Blue Nile or James Allen

purplepeopleeater11

BF and I are still ring shopping.  I've been searching online for loose stones and found that Blue Nile and James Allen are both reputable sellers of loose diamonds. They want, on average, a thousand less than the jeweler did for the exact same quality stone. 

Have any of you used either of these sites or known anyone who has? 

Edit: And would you recommend them?

loopy82

My setting, diamond and wedding band are all from Blue Nile. My DH went to a few stores before committing to Blue Nile and they had the best selection, diamonds and prices by far. We have received great service. Shipping was really fast. He originally ordered the ring too big and they resized it for free. I have a really nice diamond. You will want to know the 4 C's to help ensure you get the diamond you really want.

I have an entertainment book and there is a coupon for 10% off. www.entertainment.com/bluenile

katanne9

DH got my stone from BlueNile. He was very happy with it and said he would recommend them.

He WAS wary of buying a stone off the internet, but (long story) was kind of forced into having to buy one online.

purplepeopleeater11

Thanks Loopy I appreciate it! 

purplepeopleeater11

And thank you Katanne.  The only thing that I like about James Allen over Blue Nile is they offer a picture of the actual stone under magnification.  We're both pretty wary about buying it over the internet, but it's significantly less expensive.

loopy82

I am the one who is leery of purchasing of the internet and DH purchases almost everything from online. I can definitely understand being apprehensive. They do have a 30 day return policy, so if you get the ring and are not happy you can return it. Just due to the price I would recommend Blue Nile.

purplepeopleeater11

Thanks for the info on the return policy.  I'll have to let him know.  He's old school and never shops online but the $1,000 difference has him considering it.

desertsun

Both James Allen and Blue Nile have good reputations. If you want to buy online, I think those two are among the most trustworthy.

I really wanted to buy online b/c of the prices.

But my FI wanted to be able to actually see things and deal with a real person. He ended up buying my ring at Jared. I really hated Jared's website. I didn't think their rings looked pretty online. But my ring is actually, IMHO, pretty damn gorgeous. I know at least 3 other people who went there and were very happy. I do think they're a bit overpriced, but FI was really pleased with the service, and I'm really pleased to have someone in town, with a jeweler on site. I think Jared is one of the better options among chains. JMO.

motoLyn

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_blue-nile-james-allen?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:3145dc00-d5cd-4877-bb8a-a6934c729b69Post:9339c995-bbed-4433-8e89-152b1b13711a">Re: Blue Nile or James Allen</a>:
[QUOTE]Both James Allen and Blue Nile have good reputations. If you want to buy online, I think those two are among the most trustworthy. I really wanted to buy online b/c of the prices. But my FI wanted to be able to actually see things and deal with a real person. He ended up buying my ring at Jared. I really hated Jared's website. I didn't think their rings looked pretty online. But my ring is actually, IMHO, pretty damn gorgeous. I know at least 3 other people who went there and were very happy. I do think they're a bit overpriced, but FI was really pleased with the service, and I'm really pleased to have someone in town, with a jeweler on site. I think Jared is one of the better options among chains. JMO.
Posted by desertsun[/QUOTE]

I agree if you can't find a small privately owned jeweler, then Jared's  isn't too bad when it comes to the chains.  Their site is pretty misleading.  They have a big selection in store.  I looked at their site and then my BF and I decided one day to go take a look there and it wasn't as bad as I thought.  Though I was only able to find ONE setting in there I liked, but that's because I'm not a fan of solitaires, three stone and halo settings, so the majority of the settings in there were those.  Still the sales people were really nice and helpful and they were much less in cost than Robbins Brothers.

I haven't heard of the other online store, but Blue Nile have great reviews among my engaged friends.  My BF though is the type of person that needs to see a stone in person before purchase.  Good luck and happy stone hunting.

desertsun

I should mention that one of the big pros of Jared is being able to select a stone you want in your price range, and look at it under a microscope in the store, and then put it in virtually any setting. They will also order any setting into your local store.

motoLyn

Just took a look at the James Allen site, they have some really nice settings there.  One of them caught my eye cause it was so unque.  Good chocies, you can't go wrong with either of them.

PandaBurr

Two of my cousins got their stones from Blue Nile, and they were very happy with it. I think some of the stones let you view their grading certificate and you can see the map and types of the inclusions on the stone. Or maybe I'm thinking of a different website... I can't remember. Haha

loopy82

Panda- You are right. I got a grading report with my diamond that shows all the stats as well as where the inclusions are.

purplepeopleeater11

Thanks everybody!  The nearest Jared's is a few hours away.  We used to have one but that was a few years ago.  I google mapped it and the closest one's are a couple hours away.

We've narrowed it down to two local jewelers, they have different settings so I'm letting BF make the final decision but both would use the same size and shape stone. 

I've seen that both Blue Nile and James Allen have GIA, IGI or AGS certificates.  It sounds like Blue Nile is where most people have experience with so if we go that route that's probably who we'll use!

Thanks again!

motoLyn

Well if you do go with James Allen they are giving 10% off of their settings by typing Ring10 in the promo code when you check out.