Bluenile or Local store for ring

[vkesava1]

Is it good to buy a ring online from websites like blue nile or is it better to buy from a local store, found a thread about bluenile, but it was very old.
not sure if anybody bought from that site recently ?

[dirtsniffer]

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend gem by carati.

[gwill]

I bought an engagement ring from them in December. I recieved it exactly when they said I would and the Mrs couldn't be any happier. I did the usual tour through different stores and would have ended up with a much smaller diamond, lesser quality and paid more vs blue Nile. Out of the stores I saw in the city I would have bought from spence vs the other stores due to how they show you the diamond instead of just throw a ring or diamond at you like a few others.

I went to spence first then went and checked out some places that carried verragio rings as it was a request from the Mrs. The difference in selling styles is completely different from each store.. It seemed like some just wanted to show you a ring and that's it... One lady was dropping the diamonds on the floor as she tried to show some I might like. Other stores just showed you a diamond like visually looking at them was all you needed.

In the end none of the local stores even followed up with me... Not that they could convince me their pricing was worth while but they might have been able to convince me buying an engagement ring online isn't safe, or isnt convenient or other general concerns I had. None of the sales people even narrowed down where else I was looking.

Only minor complaint I had was 2 of the 4 people I spoke with at the call Center didnt leave me very comfortable with the process but when I did finally make the purchase I ended up with a lady who was very knowledgeable and easy to deal with.

[taemo]

bought my wifes engagement ring from bluenile 3 years ago and have no complaint.

as per the previous threads, spend more for color and clarity (F+ and VS1+) as it will make it stand out more than a bigger but cheaper diamond

[dirtsniffer]

I always though cut was the most important?

[The_Rural_Juror]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
I always though cut was the most important?

You are right.

Source: Gemology class and weeks of research.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Brent.ff]

I bought from BN in late November. No issues. I was WAY off on sizing, and had to send it back. No issues on that (so far, supposed to get the ring back today or tomorrow).. Spend a bunch of time on the filters, and you'll easily get exactly what you want for way cheaper then Spencers or similar. Worth checking google to see what people suggest for angles and the such for 'ideal'

FedEx did kind of fuck up, and didn't get a signature at the door and left it on the front step. Luckily I had worked from home that day as I expected it to show up. Really, would have been FedEx's fault if it had gone missing.. Too bad the ring was the wrong size or I could have called BS on it showing haha

[spikerS]

+1 for blue nile, but, if you are not comfortable buying online, Gem by Carati for sure.

[gwill]

I arranged to pick it up from fed ex as I didn't want any issues at the door... Especially with me receiving it in December a week or so before Christmas didn't leave any room for error.

Regardless of where you go to buy I thought visiting spence was hugely helpful. They make learning about the different cuts very simple and easy. Much better then all the other stores I visited. I also agree with sugar phreak on how much the finances diamond sparkles even in dim lighting.

Brent- how long did blue Nile quote to get resized? I need to do that as well....

[natty54]

Gem by Carati

[Brent.ff]

Originally posted by gwill
I arranged to pick it up from fed ex as I didn't want any issues at the door... Especially with me receiving it in December a week or so before Christmas didn't leave any room for error.

Regardless of where you go to buy I thought visiting spence was hugely helpful. They make learning about the different cuts very simple and easy. Much better then all the other stores I visited. I also agree with sugar phreak on how much the finances diamond sparkles even in dim lighting.

Brent- how long did blue Nile quote to get resized? I need to do that as well....

5-10 days, but I sent it back on Xmas eve so fully expected to wait a while longer. Really, they're getting it back to me tomorrow (just got shipping notice), so I'd say if i had sent it on the 4th it would have been the same). They had a lot of days where I know no one was working

[Mibz]

Bought two rings, a bracelet and a necklace from Blue Nile, no complaints. Would buy more.

[killramos]

Tiffany or GTFO

[Akumaz]

Depends how much you are spending and what kind of ring I guess
if you are spending in the thousands for a diamond engagement ring, I would recommend Bluenile
but if you are just looking for a plain gold/platinum ring, I would just go to a local store and pick one up
the price difference would be minimal

[roopi]

Originally posted by killramos
Tiffany or GTFO

Explains why you drive a BMW.

[Jlude]

I just came back from India, could have brought some back for you. I had a duffel bag carry on that had the bottom covered in gold bengals, rubies, emeralds and diamonds, not full by any means, but a pile of stuff and all real cheap.

[Justing]

Thanks for the nods, folks!

vkesava1, I sent you a pm.
Feel free to pm or email me with any questions at all.

Basically
Bluenile: Price
Local (not a chain): Service and value

No right or wrong answer, it just comes down to what's more important to you.

[schurchill39]

I did a ton of research and went to visit numerous stores when I was looking for my engagement ring. I echo 100% what everyone says here and would definitely go with Bluenile. Their prices simply cannot be beat by anyone that I came across locally (or with any sort of brick and mortar store). My only hiccup was exactly the same as Brent.ff and they left it on my buddies doorstep and did not get a signature. Bluenile said they have been getting that complaint a lot about FedEX but something about shipping internationally they can't guarantee they will get a signature. I called FedEX myself and confirmed that it was a FedEX policy issue and not a BN issue.

That being said Gem by Carati was awesome to deal with. By far the most knowledgeable of all the places I visited and took time to explain things to me without any pressure. If I had decided to buy it locally I would have gone with them as their service far exceeded anywhere else even without a sale.

At the end of the day for me personally it came down to price and I went with Bluenile. I've bought other jewelry from there all with flawless transactions.

[ddduke]

When buying my wife's ring I visited about a dozen different stores and got a pile of prices. In the end I ended up using a broker to find me the diamond I wanted and had it set locally. The only issue was quite a few jewelry stores didn't want to set it and kept telling me it wasn't going to be warrantied (who cares, I have insurance and setting it is cheap).

Surprisingly, Spence was the cheapest store I found locally that had anything comparable and they were still $9500 more expensive then what I ended up paying.

We're currently in the midst of upgrading her ring. I've gotten a handful of local price comparisons and not a single brick and mortar store can get within $20000 of what a broker has found.

My co worker just upgraded his wife's ring, he saved close to $15000 and bought a diamond out of Dubai.

IMO, it's a no brainer. I'm all for supporting the local economy but not when it's that much more expensive.