Why Buy a Diamond at Tiffany's?
Let's start by saying, grading of diamonds in a wholesale establishment is based on what is commonly called the 4 C's, Carats, Color, Clarity and Cut. This is misleading since many stores do a slight of hand with perhaps the most important C, Cut. Sores will often say the cut is either: brilliant, emerald, princess, cushion, oval or marquis or another shape. This is important but it is not really what is meant by cut to someone who knows diamonds. Cut is actually the measured proportions of a standard brilliant diamond, which includes number of facets, the hight in relation to the width, the angle of the pavilion (lower part of the diamond), the size of the table (topmost portion of the diamond) in relation to its widest width, the angle of the crown (topmost facets), and other angles and specified widths. A diamond can be brilliant cut, have good clarity, color and carat weight but look just plain look dead because the cut is not ideal. Tiffany sells only premium cut or ideal cut diamonds that have maximum refraction and therefore maximum sparkle. A wholesale diamond might look good on paper but not on your sweetheart's hand.
Tiffany also sells only white diamonds of 'I' near colorless color or better. The perfect color for a diamond is 'D' or totally colorless. The higher the letter rating for color the more yellow the stone and the less valuable it is. Since only an expert can actually see the difference between a slightly yellow diamond and a nearly colorless one on a jewelers counter, it is good to know you have a store with the reputation of Tiffany's helping you select the color.
Few people, myself included can spot a tiny flaw which will knock thousands of dollars of the value of your diamond. First you need to be able to properly use a jeweler's loop or better yet a stereo microscope. A Flawless diamond is rare, but a Very Slightly (VS) flawed diamond with great cut and color is a dazzler. This is what you can expect at Tiffany's.
I would suggest getting a one carat stone at Tiffany's rather than a 1.5 carat stone of the same cost at a wholesaler's store. That is the traditional wedding ring size and too large a diamond is ostentatious. A super stone would be a one carat, F color, very slightly imperfect stone which is ideally cut and which says T&Co inside the band.
Like a Mercedes Benz compared to a Honda, a Tiffany Diamond can represent to your beloved the extra degree of pride which you have in her. The experience of selecting a diamond at Tiffany's can sweep her off her feet. Therefore if you can afford this once in a lifetime purchase, go for it. Hopefully like a diamond, your marriage will last forever.
Published by Stephen Joltin
I am a problem solver with 18+ years of Higher Education Credentials, last employed as the Information Systems Manager at Montgomery College in Maryland and a member of the Maryland Community College Data Pr... View profile
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30 Comments
Post a CommentBefore my husband proposed he researched and I remember him asking me do you like quantity or quality? Off-course I had no clue why he was asking, and I answered Quality. I have freinds who have engagement rings way bigger than mine...but they don't even compare, the shine is out of this world...I am so HAPPY with my Tiffany's ring. Like the article said if you can afford it do it if not make sure your buying a diamond that is not going to look dole...
Stephen Joltin, your article is awesome. I completely agree with you.
I have a D color, 1.03 carat, Round, VS1 diamond from Tiffany. Everytime I look at it, my heart skips a beat...it always reminds me of how much my husband treasures me as his wife. He didn't give me a diamond ring when he proposed 4 years ago because he couldn't afford it.
And yes, I also have an E500 Mercedes Benz. Haha...
Unsatisfactory customer service should not be a part of the Tiffany experience. I would call Corporate Customer Service and report this.
I meant..the ring box and blue box werent ready on the previous note.
My tiffany experience wasnt great. They were friendly, but privide almost no service. The resized ring wasnt ready on the scheduled pickup date. The ring box and famous blue box were ready when i pickup..and the customer service guy asked me to go find the other sales person to get my blue box(i expected him to go get it for me..) They are all friendly..but provided almost no service. I picked my ring based on my own diamond shopping experience and knowledge in the crowd (Tiffany is really popular..always full of visitors) The diamond ring is pretty though (expensive too).
Pauly Walnuts - First I, nor my wife, have never worked at Tiffany's or hold any interest such as stock or payment from them for this article. As I said you can buy a Mercedes or Honda and they will both take you where you want to go. Many people spend 4 or more times the money for the former than the later. It is the pride of owning the Mercedes that makes it worth it to the owner. It is the same with a Tiffany diamond. - BTW I bought a $500+ watch online for $325 only to find out it was a knock off worth maybe $10.
You people are all idiots. Go find a GIA certified a 1.0 carat diamond of VS1 + F color at Bluenile.com (a reasonably priced, highly reputable online diamond company). Then go to Tiffany's and price the same stone. It will be identical in every way because the grades & size are identical. Tiffany's will be at least 2 times the price as BlueNile. If any of you think you got a better price at Tiffany's it's probably because you were looking at stones graded by the retail jewelry stores themselves. They are downright dishonest in their gradings. Get a GIA appraisal only. They are the only trustworthy appraisers. EGL and others will grade at least 1 to 2 grades better. This doesn't mean you are getting a better deal. It means you are getting less diamond. Also, whoever wrote this article works for Tiffany's or has a wife working there on commission.
First of all, the branding of diamonds only means the ownership of the diamonds,e.g. the diamonds bought by John are branded as John diamond, nothing else. In my opinion, the only difference is quality control. Basically, by going to Tiffany you are paying premium for not making any effort researching and studying without any knowledge about diamonds and are able to pick quality stones. However, with a bit of study and talking to the right jeweler, I'm certain you could get exactly the same quality diamond a few thousands of dollars cheaper, or you could also put the "Premium fund" into your budget, get a even bigger and near-perfect quality diamonds. Clearly, if money is not an issue, or the word tiffany means more than the biggest bang for your buck. Like a Mercedes-Benz compared to a Honda, if you agree with the only difference is the name that represent the extra degree of pride, I suggest paying for the "Premium fund" is a must for you.
I agree, my fiance gave me a tiffany's diamond and I love it! It is far superior and comparably priced. I had many stores try to sell me huge diamonds that were clearly low quality. I found that I'd prefer a smaller, but higher quality diamond. Now, no matter what I always feel fantastic about my perfect little ring. It looks like he caught a star and gave it to me as a gift.
Does anyone know or can comment if it the same over buying a piece of Tiffany & Co jewellry? I am so in love with their new range diamond and platinum keys and am prepared to splurge on the most expensive one but feeling very guilty because it is over AUD$10k....