The History of Tacori
Tacori is the California Dream come to life by Haig Tacorian. Tacorian began his legacy in 1969 when he and wife Gilda left Europe for the United States. He had spent time as a travelling jewelry salesman to pay his college tuition, but realized his passion for jewelry outweighed what he felt for the academic life. And so Tacori was born.
The company was founded in California, where it remains to this day. In the quiet, tree-lined streets of Glendale, Tacori’s headquarters house the genius designers who draw their inspiration from California’s natural beauty to create Tacori’s heirloom quality pieces.
A California Sunset – the Inspiration Behind the Tacori Brand
His style has a distinct European flair that he wanted to introduce to the US market. His penchant for handcrafted design details influenced a generation of bridal jewelry. The most iconic of those details? The crescent design.
“It’s our signature,” Tacorian states. Naturally, it’s copyrighted. But it’s also passionately protected by Tacori, with more than thirty lawsuits filed against any enterprising thieves who want to copy the look. In addition to legal protection, Tacori’s signature Crescent has another facet to its uniqueness: it’s hard to get right. It’s so difficult to replicate exactly that it serves as a stamp of authenticity in the vast majority of cases.
The crescent signature – known as a Tacori Touch, as all Tacori handcrafted details are – is a silhouette on Tacori pieces that is an artistic half-moon pattern. It features interlocking half-moon arcs, which provide windows of light to reflect the brilliance of the diamonds placed within each crescent silhouette semi-circle.
Tacori’s Signature Crescent Design
The design was perfected by Haig Tacorian, who remains the patriarch of the brand. His artistic vision is seen through by his son, Paul Tacorian, who is Tacori’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and daughter Nadine Tacorian, who is President of Design and Operations.
Tacori’s entire team operates out of their Glendale, California studio. The first step in the process of creating a Tacori masterpiece is a design created by the Head Designer. Next, that sketch is translated into a Computer Aided Design (CAD) mockup. Once the CAD image is created, the Tacori team analyzes, tweaks, and ultimately perfects the design to ensure a lifetime of beauty.
A Tacori Ring Sketch – The First Step in the Design Process
Next, that image is translated into a 3D mold of the ring to base the casting of the ring upon. Either gold, platinum, or silver is then propel-injected into the mold, where the goldsmith works his magic to create those Tacori Crescents. Next, Tacori’s polishers add the perfect shine to each piece with hand-machine polishing. Each step of the Tacori process combines high technology with age-old handcrafting technique.
Meanwhile, the other part of the Tacori team, the diamond and gem team, hand selects the perfect stones for each ring. Some Tacori designs feature more than 100 diamonds, and each one is chosen as long as it satisfied the high Tacori standards for cut, color, clarity and proportion. Every Tacori diamond must meet the Gorgeous, Very Sexy criteria – G color or better and VS clarity or better!
Diamonds are Hand Selected to Ensure Each Stone Meets Tacori’s Minimum Standards
In addition to their physical beauty, Tacori diamonds are selected only if they are compliant with the Kimberley Process. The Kimberley Process is a system that unites governments and diamond producing countries to stop the mining and export of conflict diamonds. It is designed to support only those diamond sources that are legitimately produced to benefit the local economy – not fund violent groups. Every Tacori diamond included Kimberley Process compliance paperwork so clientele can confidently know their rings are shining with beautiful, conflict-free diamonds.
After this, the gemstones are hand set by master jewelers who have perfected their craft with years of experience. From there, the ring goes back through the polishing stage once more to get it showroom-ready.
The Tacori Ring Process – Master Jewelers at Work
Throughout this process, Tacori makes it easy to customize their breathtaking designs even further – that spirit of independence is a California mainstay and it’s something Tacori gives to every bride. In fact, Tacori makes it so easy, they’ve done away with all modification fees. In an unprecedented move, the design studios decided to eliminate any barrier between a Tacori Girl and her dream ring.
There are no modification charges to accommodate center stones – regardless of shape or weights up to 2.5 carats. In the RoyalT collection that weight range goes all the way up to 4 carats. Instead, your jeweler will simply select the best match for your center stone variation, and the experts at Tacori will craft the new setting with your dream diamond shape, whether that’s emerald cut, pear shape, cushion, princess – whatever you’re dreaming, they’ll make it happen.
Create Your Custom Dream Ring with Tacori
There are no modification charges for a “new ring fee.” This means that virtually any special modification request can be honored without a charge. If you want to marry the crown of one Tacori setting with the foundation of another ring, change the width of the wedding band, change the size of the diamonds in a halo (or bloom, as Tacori calls them), change how far along the band your diamonds spread – you name it, you’ve got it. The only cost with these changes come from any additional materials you add, like platinum or more diamonds.
Finally, there are no modification fees to change the finger size of a Tacori ring style. Whether you need a size 2 or a size 12, the price for any particular style will remain the same.
Once it arrives, you’re guaranteed an heirloom quality piece that will be a beautiful part of your love story for years to come. And for each of those years you’re guaranteed a lifetime of exceptional service. A Tacori purchase is more than just a financial investment in a gorgeous ring, it’s an investment in that ring’s future. And the artisans at Tacori stand by that investment.
Tacori’s Expectional After Sale Service
Complimentary Tacori services include re-sizing, general refurbishing, and engraving touch-ups. All you need to do is bring your Tacori ring, along with its certificate of authenticity, to Diamonds by Raymond Lee and we’ll send your ring directly to Tacori for the care it needs. Your personal serial number will be looked up in our system to provide tracking and updates on the process to both you and us.
To take care of your ring between “check ups”, Tacori recommends that you follow the same basic care tips recommended by Diamonds by Raymond Lee. Remove your rings when working with your hands, around the house doing chores, and even getting ready for a big night on the town. Store them safely in their Tacori box or anti-tarnish pouch, and clean them often using your Diamonds by Raymond Lee cleaning solution and gentle brush kit.
There are other care and keeping precautions we recommend to maintain the beauty of your Tacori engagement ring and wedding band, always be sure to follow the basics of good ring hygiene.
Tacori Collections
Discussing Tacori engagement rings as a whole enables us to show the beauty behind the brand, and the genius behind the designs. But that’s just scratching the tip of the Tacori engagement ring iceberg. Under gilded the Tacori umbrella are the design studio’s many famed engagement ring collections, each uniquely beautiful in their own way. Every Tacori collection has its own hallmark, its own style, and its own voice. Some are stand-out-from-the-crowd different, while others are variations on Tacori’s signature Crescent silhouette. All offer something that every Tacori Girl craves – personalized luxury.
Blooming Beauties – Like a flower bursting into bloom, the Blooming Beauties collection features a center stone permanently on the brink. The two rows of pave set accent diamonds are arranged in a tiered frame to give the look of unfurling diamonds. The higher layer gives bold sparkle to the ring, while the lower layer creates a solid foundation of diamonds.
Classic Crescent – The collection that launched a lifestyle. The iconic Tacori Crescent design set with diamonds lines the inner face of each ring. The expertly crafted valleys between crescents reflect the brilliance of each diamond, whether they’re adorning the collection’s ribbon bands or straight classic bands.
Clean Crescent – The Classic Crescent reimagined. These rings feature the same signature crescent design on the rings’ inner faces, but with smaller and more streamlined detailing. This creates a more diamond-intense look for the band and center stone alike.
Dantela – Romanian for “lace” Dantela’s name is as delicate and feminine as the rings in this collection. Each ring’s crown features a layer of lace-like diamonds set just below the center stone to create a lovely, romantic look.
Full Bloom – Like Blooming Beauties, the Full Bloom collection draws inspiration from floral design for its engagement rings. Tacori Full Bloom rings feature just one row of blooming diamonds, however they’re much larger for a bold, impactful look.
Petite Crescent – The smaller, more delicate version of the Classic Crescent design. The Petite Crescent collection features French-cut settings with less metal for more emphasis on the diamonds.
Pretty in Pink – This line takes on rose gold in the beautifully romantic Tacori Pretty in Pink collection. This collection features each designer’s most popular designs reimagined in rich rose gold for an elegant twist of unexpected beauty.
Reverse Crescent – Tacori’s stunning artwork turned on its head: the Classic Crescent becomes inverted to create this collection. Open arcs on each ring’s inner face create beautiful windows of light to illuminate the diamonds with a lacy effect.
Ribbon – As two lives merge into one, Tacori’s Ribbon collection designs feature two bands to diamonds intertwined for eternity. Ribbons twist together as their separate diamond pave paths merge and culminate at the ultimate question: “Will You?” Your brilliant center diamond is the answer.
RoyalT – The ultimate in luxury, The RoyalT collection is specifically designed for diamonds 2 carats and larger. These settings are handcrafted exclusively in platinum, and all include Tacori’s signature crescent silhouette. These rings are freshly minted heirlooms to be admired for generations.
Sculpted Crescent – A modern spin on the ultimate Tacori Touch, this collection features the signature crescent design sculpted in metal. The result is a more structural take on the design.
Simply Tacori – A collection close to the Tacori family’s heart. This line was inspired by an engagement within the family, and introduced a more minimalist, modern look with playfully geometric Tacori Touches and creative spins on the crescent design.
Tacori Gold – Like the Pretty in Pink collection, Tacori Gold features each designer’s biggest hits cast in warm yellow gold.
Starlit – The most singular of Tacori’s collections, these rings are instantly recognizable because they are so different. Each center diamond is embraced by a liquid metal bezel setting with milgrain crescent details that dance along the ring’s inner face.
Tacori – Jeweler to the Stars
Tacori’s California roots keep it close to the epicenter of celebrity – and close to those celebrities’ hearts. The designs are a favorite among many Hollywood standouts.
Christina Hendricks of Mad Men fame wears a Tacori wedding band. Meredith Grey aka Ellen Pompeo has a Tacori Dantela engagement ring featuring a 3 carat emerald cut from husband Chris Ivery. Whitney Port had a hand in the design of her Tacori wedding set. Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott gift each other Tacori jewelry, Twilight’s Nikki Reed wore a three stone Tacori engagement ring, among the many celebrities who rock Tacori on the red carpet.
Tacori & The Bachelor
In the beginning, The Bachelor had eyes only for Tacori. The brand sprang to fame when Bachelor and Bachelorette producers chose Tacori rings for the winners. One of the producers had purchased their own Tacori heirloom, and loved it so much they asked Tacori to provide the rings for the series. One episode even brought the happy couple to Tacori’s design studios to film the entire Tacori design process.
Star struck by Tacori ? View the entire Tacori line here