Comments on: Blue Nile Diamonds: Should I Buy An Engagement Ring Online?

By: Louis

Louis — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:07:23 +0000

Great and very interesting info here. I shop often at a particular online store, for diamond ring I think Blue Nile is good but lately I have bought 2 diamond rings from Diamondsare. They are very good too.

By: charlotte

charlotte — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:28:50 +0000

Hi Holly, did you buy the complete ring from Blue Nile? and if so which metal? i am looking at the platinum diamon solitare rings and although i have read lots of positive comments on the diamonds from blue nile i am concerned about the bands as i have read horror stories of them being poor quality becoming discoloured and some even giving people blisters! can you please tell me how long you have had your ring and whether the bands the diamonds are set in at blue nile stand the test of time!? many thanks, charlotte.

By: RingShopper

RingShopper — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:38:21 +0000

To save some money and still get a quality diamond engagement ring, consider buying an odd carat sized diamond instead of buying a round carat. Buying a .95 carat diamond instead of a 1.00 carat diamond will cost you less money but no one will be able to tell the difference.

By: Holly Danielson

Holly Danielson — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:49:47 +0000

My husband bought my engagement ring from Blue Nile, and while I wasn’t crazy about the idea of getting a diamond from an online store (this was 6 years ago when I didn’t trust anything from online), it’s just perfect! It came with the appraisal for insurance purposes as well as the certification of the diamond. I took it to a jeweler to look under a microscope for the GIA cert, and it was there. The ring also appraised for more than what my husband paid. I’m now doing a report for an MBA class on Blue Nile, and so far, I haven’t run into anything negative about the company or products, except for the stock price. I say go for it. With free FedEx shipping and a 30 day return policy, what do you have to lose? Oh yea, PLUS you can pick out everything!

By: LD

LD — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:48:28 +0000

CJ – was your wife happy with the quality of her engagement ring setting? If so, what setting did you choose? Thanks.

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:44:59 +0000

The whole endeavor is expensive – like $3k expensive. Not to mention the wedding – even if parents pay for it, it’s still expensive to the couple. Maybe she’ll drop a hint as to what she likes? I have many friends who simply who wanted a pearl ring – MUCH cheaper. Ditto blue diamonds. Or ask her good friend.

If you decide to do it, with a 1 carat, it’s so expensive that w/o all of the right things, it won’t look quality. But if you get a third or half carat, you can do these things to make the diamond look more quality and sparkle more- set it up high, channel set diamonds surrounding it (not expensive since they’re chips), white gold or silver ring (light reflects), and the cut has many many facets. Also try pre-set, you can get a 1/2 carat for $2k.

You know, I agree w/ those above – nobody will ever know if you get a “used” ring, it’s not like it has a brand name on it. Ask relatives. Someone always has a ring in their jewelry box , and would be glad that it could go to good use. Someone probably got divorced, or upgraded. Ask your mother or aunt, she’ll gladly ask around.

Good luck!

By: Maggie

Maggie — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:36:58 +0000

My husband bought at Blue Nile and I adore my ring. He had a great customer service experience and everything with them. Of course, we had discussed the ring beforehand, so I went and tried on at actual stores to get my ring size and check the size of diamonds on my finger (which is small). The salespeople at the shop kept telling me I didn’t want to go lower than 1 carat, but when I tried the 1 carat rings on, it looked monstrous. My husband actually made me go into the store with him because he didn’t believe me! The 1/2 carat is the perfect size and I always get complimented on my ring. Also, the cut greatly affects how big the diamond looks – an emerald cut might look bigger than a princess of the same carat – so I would check them out in the store.

Also, the value of an engagement ring does not equate to the resale value of the diamond. Buy the ring with her in mind, planning for a financial future together where you never have to sell something with such emotional value. Of course, you need appraisal for insurance purposes, but if that number bothers her, you haven’t quite found Ms. Right.

Good luck!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:46:24 +0000

Blue Nile is fine, although it is a slight premium over true wholesalers, it is a steep discount over a store.

I live in the NYC area and am trying to sell my old wedding ring. It is 3/4 carat diamond solaire. Blue Nile says it is worth about $2,000 but a a few reputable wholesalers will offer me $1400 for the whole ring including gold band, and two small 1/4 stones.

If you can buy “used” jewelery and know what the quality of the diamond you are getting is, that is a much much better deal in general abd Blue Nile is slightly worse deal but better than a store.

Also, check if a store will price match for you. You can then bring in some diamond certs and get the store to sell the diamond to you at the same cost.

Another general tip for later if it interests you. I was told since my diamond was under 1 carat, it has less resale value.

By: Kerri

Kerri — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:38:32 +0000

My husband just surprised me with nice diamond earrings for my 30th birthday from ice.com. It came recommended (it’s a reputable diamond provider and site), and I think they’re gorgeous. Congratulations on maybe (or maybe not!) looking

By: chris

chris — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:41:20 +0000

from a long time reader dk..

“Maybe it’s just me, but after following the entire arc of your blog (you know, lessons learned and all that), wouldn’t a better, more mature use of your money be to continue paying back the debt you’ve accumulated? A ring is an expensive token that’s marketed as a necessity…honoring your debt to your mother and being financially stable and debt free is probably the best gift you can give a new spouse…”

I know through reading your blog that you’re a rational person – I hope you are continuing to stick to the principles that have brought you this far.