I’m all for buying diamonds from the local jeweler. But for an emerald cut Soleste, that’s something special. Neighborhood jeweler can try to replicate, but I doubt it will be as nice as the real thing.
Tiffany & Co vs Local Jewelry Store
- Thread starter ghostchewmai
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
you're getting a substantially larger and just as good stone for same price at local jeweler? as long as it appraises, I don't see any reason to pay the high price for tiffany name....but I don't know the difference between a normal emerald cut and Soleste
This. It’s the settings that set Tiffany apart, not the stone itself. If Tiffany emerald cut soleste is what you want, you probably won’t be completely satisfied with a no-name ring no matter how big the diamond. If you were talking about diamond studs, I can totally see the opposite argument, but in this case, the setting is what makes the ring special.
I disagree. If your jeweler uses CAD software it should be easy to ensure your design comes out to your liking. It also allows an added bonus of further customization that you wouldn’t get at Tiffany. Custom pieces also come with a wax mock up first.
Normally I would say go with the local jeweler, but for the Soleste, I think you should go with Tiffany. The setting is what you love, and as other posters have mentioned, another jeweler may not get it exactly the same. It will always leave you wanting more.
True, some mid-size jewelers have CAD software and can create the design you want, and you can visualize it on a screen before it is made. I can think of a private jeweler here in my town who is very well known and big enough to provide this service. He will also take trade-ins on anything else you own. You may need to research to find the jeweler for you. I also have another jeweler I use for other reasons. My original engagement ring was purchased there and I took advantage of the trade-in policy, but they don’t do custom designs or trade anything that wasn’t purchased there. The other jeweler with the CAD will use my loose stones that have been in my family for generations and make custom pieces for me, and they will let me trade anything I want to trade in as well.
Exactly. Tiffany & Co does beautiful work but, they don’t have a special craftsmanship approach or process for the settings that can’t be replicated or improved upon by another good jeweler.
The color and clarity are secondary. By far the most important factor is the cut. Tiffany diamonds are way overpriced and many are inferior quality. Please check out pricescope.
Agree completely. I’d MUUUCH rather get bigger and better quality. In reverse, why pay more to get less?????
OP, my post is long because I think you are looking for factual reasons on why to chose a Tiffany ring or one from someone else. So, I’m going to try to offer a few points to consider.
You’ve posted before with concerns about the size of the stone. I think in your heart you know you aren’t going to be satisfied with the smaller stone - no matter where it comes from.
Plus, reputable jewelers are easy to find and almost all offer a full value upgrade program on diamonds. And, an appraisal takes minutes and a few dollars. There is literally no reason to worry about the ring being real or as graded.
And, in fact, there is NOTHING special or better about a Tiffany diamond. vs. another stone of the same quality (cut, clarity, color). Tiffany actually grades their diamonds themselves vs. using a third party such as the “gold standard” GIA. This isn’t “bad” except I prefer knowing my diamond is independently certified separate from the retailer. I think Tiffany is very trustworthy but, since you are concerned about the diamond being graded as it is, a third party is a better way to be assured than any retailer’s guarantee.
Tiffany is a retailer. They don’t mine or even cut their own diamonds. They go through manufacturers to procure diamonds then they simply set them. So to say any other diamond is “no name” is hilarious in that it has no meaning. Other diamonds may have come from the same mine and been cut by the same guy / gal. For this reason, when you try to resell a Tiffany diamond you get no more money than with other similarly graded stones. You may get a small uptick for a whole Tiffany ring but, again, you won’t get much more because the only difference is the branding.
There are tons of articles on the web that explain just this - how the “value” of a Tiffany ring is ONLY the branding. Nothing more. Certainly nothing around quality. Here’s one https://beyond4cs.com/reviews/tiffany/
Last note. I love diamonds far more than bags or anything other “thing”. And, I demand quality. My wedding band stone is a 3 ct oval GIA certified G, VS2. It shines like crazy because of 1) the actual cut is outstanding. How the diamond is cut is one of the most important things for sparkle and shine. It impacts how the light bounces around in the diamond 2) the tiny occlusions are in a place hidden by the prongs so it’s completely “eye clean” on my finger. And, I got my diamond and setting from an online retailer for less than a third of what a similarly priced Tiffany ring would have cost. They give 100% trade in value for the stone for life and it came with the GIA cert and laser inscription. I still took it to a local appraiser who confirmed I had exactly what they said I had in minutes for a few hundred dollars as I watched him in his office. So, the diamond never left my sight. It’s in a “Tiffany” 6 prong setting on a classic diamond studded band and my wedding ring matches. Some people have thought my set was from Tiffany’s and I let them know it’s inspired by T&Co. but, special and unique to me.
You are about to receive an amazing gift and it’s worth some more time to consider. Please poke around on the web a bit more for how to buy diamonds. Get educated on what really impacts shine (it’s not always round is better), value (brand names are usually not the best buy) and quality (the characteristics of the diamond not the seller).
Then once you know what you are getting, if you still want to know your ring is from Tiffany’s, consider getting one preloved as you will get it at a huge discount and likely get that bigger stone you want.
Good luck and feel free to pm me if you have any questions on my post.
I agree with 99% of this but I thought Tiffany had a diamond cutting studio. According to their website:
"Once a rough diamond is deemed worthy of Tiffany, it is delivered straight to our own diamond cutting studio. Here is where the stone takes shape in the hands of a Tiffany expert, who follows a unique geometric plan to reveal the diamond’s natural splendor."
I thought that's why some of their melee diamonds, especially in DBTY jewelry, have shallower-than-standard cuts that "face up" larger than one would expect for a given carat size. Is that correct?
That could be. A lot of the Tiffany value in a piece is in keeping the entire piece intact (ie- branded).
There are certainly jewelrs out there who do stunning pave work with exquisite craftsmanship (Victor Canera for example). So if your goal is a halo’d emerald cut, then you can certainly source a good one and have a fantastic bench like Victor’s make a setting.
However, if your goal is a Soleste, I would stick to an actual Soleste. Liking Hermes like I do, I definitely understand the draw and allure of having a branded item and there’s not a thing wrong with wanting that.
That said, double haloed stones are everywhere. Tiffany has theirs and other designers have their own too so it’s not like you can’t get a halo or even a double halo done somewhere. Tiffany doesn’t own the rights to halo settings. They are quite common. I do think halo’ing an emerald cut will be tricky because of the corners and the way the prongs could go wrong at corners. You want the prongs to blend with no blank space between the melee diamonds and for that you absolutely need a good bench. I can’t even begin to count the number of times a person has posted on Pricescope their jewelry disasters that were done by a jeweler who said they knew wha they were doing and didn’t even come close to the inspiration quality. For pave work and halos close really is not close at all. You need a really solid quality bench with halos and pave, or at the least buying from a really nice quality commercial line like Simon G or Tacori who does nice halo work.
You just have to ask yourself if the goal is in having the name attached to it or not. If the duplication in halo tilt, prong type, gallery, struts, melee size and shank style of the actual Soleste is a must, plus the name, then your choice is clear. If not, then don’t try to replicate the Soleste, but let a good ring designer like David Klass or Victor Canera who knows how to do halos well, do what they do best and make a setting that suits the stone and will set it off at its best, even a double halo if that’s what you want.
Last edited:
For me, I went with Tiffany because it was easier for us. DF & I were "freaking out" to have to do all those research and then wait & do the whole process of customization. I don't think I could handle the anxiety of waiting for the final product 
And I am known to be very picky & such a perfectionist, I'd go crazy if anything amiss in the customization 
And I love to be able to just walk into any Tiff store & get my pieces cleaned and/or inspected. It's for my peace of mind that we can relocate or move to any other states or countries & we'd still be able to do that since Tiffany is all over the place.
I did research the heck out of internet to learn about diamonds & the goods/bads when we were looking for my e-ring, so we knew what criteria we should be looking out for. Tiffany just recently offer "customization" too - you can first choose your diamond & then decide what kind of setting you want to set it in. Well, you could actually do that as well back then (as my SA offered) but usually they already set the diamond in a setting.
Anyways - stopping myself before anyone think I am a Tiffany stockholder
The point of my whole ramblings is: know what you are looking for whether you go with Tiffany or local jeweler. And find SA (or jeweler) that you click with & patient with you and your needs (time, budget, criteria) so the whole learning process is fun and not scary or full of pressure to buy when you (or your heart) are not ready to make decision (yet).
Good luck!
And I am known to be very picky & such a perfectionist, I'd go crazy if anything amiss in the customization And I love to be able to just walk into any Tiff store & get my pieces cleaned and/or inspected. It's for my peace of mind that we can relocate or move to any other states or countries & we'd still be able to do that since Tiffany is all over the place.
I did research the heck out of internet to learn about diamonds & the goods/bads when we were looking for my e-ring, so we knew what criteria we should be looking out for. Tiffany just recently offer "customization" too - you can first choose your diamond & then decide what kind of setting you want to set it in. Well, you could actually do that as well back then (as my SA offered) but usually they already set the diamond in a setting.
Anyways - stopping myself before anyone think I am a Tiffany stockholder
The point of my whole ramblings is: know what you are looking for whether you go with Tiffany or local jeweler. And find SA (or jeweler) that you click with & patient with you and your needs (time, budget, criteria) so the whole learning process is fun and not scary or full of pressure to buy when you (or your heart) are not ready to make decision (yet).
Good luck!