Canturi Diamonds Review: Inconsistent Quality and High Prices

Overall Score:3.17
Canturi
Price:2		Selection:4		Customer Service:3.5
Pros	Friendly staff Comfortable store setting
Cons	Inconsistent quality High prices
Other Recommended Retailers	Blue Nile James Allen

Bottom Line Recommendation

I would not recommend buying a diamond ring from Canturi. We have more details below, but here is a diamond from Canturi and a comparable diamond from Blue Nile that is 42% cheaper. If you look at all the diamonds we saw, the average savings purchasing online would be about 39%. Generally we recommend buying from an reputable online jeweller like Blue Nile or James Allen (you can read more about the topic here).

That said even if you were adamant about buying at a physical retailer, Canturi would not be our choice. The diamond quality was inconsistent and there are other retailers that, while still more expensive than buying online, are more competitively priced.

The History

Born in 1966 in Sydney, Australia Stefano Canturi is a classically trained craftsman and visionary jewellery designer. His interest in miniature sculpture began at the age of nine in Florence, Italy where his instant admiration of hand carved sculptures was born.

In the years that followed, the drive to sculpt became irrepressible, and at the age of 17 he pursued an opportunity to learn the craft of jewellery creation under an Italian Master..

In 1986, he began designing and crafting jewellery under his own name and quickly attracted a following of women who were drawn to the unique talent of the visionary artist.

His Creation Department is in Sydney, Australia and much like the original craftspeople of an era past, his works are only available through his three exclusive jewellery salons in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Brisbane

The Experience

Canturi was one of the last stops we made while wandering around Brisbane. I genuinely liked the layout of the store; It was bright, airy and had a nice modern vibe. The one weird thing was that we sat on couches to look at the rings. I get that they are trying to make you comfortable, but it was weird to me. Many people want to take notes or pictures. They may want to walk around to see how the diamond looks in different light. I don’t think sitting in deep cushioned sofas is conducive to buying a diamond. But maybe that’s just me.

The salesperson was incredibly nice and helpful. It’s one of the rare occasions where the salesperson asked to show us a variety to help us get a better understanding of our options. She picked an excellent variety of engagement rings to show us.

The Product

The first diamond we looked at was a 1.08ct E color, SI2 clarity round diamond set in an 18kt white gold solitaire setting. The diamond was very nice. The cut was fine and the SI2 was eye-clean. The price for the ring was AU$15,500.

The second engagement ring we looked at was a three-stone round diamond setting. The center diamond was a 0.86ct E color, SI1 clarity diamond that was graded by GSL. We recommend only purchasing diamonds with a GIA or AGS certificate. GSL is a local certificate and I’m a bit skeptical. To be fair, the grades did seem spot on so we’ll let it slide.

What I won’t let slide was the cut. The diamond was horrifically cut. It was deep and had a huge table. The diamond just looked terrible. The side-stone diamonds were 0.70ctw and were supposedly E color, SI1 clarity and the total price was AU$11,700.

Melbourne

The Experience

We found Canturi on Little Collins St. The experience in Melbourne was very similar to the experience in Brisbane. That is the way it should be (that a store has uniform standards and style), but is not always the case. The store wasn’t as bright as the one in Brisbane, but had a nice vibe. Once again, they did the whole “show diamond rings while sitting in comfy couches” thing. The salesperson was also very nice and helpful.

The Product

The first diamond we saw was a 1.03ct G color, VS2 clarity in an 18kt white gold solitaire setting for AU$13,900. This was a fantastic diamond. The cut was superb and the diamond was bright and eye-clean.

The second diamond was a 0.80ct F color, SI1 clarity round diamond. This diamond was nowhere near as nice as the previous one. It was very poorly cut, making it look dark and lacking brilliance. It also had inclusions noticeable to the naked eye. This diamond was set in a 0.19ctw halo setting and cost AU$8,700.

The Value

The first ring we saw in Brisbane was the 1.08ct in a white gold setting for AU$15,500. Here is a similar 1.01ct E color, SI2 clarity diamond from Blue Nile for AU$8,253. If you add it to this setting, the total cost is AU$8,913. That is a whopping 42% savings for a comparable ring.

The second ring we saw was the three stone ring with a 0.86ct poorly cut, E color, SI1 clarity round diamond. Here is a comparable diamond from Blue Nile. If you pair it with this 0.35ct and this 0.35ct and this setting, the total price comes to AU$ 6,700. That is 43% cheaper than the AU$11,700 Canturi was charging.

The first diamond we saw in Melbourne was a 1.03ct G color, VS2 clarity round diamond in an 18kt white gold solitaire setting for AU$13,900. Here is a virtually identical 1.03ct G color, VS2 clarity diamond from Blue Nile for AU$9,458. If you add it to this solitaire setting, the total price of AU$10,041. That is a savings of 28%.

The last diamond we saw was a 0.80ct F color, SI1 clarity diamond in a halo setting for AU$8,700. As we mentioned, we are not fans of this diamond. This is a similar diamond and setting from Blue Nile for AU$5,324. That is 39% cheaper than the Canturi ring.

James Allen James Allen is the leader in online diamond sales. Their imaging technology is the same as inspecting a diamond with a jeweler's loupe. They have the largest exclusive loose diamond inventory online and fantastic prices. They also have the nicest collection of lab created diamonds online. For a limited time Save 25% during James Allen Holiday Sale!

Click to Visit

What we love about them:

• No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
• Lifetime Warranty
• Free International Shipping
• Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
• Provide insurance appraisals
• One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
• Free ring inscriptions
• Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
• 24/7 Customer Service
• Best-in-class packaging

Blue Nile Blue Nile is the largest and most well known internet jewelry seller. They have a very large exclusive online inventory. Their high quality images are catching up to James Allens' and their prices are amazing. Blue Nile have generously offered our readers an exclusive one-time use coupon. (Click Here to save $100 off $1000 purchase)

Please enter your email address to receive your personal one-time use unique coupon code:

Click to Visit

What we love about them:

• No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
• Lifetime Warranty
• Free Shipping
• Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
• Provide insurance appraisal
• One free resizing within the first year of purchase
• High quality images of about half of their diamonds
• 24/7 Customer Service
• 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
• Best in class fulfillment

About the author

Michael Fried Mike Fried has over 25 years experience in the diamond industry working with Leo Schachter Diamonds, Moshe Namdar Diamonds, and joining The Diamond Pro in 2007. He is recognized as an industry expert and has been quoted in publications such as Us, People, Page Six, The Next Web and more.