Issues with Blue Nile vs. Enchanted Diamond inventory?

[cavattack1]

Hello All! First time poster; I've read through multiple forum posts on price scope as a lurker and have really grown to respect the knowledge of this community. Apologies in advance for the length of the post. I will try to put all the details up front.

I've been spending most of my time looking at the various online options to get an idea of what an engagement ring is going to cost me. During my research I found the exact same stone listed for purchase through BN and Enchanted Diamonds (verified by the GIA Report #). ED was listing at 10% less than BN.

Understandably I love a great deal, so I send an email to BN asking if this is a situation where they'd price match, and this is the response I receive to it:

I have confirmed the availability of the diamond since you you last emailed us. Typically we do not price match our own diamonds-this is actually our diamond that another site listed as being theirs. Blue Nile contracts with hand picked diamond cutters all over the World which restricts the sale of their diamonds to any other online retailer other than Blue Nile- in this case the other website where you saw this obtained access to their cataloged inventory and placed it on their website as their own without consenting from the diamond cutter or Blue Nile. In other words it was never in the ability for the other website to have listed this or offer this diamond at that price-had you placed an order they would have advised within 24 hours that they were unable to confirm the diamond ability and would instead offer to show you something different if need be.

For fairness' sake, I opened up a chat with a representative from ED on their website and explained the situation. Her reply was that they actually share some of the same suppliers and that this is ok. So now I'm in a conundrum and can't tell who's being honest.

Can anyone help me to understand what's going on? I'd really appreciate it!

-cavattack1

 

[LibbyLA]

cavattack1,

I saw the diamond I bought on Blue Nile first, then found it listed by brilliance.com at a lower price, and bought it from brilliance.com. I don't know whether you'll be able to get that diamond from ED, but it's worth asking them.

liz

 

[isekii]

Honestly. I wouldn't be surprised. I had the same thing happen to me recently.

One vendor sent me several estimates with GIA certs and another vendor suggested the same stone but was priced about $800 bucks cheaper.

Not going to name names but I'm betting it's pretty common. There can't be too many sources for all these diamonds and a lot of them are probably from the same cutter out on consignment.

 

[Christina...]

I've read on a thread somewhere here that BN does ask that their dealers not allow other vendors to list the same stones, that isn't to say that it doesn't happen. I imagine that dealers don't particularly care which vendor moves their goods, Many PS vendors have access to stones that other vendors also list so I don't think that BN should be an exception. That said, I would recommend that you stick to a vendor that can provide you with more information than these two vendors can. With the exception of BN signature line the stone is sitting with a third party and BN can not tell you anything about the stone, nor can they provide you with Ideal Scope images, both of which are very important when purchasing a stone online.

 

[Deucer]

I have a stone reserved with James Allen right now that's listed at two other sites as available. One one of the sites, I can get all the way to checkout...

 

[Roxy]

I've read on a thread somewhere here that BN does ask that their dealers not allow other vendors to list the same stones, that isn't to say that it doesn't happen. I imagine that dealers don't particularly care which vendor moves their goods, Many PS vendors have access to stones that other vendors also list so I don't think that BN should be an exception. That said, I would recommend that you stick to a vendor that can provide you with more information than these two vendors can. With the exception of BN signature line the stone is sitting with a third party and BN can not tell you anything about the stone, nor can they provide you with Ideal Scope images, both of which are very important when purchasing a stone online.

Christina is correct. Given that you're purchasing such an expensive and significantly important item, you will feel a lot more confident about your choice if you focus on getting your diamond/ring from the vendor who can provide the most indepth information.

Some vendors will not only provide the analysis that Christina mentions, but will also shoot videos of your stone side by side with others within your budget, give you virtual models of your actual stone that will show angle by angle the performance of the diamond, etc etc etc. You may "save" $200 here or even $800 there, but given that you're buying something this important online, you want to make sure that every dollar is worth it.

So, as you contact the various vendors (you've mentioned BN, ED, JA), and there a many many more, just ask for the type of indepth information that will provide you with the peace of mind of knowing that your hard earned money is being spent as wisely as possible. Oh, and HAVE FUN! Buying diamonds is an exiciting experience so ENJOY!!!

 

[cavattack1]

Thanks again for all of the awesome information! As luck would have it, BN agreed to match the price, so I think I may pull the trigger today/tomorrow once I do a little more investigating.

Aside from the GIA report, is it possible to ask BN to show scope (like Christina mentioned)? What other kinds of questions should I ask before I decide to purchase?

-cav

 

[Christina...]

I'm not sure that they will be able to offer you anymore information. I've heard that they will call the dealer and ask them to evaluate the stone to determine if it is eye clean, but this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. As the dealer their interest is in selling the stone and eye clean is a bit subjective. If you do decide to ask I would be clear about what YOU consider eye clean to be. I believe the standard definition is at half an arms length, face up with normal vision. If you don't want to see any inclusion at 4-6 inches or from the side then you need to express this, but again, take whatever information that comes back with a grain of salt. BN does offer a decent return period so you will have plenty of time to assess the diamond for yourself. Be sure to view it in many different lighting environments and specifically in the environment that you/she will most often be wearing the diamond. If for any reason you don't fall in love with the stone don't be afraid to send it back and start over. This is one of those BIG DEAL purchases, you should fall in love with it every time you look at it! Congrats on your upcoming engagement! I'm looking forward to seeing photos of your new ring!!

ETA I want to slow you down just a little bit. Have you run the numbers through the HCA to determine it's potential light performance? Are you interested in posting the proportions from the report to make sure that you are purchasing a well cut diamond?

 

[francescafinejewelry]

I was doing a google search on something different and happened upon this post. It prompted me to sign up to reply. As someone who purchases diamonds in person in NYC to use in our pieces, the answer to your question would be that Enchanted Diamonds is correct. If more than one online retailer is offering the same diamond, it would serve to follow that they do not have the diamond physically in their possession. It is still with the dealer. More than one online store may offer the same diamond, but it is taken down when someone buys it directly from the dealer. As someone else stated, dealers don't care who sells the diamonds. It is first come, first serve.

 

[denverappraiser]

BN is the big dog in the universe. They do indeed ask their suppliers to give them exclusive sales rights on stones and some of them do it. They can and will ditch a supplier over this, and the suppliers can and will ditch them if their level of business doesn't justify it. It's a double edged sword. Just because they ASK for exclusive rights doesn't mean they'll get it but they certainly have the right to refuse to work with that supplier again if it bugs them. It comes from being a million dollar a day sales channel. BN isn't the only one who does this by the way. JA has similar relationships with some of their suppliers and there are surely others. It also may just be an error. A supplier can offer some stones on exclusive basis and others not to a bigger list of dealers. I can easily see things slipping between the two lists and no one noticing until someone like you comes along and points it out.

 

[maccers]

Trials and tribulations of virtual inventory.

 

[diamond-enthusiast]

Based on experience here, Bluenile is actually more expensive than other vendors? I see a few people observing the same trend.

 

[aspensweets]

2 years ago I saw a Royal Asscher in blue Niles inventory. I drooled over it, but at that time it was out of budget. It disappeared from their inventory a year+ ago and I assumed it sold. Found the same Royal Asscher on another site 3 months ago at 10% less that listed 2 years earlier. Now it is mine I'm pretty sure the cost of diamonds are up from 2 yrs ago. That would make Blue Nile a lot more expensive than others!

 

[Kalliope]

I had a different experience with BN vs. enchanted diamonds- I found a stone at BN that I liked but it was soon gone and listed as "currently not available". I asked BN if they could confirm if it was put on hold by another customer or sold- they did not reply.

Today I saw the same stone available at enchanted diamonds- but it is listed for 275$ more than on BN. On the other hand they also have an idealscope and ASET of it, so that might justify a higher price.