Diamond In the Rough

My fiancé and I just had started talking about getting engaged, and he said that he wanted my input in choosing a ring. I had stumbled upon DITR several months ago while just browsing online, and kept their jewelry in mind.
I did a lot of research and looked at different options for rings. We went to a couple of chain jewelry stores locally, but the experience didn’t feel special. We felt like we were just another couple getting filtered through a bunch of questions to choose a ring. All the rings looked the same to me, and like everything I’ve seen already on other women’s hands. Plus, the jewelers were crowded and the experience was rushed. The typical silver ring with the «perfect» «flawless» diamond seemed so boring to me. I couldn’t see paying a lot of money for something that I didn’t love. I asked one jeweler if they had rough diamonds and/​or brown diamonds, and they did not seem to be open to the idea that I may want something a little different.
I read general bridal blogs which advised to not purchase a ring online. Since we live in NC, ordering online made us super nervous. I didn’t get to try the ring on, and I didn’t see it in person before it was purchased. We were also nervous about such an expensive purchase being sent through the mail. I wasn’t sure if the beautiful photos online would match how the ring looked in person. The good thing about going to the other jewelry stores is that I did try on a ring with a brown diamond and I knew that was the look I wanted to go for; but the polished diamond just seemed cliché to me.
I had looked at other rough diamond rings and although they were beautiful, they weren’t «bridal» looking. The ring that I got was the perfect mix of uniqueness, and bridal. The ring is gorgeous and definitely a statement piece without being tacky or overworked with a ton of overwhelming detail. Some jewelers try to make their pieces unique by adding a bunch of bells and whistles, but this ring speaks for itself.
I’ll skip all the fancy proposal details and just get straight to the ring. It was perfect! Better than I had imagined and looked even better in person than it did online. I got a gorgeous Grace ring with a 2.6 carat brown rough diamond set in yellow gold. The diamond size is big, but not overwhelming. The small halo of diamonds is simple, they don’t distract from the center diamond, but enhance it. The ring setting is gorgeous and sits wonderfully on my hand. The setting is minimal, and the diamond gives it the pop. I was nervous about getting a brown diamond — would it still have that sparkle and shine? It does! It’s really glitzy outdoors, especially in the sun. Outside, the diamond looks like a light golden gem and (from what I can tell) is free from major flaws. The natural chips in the diamond make it shine. The halo stones really sparkle. When you’re inside or in darker light, the diamond looks like a deeper brown, and is still shiny. Instead of having a perfectly cut diamond that refracts light, the natural curves of the stone do that.
On to the customer service. I did briefly contact DITR to ask some preliminary questions, but my fiancé did most of the work there (he liked the free shipping and no tax). From my understanding, they arranged a day and time that he would be home to have the ring sent overnight and delivered. It was obviously insured. It came in a ring box, there was a receipt of the order and a certification from the International Gemological Institute (IGI). The band of the ring is inscribed on the inside with some DITR branding and the item number/​carat size of the ring (it’s not large or noticeable, but I’m glad it’s there).
I’m writing this review and including all these details to assist other buyers. We wanted to make sure that this was a reputable company, and we liked the product. I’m hoping this review may be helpful to other buyers who are uncertain about buying a product online from a company they may have little information about. DITR’s social media pages were very helpful in viewing their inventory and learning about their company. Overall, we had a very good experience and we enjoyed this much more than driving around to a bunch of jewelry stores to look at the same styles.
The good thing is that DITR also has a 30 day return policy, so we had a little insurance that we could return the ring if we didn’t like it. Options for ring sizes list half and whole sizes, but we were able to get the ring sized to 5 ¼.
I had a hard time finding photos of DITR rings on «real» women’s hands after they received them, so I’m posting a couple here (taken with cell phone). These photos were taken in lower light, so the stone appears a little darker here. It’s a beautiful golden nugget in the sunlight and more translucent than I expected! If you have questions about something you see online, they are more than happy to answer questions and send additional photos.

If you want something totally unique, this is the place to go. Prior to popping the question, we started ring shopping. We went to some traditional jewelry stores, and certainly found some rings that she liked, but it was basically the same thing from store to store.
We stumbled upon an ad for Diamond in the Rough online, and were blown away by the designs on their website. We quickly booked an appointment and were not disappointed. Each ring is truly unique, and I ended up selecting a ring from the Embrace line of engagement rings.
I proposed last July, and she was and has been in love with the design. Everyone who sees it is so impressed. Even traditional jewelry store retailers who have seen it are blown away.
The staff were wonderful to work with, easy to contact and they followed up quickly with any questions. I highly recommend this company.