Hi all, which would you prefer for engagement ring? My bf can only afford 0.25 carat tiffany but he can get bigger diamond with the same price from other brands. I loooove tiffany, but bigger diamond sounds good too.

Just go with tiffany for e-ring cuz its more special and bigger diamond for next time? Or go with bigger diamond and tiffany comes later in future?

Aaaarghh can't decide! What would you pick?

I would go for a larger diamond in a similar setting.

You can get high quality stones for much less!

But if you are in love with a Tiffany ring, then maybe you would not be satisfied with anything else.

Don't go the Tiffany. You are really oy paying for the brand.

Little story for you. Someone I k ow very well INSISTED her fiancé buy her a Tiffany ring. Same size as you are after. They divorced a few years later. She can't even get $500 for the ring. Unless you are willing or have big money to spend, I'd stay away. For the same money you could get a much better quality stone at a 'no name' place.

if you have your heart set on tiffany, do it, you'd be miserable with anything else.

i tried on dozens of .60 & .75 ct rings at regular jewelers... and nothing gave me the feeling of my .40 lucida.

If you want Tiffany and nothing else will really be "As Special" to you, get the tiffany. You can upgrade within 5 years to a larger Tiffany. If a .25 isn't enough sizewise for your tastes, you should look elsewhere. You can get a gorgeous diamond elsewhere for the same price that will provide more size.

Personally, I am a bargain hunter, so the bigger diamond elsewhere option appeals to me. However, if you REALLY want the Tiffany feel and the pretty blue box experience, go for it! There are always chances for upgrades.

Personally ,I'd much prefer a larger stone. But the Tiffany isn't "more special" to me.

Well how much larger can you get elsewhere? For instance, what is the approx cost of the Tiffany 0.25 or if you aren't comfortable disclosing, then how much bigger would the diamond elsewhere be? That would help me in giving an answer. Depends on size difference.

I think maybe u should go try some rings on and see how u feel about them. It might help you to figure out what u want more. A bigger diamond or the tiffany's design. And just get the one that u like the most! I wouldn't worry so much about brand names, non brand names or resell values.

Originally Posted by givemegold

Personally, I am a bargain hunter, so the bigger diamond elsewhere option appeals to me. However, if you REALLY want the Tiffany feel and the pretty blue box experience, go for it! There are always chances for upgrades.

I agree. Hamster2, lots of designers make settings very similar to the Tiffany solitaire settings, so if you're after a simple classic solitaire, you could definitely get a bigger diamond elsewhere. There are lots of great ladies on here who are very well-versed in diamond specs, so you can always come here to ask for help if you find a loose stone or a whole ring that you're interested in, and need some opinions on the quality of the diamond.

But if you can't live without that blue box, go for the Tiffany if that's what will make you happiest.

Personally, I'd be happier with a larger diamond than one that came in a blue box - you can always upgrade later as well..

The answer is different for everyone. For me, I wouldn't wear the blue box on my finger, so I'd get a larger diamond of similar quality elsewhere. But the name matters to some people, and that cannot be quantified, so if the name matters to you more than the appearance of the diamond itself then you have to go with Tiffany to be truly happy.

I wrote this on my other thread when someone asked me why I got a 0.78 Harry Winston ring when for that amount of money, DBF and I could have afforded a bigger stone.

I'm not all about a huge rock, since it would look silly on my hand and I'd prefer to have an engagement ring I can wear on a daily basis. For our budget we could have bought a 1.5+ carat the online diamond sites, but I didn't like what they had to offer.

For me it's not just about the name brand. I know everyone has their own feelings about designer diamonds and jewelry, since gems that are GIA graded can be found at Harry Winston or an independent down the street. DBF and I had a long discussion and we just felt that if we were going to drop money on something that lasts a lifetime, we want a brand that will be around for ideally a lifetime. Like a Chanel purse from 1950, this is hopefully an heirloom piece and if we give our grand kids a HW ring or a Tiffany ring, they can take their space car to a salon and get it resized or cleaned or just serviced for their needs. Bluenile might not exist at that point and you'd have to bring it to an independent.

My future sister in law was telling me how she hasn't worn her engagement ring for 6 years since her fingers swelled up during pregnancy. She said she's afraid of bringing it to somewhere dishonest where they'd mess with the ring, replacing diamonds, putting in white gold instead of platinum, etc. While the scenario is farfetched, she did say she wished she had a Tiffany ring so she could bring it any store and get it serviced without worry.

I know everyone can say they have an amazing trustworthy jeweler on speed dial, but my family doesn't and I don't want to use trial and error in finding a place with quality I can trust for one of the biggest purchases of my life. I figure the price markup for the 'name' buys peace of mind and insurance for the future.

So for your situation, are you truly happy with a 0.25? Im happy with a 0.78, I felt that was big enough for my proportions. If your desire for size trumps your desire for a name, then yes it's true no one can tell what brand it is once its on your finger. I suppose in the end, do you care more that people see a bigger rock on your finger or for you to tell them it's Tiffany? I think you have to examine your priorities on what's important to you.

Also have you called around Tiffany diamond consultants and see if you can get a slightly larger, lower quality stone within your budget? Tiffany 0.5 carats start at $4000 depending on the cut... Although proceed with caution because we saw a 0.53 D VVS1 Emerald solitaire that was more expensive than a 1.0 carat round brilliant they also had

Originally Posted by tehkatt

I wrote this on my other thread when someone asked me why I got a 0.78 Harry Winston ring when for that amount of money, DBF and I could have afforded a bigger stone. I'm not all about a huge rock, since it would look silly on my hand and I'd prefer to have an engagement ring I can wear on a daily basis. For our budget we could have bought a 1.5+ carat the online diamond sites, but I didn't like what they had to offer. For me it's not just about the name brand. I know everyone has their own feelings about designer diamonds and jewelry, since gems that are GIA graded can be found at Harry Winston or an independent down the street. DBF and I had a long discussion and we just felt that if we were going to drop money on something that lasts a lifetime, we want a brand that will be around for ideally a lifetime. Like a Chanel purse from 1950, this is hopefully an heirloom piece and if we give our grand kids a HW ring or a Tiffany ring, they can take their space car to a salon and get it resized or cleaned or just serviced for their needs. Bluenile might not exist at that point and you'd have to bring it to an independent. My future sister in law was telling me how she hasn't worn her engagement ring for 6 years since her fingers swelled up during pregnancy. She said she's afraid of bringing it to somewhere dishonest where they'd mess with the ring, replacing diamonds, putting in white gold instead of platinum, etc. While the scenario is farfetched, she did say she wished she had a Tiffany ring so she could bring it any store and get it serviced without worry. I know everyone can say they have an amazing trustworthy jeweler on speed dial, but my family doesn't and I don't want to use trial and error in finding a place with quality I can trust for one of the biggest purchases of my life. I figure the price markup for the 'name' buys peace of mind and insurance for the future. So for your situation, are you truly happy with a 0.25? Im happy with a 0.78, I felt that was big enough for my proportions. If your desire for size trumps your desire for a name, then yes it's true no one can tell what brand it is once its on your finger. I suppose in the end, do you care more that people see a bigger rock on your finger or for you to tell them it's Tiffany? I think you have to examine your priorities on what's important to you. Also have you called around Tiffany diamond consultants and see if you can get a slightly larger, lower quality stone within your budget? Tiffany 0.5 carats start at $4000 depending on the cut... Although proceed with caution because we saw a 0.53 D VVS1 Emerald solitaire that was more expensive than a 1.0 carat round brilliant they also had

tiffany can offer you a payment plan if you have good credit. another detail to consider.