Not Engaged Yet

Blue Nile?

BF and I were looking at Blue Nile the other night and it seems like they have really good deals!!

The ring I liked at Kay's was: I1-Clarity, H-I-Color, and 1 1/8 carrats (TW with wedding band). Total, just the e-ring was $3499.00
The ring I liked on Blue Nile was SI1-Clairty, E-Color and .77 carrats (TW of just the e-ring). The e-ring is $2606...!!
Granted, the carrat size is a bit smaller, but this sounds like such a good deal... has anyone had any experiences with Blue Nile?

What do you think??

Anniversary

Re: Blue Nile?

  • AudgiePodgeAudgiePodge member
    2500 Comments Second Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    How would we know if it's a good deal or not?

    I didn't turn on my mind reading today. Sorryz.

    ETA: You ninja'd in the price
    I'm not good at feelings.

    image
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_blue-nile?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:adcc6325-5422-412e-9005-5a1990327e7bPost:b892cd09-106d-478a-908b-b39013952fcc">Re: Blue Nile?</a>:
    [QUOTE]How would we know if it's a good deal or not? I didn't turn on my mind reading today. Sorryz. ETA: You ninja'd in the price
    Posted by AudgiePodge[/QUOTE]
    Yeah I completley forgot about that.. dumb moment!
    Anniversary
  • AudgiePodgeAudgiePodge member
    2500 Comments Second Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I'd love to be of help, but I know not of the pricing of diamonds.
    I'm not good at feelings.

    image
  • calindicalindi member
    5000 Comments Second Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I've heard really good things about Blue Nile.  And if you love the ring just as much, and it's that much cheaper, then it's a great way to save $1000+ for something else!

    I think that size would look great!  Personally I'd prefer something a little smaller than 1 carat simply because it seems natural on my hand.  So for me, it would be a total win-win to get the slightly smaller, cheaper ring.

    image

    Anniversary

  • PandaBurrPandaBurr member
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I've had two family members buy diamonds from them, and they were really gorgeous. IIRC, they have a pretty good return policy if the stone isn't to your liking. Have you considered buying the diamond and the mount separately? You can probably save even more money that way.
  • edited December 2011
    I hear good things about Blue Nile.  Also, you should avoid buying diamonds with lower clarity ratings than SI.  Anything in the I range has large, visible inclusions.  Unless that's what you're going for, you should avoid this.
  • jenna.linderjenna.linder member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We used Blue Nile to get FI's ring and it showed up in two days and was perfect!  Their return policy is great (you can read it on the website of course).  Other friends that have used it to buy engagement rings have been really happy.  I'd try to find a ring that's really similar at a store to make sure you like the setting on your hand (though it seems like you've already done that).  Good luck.
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  • loopy82loopy82 member
    Ninth Anniversary 1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    DH purchased my ring through Blue Nile. The ring is of great quality. He shopped some stores first then purchased from Blue Nile. He said you get a lot more for your money from them. I have had some jewelers look at my ring and all have said that my ring is very nice.
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  • edited December 2011
    My FI purchased my e-ring through Blue Nile, and we're getting my wedding band through them as well. I have zero complaints, as my ring turned out gorgeous.




    Seconding the clarity comments - I would definitely recommend a higher clarity over a bigger diamond. I had originally picked out a 0.75 carat diamond with low clarity - FI ended up purchasing a 0.5 carat with near perfect clarity, and the difference is incredible. You obviously need to look at the 3Cs and decide what your biggest priority is, but I would recommend clarity over size any day.

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  • edited December 2011
    Thanks for all the input ladies!! Will look into the 3C's a little more. Definitly thinking carrat is the least concern though- clarity and color probably the most important! Thanks again :)
    Anniversary
  • figment23figment23 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_blue-nile?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:adcc6325-5422-412e-9005-5a1990327e7bPost:971e3fc1-6bde-458a-afa3-f8846ac0be28">Re: Blue Nile?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Thanks for all the input ladies!! Will look into the 3C's a little more. Definitly thinking carrat is the least concern though- clarity and color probably the most important! Thanks again :)
    Posted by palmettogirl924[/QUOTE]

    Color may actually not be that important. Some people are really color sensitive and can for example easily distinguish between a G or an H diamond, while others are not color sensitive at all or think the higher color grades are "too white" (I am one of these people). Even one color grade can make a huge difference in price, and if you tried on an H/I color already and found that you liked it, going up in color may not matter.

    Additionally, color grades matter less when a diamond is well cut. Buying an ideal cut in a lower color grade is often a good choice, as the higher percentage of light return will make it "face up" white. Additionally, since you're considering white gold, the silver tone will also make a diamond show up a little whiter than it is.

    My stone is an I/J color with an ideal cut set in rose gold, and while it faces up quite white, the more toned down color with the rose gold actually looks smashing in my opinion.

    Buy a loose stone separate from the setting and you MIGHT save money, it depends on where you're buying from. Smaller manufacturers often provide a discount on the setting if you source the diamond through them, a larger setup like bluenile often won't.

    Additionally, a comment on carat weight-- if carat weight is important to you, a princess cut is not an ideal choice as they "face up" smaller than an equivalent round diamond due to their depth. A princess cut is also less sparkly than an ideal/H&A round diamond. If you like the shape, you might look at a "princess of hearts" available through Good Old Gold or a cushion cut to get more "bling" for your buck.

    Hope that helps.
  • PandaBurrPandaBurr member
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    figment has some really great advice.

    I also wanted to add that some lower color stones can face up whiter if they have a strong blue fluorescence, so some people go that route to save even more money.

    Cushion cuts (like princesses) also face up smaller than their round carat counterparts.

    And, GoodOldGold has some amazingly cut stones. IIRC, their trade-up program is pretty good too.
  • figment23figment23 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Oh, one more point--

    no matter what, if set on buying a princess cut, don't buy one from a mall type jewelry store. Ideal and excellent cut princess cut stones are very rare, and the odds of a mall store having one are slim to none. They are difficult for even very well connected sources to find a consistent supply of. BE SURE to buy your own stone and know the ideal proportions for a princess cut if you're going that route.

    If you want to buy your setting and stone at the same place, good old gold, whiteflash, brian gavin diamonds, and engagement rings direct will have excellent to ideal princess cuts available.
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