The Finest Engagement Ring Brands
Choosing an engagement ring is a significant milestone in one’s life journey, and finding the perfect brand can make this experience even more memorable. Some brands stand out among the…
Ritani Review: These pages may reference products from companies that help to support PriceScope.
Ritani Review
As one of the major players in the online diamond market, Ritani deserves a great deal of attention. Ritani’s fresh, millennial style is evident throughout their designs, with a look that would be best described as contemporary, minimalist and vintage-inspired all rolled into one.
They’re a great company for niche consumers who are interested in Ritani’s “click and bricks” business model or who happen to become enamored with a specific setting.
From their intriguing diamond inventory to their omnichannel approach to retail, we’ll discover it all in this Ritani review.
1. What is Ritani’s story?
In 1999, Ritani was founded by Harout Aghjayan, the brother of renowned jewelry designer Vatche Aghjayan.
Despite Ritani’s recent beginnings in the jewelry industry, the company has quickly risen through the ranks and has established itself as a premium brand. The former Blue Nile executive Brian Watkins contributed to Ritani’s success as an omnichannel jeweler.
From its New York and Seattle bases, the company has become one of the largest players in the jewelry industry over the last 16 years.
Their ability to seamlessly integrate their physical and online operations distinguishes them from many of their competitors. A nationwide network of carefully curated partners forms the foundation of their unique retail strategy.
The “clicks and bricks” concept allows you to buy online and then see your ring in one of their authorized stores. With stores located throughout the United States, you are sure to find one near you – Ritani does not have an actual store itself.
One of Forbes’ top 40 most promising companies of 2014, the company’s success shows no sign of abating and it’s gone from strength to strength. Joel Klein, now president and CEO of Ritani, has over 20 years in the diamond industry and launched price transparency to tackle the stigma this business has about being overpriced.
2. What is most appealing about Ritani?
Grading Authority
Ritani doesn’t just sell anyone’s diamonds. They responsibly sourced diamonds and only put their name to them when they have undergone rigorous inspection and been certified by GIA or AGS.
Since these are two of the most respected gem laboratories in the world, quality is assured. It’s important to mention their Ritani Reserve Diamonds as well, available only in round or princess cut. However, since there’s no real certification from a credible lab, we advise avoiding these specifically. It doesn’t matter how exquisite their settings are.
There is, however, a way around this problem. For the same exact prices shown on Ritani.com, Ritani has partnered with authorized dealers to sell their settings.
Therefore, you do not need to buy your diamond from Ritani.com to use their setting. Interestingly, Whiteflash, one of our vetted diamond vendors, is an authorized jeweler.
Consider the Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® Super Ideal Cut Diamonds to complete your Ritani ring. If you are looking for colorless DEF IF-VVS Super Ideals, then browse their A CUT ABOVE® Collection Series as well. The diamonds have been perfectly cut to maximize the sparkle and light performance. They are also an authorized retailer for Ritani.
Variety
Ritani gained popularity in the jewelry industry through its beautiful and unique ring settings. Ritani’s jewelry is manufactured entirely in-house, unlike many other jewelry companies that outsource their manufacturing to third-world countries.
Every single item is carefully crafted to the highest standards of craftsmanship in state-of-the-art facilities in New York. Having seen and examined up close a number of Ritani settings over the course of the past few years, we would have to say that we found them all to have a consistent quality and were among the best we had seen – especially for those who love vintage jewelry.
Keeping in mind Ritani is first and foremost a ring setting designer, so premium designer settings cost more. There is a patent on their designs.
Ritani’s sets are most impressive because they pioneered the micropave setting technique (where melee diamonds are mounted closely together). The manufacturing process for these rings is extremely difficult to automate. As a result, Ritani’s rings are all handcrafted, as bench jewelers are the only ones capable of achieving intricate features and detailing.
Ritani has over 75,000 loose diamonds in all 10 popular shapes (round, princess, cushion, oval, emerald, and others). As well as natural diamonds, Ritani carries lab-grown diamonds.
Lab-grown and natural diamonds both have legitimate markets. The price of lab-grown diamonds continues to drop, contrary to natural diamonds, whose value has historically appreciated over time. If history is any guide, lab-grown diamonds will ultimately lose value.
You can read more regarding our advice on purchasing lab-grown diamonds here.
Our vetted vendors Blue Nile, Whiteflash and James Allen sell diamonds and jewelry with exceptional craftsmanship graded by top-tier laboratories. In addition to this, they also stock a fantastic selection online.
Ease of Use
It’s a pleasure to browse Ritani’s website, which has a beautiful design and is remarkably easy to navigate. It is a credit to the web design team that such an outstanding layout has been created. As a whole, the website really gets you in the mood for a shopping spree for diamond jewelry.
Our first tab was Diamonds. Diamond search provides easy-to-use filters that allow you to narrow your choices according to your needs.
While some selected listings have HD videos incorporated, some have less detail and are further away. You’re greeted with a wave of stock images of the same diamond shape you’ve selected most of the time, so you have to actually hover over them to see the diamond you’re deliberating.
A close-up view of a diamond shows every imperfection or inclusion, along with an illustration that makes it easy to see how eye-clean it really is.
The diamond cost breakdown is truly fantastic, it lists all of the costs and markups. It’s even possible to see whether the cut will affect how the diamond itself looks.
Aside from our own, it’s one of the most intuitive loose diamond searching tools we’ve seen. Today’s customers will appreciate being shown where their money is going.
There’s still a lot to like about Ritani.com since they’re willing to collect additional information upon request. While waiting a few days is inconvenient for a consumer, it is better than blindly buying a diamond.
With the help of a team of diamond and jewelry experts, PriceScope provides users an easy-to-use online platform for accurate diamond information. The information you have on hand enables you to make an informed purchasing decision.
The Selection
Ritani does not offer ready-made engagement rings. The process of making your own is far more personal because you are effectively designing a one-of-a-kind ring for your special person.
It is Ritani’s consumer-oriented approach that is very different from the usual way the majority of online retailers sell diamond jewelry. Typically those who have traditioned from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce.
Generally, online retailers do not own the diamonds they list in their virtual inventory listings. It is not uncommon for some vendors to dropship diamonds directly from suppliers to customers in order to keep costs low.
Though Ritani uses a virtual inventory as well, its competitive advantage lies in its partnerships with jewelers.
Buying a diamond online without seeing it in person might not be comfortable for some people. Ritani understands that. You can view a made-to-order engagement ring or loose diamond at their local partners’ locations for free without any obligation to buy.
The Experience
Among Ritani’s unique features is its “clicks and bricks” business model. It allows shoppers to ship their selections to a local retailer for viewing. A nice feature for those who want to experience the feel and experience of going into a physical store.
The best features of brick-and-mortar jewelry stores have been combined with the convenience of internet shopping. However, it does mean we can only really comment on Ritani’s website, and not their arsenal of jewelers.
Furthermore, Whiteflash is an authorized supplier of Ritani Settings, which means you can buy a diamond as well as a Ritani setting from them. Now they’re a jeweler we can definitely talk about.
The Virtual Gemologist is another aspect of Ritani’s customer service that shines. An inexperienced shopper who does not know how to choose the right diamond for them can really benefit from this unique service.
There’s a handy option here to shortlist up to four diamonds and speak to a professional who will explain the pros and cons of each diamond. For free, you can access HD videos, images, and analysis through this consultation.
Overall, there is no hassle when searching for products, checking out is easy, and the shipping experience is smooth.
3. What diamond and jewelry products does Ritani offer?
There are a variety of settings and metals to choose from, and finding the right stone is as easy as clicking a few buttons. In comparison to other online jewelry retailers, Ritani does have fewer settings to choose from, but that isn’t always a bad thing.
With not a huge selection, but enough to get excited, here’s what they craft and carry:
- Design your own engagement ring
- Design your own earrings
- Wedding rings
- Anniversary rings
- Necklaces and pendants
- Bracelets
Craftsmanship is a company’s specialty, however. The rings are all handcrafted at the studio in New York and made to order. Ritani finds its success in creating unique settings.
If you would like a full understanding of the great variety of diamonds, including different Diamond shapes, Cuts, Colors, Clarity, and Carats, online and in stock, we recommend exploring our extensive selection of loose diamonds. You can completely prioritize what’s important to you in a diamond.
4. What sets Ritani apart from others?
Lifetime Jewelry Warranty: It is common for vendors to provide lifetime warranties for online diamond jewelry purchases. These warranties typically cover all types of manufacturing defects.
The Ritani offers the same service and goes one step further by offering you the opportunity to drop off your ring at any retail partner near you. It’s then the jewelry partner’s responsibility to send the ring back to Ritani for repair. Important to note that you are still responsible for one-way shipping costs, while Ritani will pay for the rest.
Price Matching: Ritani offers a price match guarantee if you find an identical diamond for a lower price elsewhere. There are certain criteria that must be the same, including the certification, the 4C’s, fluorescence, and symmetry, among others.
In-person inspection: In the online diamond industry, this free preview feature is extremely unique. When buying a ring online, most retailers allow you to return it if you aren’t satisfied. Ritani, however, allows you to have more confidence by seeing it firsthand.
5. What does Ritani’s packaging look like?
It goes without saying that a very classy ring deserves very classy packaging, and Ritani ticks nearly all those boxes. A unique feature of the ring box is that the ring does not sit in a layer of foam. Located on the box’s hinge, a smallholder holds the ring diagonally and into the light.
If we’re looking for things to pull them up on, for us, a more traditional color, such as navy or ruby red, would emphasize the stone’s vintage charm even more so. However, the matte black definitely does enhance the diamond by the contrast between the sparkles and the dark background.
In terms of packaging, it’s pretty standard for online engagement rings, yet the all-black design gives it a nice sleek appearance.
6. Are you the ideal Ritani customer?
In addition to offering free expert consultations, Ritani provides excellent service and high-quality craftsmanship. With their intuitive interface and superior user experience, they have solidified their position as one of the top online jewelers.
The only real weak point for the brand is its lack of sufficient HD images and videos, but their pricing and selection of diamonds and engagement ring styles is on par with our vetted vendors like Whiteflash, Blue Nile, and James Allen.
They may not be the least expensive diamond dealer on the web, but you can be assured you’re getting high-quality diamond rings and settings with a solid brand like Ritani. They offer some exceptional and stand-out settings, all of which prove their worth when it comes to detailing and craftsmanship.
If you are looking for a simple solitaire design, you will save money elsewhere. However, if you fall in love with one of their unique designs, you would be hard pushed to find something of the same quality for a better price.
We would absolutely recommend Ritani for anyone looking for an expertly crafted engagement ring that stands out from the crowd - remember to take a look at Whiteflash as they are an authorized seller of Ritani Settings and for diamonds take a look at the A CUT ABOVE Diamonds from Whiteflash.
If you're looking for the topmost quality diamond, Ritani's selection may not impress you. It doesn't carry a collection of super-ideal diamonds. Astor by Blue Nile, Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE, and James Allen True Hearts' are the pinnacle of diamond quality and the standard diamonds should be held to.
Prior to buying a diamond, you can explore diamond education extensively. Shop more confidently and informed with a resource like PriceScope.
Get fast answers to any question: Ask our community of unbiased independent helpers or use our diamond search to find your ideal diamond.
The information in this review is current, to the best of our knowledge, as of July, 2022.
