Online merchant recommendations?

[unzz]

Hello,

I wanted to buy an engagement ring online, because of the lower cost and bigger selection.

There are alot of online jewelry stores and I don''t really know where to start. I was wondering if there were a handful of merchants that continually come up on this forum as being good to deal with?

Also I was wondering if anyone had experience with jamesallen.com?

Thanks for any help!

 

[ilovedogs]

James Allen is wonderful and has a great reputation. I just purchased my stone from them and they also set another stone in a solitaire setting. I only have great things to say and honestly I think they have the best prices!

 

[lovinsparkles]

A lot of people here have had good experiences with Whiteflash (it is probably the most recommended vendor on this site!). It is a good choice if you are looking for a round stone, as they have a lot of those in-house (which means they can look at them if you are interested, without you having to pay for them to bring them in). It tends to get rave reviews for customer service, price, and other policies (lifetime upgrade).

James Allen is nice because they have so much information about their stones online (more than just round ones).
IMO, the other most commonly recommended vendors around here seem to be Good Old Good and Engagement Rings Direct. Blue Nile also gets mentioned fairly often, but not so uniformly recommended as the others in my experience.

 

[Kaleigh]

Jamesallen.com is a great vendor. You can do a search on them, there are many happy customers...


I will add a few more..

www.whiteflash.com

www.goodoldgold.com

www.engagementringsdirect.com

Also Pearlmans, and Wink...


You can use the search box to research these vendors, as there are many threads on them. HTH, best of luck in your search.

 

[honey22]

I bought from Whiteflash, they are awesome. Also try GOG.

Good luck!

 

[Regular Guy]

I''d agree with those mentioned.

Here''s some older data that holds up...(though you may have to vote yourself to read it...).

 

[unzz]

wow.. great! Thanks everyone!

This should be good to get me started. Now I just have to figure out WHAT to buy

 

[Regular Guy]

You may find this search by cut tool helps you as well.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/13/2008 9:13:47 AM
Author: unzz
wow.. great! Thanks everyone!


This should be good to get me started. Now I just have to figure out WHAT to buy

That is the harder part. I recommend finding a stone you like, RESERVING IT (so no lurkers steal it), and then posting it here. We''ll help you make sure it''s a good purchase.

 

[unzz]

Date: 11/13/2008 10:44:53 AM
Author: neatfreak

That is the harder part. I recommend finding a stone you like, RESERVING IT (so no lurkers steal it), and then posting it here. We''ll help you make sure it''s a good purchase.

Yeah it seems tough. I know she wants a simple band and a radiant cut center stone. I wanted to put most of the money into the center stone, so it really stands out against the simple band. Trying to figure out what the stone is going to look at from a table of numbers is making my head spin though!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/13/2008 5:33:16 PM
Author: unzz

Date: 11/13/2008 10:44:53 AM

Author: neatfreak


That is the harder part. I recommend finding a stone you like, RESERVING IT (so no lurkers steal it), and then posting it here. We''ll help you make sure it''s a good purchase.

Yeah it seems tough. I know she wants a simple band and a radiant cut center stone. I wanted to put most of the money into the center stone, so it really stands out against the simple band. Trying to figure out what the stone is going to look at from a table of numbers is making my head spin though!

It''s easiest to try and buy a fancy from someone like Mark at ERD or Jon at GOG who has a lot of experience with them and a good eye. That''s who I would go to first for a radiant. Much easier than trying to decipher numbers online.

 

[unzz]

Date: 11/13/2008 5:34:57 PM
Author: neatfreak


It''s easiest to try and buy a fancy from someone like Mark at ERD or Jon at GOG who has a lot of experience with them and a good eye. That''s who I would go to first for a radiant. Much easier than trying to decipher numbers online.

So you mean, I should just shoot them an email or call them, explain what I am looking for, my budget, etc, and ask them to send me some candidates? Can I expect that kind of service from an online vendor?

Also, I see that websites always have a Cut rating. However, the terms used to describe the Cut seem to change.. one site will be Good, Very Good, Excellent, another will be Premium, Ideal, Perfect, etc. Where do they get this rating from? Does this incorporate the crown, girdle, depth, symmetry, etc? Or will I need to take this into consideration separate from the cut?

 

[CharmyPoo]

I have found the recommended online vendors to provide better service than the local jewelers. They really work hard to make their customers happy. I worked with Mark at ERD - you tell him your requirements and he comes back with options.

 

[Kelli]

Whiteflash is awesome!

 

[edl]

Date: 11/13/2008 5:41:34 PM
Author: unzz

Date: 11/13/2008 5:34:57 PM
Author: neatfreak


It's easiest to try and buy a fancy from someone like Mark at ERD or Jon at GOG who has a lot of experience with them and a good eye. That's who I would go to first for a radiant. Much easier than trying to decipher numbers online.

So you mean, I should just shoot them an email or call them, explain what I am looking for, my budget, etc, and ask them to send me some candidates? Can I expect that kind of service from an online vendor?

Also, I see that websites always have a Cut rating. However, the terms used to describe the Cut seem to change.. one site will be Good, Very Good, Excellent, another will be Premium, Ideal, Perfect, etc. Where do they get this rating from? Does this incorporate the crown, girdle, depth, symmetry, etc? Or will I need to take this into consideration separate from the cut?

Precisely. Just give them a call and say "hey, I have no clue what I'm doing but this is what my girlfriend says she likes, this is about how much I can spend, what's out there?"

I haven't dealt with GOG, but I can tell you I basically told Mark what I wrote above, and he had a good laugh before getting more information out of me, following up, sending photos, etc etc. I ended up getting a stone from him, and would definitely work with him again in the future.

With fancy cuts like a radiant, you REALLY need a good vendor to work with. I prefer talking to people on the phone, I get a better feel of how they work. So I would recommend calling some of the vendors listed in this thread, ask some questions, and let them show you what they've got.

And it's perfectly okay to talk to more than one vendor at a time, although it's like shopping for cars. You don't want to call every dealer in your area, just pick a few and see how it goes.

PS - GOG has a nice website - if you can spend 30 minutes to read the education part it'd be time well spent.

 

[unzz]

I guess I didn''t realize radiant was a "fancy" cut. She just saw a couple in a store and liked them. Are there any concerns with buying a "fancy" cut that you wouldn''t have buying a ummm.. non-fancy cut?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/14/2008 9:01:44 AM
Author: unzz
I guess I didn''t realize radiant was a ''fancy'' cut. She just saw a couple in a store and liked them. Are there any concerns with buying a ''fancy'' cut that you wouldn''t have buying a ummm.. non-fancy cut?

Yes. You can''t judge by the numbers. You need to see it either in person or with pictures and evaluation from a trusted vendor. That is why I mentioned Mark or Jon because they have great eyes for fancy cut stones and will do all the leg work for you and then present you with a few hand chosen options.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Date: 11/14/2008 9:01:44 AM
Author: unzz
I guess I didn''t realize radiant was a ''fancy'' cut. She just saw a couple in a store and liked them. Are there any concerns with buying a ''fancy'' cut that you wouldn''t have buying a ummm.. non-fancy cut?

My understanding is that anything that is not a round is a fancy cut.

 

[diggdeep]

Date: 11/13/2008 10:44:53 AM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 11/13/2008 9:13:47 AM

Author: unzz

wow.. great! Thanks everyone!



This should be good to get me started. Now I just have to figure out WHAT to buy

That is the harder part. I recommend finding a stone you like, RESERVING IT (so no lurkers steal it), and then posting it here. We''ll help you make sure it''s a good purchase.

I can attest to the value of this suggestion.

2 or 3 diamonds I really liked were snatched up while I deliberated. There''s no guarantee they went to lurkers, but the reservation is worth it.