Tiffany & Co. is a US-based company which is one name that you’re likely to come across when searching for diamond and jewellery retailers. However, unlike the other jewellers, the company also offers a range of non-jewellery products such as home items, personal accessories, fragrances, and more.
Yes, Tiffany & Co. is a legit outlet. It is not a scam store because they will never steal your money or credit card info. And you will receive any Jewellery you purchased from the store.
Does the provision of other non-jewellery products affect them on the diamond and jewellery front? Or does the company offers quality diamonds and beautiful jewellery pieces that we’ll expect of the go-to diamond and jewellery store? What about their service, do they offer top services (such as diamond education and consultation, easy ordering, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer service, and more). In the first place, is Tiffany & Co. genuine?
This Tiffany & Co. review will examine Tiffany & Co. in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.
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Tiffany & Co is an American jewellery and speciality retailer. The company was started as far back as 1837, by Charles L. Tiffany and John B. Young. However, at the time it was nothing like the company we know today; the company went by the name “Tiffany, Young, and Ellis”, and its primary product offering was stationery items. It wasn’t until 1853 (16 years later), that the emphasis switched to jewellery; and that came after Charles Tiffany took complete control and change its name to “Tiffany & Company”.
The company was incorporated in 1868. Avon Products Inc bought Tiffany in 1978, and later sold it (to an investment Group) in 1984; but in 1987, only three years after, the company went public again, and continues to trade in the New York Stock Exchange.
Though the emphasis is now on jewellery, Tiffany & Co. provides a variety of other products; in fact, Tiffany & Co has a wide product range that trumps that of almost every other jeweller. Apart from diamonds and gemstones, engagement and wedding rings, and other jewellery, Tiffany & Co. also offers watches, fragrances, China, and personal accessories. And yes, they still offer stationery.
Tiffany is arguably the world’s most famous jewellery store, and they have a storied history that some other jewellers can only dream of. For example, in 1862, during the Civil War, Tiffany supplied the Union Army with swords and surgical implements amongst other things. At the Exposition Universelle, which was a World Fair held in Paris in 1867, Tiffany won an award for excellence in silverware; becoming the first US Company to be so recognized.
They followed up that first award with others (Best jewellery exhibitor) in the 1878 Paris Exposition. Also, in 1884 Tiffany & Co. was awarded the contract to revise the Great Seal of the United States, which is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the federal government of the United States. In the early nineties (1919), the United States also contracted Tiffany & Co. to revise the Medal of Honor awarded its Department of Navy; and in 1968, the company was commissioned by the US First Lady at the time (Lady Bird Johnson) to design a china service for the White House. Suffice it to say that no scam store can have such a storied company.
Tiffany & Co. is also the maker of many trophies used in the sports circles. Some of these include: the Vince Lombardi Trophy (which is given the NFL team that wins the super bowl), the Larry O’Brien Trophy (which is given to the winner of the NBA finals), the MLS championship trophy (which is given to the MLS team that wins the post-season championship games), and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Sprint Cup Trophy.
Yes, Tiffany & Co. is a safe and legitimate store. You also want a store that is safe in ensuring that the information that your share with it is well guarded. This is a no-brainer; information such as your personal data and payment data cannot be allowed to leak to unauthorized third parties else you may be ripped off or worse.
Tiffany & Co. also ticks the box in this regards. The company states that they maintain administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect customers’ data from unauthorized loss, alteration or destruction. We’ll like to have the details of some of these measures. Although Tiffany does not provide those details, we can take confidence from the fact that Tiffany & Co has not suffered a data breach. That said; it’s safe to say that Tiffany & Co. is safe.
Tiffany and Co operate a host of physical stores in location across the US and 42 other countries of the world. Their store network covers North and South America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania; the only regions of the world where a Tiffany & Co store cannot be found in Africa and, of course, Antarctica. At the time of writing, Tiffany & Co. operated 94 stores in the US alone and 279 others in the various international locations.
However, having physical stores with inventory comes at a cost, which is usually passed on to the buyers. That is why traditional jewellery retailers simply cannot meet the prices of online jewellery retailers. In the same vein, as we’ll see this fact is reflected in the pricing of Tiffany & Co.
For online shopping; Tiffany & Co. has different websites for different markets. The website www.tiffany.com is for the US market, to be used by US shoppers for delivery within the US; the website www.international.tiffany.com is for many international shoppers for delivery to some international locations. However, from anyone Tiffany site, you can navigate to the particular site serving your market, from which you can purchase and ship articles to your location.
That said; Tiffany & Co. is not exclusively an online store with one or two physical outlets serving only as showrooms, neither is the company exclusively a traditional brick and mortar store with a website for only informational purposes. Though Tiffany and Co. have a robust online operation; they also hold inventory, and run an equally robust traditional in-store operation. As a result, you’ll find that Tiffany & Co. is mentioned in lists of both traditional diamond and jewellery retailers, and online diamond and jewellery retailers.
Most jewellers use the “virtual listing” model, which means that most of the items listed in their stores are owned and/ or manufactured by third-party partners. With such business models, it is only when an order is placed in the store that the item will be delivered to the company’s fulfilment centre to be processed.
However, with Tiffany & Co., the business model is the reverse. The company manufactures the majority of its products themselves, and they cut and polish their diamonds in their workshops. That way the Company has direct oversight of the manufacturing/ production of items.
However, there is a catch. Where the stores that use virtual listing is able to provide a large inventory (which includes what is physically in their stores and what is stocked by their partners all over the world), selection in Tiffany & Co. will be limited to what is in their stores.
Luxury diamonds and jewellery are special items that you can’t afford to get wrong. So as not to get it wrong, Tiffany & Co. offers the necessary assistance. You can request a consultation with a diamond expert, who’ll give you the necessary assistance in choosing a ring or a special anniversary gift, or in personalizing a wedding band.
You can have such consultations online (via telephone), or you may schedule the appointment in a Tiffany & Co. store. What is more, the service is at no additional cost.
Tiffany & Co. has a zero-tolerance policy toward conflict diamonds. Thus, to ensure that all diamonds in their inventory are conflict free, they source their diamonds only from countries that are full participants in the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme. However, because the narrow definition that the Kimberly Process gives conflict-free diamonds does not take into consideration a host of unethical issues (such as human right abuse, degradation of the environment, etc), Tiffany &Co. promises going beyond the Kimberly Process by advocating for stronger global standards, especially in the protection of human rights and the environment.
It’s no news that mining has devastating effects; it’s been documented that many mining communities are plagued with environmental degradation and human right abuses. As a result, there have been calls for diamond and jewellery business operations with minimal environmental footprint and responsible labour practices.
In this regard, Tiffany & Co. say they view it as a moral duty and as a business imperative to sustain the natural environment. Thus, they use their voice and actions to protect the planet and positively affect communities, as illustrated by the following:
Going “green” is being preached in every circle, and the single most important reason is to create a sustainable earth. Tiffany & Co philosophy to protect the environment is reflected in most aspect of the company including their packaging. The iconic blue boxes and bags that the company uses in packaging articles are made with paper from sustainable sources and recycled materials.
However, the “Little Blue Box” is not all about eco-friendliness. Everything about it speaks of class – from its trademarked blue shade (called the Tiffany Blue) to the stylish white ribbons hugging it. Thus, the blue box itself is an integral part of the whole “Tiffany Experience”.
Tiffany & Co. is one company that has been known to advocate for the protection of special landscapes in Alaska (such as Yellowstone National Park and Bristol Bay) from the devastating effects of mining.
The Tiffany & Co Foundation was established in 2000; and over the years, it has provided grants to a lot of non-profit organization and civic institutions, especially those involved in the protection of the environment, and improving the welfare of persons in and around mining communities. The company reports that the Tiffany & Co. foundation has awarded over USD $75 million in grants since it was established.
You’ll want the ideal online store to have a wide product range so that you can shop your related products in one place. For example, it’ll be more convenient to buy your complete ring in one place, instead of having to purchase your diamond in one store and having to look up another store for the setting.
Tiffany & Co. aces it in terms of the product range. Tiffany & Co. may have started as a “Stationery and special items store”, but they have transitioned into a “Jewelry and speciality store”. Thus, they offer loose diamonds (both white and coloured), a variety of gemstones, settings, jewellery, as well as non-jewellery items such as home items and personal accessories. That said; you’ll be hard pressed to find a jeweller that’ll have a wider product range.
The various product categories you’ll find in the websites of Tiffany & Co. and the items you can shop in each category are as follows:
Jewelry
Love and Engagement
Watches
Home & Accessories
Gifts (for…)
Being that diamonds and jewelry is the primary offering of Tiffany & Co; it should be said you’ll have the full gamut when shopping diamonds in the store. They provide the diamonds in all popular shapes which includes Oval, Round, Cushion, Pear, Princess, Emerald, Asscher, Heart, and more. The fancy diamonds are available in a range of color that range from blue, yellow, brown, and more. And for the rings, Tiffany & Co. provides them in a variety of styles – Halo, three stone, Pave and more.
While having a wide product range is ideal, having a large inventory of each product type is even more important. For instance, when shopping diamonds, instead of having only a few number of a particular grade to choose from, you’ll want to have a large selection to choose from. Needless to say, with a large selection, you’re more likely to find a piece that matches your preference and your budget.
Tiffany & Co. does relatively well in this regards. Although they are by no means near the industry inventory leaders, they provide a sizeable enough inventory that will satisfy all your selection needs. For example, you’ll find tens of thousands of diamonds, and thousands of items in the jewellery sections. Moving to the non-jewellery products, you’ll find hundreds of items in most sections.
With special items like diamonds and jewellery, you don’t want anything but top-quality. This is one area where Tiffany is easily at the top of the pile. It is said in some quarters that Tiffany & Co. is the Lamborghini of jewellers. That says much about the quality of the products sold by the store – there really should be no worries about getting an inferior product from the company.
For example, all diamonds you’ll find in Tiffany & Co. are cut to ideal proportions, which are diamonds with angles, and symmetry that are near-perfect causing them to reflect almost all the light that passes through them to give that brilliance and fire through the table to the crown. You’ll find that a solitaire diamond in Tiffany & Co must be at least “I” in colour and “VS2” in purity (that is, only minor inclusions which are only observable with effort, even under 10x magnification).
The settings you’ll find in Tiffany & Co. are also regarded as some of the best and classiest in the world. For example, you’ll find that their sterling silver is plated with Rhodium to avoid tarnishing.
Also, if you go to the independent customers’ review platform online, you’ll find a lot of satisfactory comments about the quality of articles from Tiffany & Co. That said; there’s no doubt that Tiffany & Co. provides A-quality items.
No one will want to pay what is perceived as unreasonable for a product, and that goes for even for high-end items like diamonds. Thus, the ideal diamonds and jewellery store should offer prices that are reasonable. However, it should be said “reasonableness” of prices is largely subjective, as there are buyers who will readily pay a premium for some perceived quality that may not be evident to others. Thus, to be objective, we can only compare the prices in one store (in this case Tiffany & Co.) with prices of the competition.
When this is done, Tiffany comes out as arguably the most expensive store in the diamond and jewellery industry. It’s not news that for a ring in Tiffany & Co. you can get as much as $5,000 – $10,000 for buying an identical piece from another store.
For example, for this review, shopping from the Tiffany UK site, we looked at a 1.25 carats G colour 1 VS2 stone with excellent cut mounted on the classic solitaire Tiffany setting. The ring came at a cost of £18,000. Then looking at some of the other big names in the industry (such as the Blue Nile and James Allen), we were able to find identical diamonds for $8,364 – $11,635. The simplicity of the Tiffany setting means it’s even easier to get a similar piece; that came in at $1,200 – $2,155. Thus, for $9564 – $13,790, we could get a piece no different from (or better than if you consider that the most expensive stone considered is from the “Astor Ideal” collection of the Blue Nile which is some of the best-cut diamonds in the market) the £18,000 priced piece in Tiffany & Co.
In fact, it’s no secret that Tiffany & Co. are expensively priced. A stroll through the online platforms and you’ll find questions like “why is Tiffany expensive?” and “is Tiffany expensive because of better quality or just branding?” The latter question is answered by our example of the £18,000 priced Tiffany engagement ring since a ring of equal (or better) quality can be obtained for far less. Thus, like the best of the luxury houses in any circle, the premium you’ll pay isn’t just for the product, but also for the brand.
Promotions are simply cost saving opportunities because they allow customers to get items for free or for less than the regular prices of the items. Naturally, customers look out for such cost-saving offers; and will want the ideal online store to run a lot of promotions.
Tiffany & Co. also does not stand among the generous stores in this regards. Just as we’ve come to expect of luxury stores, in Tiffany & Co. cost-saving offers are few and far in between, almost bothering on nonexistent. We did say that the company occasionally floats special sales coupons and that they offered military discounts in the US.
Except you’ll be buying from the Tiffany & Co. stores, you order has to be moved from the fulfilment centres to the shipping address provided where you’ll take delivery of the order. Thus, shipping is an important consideration in online purchases. The most important shipping considerations are shipping destinations, shipping cost and shipping times.
Except for a jewellery retailer ships to your territory, receiving delivery of your order will be difficult. Thus, you’ll want the ideal online retailer to ship to many worldwide locations so that your territory is more likely to be covered.
Tiffany & Co. ticks the box in this regards. The store ships to many worldwide locations. However, you’ll have to visit the appropriate Tiffany & Co. site when shipping internationally. For example, www.tiffany.com will ship only to US locations, www.tiffany.co.uk will ship to UK locations, while www.international.tiffany.com will ship to some other international location.
That shopper does not exist who’ll have no issues with waiting everlastingly to receive delivery of orders placed in online stores. Thus, the ideal stores for online shopping should feature fast delivery. Also, shipping costs add to the total spend in purchasing any particular article online; thus, you’ll want the shipping cost to be as low as possible.
Tiffany does well in terms of shipping times and shipping costs. Because of having various outlets in different countries, orders will most likely be shipping from fulfilment centres close to the shipping addresses. Hence, the fast shipping times (and consequently low costs).
What it also means is that how long you’ll have to wait for your order as well as how much you’ll pay for shipping will depend on the website you’re shopping from. For example, for orders from www.tiffany.co.uk (shipping to the UK), there are two shipping options – Express delivery which cost £15.00, and Standard delivery which cost £5.00 (but is free for orders over £500). The Standard delivery usually takes 3 workings days but would take8 working days for standard engraved items, and 13 working days for hand engraved and monogrammed items. For the Express UK deliveries, orders placed by 1:30 Mondays – Thursday are delivered the next working day.
For orders from www.tiffany.it (shipping to Italy), only the Standard shipping is supported. It cost €7.00 but is free for all others over €500, and it will take 5 days for the items to get to your door but will take longer for personalized items.
One important thing is that free shipping is offered to all locations served. Although, it comes with a minimum order requirement of 500 credits (that is, £, €, $).
For articles that symbolize or communicate love (such as engagement rings and the many other gift items provided by diamond and jewellery retailers), settling for less is not an option. Thus, the purchase should be satisfactory. As a result, you’ll want a store that allows you to return any item that you are not totally satisfied with.
Tiffany & Co. like almost every other brand in the business allow returns of items for refunds or exchange. However, only items eligible as defined by their return policy are accepted. Therefore, what follows is a review of their return policy.
You won’t want to have an item you’ll rather return but be put off returning it by a cumbersome return process. Thus, you’ll want a return process that’s smooth sailing.
Tiffany does relatively well in this regards. To return an item, you’ll have to simply visit the appropriate Tiffany & Co. website to print a “Return Label”. Then you can proceed to package the item appropriately, attach the return label to the return package, and take it to the right carrier. The provision of return labels, which are usually pre-paid and pre-addressed, makes for easy returns.
Stores accept returns of unwanted items only when the items are received by them within designated timeframes. Thus, you’ll want an extended period, so that you’ll not run the risk of the item getting to the store late and being rejected.
Tiffany also does well in this regards, as they offer a 30-day return policy which opens on the date of delivery. That is, every item to be returned must be made within 30 days of receipt of the item.
However, not every Tiffany & Co. order is accepted for refunds or exchanges. Engraved items are not accepted by the company. However, Tiffany & Co is not alone in this respect; because of the personalized nature of engraved items, they are not accepted for returns by almost all jewellers in the business. Tiffany & Co. also does not accept returns of fragrances. However, for items to be accepted, they must be returned with all documentation.
You’ll not want to be put off returning an order because of prohibitive cost. Thus, the ideal store should offer return costs that are as low as possible.
Tiffany & Co. ticks this box by offering the lowest possible return cost there is, which is zero (that is free returns). The return labels provided are not only prepaid but free; thus, nothing is deducted from your refund.
Another important consideration is how and when refunds are issued. You don’t want to wait for too long before receiving your refunds.
The refund processing time is different for different markets. That is, just like the shipping times, the return processing time depends on the Tiffany & Co. site you’re buying from. For example, Tiffany promises to process UK orders (from www.tiffany.co.uk) within 10 days of receiving the returned item in their fulfilment centre. However, Italian offers (from www.tiffany.it) if returned to the store will be processed within 14 days of receipt of the item.
Customers will always have questions about a store’s product offerings or service to which getting answers will be necessary. Also, issues with others are common no matter how effectively a store operates. Thus, the ideal online store should provide for handling the questions and complaints of customers.
Tiffany& Co. ticks the box in this regards. There’s an FAQ section in all their sites which self help hold articles that answers many questions that customers have asked in the past. If that does not solve it for you; they also support an email service and a telephone service.
The e-mail service is powered by an online contact form that can be accessed from the appropriate Tiffany website. For the telephone service, different numbers are provided for different markets. For example, the phone number to call is 0800 160 1837 for the UK market, 00 800 2000 1122 for the Italy market.
However, it must be said that in most of the independent review platforms one of the reasons for the poor rating of the company is online customer service. For example, in Trust Pilot, Tiffany & Co. has a poor rating of 2.5 out of 10, with many customers’ comments showing basic customer support service failures on the part of the company. Looking at the reviews, it seems like the “Tiffany Experience” did not cross the border from the in-store support to the online support.
Tiffany & Co. is a luxury shop for jewellery and speciality items. Their product offering includes engagement and wedding rings, gemstones, jewellery, as well as home items, décor, and personal accessories.
The company provides some of the highest quality pieces you’ll find in the market; and in their case, highest quality goes with highest prices. Thus, Tiffany & Co. comes out as very expensive; and worst still, there are no cost saving promotional offers. However, the premium you’ll pay when shopping in Tiffany & Co. is not simply for better quality, as you’ll find items of comparable quality for far cheaper in other store. Therefore, you’re paying for the brand – the Tiffany experience, it is called.
Thus, Tiffany & Co. makes a fine diamond and jewellery store for those who want the high-quality high branded product and are ready to pay top dollar for it. You won’t be disappointed with their service either. There are easy ordering, fast delivery, relatively easy returns; and if you come stuck, there are many channels for reaching their customer support service.
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