PreLoved Ritani 3 Stone Arrived - Need Reassurance!

[sivyaleah]

Yesterday I received the preloved Ritani 3 stone/halo engagement ring, ordered by my BF. We agreed that we needed to look at it together before he officially gives it to me. He knows zilch about diamonds, plus it will need to be resized as it's extremely small - I believe it is a 4-1/2 and I'm a 7.

I'll start with the good. It's gorgeous. Seriously uber sparkly and in all light conditions we were able to view it in yesterday (LED, incandescent and diffused daylight) looked fantastic. Really white! It was graded as E-F and it for sure that's correct. It's dainty, not overly flashy considering all the smaller diamonds on the halo and band. The palladium makes it quite light - which I thought I might not like, but I do. The info said it was eye clean and indeed it is. Anyone would be hard pressed to see anything wrong with this stone unless it was under a loupe. It looks expensive - and I'm sure the previous owner paid a nice chuck of change for it. I can't even believe she didn't like it enough to keep - but what's one persons trash is another ones treasure.

I love it He loves it. It's a beauty as Grace said it was.

But, I have some reservations. I'm having a hard time imagining it sized to my chubby fingers lol. The photos online didn't concentrate on the band itself and the band is SO narrow, which I didn't expect and was trying to avoid even though I love the look. I'm very worried about how it might wear over time as I tend to be hard on things. I'm not the kind of person who takes their rings on and off daily - once they are on, they are on except to clean. I have concerns about if it is too delicate looking for my short, thicker finger.

But again, I love it.

I tried taking photos this morning but since I was doing it on the sly (BF has put it out of the way for safe keeping until we decide what we're doing) the photos didn't come out quite a clear as they could have if I'd use my Nikon. Cell phones are not meant for that kind of close up work LOL.

Anyway, here's a couple of cruddy blurry photos. I am a much better photographer than these show! Please do not look too hard at my fingernails OMG. I had been doing gel manicures for a few months because I had a lot of events to go to and well, let me just say that if not done right, getting it off can damage your nails more than you would think. Which happened. Hoping by the time I am officially given this ring that they will have grown out

Opinions gratefully accepted!





Laurie

 

[tyty333]

We usually dont recommend that rings be sized over 2 sizes...even less when they have stones on the shank. Did Grace say
that it can easily be resized? If so, I might send it back to her to resize.

Also, you need to take this type of ring off for a lot of daily activities that could be rough on it. If you dont plan on doing this
then I'm not sure if this type of setting is for you. Is it returnable?

 

[sivyaleah]

We usually dont recommend that rings be sized over 2 sizes...even less when they have stones on the shank. Did Grace say
that it can easily be resized? If so, I might send it back to her to resize.

Also, you need to take this type of ring off for a lot of daily activities that could be rough on it. If you dont plan on doing this
then I'm not sure if this type of setting is for you. Is it returnable?

Thanks for your input.

The person who graded it, David Atlas (apparently well known here) notated that it was fully resizeable.

The reasons we didn't let Grace do it was twofold - we wanted to make sure it was sized properly which is difficult to do when purchasing online sight unseen, and also to be sure we could return it if we decided not to keep it.

I don't do activities which might make it more prone to being damaged. My job certainly wouldn't be a factor and luckily, I'm right handed so most likely it won't get knocked around too much. I suppose I could just make a point to remove it if I'm doing things which may potentially damage it - doing dishes, cleaning house, etc.

I think I'll drop Grace a line today and ask her opinion. We have until Sunday to make a decision. Needs to be sent back by Monday to get the refund.

 

[telephone89]

As far as the thin band + chubby fingers go, keep in mind that you'll also probably wear a wedding band with it, maybe a few stacking bands (if that's your style) as well. So it wont be JUST the tiny band on your finger. Maybe stop by a jewellery store and try on a similar ring with some wedding bands and see what you think. Its hard to imagine when you cant actually TRY ON the ring!

It is very pretty though.

 

[tyty333]

How far around do the diamonds go on the shank? Is there a spacing bar? Even with that when you have to open a ring with stones
on it a large amount it can tend to loosen the stones. You might want to take it to your preferred jeweler and ask them if they can
do it. To be honest, I think for your finger size a thicker shank would be more in proportion. I'm afraid something so thin is just going
to make your finger look even thicker. I feel your pain...I wear a 6 3/4 but I think my fingers are a little longer.

 

[sivyaleah]

How far around do the diamonds go on the shank? Is there a spacing bar? Even with that when you have to open a ring with stones
on it a large amount it can tend to loosen the stones. You might want to take it to your preferred jeweler and ask them if they can
do it. To be honest, I think for your finger size a thicker shank would be more in proportion. I'm afraid something so thin is just going
to make your finger look even thicker. I feel your pain...I wear a 6 3/4 but I think my fingers are a little longer.

Totally agree with this. Unfortunately we only have until Monday to return the ring. I don't have a jeweler that I can trust to have a quick look; haven't needed one in years. I found an authorized Ritani dealer in NYC near my office, but can't get there until Sunday and who knows if they can give me an answer right away.

I remember my last ering was thin and I had some issues with it spinning around a bit. This is substantially more narrow and has the stones to make it more complicated.

FYI the stones do not go all the way around.

*sigh* Yea, the more I think about it the more I realize we'll have to send it back. Bummed. Oh well. Onward!

 

[rubybeth]

Two thoughts:

1) I think you should have Grace do the re-sizing. Even though it might be a pain to send it back to her, you can totally trust her to get it right when you are sizing up so much. Then, when she sends it back, maybe don't look at it and have your bf surprise you with the proposal and a ring that fits.

2) A wider shank could actually make your very average size fingers actually appear larger. I think a narrow shank looks good on larger finger sizes because it is dainty. An example would be my cousin's Tacori ring, which has a 2mm shank, on her size 6.75 finger. You can see it in this thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-cousins-tacori-2503rd-and-wf-aca.214112/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-cousins-tacori-2503rd-and-wf-aca.214112/[/URL] She also got a 2mm wedding band to wear with it.

And, as I think another poster pointed out, if you're adding a wedding band to the look, you'll be up to at least 4mm, maybe wider (and FWIW, I stack FOUR 2mm rings on my left ring finger on a size 5.25, for a total of 8mm, and I think it still looks good/proportional).

 

[sivyaleah]

Two thoughts:

1) I think you should have Grace do the re-sizing. Even though it might be a pain to send it back to her, you can totally trust her to get it right when you are sizing up so much. Then, when she sends it back, maybe don't look at it and have your bf surprise you with the proposal and a ring that fits.

2) A wider shank could actually make your very average size fingers actually appear larger. I think a narrow shank looks good on larger finger sizes because it is dainty. An example would be my cousin's Tacori ring, which has a 2mm shank, on her size 6.75 finger. You can see it in this thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-cousins-tacori-2503rd-and-wf-aca.214112/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-cousins-tacori-2503rd-and-wf-aca.214112/[/URL] She also got a 2mm wedding band to wear with it.

And, as I think another poster pointed out, if you're adding a wedding band to the look, you'll be up to at least 4mm, maybe wider (and FWIW, I stack FOUR 2mm rings on my left ring finger on a size 5.25, for a total of 8mm, and I think it still looks good/proportional).

Ruby, this is a great idea actually. I wrote Grace and if she thinks it can be done sending it to her might make the most sense. It still would have to be sent to me at my office (he's in school full time so shipping anywhere else is problematic). But, I can always bring it home boxed up

None of the rings I currently own are very wide. In fact, I inherited one from my mom which is far to wide for me to wear - it totally overtakes my finger.

I'm not worried about how a the wedding band might look with it as much as if it will be safe enough for me to wear (and, again obviously resize without compromising the ring).

Grace has been good at getting back to me even with the time difference involved so I expect I'd hear from her soon.

 

[farrahlyn]

i think it will look fine! too thick of a band and you emphasize chubby fingers IMO. I think it provides great finger coverage and once you put a band with it, you'll have a little more band thickness. I think it's absolutely lovely. I agree though that this is a ring you can't wear to do everything. My e-ring is a micropave band and i take it off as soon as i get home. I only put it back on to leave the house, don't want to lose a stone.

BUT, it's what makes you happy! Don't settle if you don't like the look!

 

[sivyaleah]

i think it will look fine! too thick of a band and you emphasize chubby fingers IMO. I think it provides great finger coverage and once you put a band with it, you'll have a little more band thickness. I think it's absolutely lovely. I agree though that this is a ring you can't wear to do everything. My e-ring is a micropave band and i take it off as soon as i get home. I only put it back on to leave the house, don't want to lose a stone.

BUT, it's what makes you happy! Don't settle if you don't like the look!

I love the look - that's the problem LOL. Would be easier if I was kind of meh about the ring. But I'm so not!
Thanks for the input - this will be helpful making a decision. I'll certainly show this all to my BF tonight too

 

[Bonfire]

What a lovely ring! I also think the thin band is much more complimentary to a shorter cubbier finger than a thicker band.
It seems as though you have found the "one" that makes your heart sing! I purchased a ring from Grace over a year ago and her bench sized the ring (with side stones) down from a 8.5 to 5.5 and it was perfectly fine. Most definitely let her bench do the sizing, it will be perfect and well worth any inconvenience to you incurred with shipping. You have gone about this in the right way by having it sent to you for your perusal, now let her size it and seal the deal! congrats!

 

[sivyaleah]

What a lovely ring! I also think the thin band is much more complimentary to a shorter cubbier finger than a thicker band.
It seems as though you have found the "one" that makes your heart sing! I purchased a ring from Grace over a year ago and her bench sized the ring (with side stones) down from a 8.5 to 5.5 and it was perfectly fine. Most definitely let her bench do the sizing, it will be perfect and well worth any inconvenience to you incurred with shipping. You have gone about this in the right way by having it sent to you for your perusal, now let her size it and seal the deal! congrats!

Thank you! Hearing from someone who has personally used Grace to resize is extremely helpful. So glad to hear you were pleased with the results.

 

[MollyMalone]

Totally agree with this. Unfortunately we only have until Monday to return the ring. I don't have a jeweler that I can trust to have a quick look; haven't needed one in years. I found an authorized Ritani dealer in NYC near my office, but can't get there until Sunday and who knows if they can give me an answer right away.

Oh, I didn't realize from your previous thread that there's such a size difference between the ring and your finger. Here's my suggestion: call Greenwich Jewelers today, explain that you won't be able to visit them in person right away, and ask if you can e-mail your photos of the Ritani ring so they can give you their opinion as to the practical feasibility of resizing, and a price quote if the resizing is do-able in their view.

The ring could end up going back to Grace if Greenwich turns down the job or quotes you a price that's appreciably higher than what Grace's bench would charge you + cost of insured shipping back-and-forth. But at this point just now, there doesn't seem to be any reason for the ring to make the cross-country round trip (an additional expense & somewhat of a risk for loss) for resizing by Grace's bench when Greenwich Jewelers, the authorized Ritani dealer that's conveniently located close to your office, has a fine in-house bench.

 

[sivyaleah]

Totally agree with this. Unfortunately we only have until Monday to return the ring. I don't have a jeweler that I can trust to have a quick look; haven't needed one in years. I found an authorized Ritani dealer in NYC near my office, but can't get there until Sunday and who knows if they can give me an answer right away.

Oh, I didn't realize from your previous thread that there's such a size difference between the ring and your finger. Here's my suggestion: call Greenwich Jewelers today, explain that you won't be able to visit them in person right away, and ask if you can e-mail your photos of the Ritani ring so they can give you their opinion as to the practical feasibility of resizing, and a price quote if the resizing is do-able in their view.

The ring could end up going back to Grace if Greenwich turns down the job or quotes you a price that's appreciably higher than what Grace's bench would charge you + cost of insured shipping back-and-forth. But at this point just now, there's doesn't seem to be any reason for the ring to make the cross-country round trip (an additional expense & somewhat of a risk for loss) for resizing by Grace's bench when Greenwich Jewelers, the authorized Ritani dealer that's conveniently located close to your office, has a fine bench.

Thanks Molly - very good idea. I'll give Greenwich a call today. I rearranged my weekend schedule already so that if we need to come in tomorrow we have the time. Might be better for them to see it in person. I had also called Ritani directly and they said if Greenwich can't do it that they can have it sent out themselves but, this would also require a lot of back and forth shipping. Hopefully Greenwich can give me good news. They get amazing reviews for their work and stock. Not a single bad one can be found.

 

[sivyaleah]

It's going back to Grace

The jeweler would not resize it up to a 7. They were deeply concerned about it's structural integrity plus, the cost to do so would be ridiculous as it would mean taking the ring apart. They were kind enough to call Ritani directly while I waited, to confirm their position. Ritani also said they wouldn't do the work. The ring is just not meant for that kind of revision.

I'm seriously bummed but life goes on and so will the search. There's no rush on it - it just felt like the right time to both of us. Will be creating one more thread to ask for more help searching out a stone/ring.

Thanks everyone for your advice, insight and comments. This forum is one of the best I've been involved with!

Laurie

 

[Laila619]

Smart decision. There is NO way that a thin pave shank like that could be sized up that many sizes. Just no way. Maaaaybe a plain band, but definitely not such a dainty one with stones. You will find something better suited.

As a side note, I too have size 7 fingers, and I think dainty shanks look awful on me. Your mileage may vary, but I like a much wider band. I think it's more flattering in my opinion/experience.

 

[sivyaleah]

I'm actually a bit annoyed that their appraiser didn't mention on his report that it couldn't be done for all sizing. It does say resizing up is ok - with no specifics. I'm hoping that JBG might change the wording - this could be really problematic for many buyers!

 

[farrahlyn]

It's going back to Grace

The jeweler would not resize it up to a 7. They were deeply concerned about it's structural integrity plus, the cost to do so would be ridiculous as it would mean taking the ring apart. They were kind enough to call Ritani directly while I waited, to confirm their position. Ritani also said they wouldn't do the work. The ring is just not meant for that kind of revision.

I'm seriously bummed but life goes on and so will the search. There's no rush on it - it just felt like the right time to both of us. Will be creating one more thread to ask for more help searching out a stone/ring.

Thanks everyone for your advice, insight and comments. This forum is one of the best I've been involved with!

Laurie

i am so, SO sad for you!

 

[kmarla]

I'm so sorry this didn't work out for you. We would have been ring twins! For what it's worth, I'm a size 6.5 and I think the thin band is very complimentary. I wear a plain band with it that is about 2mm. I hope you quickly find another ring that you will love just as much!

 

[sivyaleah]

Aww, thank you!
It really is a gorgeous setting. I'd just go ahead and order directly from Ritani, in the right size of course, but it's just out of budget right now. Finding that preloved was a score. I don't remember who it was here at PS, but it really was a spot on recommendation for my tastes.

 

[sivyaleah]

It's going back to Grace

The jeweler would not resize it up to a 7. They were deeply concerned about it's structural integrity plus, the cost to do so would be ridiculous as it would mean taking the ring apart. They were kind enough to call Ritani directly while I waited, to confirm their position. Ritani also said they wouldn't do the work. The ring is just not meant for that kind of revision.

I'm seriously bummed but life goes on and so will the search. There's no rush on it - it just felt like the right time to both of us. Will be creating one more thread to ask for more help searching out a stone/ring.

Thanks everyone for your advice, insight and comments. This forum is one of the best I've been involved with!

Laurie

i am so, SO sad for you!

Thank you too.
I'm ok though. It's kind of like losing a house sale. I always think there will be another house to love. My BF? Not so much. I honestly think he's crushed. He was looking forward to giving it to me. Sweet. But not worth losing sleep over

 

[E B]

This setting is similar to the Ritani, but has a plain shank (and a cushion halo):

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagemen...stone-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-item-52604

 

[sivyaleah]

Update. I have an actual ring that fits!

Yesterday, we shipped the 3 stone halo back to JBG. BF said, why don't we look close to home at some of the local jewelers? Not big box stores, but places that cater to local business and have been around for decades. Mom and pop kind of stores. I agreed and off we went.

There happen to be 2 very good places nearby and since I'd already stopped into one of them and knew their stock was totally out of our budget we tried the other one. They had a very nice selection of settings and also had more than a few loose diamonds in store to view.

I found a lovely halo which was similar to the Ritani but missing the 2 side stones which I liked. There was a .70 stone that I was shown (we all agreed smaller just didn't look good). Both of us thought it looked good - was eye clean and you needed a 10x loupe to see inclusions. I don't remember the exact specs; what I was concerned about was the table at 66. Total price came out to $3200 for the setting/ring combined. We weren't quite ready to cut the deal and went to lunch to mull it over.

At lunch, I realized we had never been told what the cut was. Not that we didn't ask and weren't told - it was that we got sidetracked by conversation. Told BF I had concerns about light performance just based on how big the table was. Went back to find out more and once I heard the cut was only Fair, we went back to the drawing board.

I asked to see other stones that fit our criteria and they had a .81 with much better numbers but it wasn't GIA, was EGA. I hesitated on it but agreed to see the stone. Specs on this one were much better even taking in consideration that EGA may not be quite as accurate as GIA. Color is an E, Excellent cut, polish excellent, symmetry excellent, S1 clarity (eye clean, the one inclusions under the loupe can be hidden by a prong), no culet, no fluor. I couldn't run it through HCA because I wasn't shown the numbers to do so other than the table.

The setting I liked was putting the price of this one over $4K with discounts being given on the setting ($250 off) and, a good amount off the stone also. So, we pulled out all the others I had liked. There was another halo - a cushion shaped one with french set melee, with no stones on the side or band. This one, actually looked better than a round halo on my hand. Turns out, it was a Ritani and was a setting I had seen previously which caught my eye. I suspect I'll be less concerned about this setting since it doesn't have the stones on the side - I mentioned I'm hard on things and it would crush me to loose any of them (let alone cost to replace). It's also more my style for the e-ring. I was never looking for anything too glitzy and the halo is enough for me.

They gave me $250 off the setting - paid $1000 instead of $1250. The diamond came in at just under $2500. This put us exactly at budget although, it did go over because of the sales tax. We're sucking that up.

The ring doesn't have to be re-sized - turns out I'm a 6-1/2. All they have to do is mount the stone. BF is picking it up next Saturday and then will give it to me officially as he sees fit. They also have an appraisal done, and give me the certificate when it's picked up. The good thing is that it's close to home and easy to get to for cleanings and checkups. They have a 30 day return policy and will do upgrades taking back the original ring to apply to a new one. They get glowing reviews online and have been there for 35 years so I feel confident that we're dealing with a good business.

FYI once I got home I ran the specs through various sites to see what was available that was comparable to see if we paid too much. While I know it couldn't ever be exact I found similar pricing for similar stones on each site I went to. So, I feel like we paid a fair price for the stone and certainly for the setting.

Thanks to everyone for all help given thus far. I know we could have kept searching online, and may have found a better deal, but my BF felt terrible about having to return the other ring and I could see that he really wanted to get me another ring sooner, than later. I did compromise somewhat (the EGA cert vs GIA) but overall, I'm pleased - it's lovely, looks nothing like any other ring I've had previously, and he feels great; plus I got a stone slightly larger than I anticipated he could manage. Once I have it I'll post pix It

 

[sivyaleah]

BTW I mean *EGL" not EGA as written. Went back to revise my post but I guess you don't get a very long time to do so

 

[Bonfire]

That's great news! Can't wait to see it!

 

[farrahlyn]

So glad to hear you found something! I can hardly wait to see hand pics

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Gosh, I didn't know about the size difference because we would have told you that you couldn't size up the original Ritani that much. Sizeable usually means up to one full size larger, and rings with pave on the shank I wouldn't size that much. Glad it all worked out in the end! Be sure to show us pictures when you get it!

 

[sivyaleah]

Gosh, I didn't know about the size difference because we would have told you that you couldn't size up the original Ritani that much. Sizeable usually means up to one full size larger, and rings with pave on the shank I wouldn't size that much. Glad it all worked out in the end! Be sure to show us pictures when you get it!

I think those that saw the link to the ring could easily miss that it was so small. I actually thought it said a 4-1/2 not that this would have been any better. The appraiser's statement said "fully sizable". I think this should be revised to specifically say how many sizes it can go up. I hope that JBG has this done or that ring may never sell - or at least not until someone with a very small finger wants it. It was a shame because it truly was stunning in person and was a good recommendation.

BF picks up the new ring Saturday. I'm sure he won't hold onto it very long since he's equally excited about the whole thing I'll use my DSLR for pix this time around!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yay!!!

 

[elizabethess]

BF picks up the new ring Saturday. I'm sure he won't hold onto it very long since he's equally excited about the whole thing I'll use my DSLR for pix this time around!

Yay, sivyaleah! Such a bummer to read the previous ring couldn't be sized as needed, but super exciting that you guys found something new! Now the wait until it arrives; may the time fly! Looking forward to pics!