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Diamond earring guys (1 Viewer)

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Footballguy
Shopping for wife's Christmas gift. We (primarily she) had an amazing year at work, and I want to get her some diamond earrings to replace her cubics. I recall a trip to Vegas about 15 years ago where she bought a keychain from Tiffany's just because she "always something in the little blue box." I'm looking for a pretty basic/small diamond stud. It seems like Tiffany's is 50% more than other diamond shops and double a department store price. Is that all due to the brand name? 

All I could find in my internet research was a Tiffany's buyback guarantee that might not be offered elsewhere. Anyone done a similar comparison recently care to share what they found?

 
Shopping for wife's Christmas gift. We (primarily she) had an amazing year at work, and I want to get her some diamond earrings to replace her cubics. I recall a trip to Vegas about 15 years ago where she bought a keychain from Tiffany's just because she "always something in the little blue box." I'm looking for a pretty basic/small diamond stud. It seems like Tiffany's is 50% more than other diamond shops and double a department store price. Is that all due to the brand name? 

All I could find in my internet research was a Tiffany's buyback guarantee that might not be offered elsewhere. Anyone done a similar comparison recently care to share what they found?
Diamonds are overpriced.  Tiffany's even more so.  But I think it's one of those things if she's said something about them before and you want it to be special, just do it.

 
How about Blue Nile - build your own earrings.  
For a recent anniversary, I bought my wife’s earrings on Blue Nile. Nice, certified diamonds at a lower cost than other places I looked. Very good experience and would highly recommend. 

Also, a few years ago I used Blue Nile and went “economic” on my purchase. The diamonds were not very nice when they arrived (although they were what I chose). I returned them for free with no hassle. Very easy company to deal with. 

 
If you can feel what I am feeling
Then the truth is just believing
You're my, you're my diamond girl

Diamond girl you make me feel
Like I'm on fire when you are near
You captivate me with your smile
Girl you make me get so wild
Ooh oh diamond girl
You're my diamond girl
Ooh oh diamond girl
You're my diamond girl

Diamond girl I'd like to know
If I am getting near your door
Which will only make me want you more
Ooh I feel it coming through your door
Ooh oh diamond girl
You're my diamond girl
Ooh oh diamond girl
You're my diamond girl

If you can feel what I am feeling
Then the truth is just believing
You're my, you're my diamond girl
Ooh oh diamond girl

You fit right on my finger
I'm so proud to have me in you
I persist to enjoy all your gifts
Repeat(1x)

Diamond girl where'd we go wrong
The love I felt was all along
Why did you had to leave so soon
I feel so lonely without love

If you can feel what I am feeling
Then the truth is just believing
You're my, you're my diamond girl
Ooh oh diamond girl
I'll always wear your diamond girl
You're my diamond girl

Diamond girl tu me haces sentirrr
Como estoy en fuego junto a ti
Tu me captivas con tu amor
Te quiero dar todo mi calor
Mi niña de diamante
Si tu eres, si tu eres
You're my diamond girl
You fit right on my finger
I'm so proud to have me in you
You're my, my diamond girl

 
Of course it’s a bad value, but if Tiffany’s is a big deal to her and she’s not going out and spending big money on it herself, I wouldn’t blame you for splurging on the gift. You just have to know if she’s going to be excited or care that you spent the money which comes down to knowing her and your financial situation. 

 
If you want the blue box, you have to do what you have to do.

If you want "value", I would also highly recommend Blue Nile. Bought my wife a 1ct set of diamond studs for our 10 year anniversary.

Had them appraised locally for much more than what I paid. Both diamonds came with GIA paperwork and laser etching so you know they are your diamonds. 

My opinion, you want color H or better. G 

Also, depending on the size, SI1 or VS2 your best value for clarity.

If you can swing it, get platinum settings. While gold will need to be dipped every year or two to maintain the nice, silver look.

I would recommend against plain gold.

But if she is adamant about plain gold, than you can lower your color standards since the diamond will look more yellow way.

My goal was near colorless diamond with platinum setting. I achieved that with H color, VS2 diamonds. Cost me about $2,200 a few years back.

 
I went for Tiffany's. I looked at it this way...I had $x to spend. I could get small studs in a blue box or larger ones elsewhere. Given that studs tend to be everyday wear, I figured she'd feel extra special knowing they are from Tiffany's while getting a lot of use out of them. 

 
You will certainly pay a premium for any product from Tiffany & Co. because you are buying into their branding and their heritage.  Make no mistake--there is nothing "proprietary" about diamond studs--every jeweler has them.  However, jewelry stores like Cartier, Tiffany, Harry Winston--etc all have quality standards in the diamonds that they use that you might not find at a typical department store.   You pretty much never hear horror stories about people buying a piece of jewelry from Tiffany and finding out that it's below the quality that was described to them (the "I went to a jeweler and bought a diamond and found out it was a CZ horror stories" that you sometimes will hear about).   Being in the jewelry industry for 25+ years--I can tell you that to some people---branding does mean a lot and they are willing to pay a premium for that branding.   If your wife does value "branding"--just bite the bullet and get them from Tiffany.   

If your wife doesn't really value branding--but just wants a nice pair of diamond earrings--I would recommend finding a nice independent jewelry store that has been around for a while that has solid reviews.   You can either save some money by going that route--or you can get more for your money versus buying them from Tiffany.   For the most part--I would avoid typical department stores as many of them basically use commercial quality diamonds in their goods.  I'd also be very careful buying anything from the internet.  I can tell you firsthand that jewelers/brokers in the trade will specifically market certain stones for internet commerce--and many of these stones are stones that don't live up to their certified metrics in person.  You can have two diamonds that are both certifed as being the same color and the same clarity--and one can look beautiful and bright--and the other could look "sleepy".  While they both look the same "on paper"--they are not worth nearly the same in the trade.  The stones that don't live up to their metrics tend to go on the internet because they are hard to sell in brick and mortar locations where the consumer gets to te see the product before the purchase. This is why some people think that buying diamonds from the internet is "more discounted"--but in reality--it's basically paying lower prices for generally inferior products.  

I will not use this platform to generate personal business--but I am happy to help in any way possible.  If the OP wants some advice in regards to what he can expect to get for his budget--feel free to PM me and I can tell you what to expect/look for.   That same offer applies to any other FBG.  If any of you guys have any concerns regarding jewelry/watches---feel free to message me and I'll do my best to give any helpful advice.  

 
You will certainly pay a premium for any product from Tiffany & Co. because you are buying into their branding and their heritage.  Make no mistake--there is nothing "proprietary" about diamond studs--every jeweler has them.  However, jewelry stores like Cartier, Tiffany, Harry Winston--etc all have quality standards in the diamonds that they use that you might not find at a typical department store.   You pretty much never hear horror stories about people buying a piece of jewelry from Tiffany and finding out that it's below the quality that was described to them (the "I went to a jeweler and bought a diamond and found out it was a CZ horror stories" that you sometimes will hear about).   Being in the jewelry industry for 25+ years--I can tell you that to some people---branding does mean a lot and they are willing to pay a premium for that branding.   If your wife does value "branding"--just bite the bullet and get them from Tiffany.   

If your wife doesn't really value branding--but just wants a nice pair of diamond earrings--I would recommend finding a nice independent jewelry store that has been around for a while that has solid reviews.   You can either save some money by going that route--or you can get more for your money versus buying them from Tiffany.   For the most part--I would avoid typical department stores as many of them basically use commercial quality diamonds in their goods.  I'd also be very careful buying anything from the internet.  I can tell you firsthand that jewelers/brokers in the trade will specifically market certain stones for internet commerce--and many of these stones are stones that don't live up to their certified metrics in person.  You can have two diamonds that are both certifed as being the same color and the same clarity--and one can look beautiful and bright--and the other could look "sleepy".  While they both look the same "on paper"--they are not worth nearly the same in the trade.  The stones that don't live up to their metrics tend to go on the internet because they are hard to sell in brick and mortar locations where the consumer gets to te see the product before the purchase. This is why some people think that buying diamonds from the internet is "more discounted"--but in reality--it's basically paying lower prices for generally inferior products.  

I will not use this platform to generate personal business--but I am happy to help in any way possible.  If the OP wants some advice in regards to what he can expect to get for his budget--feel free to PM me and I can tell you what to expect/look for.   That same offer applies to any other FBG.  If any of you guys have any concerns regarding jewelry/watches---feel free to message me and I'll do my best to give any helpful advice.  
All I know is I bought my earrings from Blue Nile with the understanding I could return them. I took them to two local, reputable Jewelers and they came back appraised quite a bit higher than what I paid. Same with the insurance company. So I'm sure what you're saying may be true in some cases, but the GIA certification that came with my diamonds as well as the appraisals pretty much suggests I got a good deal by buying on the internet. 

 
All I know is I bought my earrings from Blue Nile with the understanding I could return them. I took them to two local, reputable Jewelers and they came back appraised quite a bit higher than what I paid. Same with the insurance company. So I'm sure what you're saying may be true in some cases, but the GIA certification that came with my diamonds as well as the appraisals pretty much suggests I got a good deal by buying on the internet. 
Oh of course--not every internet deal is necessarily bad.  If you go onto BlueNile and do a search for 1 carat round brilliant cut diamonds for let's say G color and VS clarity--you will notice that even with GIA certificates saying that the stones are the same color/clarity/size that there is a vast range of prices.   I assure you that the diamonds that are priced in the lower priced tier of that specific range do not visually compete with the diamonds on the higher price range of the spectrum. My point was that brokers/dealers/jewelers commonly use the internet to sell diamonds that don't face up well relative to their metrics when compared to diamonds that do face up well. They market them knowing that most people that shop on the internet are basically shopping based on how the stones look on paper.  You also have to take into account that appraisal value is not a pure reflection of what something should "sell for".  An appraisal value reflects a retail replacement cost that needs to be valid for several years (typically 3-5 years) to come.  Even if you purchase something from Tiffany--there is a chance that the appraisal that they give you is for an amount that is higher than what you paid.  This is because you have to account for inflation when doing an appraisal--and retail prices generally do not drop over time.   There are plenty of items in the world of jewelry that command high appraisal values that commonly sell for far below that value because they are hard items to sell and need to be discounted aggressively to move.  

I know several people that have purchased diamonds from Blue Nile that are GIA certified as a specific color--and when you put them next to other GIA stones that are certified as being the same color--look far darker/yellower.   You have to remember a diamond can go from colorless to a light yellow in the spectrum.  If you imagine every color in between this range--there are hundreds if not thousands of shades.  However--they only grade them from D-Z--which means--they might only have 22-23 color categories that they place these thousands of shades in.  You can have an F color diamond that is on the brink of being a E--or you can have an F color diamond that is barely above being an G.   If you go to appraise them--the appraiser would just look up market value for a typical F color diamond..which means that even a less than desirable "F" will probably appraise for a similar amount that a good "F" will.  However--when it comes to selling them--the better "F" color diamonds will command more money and be easier to sell.   This doesn't mean that every diamond on the internet or bluenile is "bad".   This just explains why diamonds have a wide range of prices even with the same laboratory certifying them as being the same size/quality even when they are marketed on the same platform.   Make no mistake--bluenile carries plenty of "great" diamonds too.  However--if you comparison shop their great diamonds versus the great diamonds you should find at a decent priced independent shop--the prices should be fairly comparable.  

 
I got my wife's engagement ring is from Tiffany's...I wouldn't do that any other way.  The band I got was unique to them, and their service for cleaning and adjusting the setting is top-notch.  Plus I can upgrade the stone if we choose to (been considering it).  Could I have gotten a diamond cheaper elsewhere?  Yeah...but I couldn't get the setting anywhere but Tiffany (barring custom made, which isn't quite the same).  

Now for non-engagement rings, I'd look elsewhere...

Last year my wife wanted a diamond solitaire necklace for X-mas, and I went to Tiffany to look, and ultimately landed on Blue Nile and was VERY happy with the necklace I got.  I want to say the price discount was ~40% vs. Tiffany.  I didn't need any unique setting, and it's not an every-day piece.  It was really nice to be able to get a larger stone due to the savings.  Add to it the fact that I could basically customize it and never had to go to a store, and that's a win-win.

 
one thing people really overlook for earrings is old vinyl tiles you can use an exacto knife and cut them in to many shapes and make interesting creations a lot of schools and commercial buildings pull them out and a little drive by a dumpster might get you a trunk full of old tiles and as long as they dont have asbestos in them you probably have a lifetime supply of earring material and that is how you get earrings for the rest of us who dont spend our days sittin on wicker furniture in some ivory castle in the sky take that to the bank brohans 

 

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