in case you don''t wanna go there,

 

[jbazz]

I realize everyone is different but a smaller, higher quality classic Tiffany ering would be my preference. There is a lot to be said for understate elegance in youth.

Save the door knob sized diamonds for later on.


PS. I looked on Tiffanys site and you can get a 1/2 carat on their classic platinum band for around $4000.

 

[cartisdm]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:28:05 PM
Author: musey

Date: 11/18/2008 7:03:11 PM

Author: cartisdm

plus tax......and plus my credit card payment!

Whole other can of worms... you may want to keep your idea of financing the ring under wraps, people on PS (myself included) tend to generally disagree with using credit for e-ring purchases. I just thought you could use a warning in case you don''t wanna go there,

Well, I have to pay for it somehow. I don''t actually use my credit card except to make purchases and immediately pay it off. This of course would be an exception, but it would be the only payment I would have to make. My only other option is to borrow that $$$$ from my parents but....that kind of ruins the "I bought you this ring sweetheart....with my parents money" line.

 

[cartisdm]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:33:47 PM
Author: jbazz
I realize everyone is different but a smaller, higher quality classic Tiffany ering would be my preference. There is a lot to be said for understate elegance in youth.


Save the door knob sized diamonds for later on.

Well said. She doesn''t want an elaborate ring at all. Simple and sentimental is what I''m going for (not to be confused with tiny or pathetic, it''s a fine line I know) So.....for future replies lets lean more towards this approach

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:35:40 PM
Author: cartisdm

Date: 11/18/2008 7:28:05 PM

Author: musey

Date: 11/18/2008 7:03:11 PM


Author: cartisdm


plus tax......and plus my credit card payment!

Whole other can of worms... you may want to keep your idea of financing the ring under wraps, people on PS (myself included) tend to generally disagree with using credit for e-ring purchases. I just thought you could use a warning in case you don't wanna go there,

Well, I have to pay for it somehow. I don't actually use my credit card except to make purchases and immediately pay it off. This of course would be an exception, but it would be the only payment I would have to make. My only other option is to borrow that $$$$ from my parents but....that kind of ruins the 'I bought you this ring sweetheart....with my parents money' line.

Yes you do. But you also don't have to spend $5k on it...you do realize that you could get a beautiful .5 carat ring with a tiffany like setting for about $1500 right? Going into debt another $3k for the Tiffany name isn't really a smart way to start a marriage.

Sorry, I'm done. Off my soapbox.

 

[minicat]

Hi Cartisdm,

i was just reading your post and thought id add my 2c worth.

from what i understand you will not only pay more for the tiff name, but you will also get an inferior stone to what is avaliable from vendors here. i think of my wifes ering as a ''better-than-tiffany'' ring. and even if its not better, its tiffany that has to make up the distance!

i know brands are important to your gf, but in a way its often the quality (and image) the brand represents that we like. ie. most people would love an armani suit and would have never even heard of richard anderson. but he is a savile row tailor who makes some of the finest bespoke suits in the world....which do you think would look better?

when she wears the ring for the rest of her life, she wont be going around telling everyone she sees that she is wearing a tiffany ring. but everyone will see the ring. sure, she will tell all her friends when she gets it and her family etc and i dont know how important that is to your gf. you need to find out. but lets say its not a tiffany but instead a stunning stone that was bigger and better....will people not be impressed? i doubt it. (my uncle just bought his daugher a tiffany diamond for her 18th, and i just bought a gog diamond for my wife. i havent seen my cousins ring, but my uncle has seen my wifes....and i he looked like he felt a little sick...just thought id share that

think of it as something even more exclusive than tiffany....tiffany is everywhere! so exclusive they dont even need to advertise how exclusive they are!!!

...about the box... you could buy it from china!!!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:33:47 PM
Author: jbazz
I realize everyone is different but a smaller, higher quality classic Tiffany ering would be my preference. There is a lot to be said for understate elegance in youth.


Save the door knob sized diamonds for later on.



PS. I looked on Tiffanys site and you can get a 1/2 carat on their classic platinum band for around $4000.

I don''t know that I would call Tiffany higher quality. I have to say that most of the diamonds we send people for from PS vendors far outshine the diamonds at Tiffanys.

 

[vita*dolce]

cartisdm --

I actually shopped a bit at tiffany''s myself during the never ending hunt for an engagement ring that my SO and i have been going through.

I can tell you that every .1 of a carat is about a thousand dollars there. (in a classic solitaire, that is.) so if you''re able to spend 4500 you''ll be getting a little less than 1/2 of a carat. (for reference, the average woman in america has a .38ct diamond in her engagement ring.)

when we went there, the salesmen were extremely accommodating and were able to tell us every ring in their database which was in our budget. I think if you''re interested in going that route, you should go to a T&Co. and discuss your options with a sales associate.

congratulations on your upcoming engagement! i hope the process goes smoothly!

 

[Jas12]

I agree, neatfreak. When you buy a Tiff ring you pay for the brand. period. there is nothing extra special about their diamonds.
Now if she wanted the Lucida or Novo that have patented cuts then i guess that would be a bit different.

i bet that signed pieces ring will go fast! If i had the cash i would snap that up

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 11/18/2008 4:29:46 PM
Author: cartisdm

cartisdm, has she ever shown you a photo of a style of ring that she likes? Or even a shape of stone?

She has in the past hinted at them, but I honestly wouldn''t be able to give you any names off the top of my head. I can''t get away with much while at work, but when I get home I''ll check out the different cuts/settings and be able to give you guys more to work with

As for the name brand thing, I know I could certainly get a lot more by going with something else (knock-off or otherwise). I''m mostly concerned if I can get something that she will enjoy that she will be able to say ''it''s from Tiffany.'' I no doubt am sure I can find a spectacular ring for my price range. It''d be a great day to see her expression if she saw I was able to pull some strings and get her one.

go buy her that Tiff ring before she ask for a Harry Winston.

 

[:)]

Date: 11/18/2008 4:27:14 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 11/18/2008 4:15:57 PM
Author: pixley
O.k., so I know not everyone is open to receiving a used ring, but just in case she''d be into it, Signed Pieces has this T&Co. ring: http://www.signedpieces.com/item.cfm?item_id=9881. About $1,500 over your budget, but it''s a lovely size and comes with original cert and box.

HI:

Currently at Signed Pieces, there is a 10% off sale on all jewellery and free shipping until Dec. 31. Offer code SP2008. Make this original Tiffany ring more attractive....

cheers--Sharon

Is 4500 a firm budget? Is this absolutely, definitely out of the price range (with the 10% off and the free shipping, etc)?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/18/2008 8:02:07 PM
Author:

Date: 11/18/2008 4:27:14 PM

Author: canuk-gal

Date: 11/18/2008 4:15:57 PM

Author: pixley

O.k., so I know not everyone is open to receiving a used ring, but just in case she''d be into it, Signed Pieces has this T&Co. ring: http://www.signedpieces.com/item.cfm?item_id=9881. About $1,500 over your budget, but it''s a lovely size and comes with original cert and box.

HI:


Currently at Signed Pieces, there is a 10% off sale on all jewellery and free shipping until Dec. 31. Offer code SP2008. Make this original Tiffany ring more attractive....


cheers--Sharon

Is 4500 a firm budget? Is this absolutely, definitely out of the price range (with the 10% off and the free shipping, etc)?

If he''s already putting it on a credit card I don''t think we should be encouraging him to increase the budget...

 

[jbazz]

My higher quality comment was in reference to him saying he would rather sacrifice a little quality for a bigger stone. It was not meant to suggest Tiffanys stones are better than what others have found elsewhere.

I have bought (and received) from Tiffanys and from independent dealers both. If I were starting out, I would do smaller Tiffanys stone. Now that I am a little older, my budget is substantially more, and my knowledge of diamonds is better, I shop for stones independently.

I dont feel the only advantage to buying from Tiffanys is bragging rights, I think it is a really nice place to start.

 

[:)]

Date: 11/18/2008 8:03:40 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 11/18/2008 8:02:07 PM
Author:

Date: 11/18/2008 4:27:14 PM

Author: canuk-gal

Date: 11/18/2008 4:15:57 PM

Author: pixley

O.k., so I know not everyone is open to receiving a used ring, but just in case she''d be into it, Signed Pieces has this T&Co. ring: http://www.signedpieces.com/item.cfm?item_id=9881. About $1,500 over your budget, but it''s a lovely size and comes with original cert and box.

HI:


Currently at Signed Pieces, there is a 10% off sale on all jewellery and free shipping until Dec. 31. Offer code SP2008. Make this original Tiffany ring more attractive....


cheers--Sharon

Is 4500 a firm budget? Is this absolutely, definitely out of the price range (with the 10% off and the free shipping, etc)?

If he''s already putting it on a credit card I don''t think we should be encouraging him to increase the budget...

Yes, you are definitely right! I was hoping maybe he had some money hidden away somewhere, or a sympathetic parent who could loan him a little bit until he graduates (with full intent to pay it back)

 

[CharmyPoo]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:41:24 PM
Author: neatfreak
I don''t know that I would call Tiffany higher quality. I have to say that most of the diamonds we send people for from PS vendors far outshine the diamonds at Tiffanys.

The majority of my close girlfriends have rings from Tiffany all around 1 to 1.5 ct. One girl though received a beautiful 1.3 ct from her finance who went to a PS vendor and leveraged the knowledge base here on PS. Guess which ring we all talk about? Not the Tiffany ones but the ring that sparkles from miles away.

I personally have nothing against Tiffany. I own Tiffany jewelry and enjoy them. However, if my budget is somewhat modest - I would rather get something that gives me more bang for my buck. 0.5 ct isn''t small but you can get a much better quality diamond and save a few bucks for the wedding and honeymoon.

 

[musey]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:38:26 PM
Author: cartisdm

Date: 11/18/2008 7:33:47 PM
Author: jbazz
I realize everyone is different but a smaller, higher quality classic Tiffany ering would be my preference. There is a lot to be said for understate elegance in youth.

Save the door knob sized diamonds for later on.

Well said. She doesn't want an elaborate ring at all. Simple and sentimental is what I'm going for (not to be confused with tiny or pathetic, it's a fine line I know) So.....for future replies lets lean more towards this approach

I don't think anyone was suggesting a door knob sized diamond, cartisdm. I certainly wasn't. I also wasn't suggesting that you try to maximize your budget outside of Tiffany just for the sake of size.

Here's all that I suggested:

1. Don't "waste" money at Tiffany unless you know that the name brand is important to her (in which case, it wouldn't be a "waste," necessarily).

2. Don't make assumptions about her ideals on this issue (ie. a name brand being more important than the quality of the stone/setting, OR the method of purchase/amount of "money" (credit) spent--which will likely speak volumes to her about your future).

3. Don't dismiss other options without doing your research, because you'll find better quality for your $ and/or identical quality for less $ elsewhere. (Case in point: This setting with this stone, voila! A gorgeous 18Kwg solitaire setting with a .57ct, ideal cut AGS0 round brilliant for under $2500. Fancy that!)

4. I would always push someone not to make payments on a ring--unless they are 100% interest-free (not likely)--simply because it is just not necessary. Houses, sure. Cars, sure. But you can still get engaged AND married without the purchase of ANY ring, much less a $4.5k one.

You're being a bit hypocritical about this purchase, at least in the way that you're presenting it to us. You don't have the money to pay cash for this ring (even though it's an important purchase, it's still a "luxury" purchase), but you also want to buy the ring from a vendor which places a premium on all of their goods. We're telling you that you can get the same ring for thousands less elsewhere (which would be a common sense choice for someone in your position), and you interpret that as us trying to push you to buy a bigger "rock"? I don't get it.

 

[musey]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:35:40 PM
Author: cartisdm

Date: 11/18/2008 7:28:05 PM
Author: musey

Date: 11/18/2008 7:03:11 PM
Author: cartisdm
plus tax......and plus my credit card payment!

Whole other can of worms... you may want to keep your idea of financing the ring under wraps, people on PS (myself included) tend to generally disagree with using credit for e-ring purchases. I just thought you could use a warning in case you don''t wanna go there,

Well, I have to pay for it somehow. I don''t actually use my credit card except to make purchases and immediately pay it off. This of course would be an exception, but it would be the only payment I would have to make. My only other option is to borrow that $$$$ from my parents but....that kind of ruins the ''I bought you this ring sweetheart....with my parents money'' line.

You know what''s better than "I bought it on credit and I''ll have to pay interest" AND "I bought you this ring with my parents money"?

"I bought this ring free and clear, with no financing and no loans!"

Not that you''d even use ANY of those

(who on earth would even TELL their new fiance where the money for her ring came from??

). I don''t understand why your only two options are "I bought it with my parents money" and "I bought it on credit." Can you explain, please?

 

[musey]

Date: 11/18/2008 8:14:29 PM
Author: musey
You're being a bit hypocritical about this purchase, at least in the way that you're presenting it to us. You don't have the money to pay cash for this ring (even though it's an important purchase, it's still a 'luxury' purchase), but you also want to buy the ring from a vendor which places a premium on all of their goods. We're telling you that you can get the same ring for thousands less elsewhere (which would be a common sense choice for someone in your position), and you interpret that as us trying to push you to buy a bigger 'rock'? I don't get it.

I forgot: AND you don't think a large stone is necessary (which it most certainly is NOT), yet you feel a diamond in general is necessary enough that it's worth going into debt over.

Sorry for ranting. We get a lot of guys in here that get defensive when offer advice that may not be precisely what they're looking to hear, then they proceed to twist posts around (like, insinuating that we're pushing you to go bigger, bigger, bigger when you are the one overextending your budget, just to accomplish a slightly different goal--brand name instead of stone size). I hope that that's not what's happening here, but that's how it reads.

 

[FrekeChild]

I think you should search for Sna. He bought his wife an incredible Tiffany 6 prong replica (no one but the two of them know the difference) which allowed him to get a bigger diamond instead of paying the 30% premium of Tiffany and getting something smaller. Then they bought bought Tiffany wedding bands.

So what if you buy something between .5-1ct, get it put in a Tiff replica, and then later on, buy her two Tiff wedding bands? She gets her Tiffs, you save some cash (for the moment).

Tiffany's silver is nice, I have the Tsavorite Elsa Peretti stacking band, but knowing that I could have had it made elsewhere for a lot less $$$ (it cost $215, I could have probably had it made with a bigger stone for around $100) makes me feel a little sick to my stomach.

BTW, my boyfriend is still in school (as am I) and my ering will be a colored stone that's about the same size as a 1ct diamond--only it will cost about 1/4 of your budget. For something custom. But I'm a level-headed colored stone freak, and it just happened to coincide perfectly with our financial situation.

 

[Deelight]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:23:20 PM
Author: musey
I completely agree with neatfreak. Most women would rather have a nicer ring bought elsewhere than have a lesser ring that has the Tiffany ''bragging rights.''


If you insist on Tiffany, which is fine, with your budget I wouldn''t get anything other than secondhand (in which case you probably wouldn''t get ''the box''

). You have a perfectly lovely budget, but Tiffany isn''t made for ''lovely'' budgets, it''s made for exorbitant ones

Just throwing another idea out there why not get her a non tiff''s ring for the e-ring and then later get her a tiff''s wedding band if thats what she wants.

Best of both words budget/size/box wize

 

[MMT]

The signed pieces ring looks like such a great deal. Someone is going to grab that soon.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 11/18/2008 8:14:29 PM
Author: musey

Date: 11/18/2008 7:38:26 PM
Author: cartisdm

Well said. She doesn''t want an elaborate ring at all. Simple and sentimental is what I''m going for (not to be confused with tiny or pathetic, it''s a fine line I know) So.....for future replies lets lean more towards this approach

I don''t think anyone was suggesting a door knob sized diamond, cartisdm. I certainly wasn''t. I also wasn''t suggesting that you try to maximize your budget outside of Tiffany just for the sake of size.

Here''s all that I suggested:

1. Don''t ''waste'' money at Tiffany unless you know that the name brand is important to her (in which case, it wouldn''t be a ''waste,'' necessarily).

2. Don''t make assumptions about her ideals on this issue (ie. a name brand being more important than the quality of the stone/setting, OR the method of purchase/amount of ''money'' (credit) spent--which will likely speak volumes to her about your future).

3. Don''t dismiss other options without doing your research, because you''ll find better quality for your $ and/or identical quality for less $ elsewhere. (Case in point: This setting with this stone, voila! A gorgeous 18Kwg solitaire setting with a .57ct, ideal cut AGS0 round brilliant for under $2500. Fancy that!)

4. I would always push someone not to make payments on a ring--unless they are 100% interest-free (not likely)--simply because it is just not necessary. Houses, sure. Cars, sure. But you can still get engaged AND married without the purchase of ANY ring, much less a $4.5k one.

You''re being a bit hypocritical about this purchase, at least in the way that you''re presenting it to us. You don''t have the money to pay cash for this ring (even though it''s an important purchase, it''s still a ''luxury'' purchase), but you also want to buy the ring from a vendor which places a premium on all of their goods. We''re telling you that you can get the same ring for thousands less elsewhere (which would be a common sense choice for someone in your position), and you interpret that as us trying to push you to buy a bigger ''rock''? I don''t get it.

me neither

 

[honey22]

Date: 11/18/2008 7:33:47 PM
Author: jbazz
I realize everyone is different but a smaller, higher quality classic Tiffany ering would be my preference. There is a lot to be said for understate elegance in youth.

Save the door knob sized diamonds for later on.


PS. I looked on Tiffanys site and you can get a 1/2 carat on their classic platinum band for around $4000.

You can get better quality than Tiffs from a PS vendor. They have the little blue box yep, but they don''t hold the cards when it comes to the best quality diamonds. You can still get a smaller stone, better cut quality than Tiffs, and pay less money? Why spend $$$ on a little blue box?

 

[honey22]

I honestly think it''s none of anyone''s business how the OP pays for the ring. Credit card or not. He''s not asking whether everyone approves of his use of credit, so I don''t even know why it was bought up in the first place.

From the point of a new poster to PS, it can be a bit off-putting when people make comments like this. I know it wasn''t meant in spite or anything, but it does came across as rather condescending. I think comments like that can put some people off-side.

Sorry to be honest, I am not trying to have a go at anyone, just putting my 2 cents in.

 

[Imdanny]

bgray's list:

ou can get a good size stone from Whiteflash and have a platinum Tiffany style mounting for your budget.



Compare 0.73 H VS2 GIA $2,756.48 View


Compare 0.84 H SI1 GIA $3,122.00 View


Compare 0.83 I VS2 GIA $3,233.00 View


Compare 0.79 H VS2 GIA $3,262.00 View


Compare 0.82 I VS1 GIA $3,387.00 View


Compare 0.82 I VS1 GIA $3,434.98 View


Compare 0.81 G VS2 GIA $3,488.00 View


Compare 0.88 I VS2 GIA $3,530.00 View


Compare 0.86 I VS2 GIA $3,552.00 View


Compare 0.84 H VS2 GIA $3,568.00 View


Compare 0.85 H VS1 GIA $3,686.03 View


Compare 0.90 H SI1 GIA $3,717.00 View


Compare 0.86 G VS1 GIA $4,160.00 View


Compare 0.89 G VS2 GIA $4,305.00 View


Compare 0.90 I VS1 GIA $4,423.23 View


Compare 0.90 I VS1 GIA $4,423.23 View

These would blow a tiny Tiffany diamond out of the water. Guy, you should at least open your mind to looking at what you could get from WF. It's a great company (and by great I mean their ACA diamonds are proprietary, and they cut them themselves, and their customer service is perfect from what I can tell... I've never read a post that ended in a customer not being satisfied). With the color/ clarity/ size trade offs- you can look at LOTS of options! It's fun! I'm not even buying an engagement ring and I like looking at their website! It has lot of pull down options where you can set each different parameter and you can see exactly what you can get for x dollars.

You should really research this more, and if you are going to buy a round diamond, you should see what you could get.

I like Tiffany (some of their Tanzanite pieces are drool worthy, their milgrain band design is nonpareil) but if you're talking a "Tiffany [style] engagement ring with round diamond," she might want to have the QUALITY and the SIZE WF can offer.

Just a suggestion.