Little Bird – Diamond & Engagement Ring Expertise

Danielle was amazing with helping me find a great ring in my price range. She was there for me every step of the way and really helped me understand the whole process. This service is great for anyone, whether you have a good idea what you want, or, if you were like me, and have no idea what you want.

Lia is incredible.
We were ring shopping, called to schedule an appointment, and found out she is actually a ring consultant. We already had an engagement ring and were looking for the right band.
Rather than send us in our way, Lia was generous with suggestions, and even had us text her a picture of the ring. You know an expert when without knowing she suggests the same boutique shop where you bought the ring!
We took her advice, had a wonderful experience, and found exactly what we were looking for.

If you are looking to purchase a diamond and/​or engagement ring and don’t at least contact Little Bird before making your final purchase, you are dumb. Maybe that’s too blunt but I honestly couldn’t be more ecstatic about Danielle Mainas and the Little Bird team. They are invaluable and offer rare levels of peace of mind throughout the process. And at the very least, you’ll SAVE youself money by working with them.
For those that don’t know, Little Bird helps their clients navigate the diamond and ring world and does so with a warm, patient approach combined with a keen eye and expertise. Their independent, pressure-​free service is boundless and benefits nearly anyone from those seeking a co-​pilot to work alongside while scanning the international market to the amateur who is clueless and/​or disinterested and needs a lead dog to take the reigns.
Overall, I can’t rave about this ingenious company enough and recommend it to all.

A wise man once told me «know what you don’t know» — and what I didn’t know was anything about fine jewelry. I stumbled across them in an article on Deadspin and after doing a little research called for a free consultation.
From my first conversation with Danielle I felt very comfortable that I could trust them to guide me through the process. She never pushed anything one me or went into salesperson mode. Danielle was consultative, asked the right questions and used pictures of my (then girlfriend, now fiancée) to determine a style and ring that would blow her away and stay within my budget.
Although I was pleased with how easy Little Bird made everything, what was even more important is that they nailed it and helped to create a ring that she absolutely loves. If you don’t know where to start or how much to spend, Danielle and the rest of the Little Bird team needs to be your first call.

I would recommend this service for everyone.

Little Bird’s Lia has made my dreams come true. And in the process, I learned so much from Lia about the quality of stones and rings, the amazing range of stones, the longevity of various ring styles as well as serious reality checks about the very antique ring (19^th century foil back diamonds) I was seeking. Lia was a genius at finding the perfect range of choices based on what I was looking for, including her ability to design and fabricate my own version of the ring I wanted. She took care of us completely.
Also, she is really freaking cool and interesting to talk to! I would give her 10 stars if I could.

Believe it or not I never took a single step into a jewelery store. As I set out to find the perfect ring, I came across an article that introduced me to Little Bird and their services. Having limited knowledge about the jewelry industry and picking out a stone I was a little uncertain at first, but after connecting with Danielle I was sure that this was the route to take. She was absolutely fantastic to work with and her experience, insight and passion shined throughout the process. I was looking for a very specific, non-​traditional vintage sort of look and after many conversations and photo’s, Danielle put me in touch with a custom jeweler to help me design the perfect ring. Without her understanding and connections I’m pretty sure I’d still be out there looking! Thanks so much for all your help!

My Fiancé consulted with Little Bird and had great things to say about Lia! I am the happiest with my ring and I’m glad he had someone to support him in the process!

I found out about Little Bird from a podcast if I remember correctly. Being completely ignorant of diamond rings and jewelry in general let me to look for this amazing company. It was a great decision.
Danielle taught me the basics, discussed with me budgets, took a look the bride-to-be’s Pinterest, and even offered discounts with some sellers. When I was about to take the plunge she wisely told me to look at the actual certificates, which led me to change choices last minute, totally for the best. She advised me in which setting to choose, the four C’s of the stone, and even sellers. In the end, my girlfriend adored her ring and doesn’t stop wearing it for a second.
This is a great company that does a valuable service. Completely worth the price and I wish them all the best.

Like I’m sure many people around this time, I found out about Little Bird from a blog post I stumbled on. I had begun my search for an engagement ring and like most, I was clueless.
The article I read had great advice and also information on how to contact the engagement ring specialist. Jumping on that opportunity was the best thing I could’ve done.
I hated the idea of spending hours of my scarce free time going from jewelry store to jewelry store not knowing what to look for or how much I could spend. Fortunately, Lia from Little Bird was there with me every step of the way.
Lia took time to speak with me on the phone at length to find out what I wanted in a ring and what my girlfriend was like and would enjoy in a ring. It seemed like almost every day, and sometimes several times a day that we were in contact. She would show me pictures of ring options until we narrowed down what I was looking for.
But the best part came when she actually made the calls to jewelry stores to prospect for me. She asked all the questions I needed answered about if they could do what I wanted and work in my budget and when I could come in to meet with them. By the time she was done, all I had to do was walk into the store and buy a ring.
Lia took what I thought would be a weeks or months long process and condenses it into just a few hours of my life. Way easier than I ever thought it could’ve been.
My fiancé loves the ring and loves that I got everything right in getting her what she wanted. Some of that I can attribute to being a good listener, but most of that is thanks to Lia’s tireless efforts.
I can not recommend Lia and Little Bird enough. Be sure to hire them when you need to tackle this daunting task, because whatever you pay will be a bargain compared to the time and stress you save trying to go it alone.
Thanks again, Lia!

I stumbled upon Little Bird while reading an online article about choosing a wedding ring. I had no idea such a service existed!
When I contacted them, I was greeted warmly by Lia who helped me hone in on ring ideas. I admit, I didn’t give her much to go on and I had a fairly tight turnaround time. Undaunted, Lia asked questions about my now-​fiancees’ taste in art, clothing, etc. She pointed me to a few local (Brooklyn) jewelry stores and set up a Pinterest so she could feed me ideas and concepts as a starting point. From there, I gave her some feedback and we had a few e-​mail exchanges with ideas. Eventually, I landed on a ring from one of the locations she recommended and I (and more importantly my fiancée) couldn’t be happier with the result.
I would happily recommend Little Bird to anyone who is making the joyful and equally agonizing decision of which engagement ring to choose. Not only are they very knowledgeable about metals, stones and the three C’s, but they have a deft touch with respect to the considerable stress making such a decision can produce. Lia coached me through the options and helped put me at ease about some of the less glamorous but important questions (am I spending enough? is that salary equation true? does it have to be a diamond? Why am I freaking out?).
Little Bird has found a great niche and they are filling it with professionalism, a touch of humor and a solid knowledge base. I thank them for helping me make a very important decision and taking the next step in my relationship.

I came across Little Bird after reading an article online about picking the perfect engagement ring. To say I was clueless would be a gross understatement. Imagine going to buy a car for the first time except you have never driven a car or even been inside a car. You’ve seen them from a distance and know that some cost hundreds while others cost hundreds of thousands. That was me and diamonds.
Danielle gave me some incredible advice the first time we talked and told me that she would be able to help me find a perfect ring no matter my budget. Well, she was right. She hooked me up with Brilliant Earth and helped me pick a right that would check every box on the list without breaking my budget.
The ring arrived and it was exactly as I’d hoped. My girlfriend — now fiancé — loved it. No hyperbole when I say that I don’t think I could have done it without Danielle and Little Bird. It wasn’t like they have some secret stash of cheap, perfect diamonds but they will give you much-​needed confidence that you are buying a great diamond/​ring. That goes a long way when you are not sure what you are doing.
Don’t even think — just call Danielle and have her help you. You won’t regret it for a second.

Thank God we had Little Bird.
Little Bird helped us navigate the confusing process of diamond buying. Get this: we took Danielle, incognito, to my family’s «diamond guy» to help us verify his diamonds against some of the other shops we were considering. Thankfully he passed with flying colors.
We ended up buying a different diamond that became available at Brilliant Earth and walked away confident that we got a unique stone with high value. Danielle is an honest, independent diamond expert and FUN to work with.

Danielle helped my fiancé procure my engagement ring and I could not be happier with the results. I get so many compliments on my ring and I feel so lucky to wear such a beautiful and unique ring for the rest of my life.

I am not normally a Unilocaler, but I had such a great experience with Little Bird that I had to write a little blurb. Knowing I wanted to propose to my now fiancé, and the type of diamond I wanted it was time to start looking. The problem was I had no idea about any of the other aspects of purchasing the perfect engagement ring.
I contacted Little Bird and a wonderful human named Danielle was there to assist me. over the course of a week Danielle held my hand patiently while explaining what all the ratings were for diamonds, and what best fit my budget. Danielle and Little Bird were responsive, professional, helpful and extremely patient with my literally thousands of questions.
Danielle sent me dozens of diamonds to look at, as well as possible settings for the diamond based on what I knew my fiancé wanted. This was a HUGE help. She even went out of her way to go personally inspect each of the diamonds I was considering to make sure the quality was there. Full service from Little Bird to say the least.
Danielle and Little bird helped expedite the process with their knowledge which proved to be extremely helpful since my time frame was tighter then expected. They helped save me money and get more bang for my buck all while getting the perfect engagement ring. Without their help I don’t think the ring would have turned out the way it did. We are extremely happy with the service Little Bird provided and a huge thanks goes out the Danielle specifically.

Lia at Little Bird saved our butts big time! We recommend x100000!!!
We had a (very, VERY) tight timeframe to obtain a wedding band for my husband. We had made some inquiries at independent vendors who quoted us a 4 – 6 week delivery time… which was about 3 – 5 weeks longer than we had. Eeeeek!
After our consultation with Lia, she wasted no time springing into action to find us what we were searching for. She contacted various jewellers on our behalf, keeping us posted on her findings, and updating us on what she would do next.
In the end, she found us the perfect jeweller who was able to make us EXACTLY what we were looking for in the timeframe required, and it was within our budget. I would say that’s a win all around.
We would definitely recommend Little Bird’s services! Wedding ring shopping (whether it be engagement or wedding) is SUPER overwhelming. Having someone who knows the ropes of jewelry AND jewellers was a total asset to us in our wedding planning.

I am so thankful for Little Bird!
Backstory: I had no idea my proposal was coming; my (now) husband and I had never even discussed or looked at rings. Period. The fact that he was able to design and then create something so ‘me’ is still an amazement. He is not the jewelry type, if there is even such a thing, but he truly found his way w/​Little Bird at his side. I can honestly say that I couldn’t have done better myself. The best part of all was that in the end it was a surprise, the single most incredible, perfect surprise.
I loved the engagement ring so much that we worked together with Danielle again when it came time to design and purchase our wedding bands!

Danielle helped me design rings I didn’t even have an initial vision for. She’s a bit of a mind reader that way. Sometimes I’ll glance down at my hands and wonder how I got by before them — sounds a litlte dramatic, but it’s true. I love them and I feel like they express exactly what I love in jewelry — simple, understated, and yet very unique. My rings are not engagement rights, they are rings that were just for me, from me, to me. Without a doubt what I loved most about working Danielle is her immediate understanding of what it was I was wanted, and helping me get to the point where I could visualize it. She does without being pushy or sales-​y which is so appreciated in this somewhat intimidating world. It’s hard to know what you want in the world of jewelry when pretty much every single thing is beautiful… but I needed some direction, and that’s exactly what she gave me. She helped me choose stones (to this day I haven’t seen anything similar on anyone else), setting… even advised me on fingers they would look best on. I’ve already returned once for another birthday present to me gift. I look forward to the next one.