James Allen

[brsd4f]

Hello everyone! I'm posting here to share my experience with James Allen and the process that got me to them. I know that using an online vendor for such an expensive item seems very risky, at least to me. I decided to use James Allen after months of research. Originally, I had planned on using a local jeweler but after visiting with them I wasn't comfortable in the environment they had created. I then looked at Costco, who has some very nice rings but nobody there knows anything about them. The whole time I was doing that I was lurking here and every where online that could teach me something about diamonds. During that process I found the big 3 online diamond vendors, James Allen, Blue Nile and White Flash. I would like to state that White Flash's website is ugly. The colors to me seem very "pawn shop" and it doesn't flow like James Allen and Blue Nile. I know that lots of customers have had great experiences with them but that is my opinion. Blue Nile on the hand has a very nice website but I don't like that they are more of a broker with their diamonds and don't have most of them on hand. I never spoke to anyone from Blue Nile as the deciding factor was James Allen's diamond viewer and the prices for comparable diamonds seemed to be a little cheaper at James Allen for the diamond I wanted.

I went with a princess cut diamond at 1.17 k's,ideal cut, F clarity and VVS1. I ordered the diamond on the 28th of June and received the diamond today. The customer service at James Allen is amazing. That is how a business stays in business ,by providing excellent customer service and wow I am impressed. I talked to several people and they were all extremely helpful. I was a little frustrated by the delay time and kept checking in on the diamond to see if it could come any earlier, but it couldn't. They handled my frustration with pure class and ensured it was due to the holiday and making sure the diamond was perfect. The ring is absolutely perfect which should be expected, but I was very nervous. I told the support staff that I would be sharing my experience so it better be perfect.

If there is anyone sitting on the fence in the same spot I was, I highly recommend James Allen.

Brett

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Hi Brett,

Thanks for sharing your experience. I too was considering these sites but ended up ordering from Blue Nile instead, as I find their diamonds cheaper than JA (5-15% difference if I compare like for like for RB diamonds), and I also like their settings better.

One point that I was kinda concern with... not sure if it is just me: While I know James Allen is a brand, the whole world may not know this brand and certainly not my girlfriend. As such, having "James Allen" engraved on the ring just seem a bit weird for me. I mean, after all, it is a guy's name. If people don't know the brand... they might assume the husband's name is James! Haha.

I wonder has anyone felt the same way and is it possible to ask JA not to engrave their brand name on the ring?

Joe

 

[JulieN]

Congrats!

 

[hawk25]

One point that I was kinda concern with... not sure if it is just me: While I know James Allen is a brand, the whole world may not know this brand and certainly not my girlfriend. As such, having "James Allen" engraved on the ring just seem a bit weird for me. I mean, after all, it is a guy's name. If people don't know the brand... they might assume the husband's name is James! Haha.

I wonder has anyone felt the same way and is it possible to ask JA not to engrave their brand name on the ring?

Haha I never thought of that before... I guess people who order from Leon Mege, etc are in the same boat. Seriously doubt JA would agree not to stamp their brand on their ring though.

 

[Niel]

One point that I was kinda concern with... not sure if it is just me: While I know James Allen is a brand, the whole world may not know this brand and certainly not my girlfriend. As such, having "James Allen" engraved on the ring just seem a bit weird for me. I mean, after all, it is a guy's name. If people don't know the brand... they might assume the husband's name is James! Haha.

I wonder has anyone felt the same way and is it possible to ask JA not to engrave their brand name on the ring?

Haha I never thought of that before... I guess people who order from Leon Mege, etc are in the same boat. Seriously doubt JA would agree not to stamp their brand on their ring though.

It doesn't say James Allen. Mine is super small and just says JA 14K

 

[Christina...]

Mine doesn't say JA either, it looks the same as Neils picture. It's not unusual to find a makers mark inside a ring, regardless of where it came from.

As far as Blue Nile being a bit cheaper than JA, I suppose it really depends on the level of risk you are willing to take. BN offers very very little in regard to additional information about the stone...they supply you with a lab report, no actual photos of the ring, no gemological evaluations to determine performance of eye cleanliness, no IS or ASET, no sarin reports etc, these greatly reduce the risks involved in shopping online. JA appears to have better add on incentives as well, longer viewing time, warranty, upgrade, buy back, free shipping AND returns. These things are important to some people and they are willing to pay a slight premium for them. There is certainly a market for both companies and it's important to decide what is important to you.

 

[MaximusCruiser]

It doesn't say James Allen. Mine is super small and just says JA 14K

Haha... that is news to me. Never bought from JA but if you look at their website, all the engagement rings have "James Allen" written on it. Perhaps they should have clarified.

 

[MaximusCruiser]

Mine doesn't say JA either, it looks the same as Neils picture. It's not unusual to find a makers mark inside a ring, regardless of where it came from.

As far as Blue Nile being a bit cheaper than JA, I suppose it really depends on the level of risk you are willing to take. BN offers very very little in regard to additional information about the stone...they supply you with a lab report, no actual photos of the ring, no gemological evaluations to determine performance of eye cleanliness, no IS or ASET, no sarin reports etc, these greatly reduce the risks involved in shopping online. JA appears to have better add on incentives as well, longer viewing time, warranty, upgrade, buy back, free shipping AND returns. These things are important to some people and they are willing to pay a slight premium for them. There is certainly a market for both companies and it's important to decide what is important to you.

Yes... I recognize that JA does more in providing more value added services and if all else being equal, I will definitely buy from JA. It is great that we have choices, so that we can price in the services we value.

What I don't really get is that many people claim that JA is cheaper than BN. From what I can see, at least for RB diamonds, this is ONLY true if you compare with Blue Nile Signature series diamonds. But then again, if you do that, you are not comparing apples to apples, and kinda misleading to conclude JA is cheaper. I had the opposite conclusion in every RB diamond type (4Cs) I compared with.

Of course, the lack of information like actual diamond pictures, idealscope images...etc, does create more anxiety and added risks. But I have tried to look online for people with bad experiences with BN and they are few and far between. So I decided to take the gamble. Will not know if it pays off until I receive the ring though.

Anyways, I guess consumers will just have to do their own homework and compare these sites themselves.

 

[delight]

James Allen used to be cheaper than Bluenile I think. I guess with their videos and more work, they rightfully deserve to charge a higher price.