Tiffany''s - actually worth it to me.

[nespa]

First off, this site has been IMMENSELY helpful in my search, which has been going on for about a year - so big thanks to everyone.

I'm here to actually *defend* Tiffany's, if you can believe it or not. In *my* case I believe their rings were right-on-the-money and at (gasp!) a fair market price. And it took a year of searching to come back to them.

And no, I don't work for Tiffany's... and they kinda drive me crazy because they can be snooty (but that's what I get for going into a store where people drop hundreds of thousands for merchandise I guess).


WHY I BELIEVE THE TIFFANY'S RINGS ARE WORTH IT

1) let's face it - that light blue box is like crack for women.

- if i were still single, i'd buy a box, go to the nearest major intersection, hold it high & start running.
...and wouldn't be single for long.

in other words, if it's what a woman wants...and you do your homework & find a ring you believe is worth it (read below) and it's what she wants, I say go for it.


2) the price is actually similar to what you'd pay on blueNile.com & WF and all that

- if you're still in your chair, the disclaimer is: FOR THE RING I'M PURCHASING. Cushion cut, G or better, VS1 or better [and the rest of the specs I'll mention if you care, cause that's the trick].

Like I said...it's been a year. And I diligently searched for the *perfect* ring (cause she's worth it!) So I poured over BlueNile, WhiteFlash, GoodOldGold, pretty much all the 47th St. vendors in NYC (there are definitely worthwhile shops, I admit).

However my *perfect* stone (after figuring culet, girdle & all that) was ALWAYS in the $20,000 range at every single place I just mentioned - BAR NONE.

That's right - not a SINGLE ONE OF THOSE STORES AND ONLINE SHOPS I mentioned above could produce the same ring.

So I realized - Tiffany's simply gets "first dibs" on the high-quality diamonds. Simple as that. (Well, along with Graff & all the other high-end retailers).

This is nothing new - we all probably figured as much.

This is also not to discredit any of the online stores - when they list a ring at $20,000, it's worth it [again, the specs].

And when I say "specs" I'm specifically talking about anything involved that makes the cut what it is (I'll elaborate if anyone cares).


3) if she likes Tiffany's, even better.

The truth is -- I could have purchased a larger stone at a poorer-quality grade / cut / culet / whatever. But she *really* likes the Tiffany's ring.

So after I did my homework & found their prices were VERY similar to the online stores, well - I say it's worth it. It'll make her happy. And the search was well worth it.


Thanks for creating this forum / site - it *really* helped me out..and helped me navigate through an otherwise confusing ring of [what felt like] used-car-salesmen-like shops.

 

[nespa]

>That''s right - not a SINGLE ONE OF THOSE STORES AND ONLINE SHOPS I mentioned above could produce the same ring.

I should clarify that - I meant the price was the same for the same stone, whether at Tiffany''s (minus the setting price of course) or BlueNile, WF, etc.

All of the stores & sites had similar prices for the specs I wanted. Change the specs slightly & the price would drop (except for Tiffany''s...but their rings/stones are within a certain range otherwise they don''t carry them).

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Upside Down Man]

Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than us. If you have to work that hard to justify your Tiffany purchase, perhaps there might be a little bit of a chip on your shoulder.

No one denies the Tiffany brand drops jaws. And while I disagree that all women would want a Tiffany ring ("the blue box is like crack for women"), I am willing to concede for the sake of argument that if given the unconditional choice, most women would take a Tiffany branded ring over one that is not branded.

In any event, it is well documented that Tiffany will generally charge a 40% markup for a ring that a diligent consumer could custom create at equal or better quality. If you happened to find the perfect storm of consequence where you found a Tiffany ring that is not exoribantly overpriced, then that's wonderful for you. But it does not follow that Tiffany therefore will always be a smart choice for a quality-per-budget conscious consumer.

 

[nespa]

>Sounds like you''re trying to convince yourself more than us.

well, i didn''t mean to convince anyone. my post was more of an "i''m pretty surprised at what i found to be the case" post.

and i simply wanted to say "thanks" to the kind people @ this site. purchasing a ring is difficult enough (there''s so much junk out there). and most dealers want to sell you their stock rather than cater to your specific needs (or someone else''s stock for that matter... and they add a fee on top). one of the dealers simply sent me a list of possible choices *directly off of jewelryzone.com* (he did a search & sent it to me).

>But it does not follow that Tiffany therefore will always be a smart choice for a quality-per-budget conscious consumer.

yeah, i was just saying some women prefer the Tiffany''s brand. and again, i was surprised that when i did the research it was of equal price and value to what was on BlueNile. VERY SURPRISED, i can''t lie. you have to admit, that''s contrary to most of what you read on [this site & others].

and my post wasn''t meant to brag, chip on shoulder, talk about crack, pigeonhole women as wanting the same thing (i would never be that foolish... and i was just joking around as i find the box fascination kinda funny). so apologies if i sent the wrong message - i meant to share my excitement (at a long search complete), and shock about what i found (my markup was nowhere near 40% - not even 20% if you can believe it).

by the way - the 4 C''s are definitely important. but the deciding factor for me was culet, girdle and fluorescence, if that helps anyone. the posts on this site helped me figure that out & i felt like giving some info back, if it helps anyone else in their search, too.

 

[winternight]

Ok more details! Was it just that type of cut that you were looking at or where the prices good for other cuts?

I''m really interested in your findings.

 

[Upside Down Man]

winternight, there is a Tiffany in Tyson''s Corner off of Leesburg Pike in Northern Virginia. You can see for yourself.

 

[Mara]

please do post more about the stone you were looking for because i seriously cannot imagine that tiffanys cost THE SAME for the stone as GOG or any other quality vendor. Tiffany has a markup. that''s flat out a fact. so please do post what you were looking for exactly because i can''t imagine that it would be the same price at Tiffany''s. the only way MAYBE i could see it is if you were doing something like their Legacy setting where someone else replicating the setting might cost $5k or something, in which case yes maybe it would make sense to buy from Tiff the full package. but other than that? nope. and even then, probably not because i know there are people on here who have done something like that setting and stone elsewhere and it looks spot on to the normal viewer and it was 1/2 the price. so yeah still confused!

so yes, more details!

 

[mrssalvo]

I agree with mara. The pricing on the traditional tiffany solitaire in my city was around the 40% price increase that is often quoted here. It''s possible that the legacy or something might be equal to a quote from GOG or whomever do the custom nature of the setting but I know for a fact my stone priced out at Tiff''s was quite a bit more and mine actually has a better cut than the one they tried to sell me.

Congrats though, I''m glad you are happy with your purchase because that is all that really matters.

 

[Phoenix]

yes, pls do post more details. I just cannot believe that Tiffany's prices are similar to WF, Bluenile etc.!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I never priced cushions at Tiffany, but the rounds definitely were about 40% more when I looked this year.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 11/14/2006 8:48:39 PM
Author: Upside Down Man
Sounds like you''re trying to convince yourself more than us. If you have to work that hard to justify your Tiffany purchase, perhaps there might be a little bit of a chip on your shoulder.

No one denies the Tiffany brand drops jaws. And while I disagree that all women would want a Tiffany ring (''the blue box is like crack for women''), I am willing to concede for the sake of argument that if given the unconditional choice, most women would take a Tiffany branded ring over one that is not branded.

In any event, it is well documented that Tiffany will generally charge a 40% markup for a ring that a diligent consumer could custom create at equal or better quality. If you happened to find the perfect storm of consequence where you found a Tiffany ring that is not exoribantly overpriced, then that''s wonderful for you. But it does not follow that Tiffany therefore will always be a smart choice for a quality-per-budget conscious consumer.

I might take a branded ring over non-branded but I wouldn''t run to tiffany''s first!

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 11/14/2006 6:54:50 PM
Author:nespa

1) let''s face it - that light blue box is like crack for women.

2) the price is actually similar to what you''d pay on blueNile.com & WF and all that

I got no problem with anyone saying that a Tiff ring is worth it to HIM (or her) because he personally values the brand.......but that said:

If you believe the second statement to be true, it''s likely that ye, there IS crack involved, for sure, but it''s not the blue box!

 

[nespa]

hey, no problem - here are my specs. and i really do want to reiterate that i was *surprised* at my overall findings, because i found this to be true for most of their rings!

here''s the catch (hopefully this will help someone). and of course the regular disclaimers; i''ve simply been a cautious shopper for a while, and am by no means a gemologist.

i was looking for:

Cushion Modified Brilliant
~ 1.5 carat
G or better
VS1 or better
IMPORTANT: l/w ratio of 1.0 to 1.4
IMPORTANT: no culet
IMPORTANT: no fluorescence
IMPORTANT: girdle of slightly thin - slightly thick range
Depth - around 65-67%
table - around 59 - 62% << i believe this is not as important in a cushion however

so fairly average on depth & table...4 C''s obviously important...but it''s the NO culet, NO fluorescence & girdle in that range that seemed to make a $6 - $9K diamond go to $20 K (just try it -- i highly recommend using BlueNile as a start cause it''s a REALLY well-designed site).

most people helping me were able to find almost everything on that list but not exactly... it was honestly hard to find the combo of all at once (there would always be something off, like a large culet or extra thin girdle). by the way remember that (from memory, at least) girdle ranges are:

EXTRA THIN - THIN - SLIGHTLY THIN - MEDIUM - SLIGHTLY THICK - THICK - EXTRA THICK
...the 10 rings i looked at (at) Tiffany''s were all within that slightly thin - slightly thick range.

i know that most older / classic cushions have higher L/W ratio (sorry, length to width ratio) and also larger culets. maybe i found a rarity..i don''t know.

anyway, it took me a while to figure all of that out (not completely on my own - i used this site)

when i went *back* to tiffany''s (to really eyeball the reports & check it against my new findings) almost every stone matched that quality rating i just mentioned. now go back to BlueNile & look for $20 - $50K cushions in that range & you''ll see what makes a $6 - $9K diamond jump to that price.

DISCLAIMER: I do not mean to claim that those 6-9K diamonds look any different - they are so close that it was just personal preference. i still advocate people going with what''s comfortable for them... anything else is not worth it.

anyway, hopefully that info will help others.

 

[winternight]

Date: 11/14/2006 10:28:46 PM
Author: Upside Down Man
winternight, there is a Tiffany in Tyson''s Corner off of Leesburg Pike in Northern Virginia. You can see for yourself.

I''ve been to the one in Friendship Heights - going to Tyson''s this weekend anyway, maybe I''ll check out that store too.

OP - interesting. I have no idea why you had those limitations on your stone, but I''ve just started to learn about diamonds.

 

[Jelly]

It sounds like you''ve done your homework and are very happy with your purchase. There is something nice about the blue box...I can''t deny it. I got very excited to get Tiffany candlesticks as a wedding gift...but was more than thrilled with my WF ring because it was the exact design of the ring and cut quality for the stone that I wanted.

Congrats! We need some hand shots of this ring!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I think it is great that you like Tiffany, or anyone else you choose to deal with.

I can just see the women chasing you down the street after the blue box

I would not buy no name fragrences for exactly the same reason. (in fact i spray a bit of Tiffany on myself each morning)

 

[decodelighted]

Hey Nespa,

I''m curious about your findings too. Does Tiffany sell "regular" cushions or just the Asscher/Cushion combo that they''ve trademarked for their Legacy collection?

If you''re purchasing one of the Legacy type cushions - it doesn''t suprise me that they''d all fall in "ideal" ranges ... as they CREATED that cut. Would stand to reason.

I KNOW the mark-up on ROUND stones is approx 40% .. from first hand looking & many testamonials here ... but maybe that doesn''t hold true across all fancy shapes??

Looking forward to PICTURES!!!

Deco

 

[nespa]

I''ll definitely send in a pic of the ring -- it''s currently being sized & is their "Legacy" (you were right). So I guess there''s a pic on their website, too. -- kinda anticlimactic, I know, since most pics to this site are one-of-a-kind rings. But she really likes the style. I admit I do, too. When we started looking the ring hadn''t come out yet (at least that I noticed) and we were looking at Cushions in an antique, thin-band setting... so when the Legacy came out she loved it.

Speaking of which -- I think in terms of exotic / different-looking jewelry, GRAFF jewelers had the best selection. but their selection of rings was out of my range...and i''m not going to buy her a yellow diamond for an engagement ring or anything.

In terms of the 40% markup on round diamonds - that *may* very well be true... but it''s worth double-checking. I keep harping on the GIRDLE -- appears on left-hand side of BlueNile''s search, some info is listed on JewelryZone.com & is actually *excluded* from most other sites, unless they display the GIA cert - then it''s on there (the girdle is the middle section of the diamond as you''re looking at it from the side, usually listed next to the side picture of the diamond on the latest GIA certs).

So cushions are somewhat rare - at least more difficult to find than the rounds I guess... which accounts for my difficulty in finding the specs I looked for and also why (if Tiffany''s does indeed get first-dibs on diamond purchases) they''d have some of the best.

I''d bet there are many more rounds to choose from & you can get really picky.

I''d REALLY REALLY REALLY like to stress that with those specs I listed as "IMPORTANT", you can''t really *see* the difference in most cases - I''d really be the only person that knows. All relative I guess.

By the way -- the *majority* of girdles on BlueNile for cushions were "Thick/Extremely Thick" -- it was rare to find in the SLightly Thin - Slightly Thick range. Even rarer with NO culet or fluorescence. I''ve mentioned it over & over, but that was my secret.

 

[decodelighted]

Thanks for the scoop.

FYI .. Tiffany doesn''t just have "first dibs'' on the Legacy cushions ... they have "only dibs" ... that particular cut is trademarked by them and isn''t able to be sold by anyone else.

In YOUR case ... it really may have been both the *best deal* --and-- that special crack-like "blue box" is just a bonus!

For anyone ELSE reading this thread ... I really don''t believe that Tiffany gets 1st dibs on all the best stones .. or that any other single retailer has THAT kind of advantage.

For MOST SHAPES of diamonds ... if you have the info on what makes a SUPER-IDEAL (for Rounds & Princesses) or IDEAL (other fancies) cut ... you can find great stones LOTS of places without paying the Tiffany/Cartier/Harry Winston markup.

CONGRATS on doing the research necessary to really *KNOW* you''ve done the right thing for you & your Sweetie. That''s rare & to be cherished!

Hurry back with PIX!

 

[nespa]

Deco - yes, good points.

I simply meant (the specs I was using) were snatched up by [Tiff + others; I don''t know all of ''em, but I''m sure Harry Winston is in there]. So when I went in, their cushions fit perfectly in the range. I think the "Legacy" style ring is their style...I didn''t realize it referred to the actual cut of the stone as well.

Although when I went to price other shops recreating the setting, they specified length-to-width ratio is important - a squarer shape is better. Even more reason why (when the choice was selected on online sites) there were fewer - because they were being snatched up first.

Based on what I found I still think it''s worth looking at the GIA certs/Tiffany''s certs for GIRDLE - I''d bet you find really nice specs on them. There''s so much more info available for (and applicable to) rounds -- with that in mind I completely agree that a 40% markup on rounds is possible there...so very many good rounds on the market that you have a much larger selection / most retailers will take less markup...and then stores like Tiffany''s keep their prices the same because of their names.

After reading all this junk, I hope women appreciate what we go through -- I mean you have childbirth and all, but we have ring purchasing to worry about!

kidding!!! i''m kidding of course!

 

[dani13]

Date: 11/15/2006 2:45:11 AM
Author: nespa
Deco - yes, good points.

I simply meant (the specs I was using) were snatched up by [Tiff + others; I don't know all of 'em, but I'm sure Harry Winston is in there]. So when I went in, their cushions fit perfectly in the range. I think the 'Legacy' style ring is their style...I didn't realize it referred to the actual cut of the stone as well.

Although when I went to price other shops recreating the setting, they specified length-to-width ratio is important - a squarer shape is better. Even more reason why (when the choice was selected on online sites) there were fewer - because they were being snatched up first.

Based on what I found I still think it's worth looking at the GIA certs/Tiffany's certs for GIRDLE - I'd bet you find really nice specs on them. There's so much more info available for (and applicable to) rounds -- with that in mind I completely agree that a 40% markup on rounds is possible there...so very many good rounds on the market that you have a much larger selection / most retailers will take less markup...and then stores like Tiffany's keep their prices the same because of their names.

After reading all this junk, I hope women appreciate what we go through -- I mean you have childbirth and all, but we have ring purchasing to worry about!

kidding!!! i'm kidding of course!

LOL, Nespa !! Why dont you join me at work in a few hours -I am a labor and delivery nurse-getting ready now for a grueling 13 hour shift. You would NEVER complain about ring shopping again!!!!

 

[:)]

I can testify to the mark up on RB. I was in Tiffany''s this past Saturday (went to look at a particular lucida ring with trilliant side stones which was leon mege-ish looking that my fiancee found on the website - just wanted to look at the style). They didn''t have the ring we were looking for, so I tried on a few others while there (heh heh, didn''t want to waste a trip!). The solitaire round brilliants were OVER 20 THOUSAND more than what you can find on PS!!

I psed it when I got home and you can get if for about 40K if you wanted it! Case study right there!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 11/15/2006 12:33:40 AM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
I think it is great that you like Tiffany, or anyone else you choose to deal with.

I can just see the women chasing you down the street after the blue box

I would not buy no name fragrences for exactly the same reason. (in fact i spray a bit of Tiffany on myself each morning)

HI:

A guy who looks and smells good AND deals with gemstones and diamonds...for sure who needs crack?

cheers--Sharon

 

[orbaya]

Date: 11/14/2006 10:52:16 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

I might take a branded ring over non-branded but I wouldn''t run to tiffany''s first!

Me neither. Point me in the direction of Harry, Neil, Jacob or Fred please!

 

[nespa]

Date: 11/15/2006 1:23:08 PM
Author: orbaya

Date: 11/14/2006 10:52:16 PM
Author: Cehrabehra


I might take a branded ring over non-branded but I wouldn''t run to tiffany''s first!

Me neither. Point me in the direction of Harry, Neil, Jacob or Fred please!

i agree - that''s why i searched for such a long time; i figured out quickly what people do to take advantage of you / sell you on too many items that are CLOSE to what you want (but not exactly).

it''s ridiculous too - i''ve never seen such an attractive display of women from russia, the ukraine, poland, etc. all gathered in one place than on 47th st. i think they''ve figured something out...and it''s working very well.

the OTHER benefit that i didn''t mention is less obvious -- should we: [ have any problems, want cleaning, the occasional polish...yes, i''m aware don''t do it often, etc.] ..then taking to tiffany''s is a SURE BET. and i can SURELY BET you that many places would be more than happy to clean/polish your ring...and then if any defects afterwards, CUSTOMER BEWARE.
maybe some of those places will help me polish this ring out of existence. wouldn''t that be handy?

and of course in my particular case, she liked the LEGACY. so if i want that kinda after-purchase customer experience & go with "the big shops", they''re not going to do the tiffany''s cut ("it''s beneath them" is what they say).

so again, she liked it & i bought the mcDonalds of rings. and since it wasn''t a round stone but rather different cut, believe i got a decent deal.

and RE: THE ROUND DIAMONDS - please make sure you''re comparing fuji organic apples to fuji organic apples (as mentioned on another thread).

i sincerely doubt the (poster above) took the time & effort to compare a $20K round to a $40K round - you have to do more work than the simple charts. also, take both to an appraiser & then i''d be very interested to hear what they say. then tag on the customer experience piece...and that dang box. and xmas-time/less product availability. and your time. AND factor in WHAT SHE WANTS.

let''s not forget that important point -- it''s PARAMOUNT to your decision. if she asks for X brand and you purchase brand Y for 2K less [especially on an item such as a one-time ring purchase].... well, many women might think "that was a dumb move - you should have purchased X and ate the 2K in this case."

my point is: everything has an ACTUAL value, usually largely depending on the context.

it''s all about context, baby!

 

[Upside Down Man]

Date: 11/15/2006 1:54:22 PM
Author: nespa

the OTHER benefit that i didn't mention is less obvious -- should we: [ have any problems, want cleaning, the occasional polish...yes, i'm aware don't do it often, etc.] ..then taking to tiffany's is a SURE BET. and i can SURELY BET you that many places would be more than happy to clean/polish your ring...and then if any defects afterwards, CUSTOMER BEWARE.
maybe some of those places will help me polish this ring out of existence. wouldn't that be handy?

That's what insurance is for, which I trust you will be buying anyway. I don't necessarily blame you for your inherently cynical view of retail jewelers, but I do think it's misguided to believe that having Tiffany clean your ring is any better than any other jeweler as long as your ring is insured. Frankly, if my fiance has her ring cleaned and the jeweler uses a sledge hammer and some steal wool, that baby is covered for the full value. With insurance, there is no "customer beware," and everyone has insurance.

so again, she liked it and i bought the mcDonalds of rings.

See, it's statements like these that prompted me to respond in the first place. A comment like "I got the McDonald's of rings" just signals to me how brand conscious you are, and that you are more concerned with what is on the box than what is in the box. That's why I commented earlier that it seemed to be like you were making an effort to justify your purchase.

and RE: THE ROUND DIAMONDS - please make sure you're comparing fuji organic apples to fuji organic apples (as mentioned on another thread).

i sincerely doubt the (poster above) took the time & effort to compare a $20K round to a $40K round - you have to do more work than the simple charts.

Trust me, PSers know the differences between apples and apples around here. They know all about crown and pavillion angles, and even where the location of the girdle is (referring to your earlier post). They know about how the depth of an angle affects the overall cut quality, they know the benefits and detriments of the interplay between table and pavillion percentages and they know how to estimate a price given a set of characteristics. Cripes, it's almost all of what people do on here every day. So you can take it to the bank that when a majority of PSers are telling you there's a 40% markup, they've done their diligence and compared the proper apples to apples.

AND factor in WHAT SHE WANTS.

let's not forget that important point -- it's PARAMOUNT to your decision.

Well, see, now that's a different story. If she's dead-set on a ring from Tiffany, then there's pretty much nothing you can do about that (except maybe subtly attempt to educate her, but be willing to concede when you realize her mind is made up). If it's what she wants, it's what she wants. But then I feel like the tone should have been "My girlfriend is really heart set on a Tiffany ring" and not "There is little price difference between Tiffany and the online stores!"

By the way, just running a search on PS for a 1.50ish cushion, at least G VS1 with the percentages you noted, most stones are in the $10,000 to $12,000 range. They each narrowly miss your requirements by one category (i.e., have perfect girdle, no culet but faint fluorescence, or have no culet or flurescence but a medium to thick girdle). I suspect if you tweak a category to get all your specs lined up, you are looking at an online pricetag of $14,000 or so. And what do you know? The price you paid at Tiffany is about 40% higher.

Your counterargument is that online there simply are no cushions with the girdle/fluorescence/culet combo you are looking for. Fair enough. Cushions are rare and so the discriminating buyer will run into a little more trouble. But that does not imply that merely because Tiffany has one, that it would sell for $20,000 on the open market. Not when they are going for $10-12,000 with nearly (but not totally) identical specs.

I promise you I'm not trying to rain on your parade, although I am conscious of the fact that it appears that way. Your fiance is (or will be) happy with your purchase, which is really the only priority that matters. Someone told me once that the definition of a good deal is if you got what you wanted at a price you were comfortable with paying. You got that here, and that's great. I'm just responding because I feel it's a disservice to others to imply that somehow Tiffany prices are comparable to (the reputable) online vendors.

 

[pyramid]

when i went *back* to tiffany's (to really eyeball the reports & check it against my new findings) almost every stone matched that quality rating i just mentioned. now go back to BlueNile & look for $20 - $50K cushions in that range & you'll see what makes a $6 - $9K diamond jump to that price.



Upside Down Man

I think Nespa is mentioning that here though, where he says to check BlueNile for $20 - $50K cushions.


The thing I thought about it was that the Cushion cut is a derivative of the Old Mine Cut and the OMC always showed a culet, so if I was purchasing a cushion I would prefer one with a culet. Ofcourse, that is personal choice.

 

[Upside Down Man]

Date: 11/15/2006 3:26:35 PM
Author: Pyramid
when i went *back* to tiffany's (to really eyeball the reports & check it against my new findings) almost every stone matched that quality rating i just mentioned. now go back to BlueNile & look for $20 - $50K cushions in that range & you'll see what makes a $6 - $9K diamond jump to that price.



Upside Down Man

I think Nespa is mentioning that here though, where he says to check BlueNile for $20 - $50K cushions.

Well, maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I went to BN and narrowed the diamond specs accordingly:

Carat: 1.42-1.61
Color: E-G
Cut: [No boundaries]
Clarity: FL-VS1
Price [No boundaries]

I believe this matched nespa's original parameters. By those parameters, the most expensive G VS1 is $11,800, and the most expensive diamond at all (E-VS1) is $13,772. The only time I got cushions in the $20K to $50K range was when I crossed the 2 carat barrier.

 

[:)]

Date: 11/15/2006 1:54:22 PM
Author: nespa

Date: 11/15/2006 1:23:08 PM
Author: orbaya

Date: 11/14/2006 10:52:16 PM
Author: Cehrabehra



I might take a branded ring over non-branded but I wouldn''t run to tiffany''s first!

Me neither. Point me in the direction of Harry, Neil, Jacob or Fred please!

i agree - that''s why i searched for such a long time; i figured out quickly what people do to take advantage of you / sell you on too many items that are CLOSE to what you want (but not exactly).

it''s ridiculous too - i''ve never seen such an attractive display of women from russia, the ukraine, poland, etc. all gathered in one place than on 47th st. i think they''ve figured something out...and it''s working very well.

the OTHER benefit that i didn''t mention is less obvious -- should we: [ have any problems, want cleaning, the occasional polish...yes, i''m aware don''t do it often, etc.] ..then taking to tiffany''s is a SURE BET. and i can SURELY BET you that many places would be more than happy to clean/polish your ring...and then if any defects afterwards, CUSTOMER BEWARE.
maybe some of those places will help me polish this ring out of existence. wouldn''t that be handy?

and of course in my particular case, she liked the LEGACY. so if i want that kinda after-purchase customer experience & go with ''the big shops'', they''re not going to do the tiffany''s cut (''it''s beneath them'' is what they say).

so again, she liked it & i bought the mcDonalds of rings. and since it wasn''t a round stone but rather different cut, believe i got a decent deal.

and RE: THE ROUND DIAMONDS - please make sure you''re comparing fuji organic apples to fuji organic apples (as mentioned on another thread).

i sincerely doubt the (poster above) took the time & effort to compare a $20K round to a $40K round - you have to do more work than the simple charts. also, take both to an appraiser & then i''d be very interested to hear what they say. then tag on the customer experience piece...and that dang box. and xmas-time/less product availability. and your time. AND factor in WHAT SHE WANTS.

let''s not forget that important point -- it''s PARAMOUNT to your decision. if she asks for X brand and you purchase brand Y for 2K less [especially on an item such as a one-time ring purchase].... well, many women might think ''that was a dumb move - you should have purchased X and ate the 2K in this case.''

my point is: everything has an ACTUAL value, usually largely depending on the context.

it''s all about context, baby!

Nespa, you are ridiculously presumptuous and embarrassingly WRONG.

I have been searching for months - I am aware of what I am looking at - girdles, pav and crown angles, table, depth, idealscopes, etc. And it was a 60 thousand dollar ring a Tiffanys, over 20K above what you can find elsewhere - Tiffanys does not have the market on nice diamonds - actually as mentioned before, there are plenty with leakage there.

 

[yellowsparkles]

Congrats on finding the ring that works for you and your fiancee. I love the lucida but, you are paying a price on the brand name. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Seriously, if that is what you felll in love with,then good for you. There is a premium for the little blue box and it is worth it for you.
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see pictures of it because I think it is beautifull too.