Looking for help on Tiffany Soleste

[Bsb.princess]

Hi all! I've searched and found old posts here that are from a few years back. So instead of trying to resurrect those I figured I'd start a new one and ask a couple specific questions. I'm brand new here so I hope it's alright

Me and my bf are discussing an engagement within the next year. I'm obsessed with the Soleste and he loves the idea of a Tiffany e-ring. So we're gonna go looking in December when he's in town again (we're long distance ) he is clueless about rings and diamonds and all that. I've learned a lot recently and I'm thinking H or better. I know they go down to I but I'm afraid of seeing color. I've heard clarity levels with tiffany are almost a non-issue since they aren't visible to the naked eye. Now I'm curious about cut. Which brings me to my first question.. (Finally, right?! Lol)

Have any of you examined a few at the same time? I know they grade their own cuts, and they'd tell me all are excellent cuts, but on another forum they've told me that I should look at a few in case some have better cuts than others. Basically I want to know if anyone has looked at them closely, and been able to tell differences in cut quality, sparkle, etc. I have no problem going in myself and looking, but we want the proposal and timing to be a surprise. We're old fashioned, hehe. So I might not be able to look at the exact ring he ends up buying. I'm thinking based on budget the highest we could go is a .7 or .8 max. I'm gonna pass on the basics of the info I've learned so he can apply that himself when he chooses.

The other question is color. I've heard cushion cuts can show more color. Should I aim for like G or above?

Any advice, input, past experience knowledge would be greatly appreciated!! I've loved browsing this site lately and found old Soleste threads to be very informative!! Thank you!!

 

[ame]

Well, I read all your threads over yonder, and while there were SOME points made that were good points, there's not a lot of pro-Tiffany on that board, so you didn't get much support on getting what you really want, which is a Tiffany branded ring. There's a lot of push to use the vendors supported there, and I am a fan of some of them, yes, and think they provide more for the money, yes, but if you REALLY want the brand, there needs to be more support of that.

For color, when you're in that color range, especially around that carat weight, I don't think you're going to have to deal with a lot of body color showing, especially not facing up, unless you find yourself to be VERY color sensitive when you see these in person. Yes body color can show more in this shape, but usually not til you get into larger caratage than you're looking in. I hate to tell you to rule out H's or I's because you haven't seen them in person yet. Your eyes might find you like them BETTER than a higher color, vs any perceived warmth. There's going to be an element of mind-cleanliness to this, since you've got yourself wrapped up in what could be seen vs what will be seen. Wait til you see them to decide what your color threshold is. Clarity is the same way. Some VS2s are better than others, and your eyes might not like any of them and see stuff in all of them. So you might find yourself needing higher clarity for mental reasons or for visual reasons.

Regarding the issue with cut quality...Yes they grade in house and yes they're going to say it's excellent, because it's a Tiffany diamond, but ignore that. Cushions on paper are hard to really assess grading of. There's no real "set" guidelines for what dictates "ideal cut" on a cushion and there's a lot of "personal preference" involved in selection because there's so many "styles" of cushions. You might want to keep this entire thing a surprise, but I think it's a good idea for you to select several rings in the stock selection that YOUR EYES like, and have the SA identify those so that he can pick from that selection, possibly write down the serial numbers or something, and if at ALL possible, do the ring selection together, even if he goes back say later that day to buy it without you and propose whenever he wants to later. I would ask that they bring in as many from the list you posted on the other forum that are in your price range as possible so you can see all of them in person and get an idea of what speaks to your eyes. That way you know what you like in color ranges and which specific stones speak more to you than others. Then when you narrow it down, if they're willing to allow you near natural light and not just store light, look at them in natural lighting as well to see if you still like those stones.

 

[Bsb.princess]

Oh you're from over there too!! Haha didn't expect to see any here but I recognize your avatar.

I realllllly appreciate the understanding and thorough answer. Honestly I felt some of those were pointing things out with a tone that was biased against them so while some did seem honest and made good points, I felt I needed to reach out somewhere else.

I've been worried because I now live in LA but will be moving to MO sometime in the first half of next year. I was very surprised today when I looked and found a store in Kansas City!! So once we're ready we can go into that store ans I can tell him what I like and he can go back and buy it or order or something. I mean it won't be a total surprise but lots of girls know when it's coming anyway and I just need to remember it won't be a huge surprise because he's willing to go out of his way to get me my dream ring

Thank you again!! You're really nice

To any other people here with advice or pics of their own etc please feel free to share! I can't get enough info on this thing haha

 

[ame]

My pleasure! Hopefully some other owners will chime in with thoughts and obviuosly PHOTOS.

I am over there, I don't chime in a lot on diamond topics too much there anymore due to hand-slappings, but I will gladly help out here. That board is very much not a fan of the big branded stuff so they're definitely going to always recommend you go elsewhere. Since you were clear on your intention for the brand, while I DO think there are good options out there besides the brand, there's no sense in saying "look at these other vendors" when you know what you want. If you were still not sure of that, then I would say, we can look at these other vendors and then you can see what you think by comparison budgetarily. Even those other vendors are going to be a good 4-5K on that setting easily, so that will eat into your diamond budget a good deal.

I am not going to harsh on your dream, but I will help you select the best of what is available in the range available there. You do need to see these IN PERSON though, cushions are not a shape that you can easily select on paper, they have to be selected by eye.

KMCO huh...That's gonna be a huge adjustment. STL here, so you'll kinda be a neighbor, but girl, get ready for that climate change! You're going from perfection to...uh...crap! You'll get most of the seasons here, even if you only get 2 of them for just a couple of weeks.

Being in LA you will have a better selection at the ready and they're more apt to send more selection to those stores than the ones here in the midwest, outside of say, Michigan Ave in Chicago. The STL and KCMO stores seem to just not get the supply that the others do. I don't care for our store here much, too many bad experiences, but I've had great luck in other cities.

 

[Bsb.princess]

I got that impression early on about them, shoulda just left and come here sooner I understand that's just what that forum is geared towards, and that's fine, just not for me.

I appreciate your understanding. I really have looked at many other similar rings and nothing speaks to me like this. I watched a youtube video that nearly brought me to tears and I knew that was the one. Nothing looks the same to me. I have tons of pics saved to an album, all different specs haha.

Yes big change! But I hate the weather here, oddly lol. I love the cold and rain and I get excited over thunderstorms and honestly I've been dying for snow since I was little. I've been in it a couple times, enough to know its for me

Sucks about that store though, cause I think we'll have to end up buying it from there.. Hmm. We'll have to see. Yay for being neighbors!!

 

[DS2006]

Hi! I am from the other place, too! I don't even remember what I posted on your thread there, but I have some real Tiffany pieces and certainly I could have gotten cheaper things elsewhere. Like Ame, my wedding band is from Tiffany and I love it! I think the thing some people worry about is eventually wishing one had gone with a larger stone, but in the case of the Soleste, the double halo takes up a LOT of finger space. So while I would not go with a Tiffany solitaire (since you can get a technically better and larger diamond in a similar setting for the same money), I would not necessarily say that would be true for the Soleste, although there are people who make equal quality rings. If you want the brand, the blue box, and the buying experience, then Tiffany it is!

Cushions are very different than buying ideal cut rounds. There is MUCH more variation in them. They have different cut styles and different shapes and personalities. If this was for me, I would definitely want to pre-screen them and tell the sales associate your very favorites before he shops. You do need to see your color tolerance, but I have never been able to do that inside a Tiffany store since the lighting makes all the diamonds look pretty much the same. And I can't quite picture Tiffany sales people taking a diamond outside into natural lighting, but anything is possible! I think H would be fine for me, and like Ame again, I like good clarity so I wouldn't personally go below VS2.

 

[DS2006]

Oh, and I also agree with Ame that the KC store will likely have much less than LA. I live in a similar city and the selection on things like that will be much less than in a major city like NY, LA, etc. They likely would have to bring in a couple to choose from.

 

[ame]

HI again DS!

Because of where the STL store is, there was no chance of outdoor lighting. But I have read and spoken with folks that have had that kind of luck. And in the Chicago Michigan Ave store, they'll take you by windows so you can have the natural lighting.

 

[DS2006]

HI again DS!

Because of where the STL store is, there was no chance of outdoor lighting. But I have read and spoken with folks that have had that kind of luck. And in the Chicago Michigan Ave store, they'll take you by windows so you can have the natural lighting.

Hi, Ame! My Tiffany store is inside a mall, so it is pretty impossible there. I wouldn't think their insurance would allow actually going out of the store anyway! That is nice that the Chicago store has windows with natural light. Too bad they all don't have that!

 

[ame]

No kidding! The Michigan Ave store has been great anytime I've gone in there. However the local store is in a mall as well and is highly unlikely to work with you going to natural light. They barely acknowledge you're in the place.

 

[Bsb.princess]

Hey DS! Thanks a bunch for your input I didn't think they (cushions) could vary much so I'm glad to have this info.

So let's say the KC store does have less, they could ship them there so I can see more options and pick, right? Seems they will do that anywhere if you're really serious.

Also, I'm still going into a LA location in December with him. I'm waiting to hear back again from the woman that contacted me after I wrote customer service and I'll go from there. I'm hoping I can at least narrow down some specs like color now. And hopefully have some natural lighting. This is intimidating and it's so pricey I don't want to rush deciding things and then regret it. I'll report back here after that I'm so lucky and thankful he's excited to look too. Otherwise I'd feel like a crazy girl looking at these so early on but like I've said, I want to have as much knowledge as possible and then save the last part like double checking cuts and rings in person for once we know that time has come.

I'm just dying to show him this ring. Cushions with halos are apparently very vintage and classic and he's old fashioned like me. I know he'll just fall in love with it too

 

[Bsb.princess]

One more thing. To you two i'll sound like a broken record cause I've asked this in a way.. Sorry!! I'm a woman obsessed and I want as much info as possible before I get him too wrapped up hehe. Don't wanna confuse the poor guy. But how much can one ring vary to another? As far as Tiff goes. I know some are more sensitive than others to color, and some cuts will be better. But what I'm asking is if either of you (or anyone else here) have noticed a big difference when comparing same item side-by-side. Like, will any of them be disappointing? I'm wondering if we find the right one, should we jump on it? Will any be duds when looking at them? I'm afraid I'll go next year to KC and they won't have any that will be as great as some I've seen.. Cause then what?

I've seen many pics and a few dif videos and they all looked amazing to me. A part of me is honestly feeling guilty. I don't want to ruin his desire to surprise me with timing. But I'm scared he might go in and not know what to do :s And I know he's really scared to pick on his own too. He wants it to be perfect. I know I can't compare those pics and vids to being in person, but am I being silly obsessing so much? Ahh so much to consider! I need a good shaking.. maybe even an old fashioned slap in the face *eyes DS and ame* who's gonna do it?? Hehe

 

[Canmore]

I just went through this process (also first post)!

If you have time, I suggest going to Tiffany's and trying on some of the different Solestes on your own - some stores may only have a few different ones. I'm also currently in a long distance relationship and I wanted to get a feel for the ring before telling my now fiancé what style I liked (although he had actually seen that style before and had mentioned it). I have a 5.5 finger and while the 0.39 ring was gorgeous, it was a bit small in appearance (to my eyes at least). The Philly store only had three rings: a 0.39 for $5700, a 0.52 H VS1 for $7600 and 0.73 F VVS2 for $12700. Once I figure out how to upload images, I can show you pictures of all three on my finger. Ultimately he bought me a 1.01 G VS1 Soleste in another city. It is definitely bling-tastic. I should hopefully be getting my ring back today from resizing (a week has never felt so long!!).

The great thing about the Soleste is the finger coverage. To my eyes at least, a 0.7 is very very similar in look to a 1 carat center stone. I'm not sure if this is just me or if perhaps the halos are a bit different or if even the cushion cuts were slightly different between the rings (you'll notice the larger stones are more rectangular whereas the 0.5 range is more square). For that reason, I told my fiancé that I liked the soleste setting and the rest (4Cs) was 100% his decision. I got the ring I wanted (we both looooove it) and he got to decide what he liked and what he could afford.

Unfortunately, the size you're looking for is very very popular. In fact I've tried on about a dozen different Solestes and only one was in the 0.7 range. The rest were over 1 carat or closer to 0.5. That's not to say they don't exist - it's just a popular size range so you may have to get a SA to order a few in. I would definitely try them on before you leave LA.

Anyways, hope my post was useful! Feel free to ask me any questions!

 

[Canmore]

Here is the 0.39

0.52 H VS1

0.73 F VVS2


My ring!!

 

[michiganav]

Hi- really good advice from the other posters.

Definitely see if you can view them outside. This option varies by location. I found the natural light very helpful in making a selection. Walking in the store where the lighting varies was helpful as well. Definitely move away from the lighting in the diamond salon area.

There are more selections at the bigger stores. If you are in the LA area, check out South Coast location (a little out but still close to LA). One of the largest one in CA.

If you work with a great sales person he or she should be willing to bring in anything you would like to see and look up all inventory and certificate before bringing them in. I requested to see the clarity plot before the ring was brought in for the final one, and that was not a problem.

It took several rings and over three months to find, but my SA finally found one that met my criterias. Sometimes, it takes a lot of rings before finding the right one.

Good luck with your search.