Ritani Engagement Rings
“Need Help Choosing Between Several Different Ritani Engagement Rings”
Q:
Hi Liz,
Thank you for your willingness to help.
I am in the final stages of my search and about to pull the trigger. I’ve included some diamonds that I think are a good value but I’m open to your recommendations.
Budget – flexible: Ideally $10K-13K
Shape – princess
Carat Weight – 2 ct and up
Color – flexible: Anything that would look colorless to the naked eye in a white or platinum setting. I’m assuming “I” and up or if I can get away with a well cut “J”.
Clarity – flexible: Anything that would look clean to the naked eye. I’m assuming VS1/VS2 and up or a well inspected SI1
Setting color – White Gold or Platinum
Setting type – flexible: Ideally PAVE but considering my budget and some advice I’ve read on Princess Cut for Pave of been at least an “H”, I would have to be OK with a SOLITAIRE setting, I rather give that up than having to go down in carat weight to be able to afford a better color.
From Ritani (I requested pictures and I have an online appointment with a gemologist this week):
2.01ct I VVS1 for $12,771.00: http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/D-C031SQ
2.01ct I VS2 for $13,747.00: http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/D-MNNJJH
Thanks,
Tony
A:
Hello Tony,
Thank you for letting me know your diamond budget and requirements. I’ve looked at the two diamonds that you have referenced above.
I prefer the 2.01ct I VVS1. Obviously, at first glance the clarity grade is much cleaner and the price is a $1K cheaper. The girdle is consistent all the way around and it shows nice light reflection with good contrast.
Your second diamond has a visible crystal just under the main table facet.
Ritani has some very nice micro-pave settings. If you can stretch your budget to around $16,700.00 then I would recommend this stunning tapered micro-pave ring: http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/tapered-pave-diamond-band-engagement-ring-in-18kt-white-gold/4535
This ring features pave set round brilliant diamonds on the shank that get larger towards the center stone, giving emphasis and drawing your eye to your gorgeous 2.01ct princess diamond. The other sides of the ring are also delicately decorated with micro-pave diamonds. All together the setting has a total of .48ctw of diamonds and it is in 18k white gold. Since the diamonds in the ring are all ‘H’ color, your ‘I’ color center stone would blend in beautifully.
Another option is this beautiful french-set ring for $2,280.00 in platinum: http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-diamond-band-engagement-ring-in-platinum/4918
This ring has less overall diamonds (.23ctw) but they are still ‘H’ color and will look great with your 2.01ct I VVS1 diamond. The nice thing about this setting is that with the thinner band, your 2.01ct princess will look huge against the smaller sparkling pave set diamonds. So, either setting would look fantastic.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Talk soon,
Liz
Q:
Thank you Liz for your prompt response and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!
Just got out of the phone meeting with the Ritani gemologist.
I was skeptical to go to a “J” color but the picture and the 3D image seem OK. We compared 4 diamonds and to my surprise her finalists (the gemologist) were the 2.00ct J VVS1 for $10,633.00 and the 2.01ct I VVS1 for $12,771.00. To my naked eye and judging by the picture and the 3D and also to my surprise I like the look of the J VVS1, I’m just a little afraid of the fact that it is a J.
Here is the link we used in the consultation, hopefully it’s still a live link: http://www.ritani.com/diamond_consultations/2018-1400532634
Tony’s screenshot of his virtual gemologist appointment with Ritani. It’s a great way to get up close and personal with a selection of diamonds and ask questions with immediate answers! Talk about making diamond buying easy! (click image for more information)
Good thing is I can order and have them shipped at no charge to a local jeweler.
Tony
A:
Hi Tony,
It will be easier to list the distinguishing factors between the two diamonds.
The 2.01ct I VVS1:
– has 4 chevrons (extra facets in the pavilion). Chevrons alter the overall ‘look’ of a diamond. Since this princess cut has 4 chevrons, it shows lots of tiny flashes of light. The diamond looks ‘busier’.
– this 2.01ct measures 7.11×6.92mm. So, it faces-up LARGER than the other 2.00ct J VVS1 (which measures 6.81×6.73mm)
– This diamond is one color grade higher (thus the $2K price difference).
– In the HD video the ‘I’ color does look slightly more white (as you would expect)
The 2.00ct J VVS1:
– has only 2 chevrons. This is the reason that these two diamonds look so different from each other. They both have very different looks.
I would recommend either diamond. My personal preference is for the 2 chevron cut, so I do like the 2.00ct J VVS1 better. You won’t notice the color difference if you set this diamond in a solitaire setting. If you set it in a pave setting with side stones that are G/H, then there will be a very slight color difference. However, don’t let this deter you from getting a fabulous diamond setting. Many people save costs on the center stone by going lower in color and the rings always turn out gorgeous. The diamond will by no means look ‘yellow’. We are talking about VERY minor differences in color.
Please keep in touch and let me know which diamond you choose and what kind of setting!
Take care,
Liz
Q:
Thank you so much, I’ve talked to other online advisers (e-mails, forums and such) some of them respond within the same days but with little detail others offer some detail but might take days, you on the other hand respond blazing fast and with great details.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to move forward with the J VVS1, I like how it looks better than the I VVS1 (I’ve read about chevron but nobody mentioned them before) and of course the lower price is a plus.
I’m just undecided on the setting (I just started looking for one since all this time I was focusing on the diamond itself).
For that stone (2.00ct J VVS1) what would be your comments on these 4 different settings:
Not sure if I would upgrade to platinum or even downgrade to 14K white gold.
THANKS!!
Tony
A:
Hello Tony,
Thank you so much for the informative and kind feedback.
The facet pattern between the two diamonds is what makes them look so different.
Between the four settings I have to say that I prefer the Tulip design in platinum. I love how the Tulip has double ‘claw’ prongs. Claw prongs are very fashionable now and are definitely here to stay. The only reason I don’t recommend the halo setting is because you are more likely to see the difference in diamond color. This isn’t a big deal, but it is noticeable. To get an idea of what I’m talking about, here is a ‘J’ colored diamond set in a halo setting on Blue Nile’s recently purchased e-ring link: http://www.bluenile.com/engagement-rings/recently-purchased-engagement-ring-details?ring_id=1646861697
A great way to visualize what your diamond could look is to check out Blue Nile’s Recently Purchased Engagement Rings. In this case, we see a 1.17ct J VS1 princess set in a 14k white gold setting that has I color side stone diamonds. The difference in color is slight, but if you are color sensitive it would be best to choose a solitaire setting for a ‘J’ color diamond.
Again, not super noticeable, but you can see it if you look hard enough. If this bothers you then I would stay away from halo settings.
I always prefer platinum if someone can afford it. I wrote an article on this subject and you can find it here: https://www.onlinediamondbuyingadvice.com/diamond-education/white-gold-vs-platinum/
Almost there! Let me know what you think….
Liz
Q:
Hi Liz,
Busy day! Finally I ordered the 2.00 ct J VVS1 with the Tulip setting in platinum with engraving! So far Ritani’s customer service has been superb. Thank you so much for your help and I will keep you posted.
Tony’s gorgeous 2.00ct J VVS1 Princess cut diamond with Ritani’s Tulip Engagement Ring in platinum (check out the claw prongs!)
Tony
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