I need help deciding between a no brand or a Tiffany engagement ring please

[littleblackbag]

I got my beautiful ER after nine years of marriage. I could have gotten a 1ct diamond (still not big in PF world) but after doing some extensive looking and research I knew I had to look at a Tiffany diamond. And I'm so glad I did. Yes my stone is tiny 0.38ct, but bloody hell does it sparkle! I've had it now for nearly 7 years and I look at it at least a hundred times a day. I love the delicacy and craftsmanship of the setting, (I have the Harmony setting not the traditional tiffany setting) and nothing else I saw came close. I would much rather have a tiny sparkly diamond than a big dull stone.
I am based in the UK though, and to us size isn't everything!

 

[gwendo25]

I would go for the no brand. If you have a good jeweller, they can make any idea you have come to life, plus you would have the advantage of getting a larger stone of equal quality and clarity to Tiffany, should you choose. Your ring would be unique and special to you alone!

 

[jadie1]

Honestly I'd never, ever get the Tiffany soliitaire. The Vatché U113 is a nearly identical setting, and very well made. You could get a super-ideal diamond from Whiteflash (A Cut Above line) or High Performance Diamonds and have it set in the Vatché. These diamonds are perfectly cut to exacting specifics. You'd have a larger diamond and the quality would be the same or even better.

 

[fdc]

My best friend of nearly 20 years is a fine jeweler. She and I had a blast going to Tiffany to try on 4-5 carat wedding bands to get an idea of exactly what I wanted on my finger for the rest of my life. Ultimately I picked out a ring that T&Co was asking double what she ended up charging to make the exact same ring custom for me. Not only did I get way, way, way more value, I also supported an independent jeweler (and my best friend in the entire world ).

I was on an extremely generous budget. Even with no budget and no personal jeweler best friend, I would still never buy a Tiffany diamond.

Wow 4-5 carat band must be a big thing!!! Could you please post photo of your ring?

Back to the topic and thread owner, have you made up your mind? As almost everyone here I'd also choose the non-branded ring with a bigger Tiffany. I got engaged 4 years ago and at that time we didn't have much money so I only got a 0.3 carat solitaire. My finfers are very small so at the first the diamond didn't look too tiny but shrinkage is real lol. I'll have to upgrade soon maybe next year for our 5th anniversary!

I agree that cut is the most important when choosing a diamond, GIA triple Excellent is not enough, you may find here a reference from the page beyond4cs.com to select an ideal cut diamond. Good luck!

 

[Four Tails]

Wow 4-5 carat band must be a big thing!!! Could you please post photo of your ring?

Back to the topic and thread owner, have you made up your mind? As almost everyone here I'd also choose the non-branded ring with a bigger Tiffany. I got engaged 4 years ago and at that time we didn't have much money so I only got a 0.3 carat solitaire. My finfers are very small so at the first the diamond didn't look too tiny but shrinkage is real lol. I'll have to upgrade soon maybe next year for our 5th anniversary!

I agree that cut is the most important when choosing a diamond, GIA triple Excellent is not enough, you may find here a reference from the page beyond4cs.com to select an ideal cut diamond. Good luck!

I ended up just shy of 4 carats (E, ExExEx, VS1) in platinum. I was a little concerned that the ring was distracting at the diamond size I had originally liked in photos. The 4.5 carat eternity band was enormous on my size 4 finger because it was a full band of 0.33 carat diamonds. Basically, imagine a full band of your main stone. I really felt like I was leading with the ring and that it sent the wrong message about me.

I prefer to just wear the band alone for comfort and practicality. For work, travel, and other situations that indicate it, I sub in one or two stacked Cartier Love rings to be more discreet.

 

[fdc]

I ended up just shy of 4 carats (E, ExExEx, VS1) in platinum. I was a little concerned that the ring was distracting at the diamond size I had originally liked in photos. The 4.5 carat eternity band was enormous on my size 4 finger because it was a full band of 0.33 carat diamonds. Basically, imagine a full band of your main stone. I really felt like I was leading with the ring and that it sent the wrong message about me.

I prefer to just wear the band alone for comfort and practicality. For work, travel, and other situations that indicate it, I sub in one or two stacked Cartier Love rings to be more discreet.

Wow that's already really big to me (in a good way), I imagine the diamond on your e-ring must be on the bigger side too

 

[Angel Marie]

Hey ladies, I’m new here.

Im in a bit of a pickle because I’m trying to decide between a Tiffany solitare or a no brand diamond.
I’ve wanted a blue box for quite a while, and do like designer items (obviously since it’s why we’re all here haha) but we are on a budget so we have to stick to that.

If I get the no brand I can get 40% more diamond for our budget but I would also go down in clarity a bit. If not, we’ll I can still get the Tiffany solitare but in a bit of a smaller carat.

I’m getting a lot of mixed opinions from friends and family. I’m also on the weddingbee website but they tend to dislike Tiffany rings there, not sure why. I know it’s ultimately up to me and what I like, but I’m stuck on this one big time. I do like a decently sized diamond but at the same time I love the timelessness of a genuine Tiffany.

While my motto is always "bigger is better", there are circumstances that can overrule when it comes to matters of quality. While you may be getting a bigger size stone, in the long run, quality is what matters and if it's less than ideal, then the difference will be glaringly obvious and you may be at risk for scrutiny and judgment which could lead to problems down the road. If you're okay with that then go for it otherwise, pick the best quality you can with your money, albeit a smaller stone, you can always do an upgrade later on in your marriage. I hope that helps, best of luck with your decision and Tiffany's is the best!

Angel

 

[so_sofya1985]

Hey ladies, I’m new here.

Im in a bit of a pickle because I’m trying to decide between a Tiffany solitare or a no brand diamond.
I’ve wanted a blue box for quite a while, and do like designer items (obviously since it’s why we’re all here haha) but we are on a budget so we have to stick to that.

If I get the no brand I can get 40% more diamond for our budget but I would also go down in clarity a bit. If not, we’ll I can still get the Tiffany solitare but in a bit of a smaller carat.

I’m getting a lot of mixed opinions from friends and family. I’m also on the weddingbee website but they tend to dislike Tiffany rings there, not sure why. I know it’s ultimately up to me and what I like, but I’m stuck on this one big time. I do like a decently sized diamond but at the same time I love the timelessness of a genuine Tiffany.

I need to be careful how I say it, as I don’t want to come across wrong. But anything under 1 carat (even top quality, clarity etc) does not hold value as well as over that stepping stone. So whether it’s Tiffany or not, in my opinion, it does not matter. I’d get Same specs and a bigger diamond at a non Tiffany store. Even look at second hand stones as those are usually sold at min 40 percent discount.

 

[Oni_]

Honestly, I would go no brand (but I'm biased). My engagement ring has a 2.35 ct centre stone and a total ct weight of 3.5. He sourced the centre stone himself and got the ring custom made. I love it so much and every time I go to Tiffanys to try on other rings, the SA asks if I purchased my ring from them. We have some friends who have smaller solitaire e-rings from Tiffany and honestly, they don't look like anything super special in my opinion. I would focus more on the quality/size of the diamond rather than where it is from. You can easily source a diamond with the same specs as the ones sold by Tiffany yourself (or with some help, depending on how much work you want to do lol).

Maybe if you want a Tiffany ring you could get your wedding band there? That way you still get the blue box, and most wedding bands are well under $5,000.00.

 

[Gimmethebag]

I have a Tiffany & Co. ring and I didn't compromise a thing, because we purchased it vintage. I have a gorgeous 2 CT three stone ring set in platinum with high quality, sparkly stones and we paid a Blue Nile price for it.

Jewelry does not hold its value as much as we like to think it will.