Best Engagement Ring Brands And Designers in the Industry
For consumers who are tired of mass-produced generic jewelry offered in the market, designer engagement ring brands offer the answer to high quality and leading edge jewelry designs.
In this write up, I will review some of the most popular engagement ring brands in the market and highlight the unique design features/elements for each of them.
As with many consumer products, designer brands are NOT made equal. Over the years, I had came across brands that truly offer good value on money for the level of craftsmanship received.
On the other hand, I had also encountered designer engagement rings (especially those offered by large jewelry chain stores) with terrible quality that cost twice as much as off-the-mill pieces!
First of All, What Do Designer Brands Bring to the Table?
The world of designer bridal jewelry is surprisingly varied and offers an impressive range of styles to choose from. Unlike run-of-the-mill settings sold to the mass market, the materials and workmanship of designer brands are tightly controlled.
These factors result in quality and value that are very difficult to replicate even in a one-time custom creation. And because the value of brand name is so crucial for a designer’s long-term success, attention to detail and delivering an impeccable product is their #1 goal.
In addition to quality, designer styles are exclusive. This means that the brand owns the trademark rights to their designs. Since branded ring designs cannot be legally copied by anyone else, this assures you will own a style that is in very limited supply in the market.
With that, let’s take a look at the designers and see what makes them unique, and what their fans like about their brand and its particular look and feel.
Tacori – Celebrate Your Love in a Special Way
Click here to browse through more designs from Tacori…
Probably the most recognizable brand name in the industry, Tacori has a unique look in large part for their crescent design element that is incorporated to one extent or another across all styles in the line.
Tacori is made in Hollywood, California and the glamour clearly shows in the designs. The line exudes intricacy, and the attention to detail in both the design and the craftsmanship of each piece is truly impressive.
Verragio – Diamond Rings For the Helpless Romantic
Click here to browse through more designs from Verragio…
With finely detailed scroll work and an unmistakable vintage bent, Verragio’s styling is perhaps the most romantic of all the designers. Extremely well made and beautiful, this line combines the best of artistry with technical excellence. Verragio is also very popular on social media and has a large and growing fan base.
Simon G. – Simplicity, Elegance & Longevity
Click here to browse through more designs from Simon G…
Just on the basis of their stylistic range and sheer number of beautiful products, Simon G is one of the best engagement ring brand with few peers. While the line encompasses highly artistic design, the core of the brand revolves around tailored styling, clean lines, and a classic look and feel.
The precision of the accent diamonds and impeccable craftsmanship makes each piece something special, even if the design is relatively straight forward.
Ritani – The Master of Micro-Pave
Click here to browse through more designs from Ritani…
Ritani is one of the best engagement ring designers where you can find styles with all the classic design elements crafted expertly. Following a ‘less is more’ philosophy, they stay focused on a more limited collection of designs which they execute to perfection and with great efficiently.
Ritani is also the leader of the designer field in terms of turnaround time. You can expect a beautiful ring to be delivered on time for your important occasion.
Vatche – Designed With Passion
Click here to browse through more designs from Vatche…
A winner of numerous design competitions, Vatche excels in making classic designs with a flair. Their styles are approachable, wearable, and appealing to a wide variety of tastes. Best of all, their price points make owning a designer ring something that most buyers can afford.
Danhov – Unique & Eyecatching Designs
Click here to browse through more designs from Danhov…
If your tastes run in an artsy direction, there is much to love about Danhov. Specializing in handmade creations, this is a designer’s designer! Fanciful, flowing and graceful styles are plentiful in the Danhov line and their craftmanship shows brilliantly in the execution of the final product.
For those looking for a high end designer engagement ring that is eye catching from a distance and mesmerizing up close, be sure to consider this lesser known but exceptional brand.
Benchmark – All American Wedding Ring Brand
Click here to browse through more designs from Benchmark…
Benchmark is well known as a precision manufacturer and a big player in the business of wedding bands. They offer thousands of styles in all kinds of metals including tungsten, titanium and cobalt.
Benchmark had recently expanded into the diamond engagement realm with a limited selection of designs. But when it comes to wedding bands, Benchmark is among the finest name brands in the industry.
Where to Buy a Designer Engagement Ring?
The majority of designer diamond ring brands market their products through a network of authorized retailers. Basically, the retailer takes care of all of the details of placing the order, arranging logistics, delivering the finished product, and providing follow up care.
If you are in the market for a designer engagement ring, White Flash is a reliable business I highly recommend over any other authorized dealers.
Here’s why:
• White Flash is a one-stop shop for designer diamond rings if you are looking for certified ideal or super ideal diamonds. In the world of round diamonds, White Flash’s cut quality standards is the best of the best. Period.
• White Flash is willing to set your own diamond (you don’t necessarily have to purchase a diamond from them) into their designer settings. From experience, I can tell you that not many jewelers will allow this.
• You will receive a complimentary 1 year Service Plan which includes free sizing and issues related to normal wear and tear (e.g. polishing, small diamond coming out, lifted prong, etc). This is in addition to the designers warranty which is often more limited in scope.
• A full 30-day money back guarantee. While such a policy is ubiquitous on the Internet, the vast majority of brick and mortar stores that sell designer lines do not offer it. This will provide you with comfort and assurance that you won’t be “stuck” with a ring if things do not work out for one reason or another.
• A unique trade up benefit on designer rings. As far as I know, no other retailer offers this. If you want to upgrade your diamond and have to (or just want to) change your ring style, White Flash will credit 50% or the original cost to the new ring. You can even trade up to a different designer! (see their trade-up page for more info)
• White Flash’s creative photography (complimentary) of the finished ring is another popular benefit. Personally, I think this is a huge plus point because you will get professionally taken photographs of the ring that you can share on social media.
Designer Ring Brands – Putting it all Together
Once you have an overview of the top engagement ring brands in the industry, the world of bridal jewelry becomes virtually unlimited. There are literally thousands of designs to choose from and many of the designers also offer customization.
Understandably, there is a premium to pay for these products. However, the selection, exclusivity, quality, and service of a designer brand is a powerful value proposition, especially for a wedding ring.
With that, we’ve come to the end of the article and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Which of the designer brands did you liked most and why? Let me know what you think by dropping a comment below!
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16 Comments
I am looking at a pre-loved Tacori ring in the secondary market. How can I make sure that I am purchasing an authentic ring instead of a replica? Also, is it possible to buy a designer ring brand directly from the company itself instead of having to go through an authorized retailer?
The short answer is to look out for a ‘TACORI’ stamp on the inner surface of the ring. The long answer is to make sure the seller provides you with a receipt that shows it was purchased from an authorized retailer. You should also be doing due diligence on how the original ring should look like and possibly get it inspected by an appraiser. This should help as well: https://www.tacori.com/authenticity-registration
Thank you for compiling this list of engagement ring designers! The rings are breathtaking and exceptionally beautiful especially the ones from Tacori. I think they are one of the nicest engagement ring brands in the market. When you mentioned that some high end engagement ring designers aren’t worth the money, could you provide some examples and why you would say so?
You will probably see a lot of these brands in the bigger jewelry chain stores. The main gripe I have with the branded engagement rings sold by these stores is that they have no regards about the quality of diamonds used in the manufacturing of the jewelry piece. Now, don’t get me wrong, names like Tiffany and Cartier are good brands with some degree of prestige. However, the cost for their products aren’t worth it for the kind of quality they are offering.
Which of these wedding ring makers would offer the best value for money in terms of the level of craftsmanship they provide? What do you think of Michael B.? Would you rate them on the same level as the list of engagement ring companies above?
In my opinion, the best engagement ring brands that fall into the category you described would be Vatche & Ritani. I had also heard of Michael B and think they are pretty decent too. Ultimately, it really depends on what your own needs are when selecting wedding ring designer to work with. If you are into a retro or vintage look, they do offer some designs that may be interesting to you.
Hi, I’ve learned so much from your site, thank you! I’m currently looking at a Martin Flyer ring on James Allen and they use SI/S2 for the micro pave on the side of the band. On their website, it states that they only use GIA graded diamond. I’m wondering if you think these would be eye clean? I’ve noticed most other top brands use VS/SI for the diamonds on their settings.
There is also a Jeff Copper ring I love and am wondering what your option is of the 2 different designers? Thanks!
For the Martin Flyer rings, I’m very sure the melees used aren’t GIA graded because it isn’t economical to do so with smaller diamonds (the cost of grading is far higher than the cost of the diamonds). Due to the size of the melees, I would say that SI clarities would be eyeclean and wouldn’t worry about it.
Personally, I feel that the Martin Flyer brand designs are very similar to those generic settings at James Allen. Unless there’s a compelling reason to pay more for the brand, you may get more value with the generic designs at JA. As for the Jeff Cooper brand, the rings offer a more distinctive vintage flavor to them.
At the end of the day, it really boils down to what you like and what you want in a ring.
I’m curious, are the top engagement ring brands ranking listed in order of good to bad? Personally, I love Tacori and I find them to be one of the nicest engagement ring brands in the market. I find the Benchmark brand to be pretty much normal compared to generic designs. Benchmark’s designs don’t seem to stand out compared to the other companies in terms of offering unique settings and designs.
Benchmark is primarily a wedding ring maker and had only branched into the engagement ring category recently. In terms of design, I would agree that their designs aren’t fanciful nor very special in any manner. However, the craftsmanship and the price point they offer their jewelry are both very appealing factors for a consumer. They may not be the top designer for engagement rings but they definitely make it to my personal top 5 list of wedding ring making companies.
Thank you for the write up! Very insightful and I enjoyed looking at the beautiful photos. Out of curiosity, what’s the most expensive engagement ring brand in the market and how does it compare to those already listed here?
Some of the most major diamond ring brands are probably familiar to you: Tiffany, Cartier & Harry Winston. Based on experience, I would say that these are some of the most expensive companies found in the mass market.
I don’t think there’s apples to apples comparisons can be made between these brands because each of them have unique selling prepositions. Personally, when I pick an engagement ring, I will ensure that the diamond quality needs to be the best of the best and this is something that the more expensive and “top rated engagement ring designers” fail to meet my standards.
I’m looking for a ring I saw in Istanbul several years ago. It was a block of diamonds and hanging off the sides were bar like diamonds that hung like fringe; so that when you had the ring on and flipped your hand the diamond fringe would move just as fringe would do on a dress? Do you have any clue as to what this ring is called or where I could view it online?
Sorry, I’m of no help here.
Hello Paul
I was wondering what you think of the vera wang love collection? Would you rate is as one of the best engagement rings brands in the world? If you could do an engagement ring brands ranking, how would you rate the various brands listed above as well as the more well-known names like Tiffany, Harry Winston.
Thanks
Here’s my top 10 engagement ring designer brands ranking if I were to base it on workmanship quality.
#1: Verragio
#2: Tacori
#3: Cartier
#4: Danhov
#5: Vatche
#6: Harry Winston
#7: Ritani
#8: Benchmark
#9: Simon G
#10: Tiffany
Here’s my top ten engagement ring companies if I were to base them purely on design.
#1: Verragio
#2: Tacori
#3: Danhov
#4: Vatche
#5: Simon G
#6: Ritani
#7: Harry Winston
#8: Benchmark
#9: Cartier
#10: Tiffany
There isn’t anything really special about the high end names and they are famous for a few basic settings. For example, Tiffany (6 prong setting) and Cartier (1895). And if you inspect the settings carefully with a loupe, out of the 3 big brands in diamond jewelry, Cartier will have the best craftsmanship because of attention to details and the way they press down the prongs onto the diamonds.
On the same point, the Vera Wang love collection is really nothing special in terms of design as many of them are simply halo design rings you can find anywhere else. I personally don’t think it is a good engagement ring brand. In fact, most jewelers will offer very similar looking designs because they aren’t unique at all. Cost wise, you are going to be paying a big premium on prices and I personally think it may not be worth it. There are better options for brand name engagement rings instead of buying a Vera Wang ring.