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Blue Nile sold my diamond out from under me

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blueflamejames

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After weeks of lurking on this site and searching for diamonds I finally thought I found the one. So last week I called Blue Nile and asked about a visual inspection to make sure the stone was eye-clean, and they put it on hold for me while they inquired about the visual. I called a few times since then and they told me they hadn''t had any word yet on the visual but they would call me when they did. Each time they confirmed the diamond was still on hold for me.

Today they called and told me "something unusual" happened - someone else had bought my stone "seconds before" they put it on hold for me. Seems a little fishy to me, considering no one mentioned it the last three times I spoke to them.

Here''s the one I put on hold:
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-g-color-si1-clarity_LD01486899

They did tell me they found a great replacement for me. Here it is:
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-ideal-cut-g-color-si1-clarity_LD01487951

It does look like the specs are good, it''s bigger and less expensive, although I notice the symmetry is not ideal as in the one I picked, and the table is smaller. And the fact that the one I picked was sold out from under me kind of bothers me.

I would love to hear thoughts on this - both on the diamonds and Blue Nile''s behavior.
 

GossamerAngel

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May 1, 2006
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294
I''m sorry this happened to you!!!

Here are my honest thoughts - Blue Nile is a large company - I don''t work there, nor do I know anything specific about their corporate structure, but I also work for a large company, and a mistake like this doesn''t seem to far to fathom in my world. It stinks definitely, but I would tend to believe that Blue Nile wouldn''t have made this mistake willfully, they would have rather sold you the stone you wanted originally and not a less expensive one, and someone over there probably feels pretty bad that this happened.

Would I continue to do business with them? I don''t know.
33.gif
I might be more inclined to look at this as one of those "things happen for a reason" instances, and maybe widen my search a little bit, check places other than blue nile, just to make sure I''m getting the best stone out there for me and my needs and budget. You know? James Allen, Good old Gold, Whiteflash, etc. Maybe sort of have a "zen" view of the situation, and look at this like an opportunity to case a wider net and make sure I''m really getting the best possible deal.
 

coatimundi_org

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 9, 2007
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Blue Nile is a drop shipper who shares an inventory with other vendors. Unfortunately, if you haven't purchased a stone, it can be purchased by someone else from another company. It's is not the fault of Blue Nile other than them being a drop shipper. It's awkward but it happens.

We can help you find another stone if you'd like. What specs are you looking for?
 

blueflamejames

Rough_Rock
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Feb 2, 2009
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Thanks for your opinions. It still seems odd to me they can sell a diamond they''ve promised to hold, but I guess it''s not worth dwelling on. Incidentally, the reason I put it on hold instead of purchased was because the setting I wanted was on back-order and they were supposed to get back to me as to when it would be available. Now they tell me it will be 3 weeks for that! And I thought internet shopping was supposed to make it easier than B&M!

I did look at GOG & WF as well, but I didn''t find anything comparable to BN''s prices. I know it''s better to see the idealscope before buying but I figured with the price difference & BN''s return policy I could take the chance (and get it appraised). Of course, now with the long wait I''m not sure what I''ll do.

I do think the one BN offered as a replacement looks pretty good, although I don''t like the lower symmetry grade. Is that likely to have a big effect on the light performance? I''m looking for around 1.5 carat, excellent/ideal cut, G - H, vs1 - s1, and I want it to shine and sparkle with the best of ''em.
 

blastdoor

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
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not sure if this is relevant, but here goes...

I ordered a wedding band from WhiteFlash on the 8th of January, later that same day WF contacted me and informed me that the ring was on back order at the jeweller, and will only be ready by the 30th of Jan, but because the FW loved that design so much, I still went ahead despite the back-order delay.

9 days later on the 17th I received an email from WF and to my pleasant surprise, the ring was ready. They took and send photos for me of the ring and arranged for it to be shipped out on the 20th Jan (17th and 18th was a weekend).

I received the ring 4 days later on the 24th Jan (I am in Singapore), inspected it, and it was in perfect condition. No hastily rushed out job, no compromise on quality due to time whatsoever. There are 52 tiny diamonds (total 0.25 carat) set in two rows of pave setting and they were the most tidily arranged rows of tiny things I''ve ever seen, and the product looked exacty like the CAD drawings.

And mine''s not the only early delivery story around, I know a couple of people with similar experience too. So I guess a back-order or anticipated delay, may not always be as bad as it seems.
 

Chris1977

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Jan 26, 2009
Messages
13
Hi.

I''m by no means an expert but I have learned alot over the past few weeks form these boards. Here is a diamond I saw in person last week. IF you want good cut and light reflection Good Old Gold seems to do more testing of their diamonds than anyone I''ve found. It''s an I color but like I said I saw it in person on Thursday and it was really nice. Might have bought it but is was a little over my budget (looking for about a 1.25 carat)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4778/

Hope this helps

Chris
 

honey22

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
4,458
Bluenile is a drop shipper, and this can happen.

Try looking at Good old Gold or Whiteflash, at their inhouse diamonds.

Good luck, you will find another beautiful stone I am sure.
 

swingirl

Ideal_Rock
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5,667
The stone they picked looks nice from the numbers (as far as cut goes). Who exactly is going to do the visual inspection? Can you speak to that person or will you just get an email saying someone did an "inspection"?

You probably wouldn''t notice the VG on the symmetry. But my biggest concern is the inclusion is smack dab in the middle.
 

blueflamejames

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Feb 2, 2009
Messages
4
Thanks for your responses. BN doesn''t have the diamond but they told me that whoever does has confirmed it''s eye-clean. I didn''t get any more detail than that. What more would you ask about the visual? Can you tell from the report where the inclusions are depth-wise?
 

:)

Brilliant_Rock
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Date: 2/2/2009 11:06:17 PM
Author: blueflamejames
Thanks for your responses. BN doesn''t have the diamond but they told me that whoever does has confirmed it''s eye-clean. I didn''t get any more detail than that. What more would you ask about the visual? Can you tell from the report where the inclusions are depth-wise?
Ask them to define eye clean - do they mean from 20 inches away, or 10 inches away or 3 inches, etc. If clean from the top, what about the side? Make sure you are on the same page. And no, you can''t tell from the report/plot how deep the inclusions are.
 

Lorelei

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Date: 2/3/2009 12:41:18 AM
Author: :)

Date: 2/2/2009 11:06:17 PM
Author: blueflamejames
Thanks for your responses. BN doesn''t have the diamond but they told me that whoever does has confirmed it''s eye-clean. I didn''t get any more detail than that. What more would you ask about the visual? Can you tell from the report where the inclusions are depth-wise?
Ask them to define eye clean - do they mean from 20 inches away, or 10 inches away or 3 inches, etc. If clean from the top, what about the side? Make sure you are on the same page. And no, you can''t tell from the report/plot how deep the inclusions are.
Ditto, this is important to know.
 

blueflamejames

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Feb 2, 2009
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These are the only comparable stones I''ve found:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/I297007/

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1848227.htm

Considering they are a bit smaller and one step down in color, does it make sense to pay the $2K difference? I''m not thrilled about waiting 3 weeks for BN with the possibility that their eye-clean is not the same as mine, but $2K seems a big premium for that peace of mind.

Also, I got kind of attached to the BN nouveau setting, although the WF legato looks pretty good too.
 

silverbuggy

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Joined
Feb 18, 2009
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Date: 2/3/2009 12:44:25 PM
Author: blueflamejames
These are the only comparable stones I''ve found:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/I297007/

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1848227.htm

Considering they are a bit smaller and one step down in color, does it make sense to pay the $2K difference? I''m not thrilled about waiting 3 weeks for BN with the possibility that their eye-clean is not the same as mine, but $2K seems a big premium for that peace of mind.

Also, I got kind of attached to the BN nouveau setting, although the WF legato looks pretty good too.
Hi blueflamejames, did you end up going with BN or somewhere else? I''m also highly considering the BN Nouveau so if you decided to go with them and got the ring already, please let us know how it looks!! Thanks. :)
 

silverbuggy

Shiny_Rock
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Feb 18, 2009
Messages
188
Forgot to mention, I also have a diamond on hold at Blue Nile...seeing your post makes me a little worried...I''m going to call and make sure there will be no problems!
 

phildominator

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Feb 20, 2009
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This is the second recent thread that has said BN is cheaper than GOG/WF/HP.

From my research, price-wise, BN's Signature Ideal are comparable to the ACA/Superior Optical Symmetry. I don't know anything about the comparison in quality.

BN's Ideal are cheaper, but I don't know the difference between BN's Signature Ideal and Ideal.

None of BN's Ideal have their GCAL report.

GOG has a Premier Symmetry under $10k.
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond.php?d=5412&shape=1&ctMin=1.5&ctMax=1.6&color=12&optSym=4&priceMin=8000&priceMax=12000&resultsColumns=268435471&singleResult=1
 

Hello Lover

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Feb 20, 2009
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Are you set on Blue Nile? If not I would research other online vendors like the ones mentioned on this site. That experience would completely turn me off.
 

Todd Gray

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Date: 2/2/2009 7:37:06 PM
Author: coatimundi
Blue Nile is a drop shipper who shares an inventory with other vendors. Unfortunately, if you haven''t purchased a stone, it can be purchased by someone else from another company. It''s is not the fault of Blue Nile other than them being a drop shipper.

Obviously I''ve worked with a lot of diamond cutters over the years and the way that many of them work with online diamond vendors who drop ship is that they offer them "exclusive representation" of a certain percentage of their working inventory and that "only your company will have access to these diamonds" so you "think" that these diamonds are going to be there for you when a customer places them on hold... Then when you call for the diamond, you''re told something like "Well I had a customer who needed a stone like that, so I sold it to them... you didn''t think I could afford to tie up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of inventory in hopes that it would eventually sell off of your web site did you?"

Uh yea, that''s why I''ve long been a proponent of working with live inventory. There are plenty of reputable vendors who frequent the halls of Price Scope, contribute to this forum for the benefit of all, who work with live inventory and are capable of providing excellent customer service capable of catering to the individual needs of most customers.

By the way, just because Blue Nile is listing the stone for sale, doesn''t mean that they are the only vendor who can source the diamond for you - it just means that they are the only vendor with the "exclusive right" to list the diamond on their online inventory... I can''t tell you how many diamonds we''ve been able to source on behalf of clients who initially found the stone on their listing, but wanted a more hands on approach to the verification process. I think that every "live inventory" dealer here is capable of doing so.
 

elmo

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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My educated hunch is that BN's inventory is more "live" and up-to-date than just about any other on-line retail vendor in the world.
 
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