Questions re. Tiffany engagement ring (comfort and "is it worth it"?)

[NY Village Girl]

1. I have the Tiffany & Co Solitaire and you definitely get used to it - it is a non-issue in my opinion
2. The beauty of the knife-edge shank and a solitaire is that it goes with any band. As the band and prongs are nice and delicate, it allows the stone to take center stage. I have a shared prong full eternity and love the way it looks with the solitaire.
3. I have the ring, so clearly I too, think it is worth it. For me personally, the design and craftsmanship of the setting was very important to me. You can clearly get wonderful quality stones elsewhere, but as you are buying a piece of jewelry(not just a loose diamond), the setting was really the deal clincher, for me. While other jewelers do "tiffany-style", I didn't find any that compared in beauty to the original tiffany setting. The angle and size of the prongs are perfectly proportioned to the stone, and the profile of the ring is just stunning.

I have to agree that the after-sales service is wonderful. I actually had a rare incident recently, just last month, with my eternity band where I fell and destroyed the band and lost 3 stones close to a year after purchasing it, and they ended up giving me a full refund for the damaged band. I put the refund towards the purchase of a new band, but I was so impressed with their professionalism and their willingness to accommodate. I am actually now in the process of upgrading my solitaire for our 5 year anniversary, and they have been so wonderful to work with. They have truly bent over backwards to accommodate me and make sure I get exactly the ring I want. I can't speak highly enough about their service.

 

[Ferdi_the_yak]

Cut is definitely at the very top of my list, I'm planning to cull anything that doesn't have a triple X rating (GIA or AGS). Then work down from colour > clarity > carat.

Since my partner is buying, I am not sure how open to online buying he is, but I would definitely love to grab those vendor details from you for future purchases down the track (hello, diamond studs!).

Thanks for your help

 

[Ferdi_the_yak]

1. I have the Tiffany & Co Solitaire and you definitely get used to it - it is a non-issue in my opinion
2. The beauty of the knife-edge shank and a solitaire is that it goes with any band. As the band and prongs are nice and delicate, it allows the stone to take center stage. I have a shared prong full eternity and love the way it looks with the solitaire.
3. I have the ring, so clearly I too, think it is worth it. For me personally, the design and craftsmanship of the setting was very important to me. You can clearly get wonderful quality stones elsewhere, but as you are buying a piece of jewelry(not just a loose diamond), the setting was really the deal clincher, for me. While other jewelers do "tiffany-style", I didn't find any that compared in beauty to the original tiffany setting. The angle and size of the prongs are perfectly proportioned to the stone, and the profile of the ring is just stunning.

I have to agree that the after-sales service is wonderful. I actually had a rare incident recently, just last month, with my eternity band where I fell and destroyed the band and lost 3 stones close to a year after purchasing it, and they ended up giving me a full refund for the damaged band. I put the refund towards the purchase of a new band, but I was so impressed with their professionalism and their willingness to accommodate. I am actually now in the process of upgrading my solitaire for our 5 year anniversary, and they have been so wonderful to work with. They have truly bent over backwards to accommodate me and make sure I get exactly the ring I want. I can't speak highly enough about their service.

I read your thread about your damaged ring and was really impressed with how Tiffany handled the situation. One of the other reasons why we went to them was because I want a platinum setting (personal preference). Prior to that visit, we visited a fairly high end local jeweller who only had WG set rings. We asked whether they could create their designs in platinum and they started slagging off and downgrading platinum settings! How it would cost "well over a thousand dollars" and wasn't worth it because their white gold was so fabulous and would look better over time. That attitude totally p*ssed me off and we've decided to not go with that store. Professionalism makes such a huge difference!

 

[ame]

Unfortunately, I have yet to see a single WG piece that ever looked "better over time". Platinum may cost more up front (and normally not that much more esp right now), but in the end it is less bec white gold costs more to maintain in most cases with plating, etc. That attitude just tells me they have no one proficient enough in platinum and no one in store that knows anything about it.

My favorite online vendor is Goodoldgold.com. And the closest setting to the real Tiffany that I've seen--and it fools Tiffany--is the Vatche U113, which GOG can provide. There are several others that can also get it as well, and others that make their own. KathD got a Brian Gavin variant recently.

 

[Ferdi_the_yak]

Unfortunately, I have yet to see a single WG piece that ever looked "better over time". Platinum may cost more up front (and normally not that much more esp right now), but in the end it is less bec white gold costs more to maintain in most cases with plating, etc. That attitude just tells me they have no one proficient enough in platinum and no one in store that knows anything about it.

My favorite online vendor is Goodoldgold.com. And the closest setting to the real Tiffany that I've seen--and it fools Tiffany--is the Vatche U113, which GOG can provide. There are several others that can also get it as well, and others that make their own. KathD got a Brian Gavin variant recently.

The lack of experience with platinum was my first thought when they started banging on about how it was "inferior" to their white gold. I also brought up the fact that white gold was stronger but more brittle and would be more likely to snap if it was put under pressure and they argued that was incorrect. So that was a warning sign that they didn't know what they were talking about right there.

I've been wearing a platinum/diamond band for the last 4 years. Hence I know what platinum + diamond looks like over time and I like the look. I definitely didn't appreciate my personal choice being downgraded by snooty sales staff! One place off the list!

Thanks for the GOG rec - I will check them out for sure!

 

[ame]

I love them. I've purchased from them several times. I have yet to encounter a single diamond vendor, on or offline that comes even remotely near them on the amount of data and testing they do for each stone or that comes near that kind of range in what kinds of cuts they carry.

Oh man. I hate when places have uneducated sales staffs. Its enraging.

 

[LeeMiller]

Oh LORD don't get me (us) started on the "is Tiffany's worth it or not" debate again! LOL!

I'll answer as the owner of this ring ... I LOVE it. I've PERSONALLY never seen one I love as much as the original Tiffany's classic solitaire! It is not in the least bit uncomfortable - feels perfect on! And yes I think it's worth it but that's just my opinion! I'm admittedly charmed by Tiffany's ~ the name, the style... I find it extremely well made and I've bought TONS from them by now. The customer service in my experience has been nothing short of EXCELLENT from three different boutiques. I'm sure others have had different experiences but I've had incredible SA's and there is certainly a lovely feeling of security dropping your ring off with them to be cleaned and polished back to new (for free) and most importantly feeling that it is safe there. Do your research on the stones but I wouldn't feel at all bad about going to Tiffany's - they are gorgeous stones and rings!!

Ditto! Love mine as well & have been happy with my other purchases!

 

[LeeMiller]

Unfortunately, I have yet to see a single WG piece that ever looked "better over time". Platinum may cost more up front (and normally not that much more esp right now), but in the end it is less bec white gold costs more to maintain in most cases with plating, etc. That attitude just tells me they have no one proficient enough in platinum and no one in store that knows anything about it.

My favorite online vendor is Goodoldgold.com. And the closest setting to the real Tiffany that I've seen--and it fools Tiffany--is the Vatche U113, which GOG can provide. There are several others that can also get it as well, and others that make their own. KathD got a Brian Gavin variant recently.

I personally had a bad experience with goodoldgold in terms of customer service, so I stay away, but others seem to like them.

 

[ame]

I personally had a bad experience with goodoldgold in terms of customer service, so I stay away, but others seem to like them.

That's a shame. I had that with Whiteflash after dealing with poor workmanship and even poorer after service, and that's why I refuse to patronize and generally take every opportunity to point people as far away from them as possible.

 

[gris.etain]

i also have Tiffany rings. i pair my engagement ring (emerald cut) with their Lucida wedding band and i don't find it uncomfortable at all. and i always get free services from them (NYC flagship store) whenever i send my rings for buffing, steam cleaning, polishing.


please excuse my stupid question. but does constant polishing, buffing of platinum rings will wear away some of its metals? i always forgot to ask Tiffany associates whenever i send my rings for cleaning.

 

[Ferdi_the_yak]

I personally had a bad experience with goodoldgold in terms of customer service, so I stay away, but others seem to like them.

That's a shame. I had that with Whiteflash after dealing with poor workmanship and even poorer after service, and that's why I refuse to patronize and generally take every opportunity to point people as far away from them as possible.

Lee and ame, would you both mind sharing some details of your poor experiences with GOG and Whiteflash? If I were to work with either, it would be an international transaction and I'd want to avoid any places with bad customer/after sales service.

Thanks!

 

[sil]

please excuse my stupid question. but does constant polishing, buffing of platinum rings will wear away some of its metals? i always forgot to ask Tiffany associates whenever i send my rings for cleaning.

I'm no expert but I remember being told that with platinum it has a "liquid-like" surface. When you scratch it, you're just moving the metal around. You don't lose any mass. I imagine since polishing is technically just a bunch of micro-scratches, theoretically there should be no (or very little) metal loss in the life of your platinum piece.

Somebody correct my babble if I'm out to lunch on this one.

 

[burberryprncess]

Lee and ame, would you both mind sharing some details of your poor experiences with GOG and Whiteflash? If I were to work with either, it would be an international transaction and I'd want to avoid any places with bad customer/after sales service.

Thanks!

Have you consider Bluenile? They have a large selection of GIA certified diamonds and the certificates are easily viewed from the site. I am currently looking to upgrade my e-ring for the second and am considering Tiffany and the online stores. I'm actually fascinated with Hearts on Fire.

 

[Ferdi_the_yak]

Have you consider Bluenile? They have a large selection of GIA certified diamonds and the certificates are easily viewed from the site. I am currently looking to upgrade my e-ring for the second and am considering Tiffany and the online stores. I'm actually fascinated with Hearts on Fire.

It's been one of my most frequently viewed sites! I've been looking at getting a pair of diamond studs from there and have literally spent hours playing with their "create your own earrings" section. I emailed my partner an engagement ring I "created" on BN, but I don't think he was keen on buying something so expensive sight unseen.

They are definitely on my list for studs though!

 

[burberryprncess]

It's been one of my most frequently viewed sites! I've been looking at getting a pair of diamond studs from there and have literally spent hours playing with their "create your own earrings" section. I emailed my partner an engagement ring I "created" on BN, but I don't think he was keen on buying something so expensive sight unseen.

They are definitely on my list for studs though!

BN is reputable and most of their GIA diamonds are laser inscribed on the girdle so you can verify with GIA as well. I do admit, it's a little scary buying online and sight unseen.....which is why I haven't caved in yet.