Buying an engagement ring online…is a do or don’t?

jhumphrey

 Any advice?

fancynewbecca

Eh, I don't know. Maybe if it came with certifcates of authenticity and appraisal. Personally, I would want to try it on and look at it under one of those magnifying glass things that they use at jewelry stores. FI wanted to buy his ring online, but I talked him into going to a store and he got to pick out the exact stone used in his ring. It was a plus.

GeorgiaGC

We bought mine online and I was a little skeptical but my FI did lots of research. The customer service was also great too! And we had it appraise and everything. The bad thing is I wasn't able to try it one but we knew exactly what I wanted and my ring size. They also give you a certain amount of time to return as well. So I understand you being a little nervous, but do reasearch and do what makes you comfortable. We bought my engagement ring from James Allen.

ahuette

It depends on the ring.  If you are buying a large "quality" diamond, I would say buy it in person as it is very hard to see flaws and see the true quality without looking at it with the magnifier.  But if you don't care about inclusions or what not I would say buying online from a reputable, well known distributor isn't a bad idea at all.

shelui4

A few of FI's friends has done so and it looked pretty when they got it. I think one of them bought a ring on Blue Nile. But it's all up to you and your FI and how comfortable you are on finding the ring with the diamond that you haven't looked at underneath a magnified glass. FI and I did alot of research for the right ring with a good quality diamond. So we felt better buying it in a jewerly store so we can see up close before making the decision.

koosh ball

We bought both my wedding and engagement ring bluenile.com. It was a great experience. Blue Nile is also locally owned in Seattle!

mgoss228

My MOH's DH bought her e-ring from Costco online, and it is beautiful.  He did a lot of research, and brought along one of his sisters (who has similar type of hands as my MOH) to try on rings at local jewelry stores to find out what types of rings would compliment her hand best.  My MOH didn't pick it out at all, but it was one of the styles she told him she liked.

I also think that he had it shipped down to his family in OR, because then he wasn't charged with Sales Tax.  So that could be a way to save money if you have friends/family in OR.

enlightened1

I plan to buy my wedding bands on e-weddingbands.com next month!

jennuinne

Only if you do a lot of research, buy it from a reputable company like bluenile, and are able to return it.  And, I would suggest that after you get it, you examine it closely, and take it to a jeweler to examine under a microscope to make sure you got what you paid for.  Its probably safer to do it in person, although you may get a better deal online.

irshis20

First of all, certs really don't mean as much as people think they do. Regardless of where you buy your ring, you should take it to a neutral appraiser for insurance purposes. BlueNile is a very popular and well-respected company, and I probably trust them more than most jewelers just because there's no salesperson involved in the buying process. On BlueNile you pick your diamond separate from the setting, so you know exactly what the 4Cs are.

We got my engagement ring from a jeweler on a fantastic deal, but prior to that we had been looking on BlueNile. I also liked the idea of supporting a local company (BlueNile is based in Bellevue).

pinkkrystal

I almost bought my ring online.. BUT I am very impatient... I did my research it says to try to stay away from companies that offer huge savings like this was originally priced at 5000 but this week only its on sale for 2000 i read that this is a sucky thing that companies do to get more money out of diamonds. After all the research we did we decided to go to a local place.. well kinda local for me its in bellevue and its joseph jeweler everytime we looked it up great reveiws 4 and 5 stars always and we went and found out why.. they custom make it for you whatever you like and really work with you pricing, size, and It certified! .. I understand great deals but it was nicer for us to create my ring the way i liked it... and they had a much larger selection then bluenile..