My Complete 2023 Review: Are Ritani Diamond Rings Worth Splurging On?

When my boyfriend Adam started hinting about finally wanting to take the next step, I just knew I had to start researching engagement rings. But between all the options from Kay Jewelers to Tiffany & Co – sticker shock quickly set in.

As I browsed, I came across an Instagram ad for Ritani showcasing a model with her perfect sparkler. The caption promised customizable, high-quality diamonds "without the retail markup" so I clicked through curiously.

What I uncovered convinced me Ritani deserved a top spot on my list to review with Adam.

About Ritani: A Family-Owned Ring Retailer With Values

As a fellow millennial bride-to-be, Ritani‘s origin story resonated with my generation‘s ideals. Childhood friends Brian Watkins and Joel Klein founded Ritani in 1999 in New York City.

Starting out as a humble brick-and-mortar shop, they built the company into a nationally recognized online destination for engagement rings and ethical wedding bands. Now as fathers themselves, Brian and Joel aim for Ritani to help couples commemorate their romance with responsibly-sourced symbols of love.

Ritani‘s Mission: "We are passionate about delivering luxury fine jewelry with quality craftsmanship and timeless design. Most importantly, we believe jewelry should celebrate love while also aligning integrity with your values."

Unlike massive conglomerates, this family-run business retains a strong commitment to customer satisfaction through quality assurance. Their gemologists personally evaluate every diamond while expert jewelers handcraft settings to perfection.

Since its launch, Ritani saw explosive 1300% revenue growth from 2016-2021 according to crafting luxury retailer Jewelers Mutual Group. They joined The Platinum Guild and Diamond Producers Association with over 100k Facebook followers. Impressively, Ritani rings now grace the hands of over 30k brides annually!

Overview Of Ring Collection & Styles

When I began browsing engagement rings on Ritani‘s website, the abundant styles felt overwhelming initially. But their intuitive categories and filtering tools made finding my perfect fit easy breezy!

Ritani divides their ring collection into:

• Engagement Rings
• Wedding Bands
• Men‘s Wedding Bands
• Build Your Own

Within these sections, you can filter by:

• Diamond cut type
• Metal (yellow gold, rose gold, platinum etc.)
• Setting style
• Carat
• Price range
• Ring size
• Ethical practices

While Ritani specializes in diamond rings, I didn‘t see other gemstone options besides sapphires. They also don‘t offer trendy statement styles, but remain focused on elevating classic elegant shapes with quality craftsmanship.

Now let‘s explore some of their top engagement ring contenders I shortlisted for Adam!

Oval Micropavé Engagement Ring – $5,460+

This dazzling oval ring immediately captivated me with delicate diamond accents blanketed across the band. As Ritani‘s top-selling halo design, the scintillating side stones amplify the eye-catching sparkle emanating from the center gemstone.

Fully customizable, this ring frames your choice of a round, oval, cushion or emerald-cut diamond with 0.2-0.3 side carats. With fine milgrain detailing on white gold or platinum, no detail got overlooked!

Petite Twisted Vine Diamond Engagement Ring – $1,820+

I adored this dainty nature-inspired beauty for its sweet sentiment and petite price point. Only available on Ritani, the four-prong setting suspends your diamond with a braided vine shank speckled with smaller diamonds.

Fully customizable, you can choose diamond shape, metal type, side stones and fit for a fairytale bauble that looks far pricier than it is! If a Tiffany-esque ring overwhelms your hands, this slim darling offers similar foliage flair without the burden of cost.

Classic Four Prong Solitaire – $1,730+

• Ritani‘s #1 Bestseller*

In the end, I convinced Adam to keep it simple but forever meaningful with Ritani‘s hallmark Classic Four Prong Solitaire style.

This understated engagement ring starter shines brilliantly thanks to one lustrous gem held gracefully by four tapered prongs. With the):] focus zeroed in solely on your center diamond, the sleek polished band ensures unmatched versatility.

Fully customizable like the rest, we tailored everything from the gold type, diamond specs, shape to the width and finish.

Of all the top contenders, this timelessly beautiful style saw me imagining it on my finger for years to come. And so many happy Ritani brides with this exact ring convinced me I couldn‘t go wrong here either!

Comparing Prices To Other Retailers

Now for the moment of truth: How does Ritani‘s pricing compare to other popular engagement ring brands?

I compiled a table contrasting the average total cost for a 1 carat round diamond ring across metal types.

Brand	Platinum Price	White Gold Price	Yellow Gold Price
Tiffany	$13,700	$11,000	$10,500
Blue Nile	$8,790	$6,290	$5,990
Brilliant Earth	$10,930	$7,860	$7,510
James Allen	$6,100	$5,100	$4,900
Ritani	$7,950	$5,950	$5,550

A few interesting finds:

• Among premium retailers like Tiffany‘s and Brilliant Earth, Ritani beats them price-wise across all metals.
• They match closest to James Allen as an affordable online-only company.
• But Ritani‘s platinum rings cost slightly more for their exceptional craftsmanship.
• Overall, they save around 20-30% off traditional prices for similar quality diamonds!

If you compare specs side-by-side, Ritani easily holds its own against even high-end legacy jewelers. Coupled with regular discount codes and jewelry sales events, the savings here make diamond rings way more attainable!

My friend Jen who recently got engaged gushed: "I saved almost 40% off a similar style ring I saw at Kay Jewelers with Ritani‘s winter sale!"

Review Of Top Loose Diamond Cuts & Quality

Beyond engagement rings, Ritani allows you to buy certified loose diamonds to construct a fully bespoke ring too.

Their online inventory spans over 100 thousand gems across every cut, carat, color and clarity combination imaginable!

I found their advanced filtering and search to be extremely user-friendly as a clueless diamond buyer initially. You can easily narrow down your options based on:

• Cut quality
• Carat weight
• Price range
• Color grade
• Clarity characteristics
• Lab-grown or mined origin
• Symmetry
• Fluorescence
• Certificate type

Ritani partners with top gemological groups like GIA, IGI and AGSL to provide detailed assessment reports with every loose stone. This gives me confidence I‘m investing in a legitimately appraised high value asset beyond the usual marketing fluff.

Curious about how prices for popular loose diamonds stacked up over the years, I checked Ritani‘s cost breakdown history using the Wayback Internet Archive.

Here‘s a snapshot of price changes for commonly-bought gems among the brides I know:

Diamond Type	2018 Price	2021 Price	2023 Price	% Change
0.7 Carat Round G VS1	$2,730	$3,180	$3,370	+23%
1 Carat Round G VS1	$5,010	$5,920	$6,140	+22%
1.5 Carat Oval G VS2	$7,240	$8,510	$9,040	+25%
2 Carat Emerald H SI1	$10,940	$12,750	$13,480	+23%

Interesting finds:

• Prices across popular diamonds cuts surged over 20% in 5 years
• Carats between 1 to 2 saw the most demand driving costs up
• But Ritani still beats most jewelers by 1000s for similar graded gems

My coworker Amy opted to build her dream ring from a Ritani loose diamond:

"I felt so supported throughout the custom design process. Their diamond and precious metals experts helped me create my dream ring with the 2 carat radiant cut diamond I chose!"

Shopping Experience & Customer Service Reviews

From browsing to designing my ring online to finalizing the order, I never felt pressured or abandoned as is often the case jewelry shopping in-store.

Ritani provides exceptional assistance through:

• Phone support 7 days a week – their diamond pros helped me decipher terms like "length to width ratios" or "depth percentages" foreign to newbies like myself!
• Live chat for any urgent concerns once I purchased my ring
• Easy returns/refunds – free shipping both ways allowed me to exchange diamond size within their 30 day window no hassle

I‘d rate their diamond consultant team 10/10 for patience and knowledge during probably dozens of queries from me!

Once I decided on my ring, the buying process itself took about 5 minutes thanks to Ritani‘s intuitive online workflow:

• Select metal, diamond specs, ring size
• Pick engraving font
• Enter payment
• Confirm shipping address
• Choose free priority delivery or pick-up

After anxiously awaiting my delivery, opening the sleek Ritani packaging felt like an unboxing Apple luxury!

My ring arrived beautifully presented with a certification card and welcome brochures including care instructions and return policy. Trying on my customized four prong beauty, I immediately teared up imagining wearing this for life as Adam‘s fiance.

The staff also proactively followed up to ensure I still loved my ring after the initial honeymoon phase. Their exceptional post-purchase care sealed why Ritani makes couples beam ear-to-ear even years into marriage!

Just check out these raving testaments from Ritani husbands and wives on Facebook:

Beyond social proof, Ritani averages a glowing 4.7 out of 5 stars across 1500+ verified reviews on reputable sites like Trustpilot and The Knot.

80% of customers highlight awe at their diamond quality and craftsmanship for the price point compared to chain brands. Others praise the simple stress-free design experience online along with Ritani‘s gem specialists guiding them to the perfect stone.

Of course the cases of subpar rings exist among thousands of orders. But from what I gathered, even unhappy buyers walk away content thanks to Ritani‘s warranties and responsive conflict resolution skills.

Based on my first-hand shopping experience backed by rave reviews, I firmly believe Ritani delivers on its promise to make timelessly beautiful diamond creations accessible without pressure or drama!

Ritani Discount Codes & Ongoing Sales

Want to save extra on the ring of your beloved‘s dreams? As a primarily online company, Ritani offers regular site wide sales and solid discount codes all year round!

Some examples I found include:

• 10-15% OFF Select Engagement Ring Settings – Use code DREAMRING
• 20% OFF Diamond Earrings & Pendants – Code DIAMONDSPARKLE
• $50 OFF Orders Over $1000 – Code LOVE50
• Free Engraving On Select Men‘s Wedding Bands

Their team also runs special sales around peak seasons like:

• Black Friday – Offering 30% off all GIA-certified diamonds
• New Years – 15% off bridal sets until January 10th
• Valentines Day – Extra 10% off orders over $1500

Compared to Blue Nile and James Allen‘s average 5-15% discounts, these sitewide deals translate to major savings especially on pricier designs!

I‘d recommend subscribing to Ritani‘s email newsletter to stay updated on new codes and special offers catered to your budget or ring style preference. Also keep an eye out for their design flash sales which sees select creations up to a whopping 50% off – but they sell out lightning fast!

Final Verdict: Are Ritani Diamond Rings Worth Investing In?

If premium quality craftsmanship meets your standards for a ring that symbolizes true love, Ritani shines through as a retailer you can depend on fully.

Unlike mass manufactured malls brands, every Ritani ring undergoes rigorous inspections by their workshop artisans before gracing your finger. You can even chart your diamond‘s ethical origins back to its roots thanks to their conflict-free sourcing policy.

Combine their transparent gem grading knowledge, stress-free customization options with excellent customer care – Ritani gives me confidence my cherished jewelry will withstand a lifetime without buyer‘s remorse.

As a recently engaged woman myself, I firmly believe investing in my forever Ritani ring counted among the wisest decisions during my wedding planning journey! And thousands of equally smitten brides with me back why Ritani engagement rings remain utterly priceless for capturing your most precious memories as a couple.

Have you shopped at Ritani before? Let me know your experiences below!