T&CO Sapphire Ring- Only 2 created?
- Thread starter westjenn
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
Ok, got a reply! The seller says:
Thank you for your interest. This is a fabulous ring, perfect for day or dress! We purchased the ring from a well known private family. They had the ring for a few years and lost the paperwork. We took the ring to Tiffany to verify the authenticity. We have a good relationship with them, as they often refer their clients to us for pieces they no longer make. They were able to verbally authenticate the piece and gave the information that it was made with limited production. The sapphire is heat treated, which done to most sapphires. In order to receive Tiffany paperwork an original receipt must be provided. Since the family no longer had it, we do not have Tiffany paperwork. We are more than happy to provide our appraisal with the purchase of this ring.
I really want to know who this well known private family is...
Thank you for your interest. This is a fabulous ring, perfect for day or dress! We purchased the ring from a well known private family. They had the ring for a few years and lost the paperwork. We took the ring to Tiffany to verify the authenticity. We have a good relationship with them, as they often refer their clients to us for pieces they no longer make. They were able to verbally authenticate the piece and gave the information that it was made with limited production. The sapphire is heat treated, which done to most sapphires. In order to receive Tiffany paperwork an original receipt must be provided. Since the family no longer had it, we do not have Tiffany paperwork. We are more than happy to provide our appraisal with the purchase of this ring.
I really want to know who this well known private family is...
Unless you love this ring, it is a lot for a used 1ct sapphire. "Private family" is a good story line. You and I are a "private famliy" too. The seller can easily ask Tiffany to appraise it and they should pay for it. The seller says they will give you their appraisal which is worth nothing.
If you really love this ring and want it, ask the seller to get you a Tiffany appraisal. If they say no, and you really love this ring, Plan B... tell the seller you will buy the ring and also pay for the Tiffany appraisal if it comes back authentic. But the seller needs to take it in to Tiffany. It should be easy for them since they say they have a good relationship. Ask then to put the appraisal in your name since you plan on buying it.
On the ring itself, my two cents... the setting looks odd to me and not finished The side diamonds stop short of the halo leaving a gap; Not a good look in my opinion. The diamonds should go all the way up.
One other note.. the inside hallmark looks like TT. If that is supposed to be the Tiffany hallmark and not the owner's initials, I have never seen a Tiffany piece with the TT hallmark. You definitely need to look at the hallmark and get an appraisal. I read a lot of Tiffany sold on the secondary market is fake, especially easily copied plain settings like this.
Good luck to you!
If you really love this ring and want it, ask the seller to get you a Tiffany appraisal. If they say no, and you really love this ring, Plan B... tell the seller you will buy the ring and also pay for the Tiffany appraisal if it comes back authentic. But the seller needs to take it in to Tiffany. It should be easy for them since they say they have a good relationship. Ask then to put the appraisal in your name since you plan on buying it.
On the ring itself, my two cents... the setting looks odd to me and not finished The side diamonds stop short of the halo leaving a gap; Not a good look in my opinion. The diamonds should go all the way up.
One other note.. the inside hallmark looks like TT. If that is supposed to be the Tiffany hallmark and not the owner's initials, I have never seen a Tiffany piece with the TT hallmark. You definitely need to look at the hallmark and get an appraisal. I read a lot of Tiffany sold on the secondary market is fake, especially easily copied plain settings like this.
Good luck to you!
One more thought... and I am really not trying to bash the seller... I am trying to be sure you know what you are buying...
The seller originally said there were only two made which I absolutely do not believe. Now the seller says "limited production", so what happened to only two made?
Yes, Tiffany does custom order but the minimum is $50K per piece and this is definitely not a custom order price.
Again, I am not trying to bash the seller. Just trying to watch out for you so you make an educated decision.
I love Tiffany too. They make great pieces.
By the way, on your Lucida, I love Tiffany and I love square cut diamonds. I almost purchased a Lucida too but I wanted a really thin shank so all that would show is the diamond. I wanted my ring to only be about the diamond and not the setting so I ended up with the classic 6-prong.
But the Lucida is gorgeous. If the shank were thinner I definitely would have chosen a Lucida cut. I am sure your ring is lovely.
The seller originally said there were only two made which I absolutely do not believe. Now the seller says "limited production", so what happened to only two made?
Yes, Tiffany does custom order but the minimum is $50K per piece and this is definitely not a custom order price.
Again, I am not trying to bash the seller. Just trying to watch out for you so you make an educated decision.
I love Tiffany too. They make great pieces.
By the way, on your Lucida, I love Tiffany and I love square cut diamonds. I almost purchased a Lucida too but I wanted a really thin shank so all that would show is the diamond. I wanted my ring to only be about the diamond and not the setting so I ended up with the classic 6-prong.
But the Lucida is gorgeous. If the shank were thinner I definitely would have chosen a Lucida cut. I am sure your ring is lovely.
Thanks! I don't take it as bashing at all! I appreciate your thoughts and advice. I know I've seen this ring previously- but I don't know what it was called- if it had a name..? If I had a Tiffany nearby I wouldn't mind showing them a photo and seeing if they could ID it- I would assume their flagship store would have records of every ring they ever designed? Wouldn't that be a great coffee table book?
I'm going to pass on this one. I wouldn't buy previously owned T&Co without authentic paperwork
I came across 2 vintage Tiffany rings that are amazing on that site- one has the original inscription from the 1920s- which I think is amazing! To me, that is worth where it falls in the price range of 10-15k, you know?
The other is a great sapphire vintage T&Co ring. But I wouldn't buy either without confirmation from T&Co that it was theirs.
Attachments
I totally agree with you- I would be shocked if it sold for this price without official/authentic paperwork!
Thanks! I don't take it as bashing at all! I appreciate your thoughts and advice. I know I've seen this ring previously- but I don't know what it was called- if it had a name..? If I had a Tiffany nearby I wouldn't mind showing them a photo and seeing if they could ID it- I would assume their flagship store would have records of every ring they ever designed? Wouldn't that be a great coffee table book?
I'm going to pass on this one. I wouldn't buy previously owned T&Co without authentic paperwork
I came across 2 vintage Tiffany rings that are amazing on that site- one has the original inscription from the 1920s- which I think is amazing! To me, that is worth where it falls in the price range of 10-15k, you know?
The other is a great sapphire vintage T&Co ring. But I wouldn't buy either without confirmation from T&Co that it was theirs.
I think perhaps the similar style you saw is the Tiffany Soleste ring? That's the popular one right now with the halo. If you like the Soleste, you can get a new one in other stone choices as well (check out their site for Soleste).
But... it seems you like vintage. I love the 20s Art Deco period too. The second ring is really pretty. I like the workmanship of the metal too from what I can see in the photo. Very nice!
You must post photos of what you purchase!
You're right- I am thinking of Soleste! So I contacted the seller of this vintage Sapphire ring. Please provide your input on this response if you can!
As this piece is an original item from the 1930s little is known of its history. We do not have the information on all the previous owners, we do have the details of the owner prior to ourselves however, due to data protection laws we are unable to disclose that information. This piece is no only signed by Tiffany & Co. it also has the American hallmark for platinum and iridium alloy. This particular alloy was used only in the United States and is therefore proof of its original origin. The sapphire on this particular piece is natural and unenhanced meaning that it has had no heat treatment to achieve its colour. We also know that Tiffany& Co is known for using the best quality gemstones in their jewellery creation, which is one of the reason why they are considered one of top jewellers in the world. Additionally, we provide an appraisal certificate which doubles as a certificate of authenticity as it is a signed legal document. We do state the fact that this is an original Tiffany & Co. piece, created in the United States with natural untreated gemstones. This certificate is provided to you once you have purchased your item.
Saying an signed appraisal is a signed legal document means nothing and you probably know that. All an appraisal is good for is insurance and for that purpose you do not need a jacked up appraisal to insure a piece that is worth half the value. I don't know how much this ring is, but you may not even need to insure it.
That said, an untreated sapphire has greater value than a treated one. If it is untreated, how would the seller know that? I purchased a loose ruby from a dealer to make a ring. I wanted a Burmese Ruby of a certain weight. The stone was pricey so I insisted on an AGTA appraisal of the stone that included the country of origin and of course any treatment. The seller did that and I purchased the stone. This is only because I cared. But most people I know don't care.
If you also care about his stuff, then an appraisal with specs is needed. For an untreated/unheated sapphire, I would want to know if it's Ceylon or Thai. How many carats is the stone anyway? A gemstone's value also goes up significantly if the carat size goes up.
Having said all that, if you don't care about that stuff and you like the ring, get it because you love it. Some people really don't care about specs and that's fine.
It seems you like vintage and stones and diamonds used back then were not always cut well (by today's standards) so the diamonds are something you need to think about too. Are those two diamonds brilliant cut or old mine cut? And do you really care? (I am not a fan of old mine cuts).
I would get another appraisal though.
But I am a skeptic on buying used jewelry and it seems you are comfortable with it so you are the pro in this space.
If all this doesn't matter to you and you love the ring and think it is worth the price to you, get it.
In the end, jewelry is not an investment. It is meant to be enjoyed.
Totally agree with you, it's never an investment! I've resold numerous T&Co pieces and yes, compared to non name brand pieces that I've sold, you can make more from it- tends to retain it's value and I truly believe it's based on name pretty much!
My weakness is vintage Tiffany.. So a piece like this really speaks to me! I sort of feel like, although they are very rare- it is possible to find vintage pieces with orignal paperwork. I think that could justify a price tag like this particular ring.
The diamonds are OECs according to the seller- which in vintage pieces I prefer- no stone swapping! Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it!
My weakness is vintage Tiffany.. So a piece like this really speaks to me! I sort of feel like, although they are very rare- it is possible to find vintage pieces with orignal paperwork. I think that could justify a price tag like this particular ring.
The diamonds are OECs according to the seller- which in vintage pieces I prefer- no stone swapping! Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it!
I would make a hard pass. Everything seems really fishy. First they said that it was a treated sapphire, and now they are saying it’s untreated. If it was authentic Tiffany, they would be more than happy to pay for a real appraisal from Tiffany. An appraisal from the seller means nothing on the authenticity. Pass!
