Testimonials

Our experience with Ken and Dana has been wonderful from the start. Patty guided my fiancé through the entire process and the end result was a stunningly beautiful and unique ring, unlike I’ve seen at any other jeweler. Communication was also very open and all of our questions were answered along the way, making the daunting task of online ring shopping very simple and smooth.

For us, it was extremely important that we find an ethically-sourced diamond. My fiancé is from Sierra Leone, a country that was devastated by the blood diamond war. His family was directly affected by the war and the country is still dealing with the aftermath. We simply could not purchase a diamond without knowing that it was conflict-free. Ken and Dana’s commitment to using ethical diamonds and to creating sustainable and peaceful development was a huge factor for us. The best part was that we did not have to settle! My fiancé proposed to me with the perfect, most beautiful ring I could have imagined. Thank you Ken and Dana Design!!

I live in Scotland, and had planned to propose to my girlfriend during a holiday to New York. I liked the idea of buying the engagement ring in New York, as a reminder of where I popped the question. I figured it would also mean i’d get something different than what i’d get back home. Different, is certainly what you get with Ken & Dana. Having googled ring shops in New York and trolled through the many stores online based within the diamond district, I didnt see anything that really stood out as being unique……until i seen reviews on Ken & Dana.
Their website instantly stood out as having designs that were unique and not the mass produced factory style you see everywhere.
Living in Scotland I was worried about doing everything via email and online, but i needn’t have been. 6 weeks before my trip I contacted Patty via email, regarding designs etc. I wanted a pear diamond and the Aurora fitted the bill perfectly. Having read up on diamonds, with my limited knowledge I asked Patty for some quotes of pear diamonds close to my ‘specs’. She came back to within 24hrs a few times with 3 or 4 quotes until i settled on a stone within my budget and with my specs.
I was still nervous about paying up front, having not seen the stone, only an example of a completed ring. However, Ken & Dana have a 100% returns policy, should my girlfriend not have liked it, which put me at ease.
So 3 weeks before my trip, I placed the order, paying in full. Patty then sent me a short video of the diamond she had sourced, 48hrs later, which looked great.
On top of meeting my deadline, they were involved in a studio move, but assured me it would be ready in time for my trip.
As it turned out, the ring was completed and ready for collection the day I landed in New York. I arranged to pick it up a few days later, giving me time to plan the proposal. So i proposed the next day, up the Empire State building. (Cliche yes, but my now fiancee loved it, didn’t expect it and was over the moon I chose that location.) Having proposed without the ring, I then pointed out a park down at the flatiron building and said her ring was in a studio close to there. We grabbed lunch to kill time before our appointment at Ken & Dana’s and then headed along. I think it added to the excitement, as she was excited to see the ring and nervous about my choice. We sat down with Patty, she presented the ring in the box and I put it on my fiancee’s finger, all the while Patty was snapping away with my camera, capturing the moment. Nina loved the ring, its unusual design and especially the clarity/fire of the diamond. Patty handed over the documentation, wished us well and we enjoyed the rest of our holiday.
We’re now in the process of planning the wedding and have already begun emailing Patty about our wedding bands. They have some great designs that especially compliment the engagement rings. The rings can happily be shipped to the UK or we can collect, which is what we intend to do.
All in, the service was great, the team really relaxed and their styles amazing. The stones are ethically sourced and the gold re-cycled, which adds to the appeal and uniqueness of the designs. Its the kind of shop that we’ll go back to time and time again in the future. Grant

Unbelievable! I could not have asked for a better experience buy a ring for my now wife! They were able to work with me remotely as i was unable to get there to the studio. When I did finally get the opportunity to visit the studio and meet them in person, I could not have felt more comfortable with the whole process

The ring looks great! My fiance absolutely loves it and we couldn’t be happier! It was a pleasure to deal with Patty. She was very helpful and made this a very pleasant experience. I live in California and wanted my own stone used for our ring. It was done easily and in a surprisingly short time. Thank you very much!

Absolutely a pleasure to deal with and absolutely a stunning, incomparable ring.

I found Ken and Dana because I was being a smartass and googling “blood diamond” for my soon-to-be-fiance. Ken and Dana were the first match, and all for the right reasons – their stones are all ethically sourced, conflict-free, and all that other hippie shit that is important to some of us.

If it’s not important to you, and you stumble upon the store only for the obvious reasons, then rest assured, you’re going to have a wonderful experience. Their designs range from timeless and simple to really out there and unique. We’re more on the conservative side, so we ended up getting a vintage-looking art deco style (the Almira, if you’re so inclined to research) that has since turned into a show stopper – even though I didn’t go for broke with the size and kept it to .75 carats (which is plenty showy for us).

The process was simple. I went in by myself the first time and just shot the breeze with Patty. I started right off the bat by saying I don’t know anything about anything, so she patiently and succinctly educated me. I went on to give her the backstory about me and my girlfriend, what she’s into, and what kind of styles appealed to her.

I had a ton of questions and Patty was honest about everything. She was funny and fun and sensitive to my concerns. I told her cost wasn’t really a HUGE issue, and that we’re naturally pretty understated people – so I appreciated her not trying to sell up and spend more money than necessary on anything too gaudy for us. I tried various suggestions of varying colors and gems and she would answer honestly and logically. After my first visit, I had it down to two picks, but wanted to make sure. Since this wasn’t going to be a surprise, we made an appointment to bring in the lady next time.

A week later, we went in for another 30 minutes, with my erstwhile girlfriend. She made her pick and kept it simple. We got her measurements and left it at that. The next morning I emailed Patty and placed the order. My lady wanted a half carat and I was pushing for a full one just to be slightly obnoxious. I decided to split the difference and about two weeks later it was done, even though they said thye might need 4-6 weeks.

I paid for half the ring online when ordering it and completed the order upon pickup.

And for those wondering, I hid it in my sock drawer until I got word back from her parents. After that, she said yes after only about four hours of convincing.

Thanks, Patty! I recommend them wholeheartedly.