White & Ivory Fine Jewelry — Local services in Leesburg

To be perfectly frank, I am an incredibly selective and particular person-especially when it comes to important purchases or decisions. When my (now) fiance and I were discussing getting engaged, we entered into this purchase with a joint and open discussion on the integral details (i.e. budget, etc.). In my initial searches, I went to high-end stores around NoVA, department stores, reputable online retailers, retailers that my personal network had success in., etc. After looking at about 10-15 different retailers and conducting consultations-at times, with retailers on the opposite coast-we settled on White & Ivory. The decision maker moments occurred during my interactions with Alina.

I outreached to Alina on a pure whim after work and from the outset, Alina was incredibly open and willing to hear my feedback, experiences and thoughts on the engagement ring process. She was patient in answering questions and she was very forthright in her responses. This led to a subsequent appointment where my fiance and I got to meet her in person and talk more about the design elements I wanted. As a self proclaimed Type A individual, I appreciated how Alina wrote down everything I said I wanted and even made note to follow up with me on those items after the fact. She also was very keen to point out when something wouldn't work and provide a reasonable explanation (let's be real, we all need to hear it sometimes!). The experience was wonderful, insightful and truthfully, honest-all of which was genuinely appreciated by us. Alina, along with her mom and cousin, are all incredibly professional and most importantly, personable. They don't make you feel obligated to go with their suggestions and you genuinely feel that they are on the same page with you-I loved the way they explained that they would not sell a piece of jewelry they personally would not wear themselves.

On an administrative level, I love how they provide you with a free appraisal and a connection for a jewelry insurance provider. I went with Jewelers Mutual as my preferred provider but I was impressed that I did not have to seek an appraisal under separate cover. The service is truly wonderful at this spot and I honestly could not recommend it more. When it came down to my final decision on who would be commissioned to make my ring, my fiance and I opted to go with a spot that was local, easily accessible as well as capable of delivering high quality service and products-all of which describe White & Ivory. As an FYI, my second choice was a jeweler out in CA-and it's safe to say that I had ruled out all other options in VA by that time.

We could not be more happy with Alina and White & Ivory-needless to say, we are looking forward to commissioning/designing our wedding bands with them too. As a serious dog lover too....being able to see their security pup, Popcorn, is always a joy and he probably deserves some commission reward for his part in sealing the deal as well :) Take it from someone super picky....if you are frustrated with the process or are having a hard time finding the perfect ring, look no further than White & Ivory :) They will make your dream ring come true and be there through every...

I don’t write many reviews. I appreciate that others do, and I use them to inform my shopping decisions. So I guess it’s time to give a little back.

Short version: go to White and Ivory. Get your engagement ring and wedding bands from Alina and Lillian. Their service is top notch, the quality is fabulous, and the pricing was great. Everything you could want in an experience purchasing something that means so much, and yes, costs so much, too. And then there’s Popcorn, the fluffy white dog. He’s cute, and just adds to the overall pleasurable experience. Just go - you won’t be disappointed. And I confess, the many great reviews online for them was a factor, which is why I feel so good writing this review…and posting it multiple places to make sure folks can share in what we learned. You won’t find a better local jewelry store in the areas and you won’t have a better buying experience.

My GF and I had been talking about getting engaged and had even done some preliminary shopping to get ideas of styles, prices, etc. But after hours in the mall, we felt like we’d spent lots of time on used car lots…high pressure, high prices, and dubious quality to our untrained mind. While we did get an idea of what we might want, we were far from thrilled with the idea of buying in a mall. So, we thought we might get a better deal and have a better result shopping locally in the Leesburg area. Several stores to chose from, and mixed experiences even with the local ones we checked out. We even joked about how “the name” of another store we visited was part of the overall sales pitch….sorry, I’m more interested in price, quality, documentation, and service. I doubt the name of the store will appear on the side of the ring. LOL.

Then we went to White & Ivory. Lillian and Alina were wonderful to work with. They listened to what I wanted, understood my price range, helped me focus on the most important issue (the center stone size/quality on a 3-stone engagement ring), and delivered me a ring that met all my constraints, was under my budget, and thrilled my now-fiance. Throughout it all, it was a fun enjoyable experience. Good advice, good service, no pressure, no up-selling, and most of all, no BS. Great service from great ladies who made a very important shopping experience as enjoyable as it could be, treated me like friends, and made it a pleasure to visit. Each and every time I, or we stopped in, it was like visiting friends…even Popcorn is happy for visitors to stop in.

Like all stores, they give a discount for buying wedding bands there, which we did. They had a great selection, and again made a great deal. They provide full documentation and appraisal paperwork. And warranties and such. And most of all, the rings and designs they carry are not so common that you will see the exact same ring in every display case in every mall store.

So, shop around to get an idea of what you like in an engagement ring. Then go to White and Ivory, tell them what you want, and watch them exceed your expectations. You’ll be glad you did and I expect you’ll end up as happy as we did...and be sure to say hi...

My daughter had a ring from her Mom with an emerald and 9 of 10 surviving diamond chips, and she wears silver rather than the gold of this ring. A local chain jeweler offered to reset the stones in a new ring, doing what they could to preserve its character. Their estimate seemed a little pricey, though, but what did I know? Although my daughter preferred retaining as much of the ring as possible for sentimental reasons, she was open to doing this.

Guided by positive reviews about jewelry restoration, we then visited family-owned White & Ivory Diamonds and Fine Jewelry in the Village at Leesburg. A daughter, Alina, greeted us. She was delightful to work with, asking questions about what would be important to us and coming up with some creative strategies. Alina suggested keeping the setting and the ring itself while strengthening it. It seemed ideal, so we put half down and let them do it.

They did the work within the estimated time, communicating regularly via phone text, and I felt optimistic the whole time. They preserved and modified the setting to display eight of the diamond chips and kept the original clamps that had held fast all these years. The "odd" diamond went into a recessed hole on the inside of the ring – a hidden jewel! They reinforced the lower part of the ring so it would last and could be resized and plated the whole thing with white gold.

The best part was it cost half what the chain estimated. I'm sure the chain would have done a fine job, but my daughter couldn't be happier with White and Ivory's creative craft work. We're so glad we gave...