Ken & Dana Design — Local services in New York

Bear with me, as this is a very long review.

Appointment 5/5 Ariel was friendly and knowledgeable. She brought out a lot for me to look at/try on and ended up bringing out the ring we bought but hadn’t even considered. She was super friendly, patient (we had to bring our toddler since we were on vacation), and helpful.

Order process 5/5 Going back and forth over email was a little time consuming at times, but ultimately the ordering process was easy and went smoothly. The filled out order form was easy to understand and the carting and checkout process was a breeze. We ended up using affirm for part of the purchase and that was super easy to navigate as well.

Order follow through 1/5 (if I could give it a zero I would) 24ish hours after my order had been placed and I had paid I got word that the center diamond that we chose had actually been sold “moments” before I had checked out with it the day prior. I was given two diamonds to choose from that were similarly sized and priced, but neither was identical to what I had already paid for. At this point, it was too late in the day to get a response for the next step. I was very upset and confused, as I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that you can accidentally sell the same diamond to two people. I responded to the email twice and called in the morning, leaving a message for the owner to get back to me. Ken called me back a few hours later and told me he had talked to the other client and had convinced them to go with a different diamond. He also rushed the order and said it would be overnighted when it was finished, at no charge, and of course let me know there was still an option to refund and cancel the order. “I didn’t know this would cause so much distress.” is something that really stuck out for me during the whole phone call the stone dilemma. I’m not sure how I was expected to be totally understanding when they had just double sold the stone I had already paid for. I was caught off guard and annoyed that I had just spent a large sum of money on something that was no longer mine. Trying to sell a more expensive stone to multiple people isn’t what I have an issue with. I get that, businesses have bills and employees of their own to pay. Just the fact that the stone was able to be purchased by two separate people is what made me the most upset.

Ring itself 5/5 I love that they are eco friendly and use recycled metals. I also like that they are conscious of where their stones come from, so you do not end up with a stone that funds any type of violence or wars. They also offer lab grown diamonds (which is what we ended up going with) so you know exactly where your stone is coming from. I love my ring. It’s perfect and very well made. The ring and stone are amazing and I wouldn’t change a thing. I also love that it’s handmade.

I would recommend this shop, as what happened to me doesn’t seem to be the norm. Reviews are everything for smaller shops, so I wanted to keep this as fair as possible, while also being honest about how unhappy I was with part of this whole process. Remedying a situation doesn’t make it just go away, that’s why I’ve included every part of this process in my review. I will likely be buying my wedding band through them as well, so obviously I’m pretty happy with the end result of this...

So overall this place is amazing overall I would absolutely recommend but it’s not without it’s quirks

Pros: everyone can see it, this place has a unique flair for the tasteful & elegant one of a kind nature inspired whimsically brilliant enchanted piece we all are longing for when searching for an amazing piece for the woman we love. Each detail groomed over and obsessed about to create something truly fantastic and unique

(Ken and Dana if you want me to write for you hit me up LOL)

Honestly, I looked at thousands of rings and dozens of jewelers and this one easily stood out.

The cons: almost all of the cons are related to (in my opinion) being a smaller jewelry shop. When compared to the positives they are nothing; but they are worth mentioning:

Time: it took 4-5 weeks for my piece to be finished and shipped using one of their settings and a stone purchased with them. Not terrible honestly- but maybe slower than other shops and maybe a problem if you’re in a rush

The follow up: probably the most painful of it all. I would often have to send 2-3 emails over 2-3 days consecutively in a week or else they would almost forget about me- or at least it felt that way. That kind of sucked. Again I think it’s related to them being smaller sized and truly busy..

Also I think if they are going to list a diamond as “stocked” on their site they should have videos in natural lighting to see your actual stone without having to be there in person. Other shops had support personnel able to show me the exact stones I wanted to see, FaceTime in real lighting- that was an awesome feature this shop could add if they were trying to get better.

The website: to put it simply, it’s a bit inconsistent- some settings have great zoomed in views from all angles other settings not so much. When you’re spending thousands on a piece of jewelry I know me and most here want to know exaccctttllyyy what we’re getting. Website advice: zoom in, slow mo that ish, make it nasty, every angle and perspective- give the people what they want!!

Overall tho, the piece is spectacular and these videos don’t do it justice (inside dim lighting etc etc) but here it is Jody setting platinum over 3 carat BOOYA for your eyes to enjoy. Give them a chance and be patient, you’ll be so glad you did.

Ps. My wife is absolutely obsessed and has said repeatedly it’s the most beautiful ring and setting she has ever seen. Maybe a smidge of bias ;)

Cheers Ken and Dana! Thank you for creating an amazing gem that will likely be passed down for generations in the...

Where. To. Start!?

So I approached Ken & Dana Designs earlier in the year to prep for my proposal. The first person I spoke with was Ariel who was super helpful and on top of the game, absolutely great service. Somewhere along the line, I actually got transferred to someone else, a young lady by the name of Nati. I didn't mind the switch because everyone was so response and Ariel was CC'd on everything so cool - and Nati continued the spectacular service! Even to the point of letting me know when the stone came in, that it wasn't truly the color they are comfortable working with and went ahead and found another one that was of better clarity and honored the price because of the inconvenience! Talk about integrity!

They kept me updated throughout the entire process, they sent me videos and pictures and specs and never got annoyed with me, even though I had a million+1 questions about the process and the ring and the stone and the turnaround time - man, I can't say enough about Ken & Dana Designs. Their ring options are wonderful and creative and different. They stand out in a league of their own and are definitely for those of us that want that extra dash of special. My Fiancé said, and I quote, "I Couldn't Have Down Better If I Picked It Out Myself. This Is So Perfect..." and I couldn't agree more! I find myself looking at the ring more than she does hahaha that joint is fabolous!

If you're wondering if Ken & Dana Designs are worth it - trust me, they are. They truly are invested in you and have your best interest at heart. They know their product will sell, it's not about that, it's the service. The service is really what sealed everything for me and I'm getting my Fiance's band and my own band from Ken & Dana as well. Shoot, I'm trying to find a reason to buy a rustic pear because Gawd it's gorgeous!

Thank you Nati & Ariel! For everything!!!

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