Is the Big Day coming up and are you stressed about the ring choices? Well, the diamond market does give you pretty amazing options. But finding the perfect one is always intimidating, be it a ring or a person, right?
Anyway, here’s what we’ll do to help you decide on the best possible option. We will be doing a comprehensive comparison among 3 intensely competitive diamond stores; Ritani, Tacori, and Tiffany. While sure Tiffany is a veteran diamond manufacturer, you can find some great deals at Ritani and Tacori too.
So without further delay, let’s get on with it!
Are These Brands Legit?
I’m quite sure that all of you out there know well about Tiffany and Co. It is surely one of the pioneers of luxury jewelry and exclusive diamond rings as it has been around since 1837. And well, the Tiffany and Co. Stores have been used as movie sets. Also, there are movie titles named after the luxury brand so who really can question the authenticity?
Anyway, next comes Tacori which has been in business since 1969. They too offer premium quality jewelry at premium prices. They’ve lived up to their set standards during all these years and are widely trusted by customers for their big events.
Lastly, Ritani is fairly a rookie in comparison to Tiffany or even Tacori. It was founded in 1999 but has managed to create a stellar reputation and catch the heart of many customers with its one-of-a-kind designs.
Basically, there’s not a speck of doubt about the authenticity of these brands so let’s get over it and move to the real deal.
Online Shopping Experience
While Tacori is majorly a virtual jewelry store, both Tiffany and Ritani originally started off with physical retail stores. And later transitioned into the e-commerce business as well.
Anyway, Tiffany offers a very simple and intuitive online shopping experience. The plus points go to Tiffany because of their wide range of fine jewelry items from necklaces and bracelets to cocktails rings and engagement rings. You can find pretty much all kinds of jewelry for various occasions.
However, Tiffany lacks behind Ritani and Tacori in their custom ring services. While both of them offer ring customization right at their e-store, Tiffany, on the other hand, will require you to schedule an appointment for a custom-made ring. Now that is not very customer friendly in my opinion. But it may work well for you, who knows?
Similarly, my experience at Tacori was not quite pleasant. In the beginning, I was almost clueless about how to find a particular ring type because of poor website navigation.
Anyway, they do offer a versatile range of fine jewelry, eternity bands for your anniversary, or engagement rings. Tacori offers over 10 uniquely curated collections of engagement rings like Petite Crescent or the RoyalT that offer a certain ring type in various settings.
Also, I mentioned that you can customize any ring at Tacori. But well I’ll be honest, customization is not an easy task.
Lastly, Ritani being the last one to launch their e-store in 2012 made sure to consider all the needs of a potential buyer. Ritani offers the most elaborate website with the right type of categories. They offer loose diamonds, engagement rings, wedding rings, as well as fine jewelry.
What also sets Ritani apart from Tiffany and Tacori is their ‘Build a Ring from Scratch’ feature similar to the popular online jewelry stores like James Allen or Blue Nile. You can start by choosing a diamond shape, setting, or shop loose diamonds up to 3 carats. The filtering options make shopping easier for an average customer.
In the end, I’d say that shopping at Tiffany will surely be a pleasant experience. Tacori not so much. However, the edge goes to Ritani for a user-friendly website that provides easy navigation for a hassle-free shopping experience.
Pricing
Now here comes the most interesting part, the price range comparison of the three brands. We’ll do a quick review of one engagement ring each and see how that goes.
First off, let’s start with a 1.32 ct. Diamond engagement ring by Tiffany. This ring features an excellent cut VS1, I colored diamond. This exquisite ring retails for a crazy amount of $21,800. And this sky-high price tag is not limited to a single item only.
The entire inventory at Tiffany comes at a premium cost. So when buying from Tiffany, you’ll not only be paying for the ring but for the name and the glorious history associated with it. And oh, don’t forget the signature blue box that everyone’s crazy about.
Moving on to Tacori, let me start by telling you that finding a ring was quite a task. So here’s what seemed like a good comparison: A 1.65 ct. Round Diamond Ring with Platinum Plating priced at 13,690 USD.
And is there more to it? Unfortunately, there’s no more detail about the diamond clarity, color, or other stuff so I’m kind of disappointed. It makes the comparison real hard and unfair.
Anyway, Ritani offered an amazing inventory to browse through. And I found a 1.5 ct. Princess Cut Solitaire Engagement Ring. The diamond is a good cut, VS2, and E color graded and the ring retails for around $11000.
This diamond certainly has a better color grade than Tiffany as well as a greater Ctw but at a lesser price. So this is exactly where fame comes to play.
Tiffany charges you for the years of service and name apart from the diamond. Whereas the fairly new brands like Ritani or even James Allen offer better prices for the same thing. Lastly, I know for a fact that Tacori is not my cup of tea. But in the end, only you can decide what’s worth your money.
Quality
We can make our peace with the high prices or the mediocre online services, but in the end, it all comes down to the quality. Is the quality of these brands really worth paying the premium price?
Fortunately, yes. Tiffany, Tacori, and Ritani, are all stellar in terms of their quality. Tiffany being the veteran has of course caught a big chunk of clientele. However, customers at Tiffany are mostly the ones who do not mind spending a fortune on jewelry.
And the ones who do spend that much money at Tiffany are quite satisfied. Their jewelry showcases the expert craftsmanship and the finishing details make it all worth the price. Also, Tiffany uses their own system of grading diamonds that is better and more detailed than the GIA certificates.
Similar to the feedback above, many people do agree that with Tiffany you’re not only paying for the quality but name as well. You can easily find a better value for money elsewhere but that doesn’t come with the Tiffany symbolism.
While I’m certainly not in awe of the shopping experience at Tacori, I’m pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality of jewelry at Tacori. They offer unique designs with impressive details and finishing. Also, every piece at Tacori is handcrafted with great attention to detail.
However, I’ve also seen a few customers complaining about the setting quality. The stones in Tacori rings fall out and are not suitable for someone with an active lifestyle. Anyway, the positive reviews still outnumber the negative ones and that is certainly a good sign. Here’s a good one about Tacori:
The quality of jewelry by Ritani is impeccable. Ritani is quite famous for its one-of-a-kind designs. Each diamond at Ritani is either certified by GIA or AGS labs which leave behind no doubt about the authenticity or quality of the diamonds. All of their jewelry is meticulously crafted and does total justice to the price.
Ritani boasts a stellar reputation among customers on the Internet as well. This person for instance at Wedding Wire says:
All in all, I’d say that these brands are doing a great job in delivering quality. Tiffany is the best option for the ones who have the budget. Otherwise, Ritani offers pretty great choices too.
Store Location
Headquartered in New York, Tiffany has over 326 retail locations in different countries from Brazil and Canada to US and Spain. Tiffany is the only one out of the 3 brands that offer many stores around the world that allow you to shop in-store if the online experience is not satisfactory. You can check out all the Tiffany store locations here.
On the other hand, both Tacori and Ritani are majorly online shopping stores. But in addition to that, both offer an in-store jewelry preview at independent jewelry store partners. Ritani has partnered with 180 jewelry stores across the US and Canada. You can check out the authorized Ritani retail partners here.
Similarly, Tacori also offers authorized retail partners in Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and the United States. You can find the Tacori retail partners here.
Shipping
Locations
Despite having 300+ locations in the world, Tiffany offers shipping within the United States only. Online orders at Tiffany are only possible if you reside within the US. The rest of you can visit the Tiffany retail stores at various locations.
Ritani, on the other hand, offers shipping within the US as well as Canada. They provide a fully insured shipping service via FedEx. Also, you can ship your order to the nearest partner jewelry store for a convenient in-store pickup.
Tacori offers fully insured shipping within the United States only. Currently, they do not offer an international shipping service.
Charges
Here comes the best part. All 3 of them offer a free-of-cost shipping service. Tacori, Ritani, and Tiffany provide complimentary, fully insured, and free-of-cost shipping for all the orders.
However, at Tiffany, if you want an overnight delivery then you’ll be charged an additional 30 bucks.
Return Policy
Both Tiffany and Ritani offer a 30-day hassle-free return policy. At Tiffany, you just need to drop off the return package at your nearest UPS location along with the return label. Any item in its original, undamaged condition will be eligible for a return within 30 days. Also, Tiffany offers free complimentary return shipping as well.
Ritani, on the other hand, makes it even easier for you by arranging an at-home pickup. You just need to pack the items in their original condition along with the return label and Ritani will take care of the rest. They too, offer a free return shipping within US.
Tacori only offers a 15-day return period. In the case of an exchange, this period is extended to 30 days from the date of receipt. Also, the Tacori Return and Exchange policy is not viable for purchases made via the partner retail stores.
Customer Support
In terms of customer support, all 3 of them are doing an impressive job. Tiffany, Ritani, and Tacori offer a very responsive customer support team. They’re very considerate towards your concerns and all I see are fantastic reviews about their customer services.
Anyway, for any questions or concerns, you can find Tiffany’s contact details here. Ritani offers customer support via phone, chat, or email. Find Ritani contact details here.
And Tacori offers a live video consultation in addition to email or call support. Check out the details here.
Final Verdict
Lastly, I’d say that all 3 of these brands are second to none. I certainly do not approve of Tacori’s online shopping experience, however, I cannot deny the excellent quality of their jewelry and services. And as for Tiffany and Ritani, you can clearly see that I cannot sing enough praises for them. Tiffany is of course a high-end option while Ritani offers better value for money!
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