iDiamonds is a newcomer to the online diamond business and has been around since 2013.
I have lately heard some friends talking about it and some readers of my website contacted me asking for advice with iDiamonds.
That is reason enough for me to have a thorough look at it!
iDiamonds 10% Off Coupon Code
Before going into further details I just wanted to let you know that I was able to obtain a 10% off coupon code from iDiamonds. You can use it at the check-out on any item until 18.03.2016:
AFFILIATE-1048-X866Q-FURV
This will enable you to get a really good deal!
iDiamonds Philosophy
What is interesting about iDiamonds is its particular philosophy about buying diamonds.
iDiamonds claims that regardless of how much you pay for a diamond, it is only worth as much as she loves it. And they may be right about that 🙂
Then iDiamonds gets really sophisticated: “Do you really care about the 4C’s? You shouldn’t. It’s just a tool to make you believe that you’re not getting ripped off. Unfortunately, many men feel intimidated by all the terminology involved in buying diamond jewelry, and end up spending a lot of money on diamonds only professional jewelers can appreciate.”
Whereas I don’t think that the 4Cs are only a tool to make you think that you are not getting ripped off I agree that there are many people overpaying on premium features. As no one can appreciate those premium features with their bare eyes people might end up wasting a lot of money.
It is for this particular reason that I have devoted my 4Cs educational section to getting the biggest bang for your buck.
iDiamonds demonstrates their philosophy with the following picture:
iDiamonds demonstrates that the left diamond is larger and has more overall depth than the right diamond. However is is not possible to see a difference between the two diamonds and the diamond on the left is $1,152 more expensive!
The reason is simply due to the fact that the diamond on the left has over one carat in weight and the diamond on the right is slightly under one carat. In my article on carat weight I described that you can get the biggest bang for your buck if you choose a diamond just below the 1ct mark. It is just a fact of the diamond industry that prices tend to rise very steeply at the 1ct mark!
Thus, iDiamonds is about getting the best prices and making the process for men as easy as possible.
All diamonds on iDiamonds are GIA certified
Now, when I hear a jewelry store talking about having the best prices on diamonds it immediately raises red flags.
In fact, most of such jewelry stores will either offer diamonds that have only been graded by their inhouse lab or diamonds graded by inferior grading labs.
An inhouse grading lab will always grade the diamonds several grades above what a reputable grading lab would grade. And inferior grading labs such as IGI or EGL are well-known for grading diamonds at least 1 or 2 grades better than reputable grading labs would.
This is why I described in my post about the best grading labs that you should only buy diamonds graded by GIA or AGS. These two are the most reputable grading labs in the world and they are well known for their consistent grading practices.
iDiamonds is only selling GIA graded diamonds so that there are no quality concerns.
iDiamonds ring selection
iDiamonds offers a large collection of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, wedding rings, engagement rings and anniversary rings.
As far as engagement rings are concerned they can be found in all of the most common ring settings. Thus, there are many solitaire ring settings to be found. For engagement rings solitaire ring settings are among the most popular:
The second most popular ring settings are 3-stone ring settings of which you can also find a wide variety at iDiamonds:
All in all iDiamonds not only has to offer a wide variety of ring settings but also a wide variety of prices.
For low budget buyers there are enough rings for under $1000 and for people on higher budgets there are also plenty of options.
iDiamonds quality of diamonds
When you buy a diamond ring at iDiamonds you don’t have any possibility to choose a particular diamond.
You will just be provided with the basic information about the diamond:
Now, as you can see iDiamonds likes to choose diamonds with an SI2 clarity grade and a Very Good cut grade. And indeed, most of their diamonds to be mounted upon rings match these parameters.
So, are these really good diamonds?
As far as the SI2 clarity grade is concerned I truly do think that it does get you the biggest bang for your buck. Of course only if it is an eye clean SI2 diamond. An eye clean diamond is a diamond where no inclusions can be made out with your bare eyes.
In my post about diamond clarity I have described that SI1 and SI2 clarity grades are the best to choose from to get the best cost-performance ratio. There are many SI2 diamonds which are not eye clean but if you have a close look at different diamonds it is not so difficult to find an eye clean SI2 diamond.
This is exactly what the iDiamonds team does for you: It chooses the diamonds on a case by case basis and picks the best for you.
So, what about the Very Good Cut grade? It is well-known that the “Very Good” cut grade is GIA’s second best cut grade with the best cut grade being “Excellent”. I myself am a diamond cut perfectionist and I don`t like to compromise on the diamond cut as it determines how brilliant the diamond is going to be.
Does a diamond with a “Very Good” cut grade look magnificent? Sure, it does!
But does a diamond with an “Excellent” cut grade sparkle more? In most cases it does!
However, if you don’t happen to be a diamond grader you will likely not notice it. The only situation in which you might notice it is if you directly compared an “Excellent” cut diamond to a “Very Good” cut diamond. Even in this case, not everybody would be able to see the difference. Just have a look at the video below comparing an “Excellent” cut diamond to a “Very Good” cut diamond:
Although I personally would always prefer to get an “Excellent” cut grade I think that for many people the GIA “Very Good” cut grade is the best option to get the really biggest bang for your buck.
As far as the diamond color is concerned iDiamonds will choose the biggest bang for your buck color depending on the metal of the ring setting. Thus, for instance iDiamonds will choose a lower color grade for diamonds to be mounted onto a yellow gold ring setting because any diamond on a yellow gold ring setting will pick up some of the gold color and not look completely icy white.
All in all I think that iDiamonds is not the right place for people who want the best possible diamond quality. For such people James Allen with their high definition 360° videos of all their diamonds is a better option.
But for people who want to get the biggest bang for their buck while getting a diamond that looks perfectly fine iDiamonds is a perfect choice. It especially minimizes the long hours that many people spend when browsing for diamonds.
iDiamonds package and shipment
Another reason why I am so positive about iDiamonds is simply the fact that two of my readers have written to me that they were quite content with their purchase at iDiamonds.
One reader has also sent me pictures of his purchase on his fiancé’s hand:
The box containing the ring itself is not too fancy but looks great while still being high quality.
The box itself is wrapped into a package that is completely filled with foamed plastic. This way you can be sure that your engagement ring gets delivered without any harm:
All in all the package makes a very decent impression.
The package gets delivered via FedEx and should be delivered within 10days of ordering the ring. For this particular customer the ring was delivered after 7 days of ordering.
iDiamonds terms and conditions
What I like about iDiamonds is the fact that all domestic sales (within the US) get delivered for free and that there is a 30day guarantee. Within this time frame you can simply return your purchase and get your money back.
A signature upon delivery is required which makes the entire procedure very safe.
One thing to bear in mind is that you will have to pay for the return shipping in case of a return.
What makes iDiamonds particularly innovative is the fact that you can even pay in Bitcoins at iDiamonds. There will likely not be many people paying in Bitcoins but it still is a nice feature to have!
Conclusion of my iDiamonds.com Review
I think that iDiamonds is the perfect place for anyone who wants to get the best quality while still getting the really best bang for their buck.
It is for customers who don’t want to get entangled in endless diamond studies and prefer to have a reliable place where they know they are not overpaying on some kind of premium feature.
If you have any further questions on iDiamonds just drop me a comment or write me a mail!
Go and check out iDiamonds for yourself and see how simple diamond shopping can be!
