Ritani Review – Design It, See It, Love It Or Leave It
Ritani is a high-end jewelry brand that was founded in 1999. This Ritani review will go over their current business model, what sets them apart from other diamond retailers, and a review of their Ritani Reserve ideal cut diamonds. But first, check out Ritani’s latest cute commercial:
Cute right? Now let’s get a little history on who Ritani is…
Free In Store Preview – #1 Advantage Ritani Has Over All Other Online Jewelers
Originally, Ritani’s engagement rings and jewelry were only available at select high-end jewelers in brick and mortar stores. This business model served the company well until they started setting their sites on a wider reach of potential customers through an internet based ‘Clicks-and-Bricks’ approach launched in 2012.
Ritani was the first to launch this unique omni-channel approach of free in-store previews. Customers choose a diamond and select a setting from their online store. Ritani then handcrafts your ring and ships it to your local jeweler for a free preview. The option to see and feel their chosen engagement ring before committing to a final purchase is the #1 advantage Ritani has over online jewelers. For consumers shopping in the USA, this is an added convenience that many are taking advantage of.
Virtual Gemologist
Ritani also sets themselves apart by offering their customers a Virtual Gemologist service. Once again, they are the first to go the extra mile in customer service by offering a free virtual appointment with one of their in-house certified gemologists. This non-commissioned, real-time, expert guidance is offered free of charge to anyone wanting an in-depth consultation of final selection diamonds. Not only does this service offer peace of mind to the nervous consumer, but it shows an added dedication to maintain high service levels.
Ritani Diamond Search – Not An Easy Search Tool
Ritani’s diamond search offers the opportunity to peruse thousands of loose diamonds in all shapes, cut, color, and clarity ranges. These diamonds are all graded by GIA or AGS with some diamonds having magnified images and HD videos.
To be honest, using Ritani’s diamond search is very cumbersome. Each field input for carat weight, color, clarity, etc is on the left hand side of the screen and requires numerous action inputs. It takes quite a while just to get your basic parameters set to search for a diamond not to mention to update your search for a more refined list. What is even more frustrating is that you cannot easily search for diamonds with images or videos as their is no search option functionality for this.
Once you have set your preferences on the left, your available diamonds appear on the right side of the screen. However, there is no actual magnified image that is available to quickly review so that means you have to click on each individual search result which is very tedious. Finally, once you click on a diamond with an image it may or may not have an accompanying 360 HD video. Again, there is no way to select for this.
Overall, I’d say that Ritani’s diamond search tool is nowhere near as user friendly as James Allen, Whiteflash or ODBA. However, for all intents and purposes it does get the job done.
Ritani Reserve Diamonds – Top 1% Of All Diamonds Or Just Marketing?
There is also a selection of Ritani Reserve diamonds that come with a proprietary AGS Scintillation Report. Scintillation is the shimmering effect that a diamond generates when shown under a beam of light. Therefore, the Ritani Reserve selection of diamonds all claim to have this exceptional characteristic.
For example, here is a 1.14ct H VVS1 Ritani Reserve for $8,627.00: https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-1-14-Carat-H-color-GIA-certified/D-D16SJN
This diamond has a GIA report with an excellent cut grade and an AGS scintillation report with a value of 1 for flash scintillation and a value of 1 for fire scintillation (see below):
Now, keep the above in mind as I show you this next Ritani Reserve diamond. Here is a .58ct H VVS2 for $1,876.00: https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-58-Carat-H-color-GIA-certified/D-W25H29
This diamond has a GIA report with an excellent cut grade and an AGS scintillation report with a value of 0 for flash scintillation and a value of 0 for fire scintillation(see below):
Now, the reason I show you these two examples is because these diamonds are both considered part of Ritani’s Reserve collection of diamonds. Ritani says of their Reserve diamonds:
For generations, we’ve honed our craft to maximize the sparkle of Ritani diamonds. Now we bring you Ritani Reserve — our finest round and princess-cut diamonds ever. But they’re not just our best — they are certified as the most exceptional 1% of all diamonds worldwide, cut precisely to yield the most sparkle. The pride of our diamond cutters, each one is hand-cut and polished, a sparkling work of art. – Ritani (https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/ritani-reserve-diamonds)
This is pure marketing drivel. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Ritani is not being completely ethical in what they deem as the ‘top 1% of all diamonds worldwide’. Not only are the two diamonds selected cut very differently, but the first 1.14ct H VVS1 isn’t even what I would consider in the top 10% of all cut diamonds. It is certainly not an ideal cut diamond. Even a diamond novice can visually compare the two magnified images and see the obvious difference.
The second .58ct H VVS2 is cut very well with clear symmetrical dark arrows. The proportions of this diamond (table 59%, depth 60.8%, crown angle 35 and pavilion angle 40.8) all work nicely together to create an ideal cut diamond that reflects the maximum amount of light from within it’s facets. The diamond is bright in addition to AGS confirming flash and fire scintillation with high marks on it’s Scintillation report.
I love Ritani and think they are a great company, but I cannot vouch for their Ritani Reserve diamonds. It is obvious that the cut quality of their Reserve diamonds are not consistent. Additionally, I would go so far as to say that the Ritani Reserve brand is also misleading customers into a false sense of security with regard to the cut quality of their diamonds.
Therefore, I would be cautious in purchasing a Ritani Reserve diamond by brand alone and reserve the right to evaluate the diamond’s proportions as you would any other round brilliant diamond.
Ritani Jewelry – Selection, Shipping and Free Lifetime Warranty
Gorgeous masterwork halo diamond band engagement ring from Ritani
Probably the 2nd best thing about Ritani is their engagement ring selection. I just love the classic Ritani engagement rings that look so elegant and classy! The micro-pave diamonds in their settings are very delicate and the craftsmanship of their jewelry is delicate and precise.
Ritani also offers a gorgeous selection of engagement rings and designer jewelry as well as beautiful earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. They also have a large selection of wedding rings for men and women.
Shipping for jewelry is free in the US and Canada as well as free international shipping to 70 approved countries.
Ritani offers a free lifetime warranty on any and all manufacturing defects. Ritani will happily repair or replace an item at no cost if there is a structural defect.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I do love Ritani’s jewelry and dedication to customer service. Their free in-store preview is a fantastic option for individual’s that want to take advantage of seeing their diamond engagement ring in person before being obligated to purchase. I think this is really Ritani’s true stake in the online diamond game and one advantage that they have over all other online diamond retailers. However, I am very disappointed at the quality of the Ritani Reserve diamond brand and do not think it is worth any premium in price.
If you fell in love with one of Ritani’s gorgeous engagement rings or simply want to design your own ring and see it at your local store before purchase, then Ritani is a great option for you.
My Ritani review does get my stamp of approval with one caveat – please take extra care in evaluating any Ritani Reserve diamond. If you are in doubt, please don’t hesitate to contact me for diamond advice and recommendations. I’m more than happy to help guide you in your diamond decision to make sure it looks and sparkles beautifully in your Ritani engagement ring setting.
Happy Diamond Buying!
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