Arka Designs

My fiancé did his research, and went to multiple places in LA to look for an engagement ring. He knew he was in the right place when he fell upon the tiny room in the Biltmore. His experience at Akra was amazing — they worked with him and custom made my beautiful ring. We are definitely going to get our wedding rings here.

My fiancé went to Arka Designs to make my engagement ring. My entire family has used Vito to prepare their wedding rings and he has come highly recommended to us. Vito has been so helpful and a pleasure to work with. He is able to help all of our needs and both my ring and my finances ring are beautiful!

Vito is amazing! My wife and I went to Vito for our wedding rings after reading his rave reviews, and were certainly not disappointed.
Initially we were unsure of exactly what we wanted, my wife only having a rough idea of the design she was looking for. Vito was extremely patient in helping her make her vision a reality, and with great success. Both of our rings turned out beautifully, and we were very pleased with not only the finished products, but with the whole process.
Once we met Vito, we knew we had found our guy. Upon speaking to him, we quickly got a sense of his experience and expertise. He made us feel totally confident and at ease making such an important purchase, and there was never any pressure from him at all to exceed our budget. Once our designs were finalized, we paid Vito a few more visits to wrap things up and he went out of his way to make sure that we were happy and satisfied.
I have no hesitation in recommending Vito for your fine jewelry needs, and I certainly will be back to him in the future. He is an extremely nice person; you certainly won’t do any better than if you paid him a visit.

When I was looking to propose to my fiancé I thought finding the perfect ring would be extremely difficult. thanks to Vito this was not the case. I live in Massachusetts but originally from Los Angeles my brother who lives in Los Angeles mentioned Vito as professional, knowledgeable, honest jeweller. When I spoke to Vito over the phone, he was really detailed in explaining the different types of options I had. I gave him my budget and the design of the ring I was looking for and within a couple of phone calls I felt confident that he would deliver what he promised. Three weeks later as agreed he mailed the ring to a local fed-​ex store. When I opened beautiful box with a LED light shinning on the ring I was blown away by the beautiful ring he had created. Most important of all is that my fiancé loves the ring and gets many compliments. I would highly recommend Arka Designs to anyone looking to buy jewelry.

We are lucky we found Vito. He knows how to treat a customer, regardless of how big or small the job is. From the start we knew he was our guy because he was knowledgeable and easy going. He clearly is an expert at his profession and created an exquisite peice. He steered us in the right direction every step of the way. I have complete confidence in Vito and recommend you see him. Vito, Thank You. We are your customers for life! You earned it.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Vito. I was shopping for an engagement ring for my now fiancé and Vito guided me through every step. At first I was a bit overwhelmed with all the details regarding a diamond but Vito really helped me to understand and make sure I felt comfortable with my purchase. I gave him my set budget and he worked with me to ensure I got the best ring for my price. Thanks for everything Vito!

Vito is awesome guy! 5 stars Unilocal reviews won’t lie to you!
Great location (inside of historical hotel and Vito validates the valet parking)
He closes after 6pm which (no other DTLA jewelry stores does that) it was only available time for me during weekdays. He is also willing to stay there late for me almost whenever so I saved a lot of time choosing and purchasing the engagement rings because no other DTLA jewelry stores does it that I would have to only visit during weekend.
Because of his closing time, I called him after work and decided to visit him. And once I spoke with him couple minutes, I made up my mind for a huge commitment of purchasing the loose diamond and rings. He is accommodated person and giving only his honest and true recommendations that there would be no any issue.
If you need to stop wasting your time of wondering to find perfect sets of diamonds, you should just come visit and hear the most honest consultation from Vito! He has good selections too!
I am looking forward to visiting him again for any after service/​repair while waiting me enjoying couple drinks at the bar without any worries!

Vito is the man. My fiancé (now husband) was referred to Vito by a friend and went to him to design my engagement ring using vintage diamond heirlooms. We both loved it so much that we returned to Vito to help us decide on wedding bands. He is helpful and honest and the end product is exactly what we wanted!
Thanks Vito. See you soon :)

Vito presents himself as modest and easygoing, but he is clearly a experienced jeweler. He is gracious and utterly reliable. I had a definite design in mind. I had longed for this ring for two years. I even carried a picture of it on my phone. After getting several estimates, my husband and I decided that it would be too expensive. But after five minutes of chatting with Vito, there was no question that he could create it at a price we could afford.
Vito sent an image by email which was very faithful to the actual stones. These stones were certainly selected with great thought, but Vito didn’t call any attention to himself. He kept the focus on the stones. I really wanted a vermillion colored stone, and there it was: a Mexican opal. When I was afraid that it might be too orange, Vito reassured me. He explained that, because the setting was closed behind the stone, it would appear as vermillion, not orange.
I was overjoyed when we saw the final product. I spend a fair amount of time looking at the opal with pleasure, watching how it catches the light on its surface and deep inside, whether the light is as bright as sunlight or as soft as candlelight.
I will treasure this ring, a gift from my dear husband, for the rest of my life.

My fiancé and I could not be happier with Vito at Arka designs! We found him off of Unilocal and are so glad we did. Vito is so accommodating and helpful and answers all of your [stupid] questions. Thank you, Vito, for my perfect ring!!! We will definitely be back for our wedding bands!

Vito was absolutely phenomenal — both his service throughout and the final product. Everyone who sees the ring is absolutely blown away, and the price for the quality is unbeatable.
From discussions with friends, I don’t think I was the average ring shopper — my fiancé had unwittingly tipped me off to what kinds of rings she likes via her «my big day» pinterest board that she thought was private.
I had 3 pictures of rings I was using as a basis to design the perfect ring for her.
First we started off with the diamond. I gave Vito my parameters and he came up with several amazing round brilliant stones to look at. But the man has a great eye for a beautiful stone. Of the two times I went in to look at two different batches of stones, he picked out «his favorite» or what I like to call «Vito’s pick» — each of those two stones was incredible to look and on par (sometimes even cheaper) than other stones in the batch. Vito would always point me to the *best* stone, not the priciest. Good man.
Next, Vito and I went back and forth for weeks tweaking and refining 3D autoCAD renderings of the ring — «let’s shave a 10^th of millimeter off here»… «let’s angle it by 20 more degrees there»
If I were Vito, I would have killed me, but he was kind and patient all the way throughout.
And in the end, the ring that he produced was phenomenal — everyone who sees it is completely blown away.
We have already referred several people to him, and have also just ordered both of our wedding bands from him.
Vito’s my man for jewelry going forward.

Vito is the absolute best! My fiancé proposed to me this past June and I couldn’t believe what an amazing job him and Vito had done on my ring. When my fiancé and I started talking about the future, he took me to see Vito to get a better idea of the type of ring I would want. Vito did a great job in educating the both of us on diamonds and different styles of rings. In that one sitting, they were able to create the most beautiful ring. It is perfection! I couldn’t have designed it better myself.
A few weeks after the engagement, I went back to Vito as I was concerned about the ring sizing. He once again educated me on rings, explained that the size is perfect for my finger, and cleaned the ring for me. It sparkles like crazy and I have truly grown an obsession in cleaning my ring.
I will definitely be going to Vito for our wedding bands. I HIGHLY recommend him to anyone shopping for engagement rings! He makes you feel right at home and truly shows you that he cares about what you want and what you think.

My fiancé proposed to me last October with a ring he had purchased from Arka Designs and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. He told me how great Vito was in helping him design the ring that he had in mind, and it’s absolutely stunning and got all the details I had dreamed for. My fiancé told me he came to Vito at a friend’s recommendation, who had previously purchased an engagement ring for his now wife and was raving about how professional and personable Vito was. Also, this friend does extensive and detailed research when it comes to buying things of value, so my fiancé trusted his opinion and I couldn’t be happier that he did.
We went to Hawaii for a post-​engagement celebration right after the proposal and of course I was wearing my ring everywhere. Sun screen, sand, salt water and everything came in contact with it. After I returned to LA I brought the ring to Vito and asked him to clean it up for me, and that’s when I met him for the first time and learned how much effort he and my fiancé poured into the design of my ring. He really takes pride in his work and he should because everything else in the store looks stunning too. Unlike some jewelers I had met in the jewelry district here in DTLA, Vito isn’t salesman like and doesn’t make you feel he’s just doing business with you for your money. He really cared about what you like and what you think about his products and is just really genuine. My fiancé also got me a pair of diamond earrings for my birthday after the engagement that match my engagement ring. The whole set is so pretty that even my own mother wanted to «borrow» them from me. :D
I was there a few weeks ago looking for wedding bands and he also gave really good honest suggestions about what would go well with my ring. Not that I could wear an engagement ring on every single finger (I wish I could, but I ain’t no Kim K who could pull off things as such), but if I were ever in need or desire for some other bling, I am sure this is where I’d sent my fiancé to. :D

Vito! What a great guy. He was there for my brother-​in-​law and sister, and now he was there for me.
I went to him with a specific style and a budget. Months of back and forth on the design, diamond sizes, and other communication and finally Vito delivered an amazingly beautiful ring that was EXACTLY what I wanted for my now fiancé. If I could give more stars I would.
Thank you Arka Designs for making my engagement perfect and one-​of-​a-​kind

Vito was recommended by a friend of mine and I am very thankful he did! He walked me through the entire process and gave me a tutorial on the 4 C’s and had a wide range of stones to choose from in my price range. I came to visit him several times throughout the process and he even stayed late to catch me after work. He was very accommodating. Vito is such a nice guy and genuinely wanted me to be happy with my decision.
Once I chose the stone I emailed him some ideas for the setting since designing your own is much more fun! Let me just tell you they nailed it. They had the ring ready in 3 weeks! I could not be happier with how it turned out and my fiancé can’t stop staring at it and she gets compliments on it all the time.
I would recommend Vito and Arka Designs no matter what your price range is. He’s the best!

When my fiancé proposed to me, I was shocked and surprised. Then when he put the ring on my finger, I was blown away. I loved my ring and the design. Vito did an amazing job. I am so glad my fiancé has an AMAZING, TRUSTWORTHY jeweler like Vito.
I recommend him to everyone around me for any kind of jewelry they want! By far the BEST!

My husband went to Arka Designs and Vito helped him design a unique and amazing wedding ring for me. We liked it so much we went back for the wedding band. And back again to get jewelry fixed. Vito is awesome, honest, and an all around great guy. I can’t recommend him more!

My girlfriend (now fiancé) and I had been engagement ring shopping in Beverly Hills and about nine other jewelers in the Jewelers District in DTLA before and after we had visited Vito at Arka Designs, and he is by far and away the best jeweler we dealt with. His store is located in the lobby of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel and when you first come in, it looks kind of small, but don’t worry about that, you will have limitless options with whatever you want.
Vito was very welcoming when we came in without an appointment. He is extremely knowledgeable about diamonds and jewelry, understandable since he comes from generations of jewelers in his family. He really cares that his customers are happy with the product they receive from him; he says that this is the most important thing to him, and I actually believe him. He is not pushy nor does he provide any pressure whatsoever in trying to sell you on a particular diamond or setting.
Vito walked us through the whole process for creating a custom engagement ring, from choosing the diamond and setting, to having a computer model of the setting made, to having a wax model of the setting made, to the actual ring manufacturing process. The whole process was straight-​forward and Vito was timely with communication. He made sure we were completely happy with everything before he proceeded to the next step. The engagement ring was perfect and met every specification my fiancé and I had for what we wanted. In fact, I also purchased my and my fiancé’s wedding bands from him, and all three rings came at a great value and came at the time that was promised.
It was a great experience working with Vito, and if I could do it all over again, I’d skip all the other jewelers and go straight to Arka Designs. If you’re looking for an engagement ring, or any other jewelry for that matter, look no further than Arka Designs, you will not regret it! Thank you, Vito!

After an exhaustive search for an engagement ring, we checked out Arka Designs based on a friend’s referral. Located inside the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles (once home to the Academy Awards) it provides a much nicer environment than your typical jewelry store.
Vito was very helpful from the beginning and provided a lot of information about the various aspects of buying a diamond (the 4 «C’s» and more), all of which matched up with the research I had done before and since. He was very patient with with us as we looked at various stones and settings.
When we finally made a decision, the quality and price were excellent. We were able to get a custom-​made ring at a better price than many other places quoted. As an extra bonus, they were even able to get the ring done before the quoted date which made for a nice surprise. Customer service was top-​notch and even after the purchase Vito was helpful with fittings, adjustments, and cleanings.
I would highly recommend Arka Designs!
Bonus: Vito will validate your parking at the Biltmore Hotel which is great! No more walking blocks-​upon-​blocks through the jewelry district.

If you’re looking for a jeweler — whether for an engagement ring or not — I strongly, strongly encourage you to talk to Vito. Just call him up. Consider it part of your due diligence. I guarantee you won’t want to go anywhere else.
I had a stone for an engagement ring in hand and a design in mind and I called all around the jewelry district (at least a dozen highly rated places on Unilocal) for someone to make my ring. I emailed and I left messages. Some replied within a day, some replied a week later. Vito was prompt — and after speaking to him over the phone, I knew I had to make a visit.
When you first see Arka Designs, you might be put off by the size of the store. After all, it’s nothing grand, nothing like a Jared’s or a Tiffany. But trust me, this is what you want. When you’re looking for something as personal as an engagement ring, you don’t want to deal with sales pitches or pushy associates. This is your special moment and within minutes of talking to Vito, you know that he fully understands that.
In this regard, Vito is peerless. He’s a genuinely nice guy and he respects your wishes. He listened fully to my concerns, never pushed me to go with a pricier stone (in fact, he recommended I go with my original, purchased elsewhere, rather than one of his), and did everything he could to make sure I was comfortable with my design before moving forward. He was willing to work within my price range for the ring, but I just told him I wanted the best looking ring and he quoted me a very fair price. Honestly, when you find a jeweler you truly trust (that rare breed), price becomes less of an issue — you know he’s going to get you the best at a good price.
I wasn’t in a rush to get the ring, so it took a few weeks to get it made (if you are in a rush, Vito’s able to accommodate that too). When I arrived to pick it up, Vito had put it in a case with a small light (for proposing in the dark, he said). It was a nice touch and showed attention to detail. I pulled out the ring and wow, oh wow, my eyes widened. It was so gorgeous. The craftsmanship was excellent, confirming what I was confident in all along, and it even came out to $ 110 less than what he had quoted me. A friendly jeweler with a poor product is a downer, but a friendly jeweler like Vito with a fantastic product is a godsend.
Before I left, Vito and I shared some ideas about the proposal — something I hadn’t given a lot of thought to — and I could see by the way Vito’s eyes lit up that he’s doing what he loves. I tucked the box away for a special day, thanked Vito, and told him I would be back.
Back for wedding bands. Back for anniversary gifts. Back for any future jewelry needs. And on and on and on. Vito’s simply the best. Go to him, you won’t be disappointed.