While it is an entirely normal thing to buy almost anything online most people still shy away from buying engagement rings online.

Buying an engagement ring online can be a very clever decision, however. Provided you are shopping at a great place and really know what you are getting!

You can easily save yourself anywhere between 30% – 70% compared to what you would pay at a brick and mortar store. This is simply due to the fact that brick and mortar stores have much higher operating costs with their fancy show rooms, sales people etc.

In this post I want to sharpen your consciousness of what you should expect of a really great diamond online vendor to make the deal of your life!

What features should the best place to buy an engagement ring online offer?

The reason most people shy away from online diamond stores is because they think that they will not be able to verify the quality of the diamond with their own eyes. And in fact I think that you should never buy a diamond blindly.

Unfortunately most diamond vendors out there do not provide any videos or not even pictures of the diamonds they are selling. These are the places you should definitely avoid!

You should only buy at places that provide magnified high definition images of their diamonds and better yet high definition 360° videos of their diamonds.

Of course this is particularly important for buying diamonds within the VS2 – SI2 clarity range to get the best bang for your buck. For instance the SI1 diamond on the left is not eye clean while the SI1 diamond on the right is eye clean:

 

But you also want to have a close look at the diamond before buying it to assess the beauty of a diamond. In fact every diamond has its unique sparkling style and you want to make sure that you like the way the diamond sparkles.

Furthermore, even diamonds that have an Excellent cut grade and an Excellent symmetry grade can look pretty different because even within the best grades there is a lot of variance allowed. Just have a look at the two diamonds below. Both have an excellent cut grade and an excellent symmetry grade by GIA:

Thus, you should never buy a diamond at a place where only the basic information are provided without any pictures or videos. These kind of vendors are dropshipping diamonds so that you are basically getting the diamond directly from the supplier.

Furthermore, you should only buy from a vendor that offers GIA and AGS graded diamonds. These are the two most consistent and reliable grading labs. Read my post on the best grading labs if you want to know in detail why you should only buy GIA and AGS graded diamonds.

A really good online vendor should also be able to provide you with Idealscope images and ASET images. These images can provide light performance data about a diamond and tell you how much light a diamond leaks. That is especially useful for comparing different diamonds to each other to make a final choice.

The best place to buy an engagement ring online should also let you design the engagement ring in a manner where you can see what your diamond will actually look like once it is set onto a ring setting.

Last but not least, the conditions of purchase are very important. Can you return the diamond and within what period of time? Is maybe even the return shipping for free so that you are virtually not taking any risk at all?

Having these criteria clearly set out you will realize that there are not many diamond vendors left matching these criteria. However, the ones who do are excellent choices to buy diamonds at very reasonable prices compared to brick and mortar stores.

So let us see which vendors can live up to these standards!

James Allen: currently the best place to buy an engagement ring online!

James Allen matches all of the above criteria and is therefore the current choice #1 for buying diamonds online. James Allen undoubtedly is the leader in 360° diamond display technology. No other diamond vendor will let you view all of their diamonds in high definition 360° videos in up to 40x magnification!

Click here to browse through James Allen’s amazing collection of round cut diamonds.

If you have found a diamond you like you can view it in 40x magnification and see every tiny detail of the diamond. There is literally is no better way to assess a diamond and I would argue that this way you can even assess a diamond better than you would be able at a local brick and mortar store.

If you get yourself a diamond and a ring setting James Allen will also provide you a real life video of the diamond shape that you have chosen with the corresponding ring setting. Of course in 360° view:

 Click here to view the diamond ring from above from all sides.

Another very useful feature that only James Allen is offering is its 3HD player technology. It shows you a very accurate animation of what your particular diamond with your particular diamond shape will look like on a woman’s ring finger:

Click here to view the diamond with James Allen’s amazing 3HD player technology.

James Allen will also provide you with 3 Idealscope or ASET images without you having to pay anything. This way you can compare the light performance of different diamonds to each other and make the really best choice.

All of the aforementioned things contribute to your making a great choice as far as your engagement ring is concerned.

But James Allen is also offering the best conditions of purchase in the industry. There are other diamond vendors that will offer free shipping and free returns within 30 days. But no other online vendor will actually offer you free return shippings (within the US)! This way you are buying completely risk-free at James Allen.

If for some reason you decide that you don’t like the diamond or ring you have chosen you just send it back and you will not even have to carry the costs for the insured return shipping. These can easily amount to $75 – $100. Seriously, I believe that the reason that James Allen is offering free return shippings is that their return rate is so low. The reason being that you know perfectly well what you are getting and there is no guesswork involved anymore.

Reasons why James Allen is the best place to buy an engagement ring online:

– Real 360° diamond videos in high definition
– Magnified diamond photographs: See your diamond in up to 40x magnification!
– 3D engagement ring setting visualizer
– Intuitive diamond search tool
– Build Your Own Ring
– 24/7 customer support service
– Free engraving with laser inscribing
– 100% full refund within 30 days
– Free returns (JA will pay for the return shipping within USA)
– Lifetime warranty on your jewelry purchase

Go and check out James Allen for yourself and see why it currently is the #1 choice for buying an engagement ring online.

Brian Gavin: Perfection in diamond cutting in the 5th generation!

Brian Gavin is a 5th generation diamond cutter from South Africa. His name stands for the best cut diamonds in the world that don’t allow even the slightest compromise. A real Brian Gavin diamond is a true hearts and arrows diamond with the best possible cut proportions and the best possible symmetry.

Every diamond in Brian Gavin’s signature line has been handpicked and approved by Brian Gavin himself!

Brian Gavin is also providing 360° videos of all their diamonds:

Click here to view the diamond above from all sides.

Brian Gavin has its famous hearts and arrows signature diamonds that are well-known for their perfect symmetry and light performance. In fact, as far as super ideal cut hearts and arrows diamonds are concerned it does not get any better than Brian Gavin.

But Brian Gavin also has its own Brian Gavin Blue signature diamonds which are diamonds with blue fluorescence. In my post about diamond fluorescence I have described that diamonds with fluorescence are usually about 15% cheaper but that there can be a risk of the diamond appearing a little bit hazy. All Brian Gavin Blue diamonds however are guaranteed not to exhibit any negative effects of diamond fluorescence.

Go and check out Brian Gavin Blue diamonds for yourself!

What I particularly like about Brian Gavin is the fact that it provides Idealscope images, ASET images and hearts and arrows images for all its inhouse diamonds. This way, you can really make the best choice and pick a diamond with the best light performance:

All in all I think that Brian Gavin is a great place for anyone being on the lookout for super ideal cut hearts and arrows diamonds.

Reasons why Brian Gavin stands out as an online vendor:

– Largest collection of super ideal cut hearts and arrows diamonds
– 360° videos, Idealscope/ASET and hearts and arrows images are provided by default.
– All diamonds are checked by Brian Gavin himself for eye-cleanliness.
– 15-day inspection period.
– Possibility of custom designing your own ring setting.
– 100% lifetime upgrade policy (you only pay the difference in an upgrade).
– Superb customer service with a very knowledgeable staff.

Go and check out Brian Gavin for yourself!

Whiteflash: World class diamonds with an exceptional customer service

Whiteflash is a diamond vendor that is absolutely dedicated to providing world class hearts and arrows diamond with the best cut imaginable. Especially their A CUT ABOVE signature series is world renowned for belonging to the best of the best! Their super ideal cut hearts and arrows diamonds play in their very own league and are a good choice for everyone who wants to buy a top performing diamond.

Whiteflash is providing Idealscope images, ASET images and hearts and arrows images for all their diamonds so that you can make the most educated decision:

Whiteflash’s customer service is really exceptional and will go to great lengths to give you the very best information. It even provided a Sarin report for me for free for me when I asked for it. A Sarin report is a report that can give you the exact measurements of every crown and pavilion angle as opposed to the averaged measurement that you can find on a GIA or AGS report.

What I particularly like about Whitelflash is the fact that it is working together with well known designer brands which you can use for your ring setting:

All in all I think that Whiteflash is an excellent choice for anyone who only wants the best of the best.

Reasons why Whiteflash is so amazing:

– Idealscope/ASET and hearts and arrows images are provided by default.
– Free shipping worldwide
– Extensive choices of ring settings including well-known brands like Ritani, Verragio and Tacori.
– 100% lifetime trade-up policy
– BBB rating of A+ and awarded “Winner of Distinction” for 6 years in a row!
– Full 30-day money back guarantee.
– One year buy back guarantee.

Go and check out Whiteflash for yourself!

If you have any questions about a particular diamond and need an opinon I will be more than glad to help you out. Just drop me a mail!