Tiffany vs. Cartier- why do you favor one over the other?

AntiqueShopper

AntiqueShopper

O.G.
May 29, 2010
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#1
I am just curious why people lean towards certain brands. Is there a history behind the brand that the buyer finds intriguing? Is there a childhood story of shopping in the store? Do the pieces just make your heart beat faster?

For me, I am a Tiffany girl. I have always been a Tiffany girl, and probably will always be a Tiffany girl. Although Cartier has its appeal (I do have a panthere stainless steel watch), Tiffany is where my heart is.

I have a many reasons why I enjoy Tiffany. First off, I like the history behind the store. The fact that it started off as a personal business luxury stationary store and turned into a huge business is interesting to me. I feel this business exemplifies the American Dream. Second, I have many memories of going to the 5th Avenue store. Although my mom never bought anything from the store, my family would go in and look at all of the beautiful pieces. It was my favorite store to visit as a child, and it still is today. Finally, I like the fact that many people can have a piece from this store. To me, the fact that someone can buy a small piece of silver for $100 does not take away from the exclusive pieces. It just allows people who could not afford their dream piece to walk out of the store still feeling special when they carry their blue bag out the door.

So, why do you choose your store of choice?
 
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#2
I just like the designs at Tiffany more. I wear a lot of other designers like Jamie Wolf, Marco Bicego, etc. but for classic pieces I trust Tiffany & Co. I like their clean "American" style but I also like the quality and the service they provide to help take care of your jewelry properly. I would never say that it's the best value, per se, as quality can be found elsewhere for less... I would rather pay a little more for the piece of mind if it's something non-trendy that I plan on enjoying for a decade plus.

I do want a yellow or rose gold Cartier love bracelet. I definitely will not be getting one any time soon, but my SO knows it is on the long term wishlist!
 
#3
I prefer Cartier because I feel it is more high end and has a more exclusive clientele. I feel like anyone can get Tiffany now, and that the appeal of it is waning. I wouldn't turn it down but if I had a choice Id go with Cartier.
 
#4
I have pieces from both Tiffany and Cartier. I have to admit that I prefer the designs at Cartier though. Every time my family and I go into Cartier the service we receive is fantastic. The sales associates even give Cartier coloring books to my girls to keep them occupied while DH and I look around.
 
#5
I am and forever will be a Tiffany girl. To me noting compares to the history, style, design, character, and quality of Tiffany jewelry. I remember receiving my first two pieces of Tiffany from my dad on my 12th b-day. Seeing that little blue bag I just knew that whatever was inside was good quality and something I would cherish forever. I still wear my necklace and bracelet I received 9 years ago along with my numerous other Tiffany pieces I have received/bought over the years. FH only buys me Tiffany jewelry and when FH and I started looking at e-rings and wedding bands we knew immediately that they would come from Tiffany, including his wedding band. I can't wait to get my Tiffany Legacy e-ring in about a month or two.
 
#6
i think tiffany has a lot more designs and most pieces are truly gorgeous. when we looked around for my ering, tiffany was the store to go to because the variety of erings offered made me giddy. i think perhaps the accessibility of silver invited more people to own tiffany pieces which means exclusivity decreases, but i think tiffany is like a louis vuitton. almost everybody has a lv piece too, but that doesn't make it less special. i tend to go for individual pieces from brands and my eyes are sure set on the cartier love bracelet! :ninja:
 
#7
ame said:
I prefer Cartier because I feel it is more high end and has a more exclusive clientele. I feel like anyone can get Tiffany now, and that the appeal of it is waning. I wouldn't turn it down but if I had a choice Id go with Cartier.
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^I love both brands but only love Tiffany is 18K gold, and I do agree with ame's comment.
 
#8
daluu said:
i think tiffany has a lot more designs and most pieces are truly gorgeous. when we looked around for my ering, tiffany was the store to go to because the variety of erings offered made me giddy. i think perhaps the accessibility of silver invited more people to own tiffany pieces which means exclusivity decreases, but i think tiffany is like a louis vuitton. almost everybody has a lv piece too, but that doesn't make it less special. i tend to go for individual pieces from brands and my eyes are sure set on the cartier love bracelet! :ninja:
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I chose tiffany for my engagement ring as well. It was always my dream to own a 1 ct classic, and that is exactly what I got. :yahoo:
 
#9
Cartier 100%, i never really liked the round tiffany setting at all, it's so generic. and i agree with ame, the Cartier experience is definitely more personalized than tiffany. tiffany reminds me of highschool silver dog tags.
 
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#12
I don't own anything from either brand, because I buy non branded things for the most part- aside from watches- but Cartier. Tiffany doesn't really do much for me, even though they do have some cute charms for bracelets or necklaces.
 
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#14
personally, piggies prefer van cleef & arpels! (^(oo)^)v

between the two choices, i definitely prefer Cartier, which, like VC&A, is an haute joaillerie member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. I think the intricacy and design of the haute joaillerie does trickle down into the ready-to-wear collections. I also agree that the service at Cartier is superior; you really notice it in the "support" staff, like the doormen, the elevator attendants, and the service department representatives. The last time I went to drop off a watch for service at Cartier, I had a lovely conversation with the representative, who displayed a genuine enthusiasm for beautiful jewels, as well as the most gracious manners - piggy was so charmed! definitely bonus points for Cartier! (^(oo)^)

while i respect tiffany & co.'s long history, i really think the management has made a lot of poor decisions in recent years. by moving downmarket into the "masstige" category, they may have gained sales volume, but they destroyed a *lot* of valuable brand equity. in the long term, it was a very poor strategic decision; the sterling silver jewelry is so ubiquitous now that, IPHO, the sight of a little blue box doesn't excite nearly as much as a red, or better yet, a big green box! \(^(oo)^)/
 
#15
lvpiggy said:
personally, piggies prefer van cleef & arpels! (^(oo)^)v

between the two choices, i definitely prefer Cartier, which, like VC&A, is an haute joaillerie member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. I think the intricacy and design of the haute joaillerie does trickle down into the ready-to-wear collections. I also agree that the service at Cartier is superior; you really notice it in the "support" staff, like the doormen, the elevator attendants, and the service department representatives. The last time I went to drop off a watch for service at Cartier, I had a lovely conversation with the representative, who displayed a genuine enthusiasm for beautiful jewels, as well as the most gracious manners - piggy was so charmed! definitely bonus points for Cartier! (^(oo)^)

while i respect tiffany & co.'s long history, i really think the management has made a lot of poor decisions in recent years. by moving downmarket into the "masstige" category, they may have gained sales volume, but they destroyed a *lot* of valuable brand equity. in the long term, it was a very poor strategic decision; the sterling silver jewelry is so ubiquitous now that, IPHO, the sight of a little blue box doesn't excite nearly as much as a red, or better yet, a big green box! \(^(oo)^)/
Click to expand...

Pretty much what piggy said. We walked into T&Co to buy a $20K ring - we had to stand at the counter, what the hell is that???! I still enjoy some T&Co pieces (not the silver stuff though) but the experience is so downmarket, I actually prefer to buy online.

On the other hand, Cartier service is great - personal, prestigious, luxe. You get to sit down to try things on (GASP - I KNOW!!!) which really should be SOP for a jewellery store, but for some reason T&Co is like a cafeteria. Uncool.
 
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