Stefano Ricci is like Bijan, but with a pedigree.  I have a couple of Stefano Ricci ties.  He does not skimp on the silk.  The ties are long and weighty.  They have a very satisfying feel.  They make a big knot.  Personally, I think they are worth the price.

I have a couple (bought of signif. less than retail) Nice material, but for very specific purposes only. Not worth the retail price ( but then again, what is?)

About 90 % of the ties in my wardrobe are made by Stefano Ricci and have been since they were first imported to America by Mark Cross, a decision with which I had a little something to do. At the time, the President of Mark Cross was Edward Wasserberger, who happened to be dating my sister. They made buying trips together from time to time to London, Paris, Milan, Florence and Rome. Being a young well-dressed man, tailored at the time by Bernard Weatherill in New York, Wasserberger asked if I'd like to join them for a trip. Sure, why not? Taste runs in the family.

So we get to Florence, and we were having lunch with Luciano Ricci and his charming wife. Ricci was one of Mark Cross' major suppliers for luggage. Gorgeous, beautifully made stuff.
Ricci was an artisan, no detail overlooked in the making of bags, not even the hardware. He was meticulous about everything, not least his tailoring, and he was wearing a gorgeous tie    of which I couldn't take my eyes off. I asked him who made it. "My nephew, " he said, "Stefano Ricci." Ricci's wife excused herself to make a phone call. A short time later there was a knock at the door, and Stefano Ricci joined us for dessert. At the time, the winter of 1978, Ricci was an elegant young Florentine, trim, quite good-looking and very assured of himself. He invited us to his factory, which happened to be within walking distance of his uncle's house. Family takes care of family.

If you're acquainted with the shirt scene in F. Scott Fitzgerald's THE GREAT GATSBY, you have a fair idea of what the three of us experienced in Ricci's showroom. Bolt after bolt of silk was shown to us on long tables, folded effortlessly on the bias so you could easily see what the pattern would look like made up as a tie. One pattern was more beautiful than the next. The collection we were shown was primarily printed on crepe de chine, which lends an unusual matte finish to the background so the foreground design stands out with a subtle lustre. Ricci
explained that his wife was responsible for the designs and that the unusual palette of colors was taken from decorative motifs found in Florentine architecture. Then out would come more
silks. "Oh my," said my sister doing her best Daisy, "I've never seen such beautiful silks." Ricci smiled and explained that he also made blouses and skirts and scarves for women.

Edward Wasserberger stood quietly and glanced at the array of silks on the tables, a slight smile on his face. "I want to place an order, Stefano, but which shall we take?"

Although I hadn't been asked to voice an opinion, I began to move from table to table and make a selection of silks, not just to suit me but customers of Mark Cross. Wasserberger waited until I had finished, then made the final cut. Very few silks were deleted.

Meanwhile, one of Ricci's talented staff was draping gorgeous silks over my sister's shoulder to see which she preferred for ensembles. She was having a ball.

That collection turned out to be quite successful for Mark Cross. My sister and I have always felt that Mark Cross had lucked into Stefano Ricci's very best collections. The first two or three
were sensational. Subsequent collections sold well enough for the Fifth Avenue store, but the ties never had the unique quality and beauty that we saw firsthand. Perhaps it was due to the loss of Ricci's best designer, his wife, in a marriage that failed. Certainly he wanted to grow his business, and it's not uncommon for quality to be inversely proportional to success. Just for your edification, the first cost of a Ricci tie in 1978 was $7.50 and it sold at Mark Cross for $25.
As the years have passed, the price of the ties has soared higher and higher. Are they that
much better? Of course not.

But when reaching for a tie, Stefano Ricci is still my first choice.