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Hi! This is Andrew from New Hampshire. I have found your website to be very insightful, helpful, and honest- so thank you for the education!
I’m looking for a princess cut solitaire diamond engagement ring in a fairly traditional setting for $1,250 or less. Obviously I would like the best quality possible.
Today I just went into Kay Jewelers because we have a family friend who works there. I had a great time talking with her and gemologist who was working and we found a few rings that looked good. Unfortunately, when I got home and starting searching for comparable rings online, I began realizing that I could find much better prices (as you said I would).
My two (well, three) concerns at this point:
1. I don’t want to offend my friend who works at Kay if I buy elsewhere. (I put something on layaway so it not on the viewing floor, but the money can be refunded if I decide not to buy).
2. I like the fact that Kay has a huge network of brick and mortar stores (a.k.a service, cleaning, re-sizing etc would be very easy). If I go with an online retailer like James Allen, how do I go about having the same customer service experiences/opportunities? What am I losing by buying online?
3. Obviously, I want to find a great ring for a reasonable price….so, it’s not really a concern, but any direction would be appreciated.
Could you provide any wisdom/advice?
I don’t really know what to say. The bottom line is, you will get better value online. It’s up to you whether you want to sacrifice quality or pay extra in order to go with your friend. It doesn’t seem like you have a doubt about that. It’s up to you to decide which is worthwhile.
As for the cleaning/maintenance, James Allen (and many other sites) offer those same services. Maybe it’s more convenient to have more locations, but it makes no sense to get worse value at the start.
Thank you so much for the advice! I was wavering between the two options for a while, but I finally settled on buying at James Allen.
I think I’ve found what I want, .33 carat, G-grade, VS1 with excellent polish and very good symmetry for $500 (that compared to a similar diamond at Kay’s which is on SALE for $1,599…and inspected by IGI instead of GIA!). I’m just getting a 2mm knife’s edge basic solitaire setting. Should I change my search for anything? Any suggestions or things I’m missing?
Looks like you’ve got a winner.
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free International Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisals
- One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
- Free ring inscriptions
- Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Best-in-class packaging
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisal
- One free resizing within the first year of purchase
- High quality images of about half of their diamonds
- 24/7 Customer Service
- 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
- Best in class fulfillment
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