Are you looking for the best place to buy diamonds in the world but you are spoilt for choice?
Congratulations! You have come to the right place. In this article, we are going to clear your doubts on issues relating to the following:
- What are the best online stores to buy diamonds from?
- Factors to consider when buying an engagement ring
- How to know if you are getting the best deal?
- What red flags to look out for when buying a diamond engagement ring?
Most of us look forward to that day of our lives when we shall be engaged to the loves of our lives.
In the past, people bought engagement rings only from the local jewelry stores near them. Today, numerous online jewelry stores offer high-quality engagement rings at lower prices. These online shops make the shopping experience smooth for you since there is no pressure from a salesperson pushing you to buy something you are not ready to buy.
So, how do you know you are buying your precious jewelry from a good retailer?
We are here for you. We shall go through all there is to know about six of the best online jewelry retailers from whom you can buy a diamond engagement ring.
Best Place to Buy Diamonds in the World
Below is a list of the best 6 shops on the internet you can buy diamond engagement rings from. Keep scrolling to learn more about each of these stores.
1. Buying Diamonds from James Allen
James Allen is a reputable online store that you can buy an engagement ring from. James Allen is arguably the best jewelry online retailer.
This shop has an inventory full of loose diamonds that you can choose from. They even let you customize the ring in a setting of your choice such as halo pave or Tiffany. The settings are so many that you can get overwhelmed.
James Allen has sorted their settings in classes like 3-stone, vintage, halo, among others. These settings are listed according to the price of the setting only. This means you pick the diamond separately.
If you have chosen to have your engagement ring or wedding band customized from scratch, make sure you are part of the process all the way instead of selecting something that is already in a jewelry box.
The prices of diamonds at James Allen vary greatly. You can find those with SI1 clarity that cost as low as $500 as well as those with VS1 clarity that cost a whopping $9,000.
James Allen is one of the few online jewelry stores that ensures their customers are taken care of. This vendor provides a free jewelry lifetime warranty to cover routine repairs like rhodium plating, prong re-tipping, polishing, and steam cleaning.
In addition, there is a 30-day return policy with a money back guarantee, if for some reason you do not like the diamond engagement ring that was delivered to you, you have 30 days to return it and get all your money back and no questions will be asked.
RECOMMENDED: James Allen Review
Pros
- Vast selection
- Affordable selling prices
- 30-day return policy
- Lifetime warranty covering routine works
Cons
- Colored diamonds cannot be seen in the settings
2. Buying Diamonds from Blue Nile
Blue Nile is one other trusted store to buy an engagement ring.
Like James Allen, Blue Nile also has an inventory from which you can pick the diamond that has the characteristics you desire. Blue Nile has ideal cut diamonds as well as their own brand of diamonds known as “Astor. ”
You also get the opportunity to build your engagement ring from different kinds of metals such as 18K or 14K, rose gold, white gold, yellow gold, and platinum. There is also a wide selection of loose diamonds.
You can fix many colored diamonds in a ring. Unfortunately, you cannot view both of them together to see how the final piece will look like. I love the fact that they have the option of colored diamonds for customers who would like something a little fancier in their ring settings.
At Blue Nile, you get to choose your ring setting from a collection of both classic and modern styles. You will find halo, vintage, pave, and three stones, etc.
If you have difficulty picking a loose diamond or you simply are not into it, Blue Nile has gemstone rings ready for shipment as well as pre-set engagement rings.
At the time of order, you can get a discount if you are paying using a bank wire as opposed to a credit card. James Allen does not have such an offer, so Blue Nile has an edge here.
On the downside, Blue Nile charges for any repairs that your ring may need. The only thing they will do for free is rectifying any manufacturer defects on the diamond engagement ring.
As much as Blue Nile offers a wide selection of high-quality loose stones, colored diamonds, and several settings, their lack of a lifetime warranty is what puts them second to James Allen.
RECOMMENDED: Blue Nile Review
Pros
- 360 high definition diamond views
- Wide selection of loose diamonds
- Beautiful colored diamonds
- Discount for bank wire payments
Cons
- Offers manufacturer’s warranty only
- Fancy colored diamonds cannot be seen in the setting
3. Buying Diamonds from Clean Origin
If you want to save some bucks, Clean Origin is the best place to buy an engagement ring. All of the diamonds stocked in this online store are lad-created. Another name for lab-created diamonds is synthetic or lab-grown diamonds but has similar attributes to natural diamonds. While natural diamonds are mined from their deposits in the ground, lab-created diamonds are manufactured in the lab to mimic the chemical and physical properties of real diamonds.
Synthetic diamonds carried by Clean Origin are very free from conflicts. This store is new to online diamond vending having opened its online stores in 2017. That notwithstanding, they have more than a century of experience in the jewelry industry.
By buying your diamond engagement ring at Clean Origin, you save up to 50% more than what you would have saved if you bought a natural diamond with similar grades. Like two of the stores we have already discussed, you can also customize your diamonds at Clean Origin. You can filter diamonds to have only hearts and arrows. Clean Origin is known to sell very high-quality diamonds, so you will not find any luck getting a diamond with I clarity grade in their collection.
Clean origin allows customers to view the lab diamonds in 360-degree. Furthermore, you can zoom in to see the diamond characteristics more clearly. You pick your diamond as well as a setting of your choice. Their diamonds come with a grading report too. All the precious metals available at Clean Origin are recycled.
Unlike most other online diamond sellers, Clean Origin’s return period is 100 days. This store has 100% trust and confidence in their products, but if you still do not like the ring, you can take it back before the 100 days elapse.
When it comes to product warranties, they only have a manufacturer’s warranty, which if you ask me is not a warranty at all. This is a warranty that takes care of any flaws in the ring’s design but not regular maintenance. If you want services like cleaning, rhodium plating. Stone tightening, or prong re-tipping, you will pay for all these out of pocket.
The diamonds at Clean Origin may be cheaper because they are synthetic but they do not come with an option for upgrading or trading in as other online diamond vendors do. I somehow agree with this strategy since diamonds, especially lab-grown do not attract a resale value, neither do they make good investments.
Clean Origin is the best store if you are looking to substitute natural diamonds with something similar at a cheaper cost.
Pros
- Mindful of the environment
- Lab diamonds are conflict-free
- 360 viewing
- Cheaper than real diamonds
Cons
- Synthetic diamonds have no resale value and can’t be traded in
- Warranty not favorable
4. Buying Diamonds from Whiteflash
If you are online searching for an engagement ring that bears a brand name, Whiteflash is definitely, what you want. Most of the diamonds at Whiteflash are brand names. You will find bridal jewelry brand names like Simond G, Tacori, Ritani, and Verragio in their inventory.
Their stock does not include much of the rings they have already created but there is a vast selection of loose diamonds that you can pick to start creating the engagement ring of your choice.
Whiteflash takes you through the systematic process of customizing your ring while considering the diamond grades you desire and your budget.
You can go through their list of loose diamonds and pick one after making several comparisons.
Whiteflash does not have pre-made diamond engagement rings, but they have a wide selection of loose diamonds to make up for that. There is both a virtual and in-house collection.
Their diamond collection comes from different sources and manufacturers; gemologists make sure they are the best quality diamonds then screen them.
One great advantage of Whiteflash is that they can cut a diamond for you. You can walk in their stores with a rough diamond and their trained lapidaries will cut it into a beautiful stone.
Whiteflash offers a 30-day return policy to customers free. Rings ordered from the virtual collection get a 10-day return policy. Additionally, there is a 1-year warranty that pays for all regular maintenance like prong re-tipping, polishing, stone tightening, and rhodium plating.
Lastly, you have two optional care plans: a 3-year Ultimate Care Plan and a Lifetime Ultimate Care Plan. Each of these care plans comes at a cost that depends on the price of the engagement ring you order.
Pros
- Widest selection of loose diamonds
- Brand names available
- Virtual collection
- Optional care plans at a cost
- 1-year free warranty
Cons
- Limited designs of their own
- Website is slow
5. Buying Diamonds from Ritani
Ritani the ring designers and Ritani the oldest diamond-selling brand are two different entities. Ritani started out by designing rings with elegant designs that were one of a kind and sold the same rings to diamond sellers like Whiteflash.
Over the years, Ritani has grown to provide both unique ring settings and loose diamonds. The loose diamonds come in both natural form and lab-created. Like most other brand names, you will find that ring settings at Ritani have exaggerated prices compared to rings that are not branded.
Ritani is a transparent diamond vendor that gives you all the market analysis of every loose diamond in their inventory. You will get information about how the diamond was priced including at what price the diamond was bought, the markup cost, and the selling price.
Ritani offers 360 videos for some of their diamonds while the rest have HD photos only. However, some loose diamonds have both 360 videos and photos, while others do not have anything at all. This is a lot of inconsistency. Something to note is that there are HD photos that are available only when you request and provided within 48 hours.
The prices of diamonds at Ritani are more or less the same as Blue Nile and James Allen. This store lets you see the diamond in-store at one of the other stores they collaborate with. However, this feature may not be as usual currently because of COVID 19.
One great thing about Ritani is that they offer a free lifetime warranty. This warranty covers all the routine maintenance you will need for your rings like rhodium plating for white gold rings, re-tipping prongs, and stone tightening. However, you need to log into their website and sign up for this service. You must sign up within 45 days for the warranty to be activated, but you can still do it later on.
Pros
- Free lifetime warranty
- Online and in-store
Cons
- Viewing is inconsistent
- Ring settings are expensive
6. Buying Diamonds from Leibish & Co.
You will buy a diamond engagement ring from Leibish & Co if you want something unique.
If you do not want a ring that is almost on every other finger on the street, Leibish $ Co is the store for you. They have an inventory full of a beautiful collection of engagement rings that has brilliant colored diamonds.
Of all the online diamond shops, Leibish & Co is the best when it comes to fancy diamonds. Their collection of engagement rings is full of life and feature diamonds that are rich in color.
However, the prices are very high. This company is the best for colored diamonds and you will be paying for the best. On the bad side, their price range does not fit most people’s wallets.
There are about 14 different colors of diamonds at Leibish & Co, and this includes the super rare red diamond. You can buy a colored diamond loose or when in a set.
This online store offers 360 view for customers to see the colored diamonds, but at some angle, the light fades away and you will not see any characteristics. To say the least, the view in not exactly the best.
If you like you can view the diamond in-store but at a fee. If the view were a little better, the payment and physical visit would not be necessary.
Leibish & Co offers a great Loyalty Program that makes you earn points when you buy diamonds from them. For every item you buy, you will be awarded points.
The more products you buy, the more points you earn. The points you accumulate can be used to buy other items. I love this because not so many jewelers have this option.
When it comes to product warranty, Leibish & Co offers a lifetime warranty for their engagement rings. With the warranty, you do not have to worry about the cost of routine cleaning, prong re-tipping, rhodium plating, or stone tightening.
While some of their diamond is certified by GIA, other are certified in-store by their GIA trained and certified staff. This company charges $150 if you would like to send a diamond stone to GIA for certification.
The return policy in this online store is 30 days and you get a free resizing in the 60 days of purchasing.
Pros
- Great loyalty program
- Top-quality beautiful color diamonds
- Lifetime warranty
- 60 day resizing
Cons
- Very expensive
- Pictures with glare
FAQs on Buying Diamonds Online
So many questions come to your mind when you think about buying a diamond engagement ring. You wonder whether you should get a diamond-only ring or a ring with both diamonds and gemstones. What about the setting, which is good? Maybe rose gold would do what if you change to white gold, would it look better? Maybe yellow gold will give you exactly what you want. The possibilities are uncountable. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about buying diamond engagement rings online and their answers.
Are Diamond Rings Cheaper When Bought Online?
This question is somehow heavy. Most people think about jewelry in the lines of cheap or expensive, but diamonds are not just any other kind of jewelry.
Diamonds going at cheap prices may be friendly to your wallet but their durability will definitely be questionable. Cheap diamonds have many inclusions and they have the worst cuts possible. While this may not be the case for all, the majority fall in that basket.
On the other hand, if you go to a jewelry store downtown to look for a high-quality diamond, you may not find it. If you are lucky to find it, it is going to be more expensive than you would have paid if you bought it online. Corporate jewelry stores usually charge twice the amount you would have paid for the same quality of diamond online.
You will buy a diamond engagement ring of the same size and lower quality for the same cost of a better diamond at one of the online retailers mentioned above.
Red Flags When Buying Diamonds Online
Several frauds exist online and there is no exception when it comes to buying diamonds online. Luckily, there are safer online buying procedures today. Look out for the following when purchasing diamond engagement rings online:
Legitimate Retailers
All the diamond vendors featured on this list are reputable, trusted, and legitimate. However, you still need to be careful. Research widely if you need to buy from a smaller diamond retailer. Maybe their prices are low and attractive, their ring designs look even prettier, and that is why you decide to buy from them.
It is possible that a small retailer can be legitimate but there is no harm in checking. It is wise to do enough research on an online company that you intend to buy not only jewelry from but also any other product.
Read reviews, go through the company’s Facebook page, read reports from Better Business Bureau, or go to Reddit and see what people have to say about the company before ordering a diamond engagement ring from them.
Conflict-Free Diamonds
You probably want to buy an engagement ring that is made using diamonds that are not bloodstained. It will benefit you to know that all the retailers featured on this list take part in the Kimberley Process.
The Kimberley Process was introduced in 2003 to make sure that all diamonds that end up in the jewelry market are ethically sourced and that proceeds from the same diamonds are not used to fund civil wars or terrorism in their places of origin.
All reputable diamond sellers, whether online or brick-and-mortar, usually state their policy about conflict diamonds. All the online diamond stores on this list sell conflict-free diamonds.
Clarity Grade
Before buying any loose diamonds from your preferred online retailer, ensure you have an idea of the clarity grade you want.
If you are seriously looking to buy diamonds, you must start by learning about the 4Cs. These are the most important factors that will differentiate a quality diamond from others. The 4Cs were developed by GIA, which is the number one company when it comes to diamond research and education.
If you want your ring in a setting, diamond clarity is the most important factor. Clarity may not be as important for any other type of jewelry as it is for rings. A ring is always viewed from the top, for this reason, you need not see any blemishes on the stone or any other unpleasant characteristics for that matter.
If you end up in a shop that does not give precise clarity grades for the center stone, you would be better off heading to the next store. However, if you would like low-quality grade rings, Amazon is the place for you.
How to Get the Best Diamond Deal
When buying a diamond engagement ring, you will not just look at the numbers to determine if the deal is great or not. For someone who does not know so much about diamonds, they would think that if you get a big diamond at a low price that is great. This is not true.
Natural diamonds are all graded using the 4Cs, which are Clarity, Cut, Carat, and Color.
You are likely to find a 2-carat diamond ring with lower color and clarity grades but with a good cut. You may choose to forego the general beauty of the stone. There are actually people who consider beauty more than any other grade.
Not all beautiful diamond rings are expensive, you will also find other better characteristics that you do not need to let go of when building a ring.
Cut
How the diamond is cut, has a great impact on its brilliance and durability. Its symmetry, proportions, and polish determine the cut quality of a diamond stone. A diamond that is not well cut will not reflect all the light and thus the fire will be hampered. Having said that, I would highly recommend that you do not sacrifice a diamond’s cut quality.
Clarity
Clarity refers to how clear the diamond looks when viewed by the naked eye. (Read more at the Red Flags section)
Color
A diamond’s color will fall in one of the universally used colors ranging from D-K.the lowest grade is K and it is faint yellow, always referred to as fancy yellow diamond. You will also find some places assigning the lowest color grade using a lower letter, although K is the commonest.
Carat
Contrary to what most people think, a diamond carat refers to its weight and not size. In other words, it is how much the stone weighs not how big or small it looks.
It is very rare to find 100% colorless or clear diamonds. This is the reason diamond prices are to the ceiling and significantly increase from 1 to 2 carats.
You can save a lot of money by buying a lower clarity stone, but it is good to critically look at the stone first. You are better off buying from one of the online stores that provide 360 viewing for their loose diamonds. This technology will help you see exactly where the inclusions are as well as any other stone characteristics.
Say you are buying an SI1 clarity grade diamond with inclusions located on the edge where the prong will be, you will not see the inclusions and you will pay less for the stone.
When it comes to color grades, you may not quickly notice the distinction between an E and D colored diamond, but these two color grades have significantly different prices.
The rule is, you will see the color difference between two grades away. You can easily see a difference in shade between a D and G stone. However, G and H may look somewhat the same and you will save money when buying a diamond ring with a lower color grade.
The carat weight of a diamond stone is normally measured in points. A 1-carat diamond has 100 points. When shopping for loose stones, always look out for the price difference between a 1-carat stone and a .90-carat in terms of points.
You will notice the difference running in hundreds. However, if you put one stone against the other, there is barely any difference. You will save a lot of money if you consider carat points instead of carat weight.
