Tiffany Jewellery

[Jessicaalbastwin]

Does anyone own a piece of Tiffany jewellery? It's on My christmas list from My lovely husband. I really like the jewellery, but would love it if someone could give me their opininons, and also recommend a website.
Thank you.

Yes I was looking on their site last night, and I think i will keep lokking, because I guess it's just the name you pay for.

I have got some diamond studs I wear pretty much all the time - wedding present from DH. My wedding ring is also from Tiffany's. I have got various other items, bracelets and earrings, have had no problems with anything and am considering one of the celebration rings. Agree you are paying for the name but some of the celebration rings are gorgeous and the customer service is fabulous.

Why would you want Tiffany jewellery? it means nothing it's just a brand name that increases the price of the product just because of the name, why not just buy a better product with a higher carrot for that money.

DF works for a pawn brokers, they scoff at Tiffany, mediocre products at sky high prices, customers are never pleased with how much those things are valued at.

I get your point ryoko I guess it's like any brand name, we just buy it for the name.

YY it's a huge mark-up. But I still love their stuff!

I am always amused by sniggering at "brand name mark-up". Isn't pretty much anything branded and marketed accordingly? For example, how natural diamonds are possibly superior to synthetic ones? They are truely flawless, have better colours and, hence, sparkle more impressively against "proper" diamonds? They are rare, but is it a true advantage? Is is because De Beers tell us only "diamonds are forever" etc? Pawn shops (I believe) do not value anything apart from the size, colour, inclusions of the diamond and the weight and carat value of the setting - basically raw material value. They wouldn't value a piece of jewelry art any different either. Not that I consider Tiffany "art", but it is usually more elegant than your standard HSamuel setting. I do not have Tiffany, I like Niessing look. This is my engagement ring. I like less 'girly' and more modern design and engineering.

It's no different to buying anything else that's a brand name.

I love it when dh appears with a little blue box, tied with white ribbon.

Yep, you're paying for the name but they have some lovely pieces. We don't smoke, barely drink... so we need to spend our money somewhere :o

Fully agree about the diamonds, I've never been a fan of any kind I prefer something with colour.

but it's not the name in the case of diamonds for the most part altho De Beers now laser etch their stones so they can be easy to identify, it's more the idea of the diamond I think that keeps the natural ones in demand, the whole thing about them being in the earth for years and slowly becoming something beautiful.

Course it could be the case that people are so accustomed to other created stones being less high quality then the real thing, such as Ruby they automatically assume the same is true of created diamond, but I doubt anyone really thinks that much about it, it's just the romance thing with diamond, people don't really think something manufactured is romantic, of course there is nothing romantic about badly paid miners working in dangerous conditions and stone shapers working with dodgy chemicals and dangerous equipment, but again people don't think of this.

I'd like to know who's bright idea it was to radium plate platinum?, most owners of a piece of platinum today wouldn't recognise the real uncoated thing if they where shown it, nice little earner that seeing as it starts to rub off after ten years and most people will pay to get them re-plated instead of being happy with platinum in it's true form.

Oh and just for the record bemybebe they do value the setting, not in an artistic way but simply if the setting type for the stone is modern or a older fashion, because (purely for scrap value) the stone would have to be re-cut if it's an old setting so it can fit into the new style ones, thus some of the stones current weight will be lost.

Created diamonds are worth less on the resale market then natural ones simply because people want natural ones with all their flaws, by law you must state if a stone is created or not when selling it.

They check if diamonds are natural or not with a strange little infra-red laser thing that shines thru it looking for inclusions, if it has lots of inclusions, it's real simple as that, the only flawless diamonds are created in labs.

Thank you Ryoko, I was just pointing out it is all the matter of taste, which is, as such highly personal. Not saying it is right or wrong. I actually love jewelry and have a lot of (unplated) platinum, which so reassuringly heavy, I feel strange wearing gold from time to time.

If I had the money for Tiffany, I think I'd rather go get something made specially for me to my own design, using materials of the same quality that they use it would probably work out costing about the same, if you see what I mean.

I like Butler and Wilson

It's important not to be snooty about jewellery - buy what you love regardless of value. My favourite necklace is a silver Alex Monroe necklace because of what it represents (Mr & Mrs Bird, for any AM fans). It's vastly cheaper than other pieces I own. My point is, you have to fall in love with jewellery, not the name attached.

I agree Isawpinotsnoggingsantaclaus you have to fall in love with the jewellery not the name.

Sorry my festive name is so long! It's just Pinot :)

I mentioned about this thread to DF (manager at a pawn brokers) and he said he had someone in with a Tiffany necklace last week, spent £200 on it they offered her £30 which is the going rate for unmarked silver of that weight, I didn't know Tiffany stuff was unmarked, apparently nothing from Tiffany is ever hallmarked, I didn't know that.

Thats a bit fucked up isn't it?, well I think it is, most I've ever paid for unmarked silver is 60 euros and thats a rather heavy arts and crafts style french dragon bracelet, would have expected hallmarks from a big company like Tiffany.

All my Tiffany jewellery is hall marked.
Selling silver by weight to a jewellery won't get you much, unlike gold.

However, i've seen lots of silver Tiffany pieces sell for decent amounts on ebay, with receipts showing it's genuine.

They only have the numbers on them not the marks.

Some pieces of mine have t&co etc and the numbers, but other pieces have all the marks, i've just double checked.

I have a tiffany charm bracelet, I love it. DH bought it for me for my 30th, and he gets me a new charm for big things in our lives - birth of DS, getting better after some quite serious health problems etc. It's meaningful, and it came in a pretty box with a white ribbon!

natasha has the same experience as me - some are hallmarked, some have numbers. Have checked online before and this is common.

Thanks guys, I think My hubby is going to suprise me with a piece of tiffany, lets hope he gets a nice one.

They hallmark gold but not silver which is a bit screwed up, I mean if you are passing things down and your kids wanted to sell this 50+ year old Tiffany thing, to get the most value out of it on the antiques market, they would have to send it to the assay office to get marked.

I have a tiffany silver band ring, and a silver bead bracelet both are hallmarked

I got the heart pendant from Tiffany. It is made out of sterling silver and costs $250. I really loved the look but the silver began to tarnish after only a couple of wears. I have to second the James Allen shout out - I got the same necklace in 14K white gold for $220 for my birthday this year and it still looks amazing. Just my two cents.
Here's the second heart necklace I got if you want to check it out:
www.jamesallen.com/gold-jewelry/gold-pendants/pendant/item_403-2430.asp

Thank you ladies for all your replies.