If you own a Tiffany & Co. engagement ring and are thinking of selling it, you have two things to sell at once: a diamond ring, valued like any other, and a maker’s name, which some buyers value and some do not. This article is about how to sell a Tiffany engagement ring or diamond ring with both in view. The same thinking applies to any ring from a known house.
A note first: Sell Diamond Engagement Ring has no connection with Tiffany & Co. The name is used here only to describe a ring a reader may own. This site is an independent referral service, not a buyer, pawnshop or dealer.
What to gather
With a designer ring, the paperwork matters more than usual, because it is how a buyer connects the ring to its maker. Look for:
- The box, pouch and any card that came with the ring.
- The receipt, which shows where and when it was bought and often describes the stone.
- Any grading report or diamond document that came with it, and its number.
- Any appraisal made for insurance.
- A note of any work done, and where: resizing, cleaning, a replaced stone.
Do not worry if some of it is missing. A ring can be valued without its box, and a buyer can look at the ring itself. But keep together whatever you have.
Look at the ring itself
Inside the band you may see the maker’s name and a metal stamp. Gold is marked by karat, and the karat divided by 24 gives the gold share, so 18K is 75% gold. A platinum ring may carry a different stamp. Note what you can read, and if a stamp is worn, say so.
How a buyer looks at a designer ring
The stone
The center stone is described by its carat weight, color, clarity and cut, the four factors GIA set out in the 1950s. A carat is 200 milligrams. If the ring came with a report, the buyer will want the number; GIA offers a Report Check on its website where a GIA report number can be looked up. If your documents come from another laboratory or from the store, show them and let the buyer explain how they use them.
The metal
The setting is weighed and its metal identified, as with any ring. Melt value is the weight in troy ounces times the fineness times the spot price per troy ounce; a troy ounce is 31.10348 grams. For a designer ring the metal is rarely the point, but it is part of the figure.
The name
This is where buyers differ. A buyer who resells designer jewelry to people who want that maker may value the name, especially with the box and papers. Another buyer may value the ring purely as a stone and a setting. Neither is wrong; they are buying for different reasons. The only way to know how much the name counts for your ring is to ask more than one kind of buyer.
Questions to ask
- Does the maker’s name change your offer? Ask directly.
- Do the box and papers make a difference? If so, bring them.
- Is your offer for the whole ring? Or the stone alone, or the metal.
- Can I have it in writing? With the stone, the metal and the maker described.
- Can I take time to decide? The answer should be yes.
Expect resale to be below retail
A maker’s name does not change the basic truth of resale. A retail price includes the store’s costs and margin, and a buyer pays what the ring is worth to them to resell, so an offer will be lower than what was paid in the store. An insurance appraisal is not an offer either.
Where a designer ring fits
For which kind of buyer suits a designer ring, and how that compares with other rings, see the best place to sell an engagement ring. For the sale itself, step by step, see how to sell an engagement ring. In New York City, a business that buys used jewelry must hold a DCWP Secondhand Dealer license, post it, and put its number on the receipt, and it will ask for your photo ID and signature. Businesses that buy exclusively online are exempt from that license.
Selling a designer ring? Ask privately, and an independent New York buyer can make a written offer. You never have to sell.
Questions people ask
Is a Tiffany ring worth more to sell than an unbranded one?
To some buyers, especially with the box and papers. Others value it as a stone and a setting. Ask more than one kind of buyer.
Can I sell a Tiffany ring without the box?
Yes. Bring the receipt and any documents you have; the ring itself can be looked at without its box.
Is this site connected with Tiffany & Co.?
No. The name is used only to describe a ring a reader may own.