Finally decided on T&Co E-Ring..but now what Carat, Color, and Clarity?

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didi78

didi78

O.G.
May 20, 2006
1,715
1
#1
Hi Everyone. I want to first of all thank everyone for all their amazingly helpful input. I finally decided to get a Tiffany and Co classic 6 prong engagement ring (maybe i'll have it on my finger in a few months! yay!). And I want to lower my budget to 15,000 (I think 20 is just too much). Now the question is.

1. What carat? I want something larger than 1 carat, but smaller than 1.5. A 1.2-1.3 looks good on me.
2. What color? I'm thinking F. But going lower, to a G, would be more economical so that I can go higher up in the carat size.
3. What clarity? I'm thinking VVS2 to VS1.

I guess the question is, what is more important? Color or Clarity? Carat size? Should I get as big as I can get but sacrifice color and clarity?

THANKS!
 
#2
didi78 said:
Hi Everyone. I want to first of all thank everyone for all their amazingly helpful input. I finally decided to get a Tiffany and Co classic 6 prong engagement ring (maybe i'll have it on my finger in a few months! yay!). And I want to lower my budget to 15,000 (I think 20 is just too much). Now the question is.

1. What carat? I want something larger than 1 carat, but smaller than 1.5. A 1.2-1.3 looks good on me.
2. What color? I'm thinking F. But going lower, to a G, would be more economical so that I can go higher up in the carat size.
3. What clarity? I'm thinking VVS2 to VS1.

I guess the question is, what is more important? Color or Clarity? Carat size? Should I get as big as I can get but sacrifice color and clarity?

THANKS!
Click to expand...

If you are going with a round diamond then VVS2 is more than enough. It will look eye clean even as low as a good SI1. Your first priority should be cut, I'm assuming that Tiffany and Co only sells ideal cuts? If not, get the best cut you can afford. If the cut is excellent, then a G will look like an F, it will sparkle like crazy and it will look bigger than whatever size you end up with. Check out the forums at pricescope.com for more info and opinions. Congratulations and good luck!
 
#3
hi suzi. Thanks! Yes, Tiffany will have "ideal" cuts, though they don't call it that for some anal reason.
I'll check out pricescope.com.

Is G a "bad" color?
 
#4
Not at Tiffany's! I've got a G VS2 and it shines like the dickens! During the summer I'm showering a constellation on any flat surface--the inside of my car looks like light show! In that round cut, you're going to be just fine!
 
#7
The members are right....the shine and sparkle of a diamond come from the cut....Tiffany's lowest clarity grade is a VS2 and lowest color grade is an I. Both are certainly acceptable grades as long as the cut makes the stone sparkle.

For 15K you can get about a one carat F color stone VS1 or 2. Or a little more weight if you go down to say, an H in color. This is what I was told when I called about Tiffany's Lucida cut.

In the end, I bought my Tiffany ring from SignedPieces in NYC. The cost savings was significant so, I was able to get a larger stone for less and at a higher color grade. When I was in Tiffanys a few weeks ago, they cleaned and polished my ring for me.

You will always get differing opinions on the cost of a Tiffany diamond ring. I know all these arguments and I'm sure everyone else here does too. In the end, the cost is not always the most imortant consideration, in my opinion. I love my Lucida, especially so, since I had wanted one since they were first presented by Tiffany in 1998.

SignedPieces has a web site, too, if you are interested.
 
#8
I think cost is important as you can get a smashing diamond that does not have the Tiffany mark...or mark up...Im not trying to start any troubles...JMO. I love diamonds and shop alot...so its just my experience.
 
#9
all my diamonds are from Tiffany, you can basically go for size there and be fine IMO, I have trust issues so I like knowing I am getting what I am paying for, I also like that they have a upgrade policy just in case. You made a great choice.
 
#10
Maybe you should go in with your budget and see what combinations of color/clarity/size they can offer you, i found that their prices ranged so greatly that it was hard to predict what would be what price. If you're not color sensitive, you can get a lower color. Also, I bet you can go for the lower clarity too and not be able to see a thing on a Tiffany diamond, they're not going to sell you something that you can see a big fat black dot in the middle of! Do you have a jewelers loupe? Might be helpful when looking at the different stones with different clarities. Cut is def. most important, but since it is T&Co I don't think you'll have to worry about that!
 
#11
thanks everyone. yea, i'm not worried about the cut at T&Co, just wondering about the clarity, color, and size. guess ultimately it's up to my man to decide what he wants to get me. :)

i LOVE their upgrade policy lulumylovely! haha.

Thanks for the info isus about signed pieces. I know that website (from ebay), but my man is iffy about getting a "second hand" ring...he's sorta superstitious and wonders about where that ring came from, if it was a broken engagement, etc.
 
#12
Hi didi,
Congrats on such a wonderful decision. I am an antique jeweler and it is very important to buy somewhere you really trust. Of course Tiffany and CO. is super famous but I am wondering why you would only buy there? Do you just love the store--I do--but I never buy there. You are paying over 40% more for the name. I don't know if you realize that all large diamond wholesalers buy diamonds from the same place.

With that said--look for clarity first, than color, than ct. size. Unless you want a big hunk of a diamond and don't really care about color and clarity. D,E, or F is colorless--the best, IF (internally flawless) is the top. From there, color and clarity go down a bit. Like G, H, color are really great, but may pull slight yellow. Not noticable to the naked eye but with a special light, loupe, or comparision diamond you may see it. For clarity, VVs, VVs1-2 etc are still great but again will show a tiny flaw. This may only be visable to the most expert eye.

So, thats my take on diamonds. I would shop around and not just choose Tiffany for the name. Yes, you can always trade up there, but many other fine jewelers have the same policy with far less overhead and markup. Sorry all :yes: Tiffany addicts.

I have a pre 1940's Tiffany jewelry collection. I loved their early jewelry. I guess I love the sentimentality and uniqueness of the old pieces. I always think Tiffany was so expensive it was given to a great love, and kept for that reason until the grandchildren needed money or didn't like the style. I am an old soul.
 
#13
Hi Hillary. I actually love antique jewelry, especially things from the art deco era. I own a few diamond rings from that era, and two diamond/platinum watches. I understand that I'll be paying for the T&C brand, but I guess i'm a girly romantic at heart so I have always wanted a T&C engagement ring. The final thing is that I really love the prongs of the classic t&c setting, the side view is fabulous. I love how the prongs are elegantly curved, and every single "tiffany style" I have seen just can't duplicate that.

I get mixed comments about color and clarity. Some people say clarity is more important, while some say color is. It's rather confusing.
 
#14
To me, color is more important because that is something you can see. I know people say that you cannot tell unless you put the diamond upside down on a piece of white paper...but after looking at many diamonds and rings, I actually got to the point where I was able to guess what color the diamond is...at least to within one color... As for Clarity, I can't really tell, and I was looking at the rings in the VS2 range...can't see any inclusion with the naked eye...some not even with a 10x scope, and they still sparkle like mad.

I would rank it as Cut, Color, then Clarity.

p.s., I know exactly what you mean by the side view of the Tiffany ring, and yep, it cannot be duplicated! there are MANY 'tiffany' style rings out there, and you can definitely tell the minor difference if you look closely. You will be having your ring for the rest of your life and you will be looking at it everyday, so get the one you really want. ;) It's not overpriced if you feel that it's worth it.
 
#15
Assuming you want your diamond to look as 'white' as possible (which you may not, as tinted diamonds can be gorgeous!)...

The general rule, is that colour (or the lack of it!) is more important if you're fair, or pale, with a pinkish skin-tone. :yes: As a slightly tinted diamond (however subtly) will look more obviously so, against a lighter, pinker, background.

If you're darker, and/or have an olive, or yellower, skin-tone, colour is less important and you would be wise to spend the extra on clarity and/or carat.

Whether you go for an F VS1, a G VVS2, or a G VS1, from Tiffanys, it will be a gorgeous diamond. :yes: It is possible to find a similar stone for less, but, I do understand that Tiffany & Co. is a work free, worry free, choice.

Congrats, BTW! :D
 
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