Great diamond selection. Post purchase support is so-so.
Written: Dec 26, 2006
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So you’ve decided to pop the question. You’ve gone online and looked at few things about diamonds. You were smart enough to figure out roughly what she’d want and you’ve gone to various shops and seen dozens of diamonds. As this is a once in a lifetime purchase, or one hopes to be, it’s stressful, not to mention time consuming. It’s one thing to buy book, or even a $100 electronics. But are you willing to push the “Submit” button on a big purchase without looking at the real diamond?
Blue Nile (BN) is the biggest internet diamond jeweler that I know of. It’s been around for half a decade or so and have built up good reputation. But why and who should you consider Blue Nile? And how should you go about purchasing it? This is how I went about it, along with my review of the store.
Real Life Shopping
You go into store in the mall. Maybe you are lucky enough to sit in a small room (most unlikely), and you stare down at the rock. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”. If this is your first store then yes. But as you comb through hundreds of diamonds, they start to look dull. If you budget is in 3 digit range (less then $999), I wouldn’t recommend BN. BN carries smaller diamonds but I believe they are meant as side stones for 3 stone rings. Your selection will be limited, and the cost of the ring will often kill the price. IMHO, If you are in this price range, then mall shops and outlets, who often offer upgrade options, will be a better for you. As for those who are spend a bit more then that, bigger shops will take you to the rooms in the back where they will show you loose diamonds and talk about the 4 c’s. If you have been in this situation, you are probably tired of looking at diamonds. After going through half a dozen shops, I was exhausted. Looking at loose diamonds through the loop is fun for first couple of stones but after that, it’s just time consuming. Also, you are often coerced into buying more expensive diamonds as you see something that’s clearer, and shinier. After putting an engagement ring on hold at Tiffany’s (BTW: They will give you a bottle of champagne and you can propose at Tiffany’s! This may depend on the $ you spend though.), I ordered one from BN. If she didn’t fall in love, I had Plan B waiting for me. Well, Plan B never happened. That said, most diamond shops will have 3-4 diamonds from the range you choose. This is where the shopping experience falls short. If you are lucky enough to find the stone you want, then that’s great. But I never found the stone I liked. The closest one came from Tiffany’s.
Why online?
When you have a person sitting across from you, there’s a bit of pressure. First of all, no jeweler will put dozens of diamonds in front of you. (At least, nobody did that for me). So you have to say “Something bigger. Maybe I’ll go down a grade in color, but stay with the cut). Associate shuffles back to the vault with 2 or 3 diamonds they have and come back. At the same time you look up and smile at the close circuit TV. 5 minutes later s/he shows up with 2 or 3 more diamonds. This can be a painful experience. But with BN, you can go through dozens of diamonds and filter them out. Move the slide bar up and it will cut down the number of selection by half. If you want to expand your search for something more expensive, you can look at them too. The beauty of online shopping with BN is that you are actually buying diamonds for various sources. BN does not stock everything. My diamond had to be shipped from Europe. Little over a week, I had the ring in my hand. But because of their extensive network, I was able to find the exact diamond I was looking for. I spent time reading the measurements, and fine tune my search. Then for next two weeks, I checked the inventory every night until I found the diamond I wanted. Once that was done, I called BN. The sales associate had put the Diamond on hold and said “I will request a visual inspection of the diamond and get back in touch.” Day later I got a phone call that visual inspection was clean.
Delivery:
Now here’s where BN falls short. I had a delivery on 3 occasions. First time, I received the package in the morning as I had expected. Second time, the package was lost in Fed Ex’s system. I called the night before and was told that my shipment will be waiting for me to pickup. As I got to the Fed-Ex location, they were unable to locate it. After calling BN, they discovered that bunch of shipment had been delayed due to weather. An hour later, I was heading to office late without my ring. Third time is when I ordered a matching wedding band. I was bounced to shipping specialist after being told “That was a Temp who didn’t read the note that the tracking # was improperly entered.”. I was shocked that there was an error.
Would I buy from Blue Nile again?
Yes, but with some hesitation. I feel that their service is great until the product ships. Once shipped, Blue Nile seems to forget about how much $ you just spent. Except during the x-mas, I received around 4 to 5 emails from them. That said, diamond selection is the best, and their pre-shipping service is excellent.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Engagement Ring
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About the Author
Reviews written: 44
Trusted by: 1 member
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