My now-fiancé and I decided we would get our engagement ring from Tiffany's, and we did.
We went about 3 weeks before purchasing to scope out their designs and see if it was anything we wanted. I generally like simple designs so all of their classics were appealing. It was a hot Saturday afternoon and we had been trudging around outside for a little bit. Dressed like bums and mildly sweaty, we wandered into Tiffany's and tried to avoid all of their sales associates because we just wanted to look around.
There were already a few couples huddled by the engagement ring counter and we stood a little off to the side pretending to look at the other jewelry. One of the associates, Kyle, came over and asked us if there was anything he could help us with. He was very friendly and when we admitted we knew nothing about jewelry or diamonds, he proceeded to tell us about Tiffany's philosophy as well as the importance of the 4 C's. He also showed us a few rings in the Tiffany setting and Novo setting until we told him we had a good idea of what we wanted, and would be back.
Finally we did, and I looked around for Kyle (apparently he was there and I missed him) and another associate, Joyce, came over to help us. We were still dressed fairly bummy (t-shirt and Nikes, no makeup!) and didn't really have issues with being ignored or blown off. She was extremely friendly off the bat and immediately grabbed Novo rings in a few different sizes for us to try. I told her we wanted something a little more modest (.5 ct) since I don't really wear jewelry, but my fiancé said we would look at slightly bigger diamonds (1ct+) too.
Both of us are shy and clueless and Joyce's bubbly, albeit over the top, personality really helped us relax and fully enjoy the buying experience. Looking at some of the other reviews, I can see how her personality can be construed as patronizing or blunt, but from my experiences with certain Chinese folks, this is totally normal behavior. At least to me, it isn't offensive and I'm not sensitive to it.
In the end we decided on a 1.11ct Tiffany Harmony engagement ring for about $22k after tax. Didn't feel pressured to buy a certain one and she didn't try to up sell us even bigger diamonds. She helped us double check our sizes for wedding bands (we'll be back to buy them!) as well as sent my ring out for resizing. She informed us that it would take 1-2 weeks and I told her I absolutely had to have it in 1, and she made it happen - purchased Saturday, picked up Friday evening.
Provided chilled water both times we showed up, everything was wrapped beautifully, given cleaning/maintenance tips, told about their guarantee, their swap policy if I wanted a bigger diamond later on, lifetime cleaning, what to do and not to do with the ring, and if there are any issues to come back and ask for her. I was a little worried the ring might be too loose at it's loosest point, and Joyce said she would make sure I could get it resized again at no cost. Later on, I wanted some of the paperwork for the ring and she immediately sent it to me over text. We were also sent a thank you note via mail.
I don't find most of their staff to be extraordinarily friendly, but at the same time, fake friendliness is more uncomfortable to me than casual indifference (like yahhh I know you're trying to sell me something, I get it). It's easy to tell many people walk into Tiffany's expecting to be treated like a king or queen, especially if they are planning on buying something, and are disappointed when they aren't and the resentment shows. If you don't expect this, most of the time you won't be disappointed. Bad service is bad service, i.e. being ignored, or flat out treated rudely, but not every comment and gesture needs to be taken as such. So many reviews run along the lines of - weren't "friendly" enough I'm never coming back! Sheesh.
Had worse service at another store when we bought my watch when the SA wouldn't stop following us around even though I'm sure it was her job to do so. read more