Has anyone had any experience buying loose diamonds (or even diamond rings) from reputable online retailers (like James Allen or Blue Nile)? Just curious if anyone's had a positive experience with these types of retailers. They seem to have a decent return policy if you're not satisfied. Thanks!
I just bought an 'e-ring' for my girlfriend (now fiancee). I bought the diamond and setting from two different online vendors. My experience was great. The only drawback is that you have to pay pretty much up front. No financing unless you get a credit card. If you live in Houston, I suggest you take a look at White Flash (whiteflash.com). they are a very reputable online vendor for loose diamonds and settings, and they are based here in Houston. It's somewhere along Richmond. Another vendor I can vouch for is goodoldgold.com. Their diamond selection is just as good as whiteflash.com, but their settings aren't as good. Keep in mind, you pay extra if you set a different vendor's stone. If you decide to buy a loose diamond from one vendor and set it in another vendor's setting, you run risk of losing or damaging the loose diamond. Plus, you have to pay an extra fee and buy your own insurance. I suggest getting the diamond and ring setting from one place. Whiteflash.com is where it's at. No matter where you reside, they are good. It's just a convenient bonus if you live in Houston because you can set up appointments to look at their inventory.
I bought the diamond for my wife's engagement ring from these guys www.dbof.com right at eleven years ago. They are still a "featured" merchant on the diamondring.com, so I guess they must still be a reputable merchant. We immediately had it appraised somewhere near the galleria here in Houston, and they appraised it for about twice what I paid for it..............of course, take that with a grain of salt. The markup on jewelry is ridiculous. Still, it was the best deal I could find. One thing you'll notice if you shop around enough is that most of these e-stores have the same inventory. And when I say the "same," I mean identical. There is obviously some clearing house (de beers or something) that holds the diamonds so these guys don't have their cash tied up in inventory.
Goto ice.com. really good deals if u can catch some stuff on sell. I've bought probably 10 pieces on there and I have never been dissatasfied
And don't make the mistake I did. I didn't go in with this attitude, but my ultimate purchase prioritized the four "C's" in this manner: clarity, carat weight, color, cut. Make sure you prioritize this way if you are giving it to a future bride: carat weight, cut, color, clarity
haha...I think the younger fellas on the board should take heed on this. Fortunately, this is a ten year anniversary gift...and to top it off, my wife is in charge of finding her perfect upgrade stone. So the weight of figuring out what order of C's she wants to prioritize is on her shoulders. Thanks for the input guys!
hehe...she had the budget range...so it totally took me out of the equation, which = win! @Gummi...I think I found me a nice diamond studded grill @ The Dog. My wife gets her diamond upgrade and I'll get my swerve on (tooth-style)!
I would go to the diamond market at 6222 Richmond. I looked online at brillance.com and there are dimaonds that you can use to drive down the price of the diamond with the retailer. The only problem is sales tax.
we did all our wedding bands at zadoks but my hubby got me some diamond earrings at blue nile and they are great. no probs.....as long as they come with the official papers, that's really there is all to it.
