Online or In-Store

[billw1414]

Can anyone tell which is the better option to purchase a diamond ring online or instore. I have been shopping for about a month and the local jewlers seem to be overpriced on their settings and diamonds compared to what I can find online. I am wondering if the local service is worth the price..I am just a little leery about ordering a ring from a website..

 

[billw1414]

thanks for the info..I am having a custom band made at a local jeweler and I think i can get a better price on the diamond online

 

[hoorray]

Hi Billw,

My guess is that you will find more choice (especially of good quality), better prices, and probably no sales tax if you buy the diamond online. There are lots of people with good experiences with the various vendors on this forum -- even tho buying a diamond form the internet seems odd and/or risky to some.

Good luck!

 

[Boulder]

Personally, I got a lot more service online than I ever did at a B&M. I remember asking about Cut at a Shane's Company when I first started looking and the response was, "Whatever you prefer." I made sure that they weren't confusing my question with shape.
All of the Idealscope, H&A viewer, Isee2 and sarin results at GOG made me much more comfortable making a decision.
Good luck!

 

[aljdewey]

Hi, Bill: Count me as another who is HIGHLY in favor of buying online.

There are several advantages, as many pointed out: no sales tax, wider access to more well-cut stones, more knowledgable vendors, less "slimy-used-sales-car-pushy" ploys....all great reasons to buy online.

Online shopping does mean you cannot lay your own eyes on a vast array of diamonds...but honestly, most B&M places don't stock enough well-cut diamonds to do much in the way of meaningful side-by-side comparisons anyway.

The key thing to insure your online shopping experience is a good one.....a generous return policy, and/or the willingness of your vendor to ship the diamond to an appraiser near you where you can view it prior to purchase. These options mean there's really no need to feel leery about online vendors.

Do some searches here, get familiar with who the oft-recommended vendors are (GOG, WF, NiceIce, and DBOF are all excellent places to start).....and find your girl a beautiful diamond!

 

[Heyjud]

ON_LINE Rocks!
It's the way to buy...
The very best
For a price - not high!

 

[mike04456]

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On 8/27/2003 6:47:20 AM billw1414 wrote:
Can anyone tell which is the better option to purchase a diamond ring online or instore.

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There is no hard and fast answer. There are good and bad elements to both, and good and bad vendors online and off. It depends on what you're looking for, what's most important to you, and how you want to conduct your search.

If you're looking for the absolute best price and are prepared to work hard at educating yourself and shopping around, you can do well online.

If you're not confident about doing your own shopping and prefer some in-person hand-holding, you may be better off at a store.

The truth is that both online vendors and jewelry stores have access to the same wholesale price lists and either can get you the same diamond. In general, the mark-up will be higher at a jewelry store, but not always. There are overpriced internet vendors, and an increasing number of jewelry stores that are willing to match (or at least come close) to internet prices.

If cut quality matters a lot to you, there seems to be more selection online. Most jewelry stores are lagging well behind internet vendors in this respect. You can get well-cut stones at a store, but they are often branded (e.g., Hearts on Fire, eightstar) and thus come with a hefty mark-up.

 

[aljdewey]

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On 8/27/2003 3

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6 PM LawGem wrote:
If you're not confident about doing your own shopping and prefer some in-person hand-holding, you may be better off at a store.
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A quick disclaimer on this.....you can indeed get in-person handholding going to a store, but please recognize most of those people who will hold your hand don't know much more about diamonds than you do. If you are the hand-holding needing type, then make sure you go to a jeweler who knows his stuff.

I've gone to several maul stores for "sport"

, and the vast majority of clerks are just that....clerks. I was surprised to find how many of them don't know a damn thing about diamonds other than basic stuff (like where G falls on the color scale). The minute you ask about anything other than clarity/color, they are *lost*.

 

[hoorray]

You are right about that Al...

I went into a local high end jewelery store recently to look at diamond stud earrings, and when I asked about cut the sales person told me they were round.

When I asked again, he went further to tell me they were round brilliant with 56 facets...

. That was the most I could get from him. That and the fact that 1.5ctw rb g/h si1 earrings were $14,000! On-line, they are $3000-5000 without even looking hard!

 

[billw1414]

Thanks for yuor help!!! Looks like I will give it a shot online!