22 replies to this topic

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basgkk, on Sunday, Jun 13 2004, 11:38 AM, said:

What is the experts opinion of Tiffany engagements rings?
I love the setting, the prices, however, are 50% higher than on the web and bargaining seems impossible.
Thanks,
Sebastian

Have you tried looking on craigslist?
I know here in Grand Rapids, Michigan there are a couple for sale.
Another option is getting a stimulant, we bought a Tiffany style ring from BetterThanDiamond.com . Hope this helps!

[johnnyever]

basgkk, on 13 June 2004 - 08:38 AM, said:

What is the experts opinion of Tiffany engagements rings?
I love the setting, the prices, however, are 50% higher than on the web and bargaining seems impossible.
Thanks,
Sebastian

I think the differences in price are overstated. For one thing, keep in mind that Tiffany uses only platinum rings. I looked at a few rings there the other day. The service was great, for one thing, and I was dressed in a hoodie with cat hair all over it. Ask for Patrick. I have my eye on a 1.04 carat ring in a Tiffany setting, VS1, H color for $11,600. (All Tiffany diamonds are ideal cut.) I have looked at other diamonds of the same weight and grade and with comparable settings on Blue Nile and Union Diamond, and the difference would be about $2,000, less than 20%.

[url="http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?action=remove&forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP#diamonds_forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP|builder=BYOR|pid=LD01849696"][url]http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?action=remove&forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP#diamonds_forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP|builder=BYOR|pid=LD01849696[/url][/url]

That is, if you can compare anything to the 100+-year-old Tiffany setting design. There's a reason all of the other jewelers have imitation Tiffany settings and not the other way around. When was the last time you heard about a Zales setting? You're also paying for lifetime cleaning and adjustment from a place you know will be around and ready to serve you for a lifetime. Check out the online reviews for the customer service you get at some of these online retailers. And are they going to take your ring back to service it every year? Good luck.

Then you just have to decide where you stand in the whole practical versus symbolic value debate. If you don't believe in symbolic value at all, why not get a cubic zirconia? They're entirely colorless and flawless, you know. But somehow not as romantic as a diamond, right?

Tiffany and Co. is a genuine American icon, thanks to their history (they designed the Great Seal of the United States, to name one), Truman Capote, etc. It's hard to paint all of that as "just a name," as though it were some clever ad campaign cooked up last year.

Look back on the past year or two, and look at what you've blown a couple thousand bucks on. I think the extra money will be well spent.

[irina]

Maybe they are the best rip-off, and I was ready to overpay for the individual cut and highest quality, but unfortunately they turned out to be the worst client service I've ever experienced when attempting to spend some genuine sum. I went to their shop in London, Canary Wharf. I wanted to buy two highest quality 0.6 carat diamonds in stud earrings. Nobody seemed to notice me and my husband when we entered the shop (maybe the security guy ignored my smile, but at least responded to my hello). We stood there and waited around 15 minutes before the same man approached us, apologised and assured us that it never happens in their shop that clients have to wait so long -- it was very nice to hear that they made an exception for us... Finally the shop assistant emerged and I could finally see the diamonds and ask her some questions. Her answers weren't very informative. She didn't tell me anything about the cut or other parameters, while I expected to hear something I didn't know (I like to ask questions even if I know the answer). We both had strong accents (Russian in my case and her Latino), but she constantly asked me to repeat what I said in quite impolite tone (it really isn't THAT bad with my English). I saw my husband getting ready to leave the shop, but I always pretend that nothing happens in such situations... I didn't want to try on the earrings, anticipating that she wouldn't bother to clean them for me. In all the dismay I asked her about a certificate and she answered that they have their own certificate, but could send the diamonds to the laboratory. I only whispered that if I bought the diamonds, I would send them personally... I realised that I lost my trust in their quality and quietly resigned on buying the diamonds: I don't believe that they really select them carefully and that their certificates (which they award to themselves, in fact) state the truth -- I'd rather suspect that the actual quality of the diamonds corresponds to that of the service in their shop. Symbolically I asked the woman to write down some information for me, she offered me her help via email (I will write to her... when the hell freezes) and we left. The whole situation made me very upset and disgusted, while I expected the day to be brightened up by two beautiful diamonds! I've been to Tiffany's in Moscow and Japan before and they were so much different! People were perfectly nice and friendly (in Japan they printed maps for me to help me to get to my hotel from their place and they were even ready to walk me there). Another problem with the London shop is the display lightening. It is way too light -- I could hardly see the diamonds and it ruins their whole effect. It should be much more subtle, but it looks like subtlety is something beyond the possibilities of their unprofessional and (let me put it straight) a bit filthy staff... they think that the trademark, for which other people worked hard so many years, is enough to make a good sell, but they are wrong -- the trademark should be the guarantee of the highest quality, and it's much easier to lose it than to earn it, like with many valuable things in life. I want to forget about diamonds for a while and, traditionally, I put the money in FX trading. I will probably be able to buy more diamonds in some time... not from tiffany.

Edited by irina, 10 January 2012 - 10:28 PM.