There are not so many jewelry companies in the diamond world which use exclusive diamonds priced much higher compared with the standard commercial medium to make their jewelry pieces. This year, Tiffany celebrates its 175th anniversary. This brand is one of the biggest names in the diamond business. The company produces exclusive jewelry able to guarantee the safety of investments for many years to come. We had a chat with the sellers of the Tiffany store at the airport of Frankfurt-am-Main and also asked casual jewelry buyers a few questions about the company.
A few years ago De Beers Group launched a new brand - Forevermark Diamonds. Tiffany was one of the first to become a regular consumer of these select diamonds of exceptional quality. How much are they demanded and popular among customers?
Forevermark Diamonds are really diamonds of exceptional quality - they are one percent of a hundred. And we have jewelry pieces graced with Forevermark diamonds. Most jewelry companies are not ready to spend much on branded products. But for Tiffany it is one of the reasons to be different from others and sell exclusive diamonds that are 2-3 times higher in their price per carat than usual. Diamonds are not just precious stones, they are an investment in your present and future. The policy of our brand is a legacy collection, according to which jewelry pieces should be of value and be passed on from generation to generation.
What kind of diamonds are buyers after these days?
Our customers often ask diamonds having "Best Color & Best Clarity" characteristics from 1 to 3 carats in size. This is how demand is shaped nowadays. Of course, three-caraters are asked for not so often.
It should be said that buyers are now more educated and more discerning. They are interested not only in price, but also in detailed characteristics of a diamond. Modern buyers know all about diamonds. This is why they are attracted to our stores, which offer top-end jewelry. Our diamonds are perfect in every way. Sometimes, a two-carat rough diamond yields a polished diamond weighing just one carat, but it is of perfect clarity. Such gems have ideal symmetrical proportions and it is the company’s strategy – the special Tiffany cut. It happens that the size of a diamond does not matter, whereas its clarity and beauty is of utmost importance. Tiffany diamonds start from 0.1 carat, but they all have one feature in common - the Excellent Grade.
Are buyers interested in colored diamonds?
Every year we see an increase in demand for jewelry with colored diamonds - yellow, pink, blue.
It so happened, that it was Tiffany to introduce the legendary largest yellow diamond to the world. This stone was found in South Africa in 1887 and was purchased by Tiffany for $18,000. The diamond was cut to have 90 facets and weighed 128.54 carats. It was several times set into different jewelry pieces dedicated to one or another significant event, and this year the famous diamond was set into a beautiful necklace to mark the company’s anniversary.
Currently, many jewelry designers are concerned about the rise in rough prices and in this regard they are coming up with new lightweight jewelry pieces containing less gold or other metals and semi-precious stones. And what kind of solutions has Tiffany?
Tiffany has never sought to reduce the amount of gold in its goods, this is not the policy of our brand, although we have a collection of jewelry with colored gemstones - sapphires, aquamarines, tanzanites, and tourmalines.
Recently, the diamond sector in India announced its plans to develop generic advertising of diamonds. How much is needed such advertising of diamonds?
Tiffany & Co welcomes such projects. Sure, diamonds need image advertising.
Could you name the price range, which is more popular now?
Take, for example, the classic Tiffany ring in 18-karat white gold with a one-carat diamond, E, VVS1 – such a ring is worth $25,700.
Your store is located in the heart of Europe, the cross-point for tourists from all over the world. Where do your more frequent customers come from?
Yes, indeed, our showroom is located at the airport of Frankfurt-am-Main, and this is a very nice place since our opening hours allow customers to choose jewelry at any time. But we also have a store in the downtown. Increasingly, we meet here buyers from China, Japan, Russia and Kazakhstan.
What kind of jewelry is popular with buyers?
Of course, it's solitaires. They were and remain popular. Most often they are purchased for very important events - weddings, engagements, anniversaries. Also popular are classic stud earrings. Diamonds should have definite and top characteristics. Typically, clients already know what they want to buy.
We can say that Tiffany jewelry certificates are one of the most important advantages of the brand. In what way is it different from others?
Well, in the first place, we issue certificates in languages suitable for buyers, and it may be Chinese, German, or Russian. And the most important thing is that Tiffany gives a full lifetime warranty for its jewelry. It should also be noted that every customer may bring his or her jewelry for servicing, which is free. Jewelry care includes cleaning, polishing, examination of setting and stone fixing, control of diamonds for their authenticity and their compliance with the characteristics specified in the certificate, which helps to maintain the integrity of true valuables.
When a customer buys a ring for his bride, he can immediately register it in our system in her name or in his own name. Thus, the quality will be guaranteed for the owner’s entire life. But if the owner decides to give the jewelry piece as a gift or sell it, it should be registered in our accounting system.
Tiffany’s second certificate for a jewelry piece is our famous blue box, the color and symbol of a celebration or wedding. There are no such copies in the world, and you will never find any unless you buy a piece of our jewelry in a blue box.
Veronica Novoselova, Rough&Polished, from Frankfurt-am-Main
