what do you think of bluenile.com?

[puddy]

any good? Thanks in advance.

 

[mrssalvo]

puddy, you're not allowed to post your email on this forum

do a search for bluenile and a whole bunch of threads will pop up. many pricescopers prefer to work with vendors who have stones in house. Bluenile has their signature series in house but they are unable to run a sarin to provide all the the info that many pricescopers want to know. their prices used to be a bit higher but they are running more close to other online vendors. they do have an excellent return policy.

 

[jaz464]

Well, I have never made a purchase with them. I am not crazy about the minimal information that they offer on their diamonds. They do not take pictures or have sarins available. Also, they don't send diamonds out to appraisers for customers to see before making a decision on if they want to purchase or not.

They do have a 30 day return period however, which is longer than many others'.

 

[cutey TT]

Puddy,

We bought my e-ring stone from BN before I had ever heard of PS. Because they have a 30-day return period, you have a long time to decide whether you really like the stone. However, like the previous posters said, they don''t provide nearly as much info as some of the other online vendors (e.g., magnified photos, Sarin report, IS images), and they do not have an upgrade policy.

Also, I''m not sure where you''re planning to get the diamond set, but some jewelers do not like to set stones purchased elsewhere. Another thing to consider...

 

[jasontb]

I''ve read here on PS that for most of their diamonds (which are ''virtual'' - they don''t actually own them) you can get them cheaper elsewhere onlive. If you want a super-ideal stone (I think they call them their ''signature'' line?) I think you would be better served by one of the smaller vendors who screen their stones more carefully and provide you with *MUCH* more data on the stone.

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Hi Puddy ~

I understand that some people had a smooth experience w/BN, I am glad for them ... I personally didn''t care for my experience w/BN.

I think there are other vendors that offer more services that are more valuable than a 30 day return.

I know that Good Old Gold has a 30 day return policy, I don''t know about Whiteflash ... I would choose these fine folks over BN anyday ... or night!

They both have quality in house diamonds, great customer service before & after the sale, both have trade up policy ... etc...

I won''t beat a horse to death ... so that was my .03.

Have a great day, and have fun learning!

 

[froufrou]

after looking on every single website it turned out i really liked the specs of the stone i found on bluenile, even though yes they provide more info on other sites. It is a .74 F color AGS 000 Ideal cut round SI2, and i WAS concerned because of no picture of it but I called bluenile and they said it was "eye clean" (they asked the distributor i think) and it arrived within one day and it is BEAUTIFUL! I was ready to return it if it looked anything less than perfect but it is just perfect. it was also the best deal compared to the other sites. lots of people seem to say BN is more expensive but i have found that the opposite is true.

so that''s my experience. I did not buy the setting from them though and now i have it loose because im waiting to figure out how to get it set.

someone on here bought the plain tiffany setting from bluenile and hated it, someone else on here bought one of the more intricate settings from them and really liked it.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 6/19/2006 7:45:59 PM
Author:puddy
any good? Thanks in advance.

I think that BN has its place, and it can be a good option for some.

In the past, their pricing tended to be a bit more expensive than vendors here on PS. In the last six months, I''ve noticed that their pricing is now competitive with many PS vendors in many size/color ranges.

Regarding their round stones, I think if you have enough knowledge to be discriminating, some of their stones can be great options. I find for myself that many of the stones they consider "ideal" aren''t as tight as I''d like to see them, but I have seen stones that are fantastic by the numbers as well.

Regarding information.....more of their top-shelf stones have grading reports now, and now that GIA is including cut proportions on their reports, I''d be more willing to consider a stone from them. They still don''t offer IS or photos, but as long as I can return it, no biggie.

My personal comfort level? I''d still prefer to work with a vendor that has stones inhouse because I trust them to be more candid about eyeclean, and that diminishes the chance I''ll have to return a stone.

Bottom line......if they had a stone that most closely fit what I wanted, I''d be wililng to buy from them knowing I could return it. If other vendors with inhouse stones had something similar available, I''d likely choose them first before going to BN.

 

[jonclegg]

There are a couple pro''s and cons to bluenile:

pro:
GIA or AGS report almost always available
30 day viewing period
They will run a Sarin, although this is not 06 and newer GIA reports.

con:
They will not take photos, idealscope or otherwise
Slightly more expensive then other vendors
None personal customer service, you are a number and a file. With WF I could call Renee and she knew who I was. When buying online its great to get personal assurances like that.