Vera Wang is a huge name in fashion, not only in the US, but cross the globe. The instantly recognisable moniker can be found on clothing, perfume and of course, diamond engagement rings.
The familiarity of a name can often lull consumers in a sense of security – one which is often misplaced. Are Vera Wang engagement rings worthy to bear the esteemed designer’s name? This guide will tell you everything you need to know about the history, quality and price of Vera Wang engagement rings.
The History
Vera Wang is of Chinese descent and was born and raised in New York City. She studied Art History at Sarah Lawrence College; upon graduating, she was immediately hired by Vogue as an editor making her the youngest individual holding the position. After leaving Vogue, Wang worked for Ralph Lauren before becoming an independent bridal designer. Her wedding and evening gown client list contains some impressive names, including A-listers and politicians.
It was around the early 2000’s that Wang began expanding her empire, putting her name on home goods, china, fragrance and engagement rings.
The Quality
Vera Wang is a bright and brilliant designer who truly understands the bridal details that customers look for. Her LOVE collection is no different. A blinged up, heavily detailed selection of designs with a fairy-tale feel. The designs themselves are diverse which are a testament to the Vera Wang style.
Sadly, this is where the positives end. Although the designs themselves are creative, they are let down by the quality and lack of specifications.
Here is a breakdown of the Vera Wang LOVE collection red flags:
- Vera Wang engagement rings do not use certified diamonds. I express the importance of diamond certification for good reason; GIA or AGS reports are the only way to truly know the quality of a diamond and thus be able to make reasonable assertations about beauty and spend.
- The LOVE collection has been pedalled to low-end chain jewellers such as Zales (US) and Ernest Jones (UK). These stores are all about racking them high and selling them cheap – finding a well-priced, high quality diamond in these stores is a needle in a haystack.
- The Vera Wang rings use illusion settings, although they do not call them as such. Illusion settings are where smaller diamonds are set very close together to create the illusion of one, large centre diamond. The problem here is quality and profit – smaller diamonds are easier to come by and significantly cheaper than one, beautiful centre stone. Unfortunately, size is often a heavily influencing factor for engagement rings buyers – this driving emotion means vendors can charge more for low quality, smaller diamonds, thus making a larger profit and customers unknowingly buy low quality products simply because they look bigger.
- In product listings, a total carat weight is given – this is common and can be helpful for buyers, providing a centre stone weight is provided separately. Vera Wang rings give a vague carat weight for the central diamond, but place heavy emphasis on the TCW. This small detail is a marketing tactic, working on the same emotional basis as an illusion setting – it gives the impression of getting bang for your buck. I find it extremely misleading.
Vera Wang’s calling card is a small sapphire set into the side of the ring. Sapphires are also used stylistically throughout the collection.
Gemstone quality is a whole new world that requires the same level of scrutiny as buying a diamond. With no indication of quality for colored gemstones across the Vera Wang collection, you are buying blind.
If you’ve fallen for colored gemstones and diamonds, I highly recommend taking a look at Leibish & Co – they are the industry leaders in high quality colored stones and offer buyers a wonderful gemstone education across their website.
Vera Wang Engagement Ring Prices
If you’ve read my Zales review, you will know they are notorious for selling seriously overpriced engagement rings and diamonds. The Vera Wang LOVE collection follows suit.
First, one of my most hated marketing tactics – a drastically lowered price. This is nothing more than a gimmick and is a big indicator of how high the margins are already if they can be discounted so heavily. I spoke of the detailed nature of the designs, but the execution does not live up to expectation. The ring above is listed as a 1/5 carat I-SI2 (uncertified). The original price is $4,499.
The lower end of a diamond with these specs would be around $850. We know it isn’t a great cut. No amount of halos and melee will disguise a poor quality centre diamond.
There are other designers who create remarkably detailed and intricate settings with diamonds galore. Take a look at my review of Tacori designer rings to appreciate the difference in quality and price.
The Final Word
A lack of specifications, vague gradings and zero certification make it difficult to recommend Vera Wang engagement rings. A standard clarity grading of SI2 is extremely risky, particularly as there is no diamond imaging to assess if the diamond is eye-clean.
For intricate designs and exceptional quality diamonds all in one place, I recommend Whiteflash. They hold designers like Verragio and Tacori who represent the finest artistry of ornate, designer engagement rings. These can be set with any of Whiteflash’s world class A CUT ABOVE® diamonds for a truly knockout ring. If it’s a pretty blue sapphires that have captured your heart, try Leibish & Co for a myriad of top quality, colored gemstones. The Monique Lhuillier engagement ring settings on Blue Nile also offer a reasonably priced alternative to a Vera Wang ring.