Tiffany New York

Theboinkmaster

Hello

Has anyone been in this store and browsed or else bought (an engagement ring)?

I was wondering what kind of prices they range from? My budget is about €5k.

Looking in Dublin I see I can get quite a nice ring for that - but how do the Tiffany NY prices compare to here?

I'm going to be proposing in NY anyway - could I get a decent ring for €5k in that store or is it way above my price range?

Many thanks for any advice offered. I'm aware I could do to elsewhere in NY and Antwerp etc for a good bargain but since we'll be in NY anyway I thought it'd be a nice touch to get it there

Eoin

I imagine that a good chunk of whatever price you pay will be because it's from Tiffany's. I'm sure they don't sell cheap stones there, but you will pay for the privilege. We were in there, but there weren't any prices on any items at all.

MCMLXXXIII

It really depends on what you want. I know you have €5K, but I don't know how large of a diamond you want, or what kind of setting, or if you want silver/gold/white gold, etc...

I think that no matter what, you will get a pretty clear diamond, and they have some pricing online. The prices are listed as "Starting Price" which I think is .25 carats. Either way, you have a pretty good chunk of change with a favourable exchange rate.

AshTrollyDolly

In NY there is a place called the diamond district. This is a place that is full of jewellers who will custom make a piece of jewellery for you, obviously using real diamonds for a fraction of the normal place. I know plenty of people who have seen a ring in Tiffanys and have gotten it made. Nothing near the price that Tiffanys are charging... Normally only takes a few weeks to make...

They also have jewelery in store, engagement rings etc..worth a look. Some of the rings are out of this world down there and u never know, u might see something! Best of Luck!;)

LashingLady

I got my engagement ring in Tiffany last year (in their Las Vegas store) and I absolutely love it. You definitely do pay for the Tiffany name but their settings are really nice.

I think you will find that you will be able to buy a ring there at the same price that you would get one here for the same carat, colour,clarity etc. For example I got a .9 carat there for $10k, which worked out at about €6.5k here at the time. I had been looking at rings here in Dublin (albeit Grafton St, so prob dearer than others) and saw similar rings for €8-10k.

As AshTrollyDolly says you will get more diamond for your buck in the Diamond District but you have to know where you're going and have a bit of a clue about diamonds. Have a look at the thread "buying an engagment ring in the USA" for details of recommended stores etc - there's one that all teh Aer Lingus staff go to but can't rememeber the name.....

If you think your GF would be really into teh whole Tiffany thing then I would go for it. It is more than that little blue box. I think you would defo get a .6 carat for that money in there. You would prob get closer to a carat for that money in the Diamond District if reports are to be believed.

Have a look at this diamond size chart to give you an idea of carat sizes - you might know what size your gf might be into...

http://www.ajediam.com/Sizes-of-Diamonds.html.

Theboinkmaster

Thanks a million for all the help! I'm just looking for something classic, not fussy etc so was thinking def platinum maybe with a princess cut solitaire or something - have a alot more research to do anwyay!

Thanks again, much appreciated

Terpsichore

I also wanted a classic engagement ring, and what really helped me and my boyfriend in our decision was the beauty of the stone, as well as the simplicity of the platinum mount.

Some tips to deal with the 4cs:

If you are after a very shinny and sparkling diamond that would catch the light perfectly, I would recommend that you concentrate on the below, in order of importance:

-Color D,E or F. That's the most important criteria of them all because it's not as ovious as the others 3Cs. The scale goes on all the alphabet letters from D to Z, so there are a lot of colored stones outhere! All diamonds shine, but I know now that and E diamond is magnificent!

-Clarity Vs1 and Vs2 are enough on your budget. The scale from highest quality to lowest is: VVS1 or VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1 or SI2,SI3,I1,I2 or I3. The last two I2 and I3 are not recommended for engagement rings because they lack brilliance and crack or chip more easily due to large structural flaws.

-Carat is the weight, i.e the actual amount of stone on the ring, but I really think that it doesn't really matter. Sometimes less is more. The size and look you see and like for a certain price is more important. A beautiful .50 solitaire will be much nicer than 3 stones @ 2 carats without sparkles...

I don't like the Tiffany style as I think the mounts are too heavy and scary. Also, are you sure that they would have your girlfriend's finger size in stock in the New York shop? If the ring you are looking at is genuine and unique, you'd only be lucky to find it mounted to her size. We had to wait a week in Dublin to get it adjusted to my size. Depends how long you will stay in NY!

I can recommend Lorcan Brereton on South Anne Street in Dublin for classique, simple, tasteful, beautiful stone solitaires. Believe me, it's hard to find in Ireland as the Irish actual trend is for 3 stones... and quite expensive. You can find a beautiful solitaire in your price range in Ireland

Hope this helps.

Lucky girlfriend! And congratulations!

Honey-ec

I lost my engagement ring 4 weeks before the wedding, and seeing as we were honeymooning in NY, we decided to replace it there.

First of all, even disregarding the exchange rate, diamonds are far, far better value in New York than they are here. Factor in the exchange rate, and you will get a far better stone for your money than you would here.

Now, Tiffany's do have some lovely pieces, but you are most definitely paying for the name, and they really don't represent good value for money. We looked at a lot of rings here, and while they were lovely, I will happily admit that I would rather get a better stone for my money than a blue box and the ability to say it was bought in Tiffany's.

So, we went down to the diamond district. I had been recommended two jewellers here - Hanakin & Salvatore & Co. The main difference between buying in the Diamond district & Tiffany's is that in Tiffany's, the rings are already made and you just get it sized if needed. In the diamond district, you pick your setting first, then they will show you a range of stones depending on your cut preference & budget, and you choose a loose stone. They will then set this in your preferred setting.

We ended up buying in Salvatore & Co. and I have to say, I couldn't recommend them enough. I ended up getting a third of a carat larger (colour F, clarity VVS1) than Tiffany's were offering for the same price. All their stones are fully certified by EGL, and they will guarantee you the same purchase price back in full if you decide to trade in in future years.

We dealt with Terri, who is actually the VP, and she was a delight. We visited the booth on a Friday and the ring was ready for collection on the Sunday.

Salvatore & Co.
55 West 47th St. (between 5th & 6th Ave.)
Booth 39

Haniken
66 West 47th St. (also between 5th & 6th)
Booth 24

Oh yeah, that's another thing - the vast majority of the jewellers in the DD are wholesalers aswell and operate out of "booths" in larger diamond exchanges, so don't be alarmed or put off by that! Think of it as, say, the Estee Lauder counter in the larger make-up section of Brown Thomas - that's exactly what it's like!

The best thing for you to do, imo, is go into Tiffany's, get an idea of what you like, and then go down to Salvatore & Co. and see what they're offering in comparison. If you still really, really want to buy in Tiffany's, there's nothing to stop you.

Good luck!

lolly.o

Honey-ec, would you mind giving me an idea of the price ranges in the two shops you looked in. I have been looking at Hannikens website but I'd like to have an idea of their prices, especially in comparison to jewellers here.

For example would you have any idea how much 1 carat diamond rings are in either of those stores?

Honey-ec

Lolly.o, it really depends on the quality of the stone in question, but as a comparison, Tiffany showed me a .49 carat, princess cut solitaire in platinum for just over $3,500. In contrast, the ring I ended up buying in Salvatore & Co. was .81 carat, also in solitaire, and it was $3,300. The stone I got is colour F (colourless) and clarity VVS1, so it is a very good stone.

I also looked at a full carat princess cut stone, which would have worked out at $3,500 with the setting, but the colour and clarity weren't as good as the stone I ended up choosing.

So, it really depends on whether you want a massive rock and aren't too concerned about quality, or whether you are happy to go a little smaller but get a much better stone. Either way, you will definitely do very well.

I actually didn't even go in to Hanniken because I was so happy with Salvatore & Co.

quazzy

Honey-ec wrote: »

We ended up buying in Salvatore & Co. and I have to say, I couldn't recommend them enough. I ended up getting a third of a carat larger (colour F, clarity VVS1) than Tiffany's were offering for the same price. All their stones are fully certified by EGL, and they will guarantee you the same purchase price back in full if you decide to trade in in future years.

We dealt with Terri, who is actually the VP, and she was a delight. We visited the booth on a Friday and the ring was ready for collection on the Sunday.

Salvatore & Co.
55 West 47th St. (between 5th & 6th Ave.)
Booth 39

Good luck!

+1 for Salvatore & Co.

Myself and the GF went in there after checking out a few other places (including Tiffany's) and felt a whole lot better about the purchase.

We had Terri also and she was great.

Terpsichore

Hopefully the Salvatore booth is better than their website! The mounts are ridiculous and monstrous, and they show a horrible design for a E VS2 diamond ring for EUR20,000.00!!! Heavy in carat, but real lack of style!

There's nothing like the European touch for simple and classy!

quazzy

Terpsichore wrote: »

Hopefully the Salvatore booth is better than their website! The mounts are ridiculous and monstrous, and they show a horrible design for a E VS2 diamond ring for EUR20,000.00!!! Heavy in carat, but real lack of style!

There's nothing like the European touch for simple and classy!

Well... I have to agree here, the website is a bit garish.

The face 2 face shopping experience is a lot better.

MagicMarker

First of all, forget about the colour and clarity for one second, the most important aspect is the cut.

You will not be able to tell the difference between a D or I coloured diamond, as well as a flawless to SI1 clarity. Yes the difference is there and it is reflected in the price, but you won't notice it yourself. What you will notice is the cut.

Tiffany's are where they are because they only accept a high quality cut, so at least that's something you're guaranteed of based on reputation alone. Something which you are unsure of if you buy somewhere else.

5,000 euro is a good chunk of money and will get you a very nice diamond.

Some things to consider....

You say you want platinum, there is a HUGE difference in platinum and you will sacrifice the size/quality of diamond if you do go for it. You're probably talking about a $1500 difference. Do you want to put that money towards the mount or the diamond?

Aesthetically speaking, there is no difference. Platinum is denser and heavier, it will also last a lot longer than gold. But it needs to be maintained just like gold and generally it is more expensive to do so as it is more labour intensive. In saying that it's still relatively cheap.

Although gold claws won't last as long, if you make sure to have them checked every 6 months then you should be fine.

As for the diamond, you should get at the very least a half carat, depending on the other 3 C's, colour, clarity and cut. You would probably get a .75 for that money, again depending on the other 3 C's.

A princess cut is a nice choice, it will appear considerably larger than a round cut of same carat value when looked at from above (which is the point of view most will have when it's on the finger).

I wouldn't worry about the size, Tiffany's probably just has a standard size in store of about 6-6.5... You can get it resized when you get home. Then again if you're there for a week and buy on your first day or two then they probably use a local goldsmith for sizings and may have it done for you before you go.

If you see a particular style on their website that you like, then it will do you no harm to call them prior to going over and asking what they have in store, if nothing is suitable for your budget then you can give them the criteria you're looking for, ie your budget and particular size you want along with colour and clarity and ask them to search and see what's available. They should have a large inventory on hand and will be more than willing to bring one or two choices into the store for you for when you arrive. Make sure to get the sales associates name and ask them if they will be in store when you arrive.

If you have any questions feel free to pm me.... Or more importantly, if you fancy heading to canada instead i'll sell you one myself;)

keyes

MagicMarker wrote: »

You will not be able to tell the difference between a D or I coloured diamond,

really????

anyone, and i mean anyone, can tell the difference between a D and an I.

obviously cut is important, but it'd be a big mistake to get a poor colour stone with a beautiful cut, just as much as it'd be a big mistake to get a D colour with a bad cut.

telling people to "forget about colour" is bonkers.

Terpsichore

I second that!

This confirms that I prefer the opinion of the buyer, rather than the seller's

ntlbell

keyes wrote: »

telling people to "forget about colour" is bonkers.

I would of thought travelling to the US to pay $6-10k USD for a ring was pretty bonkers

Eoin

ntlbell wrote: »

I would of thought travelling to the US to pay $6-10k USD for a ring was pretty bonkers

You would be right, if that's what was being suggested. The OP will be in New York anyway, hence the question.

ntlbell

eoin_s wrote: »

You would be right, if that's what was being suggested. The OP will be in New York anyway, hence the question.

Not sure removing traveling to the US makes it that much less bonkers

MagicMarker

keyes wrote: »

really????

anyone, and i mean anyone, can tell the difference between a D and an I.

obviously cut is important, but it'd be a big mistake to get a poor colour stone with a beautiful cut, just as much as it'd be a big mistake to get a D colour with a bad cut.

telling people to "forget about colour" is bonkers.

Anyone eh? Well why is it that no one i have showed diamonds to, and i mean no one, has been able to tell when i compare a D and I coloured diamond side by side?

I said forget about colour for 'one second', not just throw it out of the window when coming to choose the actual diamond.

All i'm saying is the colour difference is miniscule in the grand scheme of things, unless you're buying an M or something!:)

earlyevening

I got engagement ring and both bands for less than half the price I was quoted off Grafton Street with a bigger rock, what seems to be a good cut and upgraded from an E to a D. It was phenomenal value. While I was in the store (Amoroso in the diamond district in Boston), two other yank couples came in trying to flog their rings. I think the economic situation over there means the stuff is priced to sell. Plus of course you have 5% sales tax rather than 21% VAT and a weak dollar. I completely recommend the States.

carlson

I bought in Tiffany and have to say the service and selection was excellent - you get couriered a folder with all valuations and details for your insurance company afterwards.

Comparing prices with a well known jeweller here I got a bigger stone, platinum setting (instead of white gold), better colour and better clarity for less price and that is taking the sales tax into consideration also.

I.e. a similar ring in a jeweller here was more expensive despite being a smaller stone, white gold etc as per above paragraph

I would totally recommend them - just as an aside I would be wary of dropping your new ring into a place to be re-sized certainly in NY Tiffany should be able to do it for you and it should not take long (I know jewellers here do so I can only presume they can)

enjoy yourselves!