Article about Whiteflash and Blue Nile in Kiplinger''s Mag

[graceelou]

I just got the Feb issue of Kiplinger''s magazine (similar to Money mag)and they had a 3-4 page article about e-tailers of engagement rings and especially focused on Blue Nile and Whiteflash with a mention of James Allen. It was really interesting and said Whiteflash "is the lord of the online rings" interms of customzing and had good prices and Blue Nile was huge and had great prices. They also focused on cut as being the best way to judge a diamond and talked about GIA''s new reports that include cut info and of course AGS. One quote was very telling "For every dollar that Blue Nile pays suppliers for stones and settings, it sells finished baubles for $1.30. but for every dollar Zales hands suppliers, it sells items for $2." The article basically said e-tailers were the way to go!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh darn. That is going to cause a sudden rash of new people looking at the same diamonds we are all trying to choose from!

Better hurry up and decide!

 

[stermag]

Actually, the first thing that made me think that I might be comfortable with the idea of buying online was a reference to James Allen (then Dirt Cheap Diamonds) in an article I found on NPR.

It wasn''t until sometime later that I discovered Pricescope and became convinced that this was really the way to go.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree. An article in a respected magazine is wonderful free advertising and will make people more comfortable with the idea.

 

[Lynn B]

How cool is THAT! Can anyone perhaps direct us to a link of the article?

 

[graceelou]

Here''s a link to an article about wheather Blue Nile''s stock is worth buying. I''m still looking to see if I can find a link to the article itself. http://magazine-directory.com/Kiplingers.htm

 

[graceelou]

This link is better. http://www.kiplinger.com/personalfinance/magazine/links.html

 

[Lynn B]

WF has (at least?) part of the article posted on their web-site - I'll copy and paste...

"Lord of the Online Rings"
From Clicks & Stones -- by Sean O'Neill

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Feb. 2006
"Best E-Tailers

When selecting an e-tailer, you want one with access to a wide selection of diamonds, as well as responsive customer service, generous return policies and low prices. We used those criteria to size up the leading sites: Amazon.com, Blue Nile.com, Diamonds.com, Ice.com, JamesAllen.com, Overstock.com, and Whiteflash.com.

Our overall bling-buying pick is Blue Nile. It can tap a pool of 60,000 diamonds and scores of settings, and the store lets you return an item in 30 days from the day it ships. Most calls are answered within ten seconds by an employee in Seattle. And its prices are among the lowest. For example, it was recently charging $6,592 for a 1-caratround stone of good but not flawless quality, which beat other site’s prices for similar stones.

For custom work, Whiteflash.com is the lord of the online rings. Unlike many e-tailers, Whiteflash customizes nearly half its jewelry. Kevin Dolorico, a Web operations analyst in New York City, exchanged designs by e-mail with Whiteflash when he was shopping for an engagement ring last spring. Dolorico wanted a ring that combined the head from one standard setting with the shank of another. Whiteflash nestled a 1.34-carat diamond that graded good but not flawless in Dolorico’s ideal setting. His fiancée, Janelle De Rivera, was dazzled, and he was pleased with roughly $6,000 price. When he asked a gemologist to appraise the ring’s value, he was told that an equivalent piece from a local jeweler would cost about $9,000.

Whiteflash’s return policy for custom work is that you can’t bring it back unless there’s an error (exceptions apply to partly customized work). For loose stones and standard settings, Whiteflash offers a full refund ten days from receipt for any reason----including if you propose and she turns you down.

Whiteflash has less inventory (about 1,000 stones) and typically charges higher prices than Blue Nile and many other e-tailers. But Whiteflash trumps brick-and-mortar jewelers on price, and it offers a trade-up program that Blue Nile and most other online rivals don’t match: Swap your rock for a higher-priced one at any time, paying the difference between your new diamond and your trade-in.

For jewelry buyers who want an inexpensive rock and a personal touch, help may be on the way. EDB’s Diamonds Showroom of Cincinnati plans to open brick-and-mortar satellite stores nationwide. Each store will have only a few gems behind its counter but 3,900 stones displayed on monitors via its new Web site (www.edbsonline.com) The first 1,200-square foot store will open in Sarasota, Fla., this winter."

ABOUT KIPLINGER'S MAGAZINE
Kiplinger was the 2002 recipient of the American Business Ethics Award for small businesses. For eight decades, the Kiplinger organization has led the way in personal finance and business forecasting. Founded in 1920 by W.M. Kiplinger, the company developed one of the nation's first successful newsletters in modern times. The Kiplinger Letter, launched in 1923, remains the longest continually published newsletter in the United States

Here's the link to the page I found it on...

http://www.whiteflash.com/knowledge/Q10282.aspx

 

[yeewl]

thanks for the post.

 

[MiniMouse]

Interesting reading, thanks for sharing.

 

[Kaleigh]

My husband came home with the Kiplinger Magazine. He said you know that company you are always talking about, WhiteFlash?? He said well there is a great article about them in this magazine. And here I thought he didn't listen to me. He knows a great company when he see's one. I didn't want to tell him I had already known about the article. Kudo's to WF!!!!

And to hubby for paying attention!!!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/17/2006 9:56:13 PM
Author: Lynn B

WF has (at least?) part of the article posted on their web-site - I''ll copy and paste...

''Lord of the Online Rings''
From Clicks & Stones -- by Sean O''Neill

Kiplinger''s Personal Finance Magazine, Feb. 2006
''Best E-Tailers

Our overall bling-buying pick is Blue Nile. It can tap a pool of 60,000 diamonds and scores of settings, ...
...
Whiteflash has less inventory (about 1,000 stones) ...

It sounds like these guys confuse virtual and in-store inventory. Or does BN stock 60k diamonds?


If they had made the difference: the note about average prices would have changed.

Need for a note to the Editor?