Have you always wanted to buy cubic zirconia rings online?
Buying cubic zirconia rings online is the best way to go since you will get high-quality pieces of jewelry at great prices.
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Having said that, this guide will cover the following topics:
- Why you need to buy jewelry online now
- The best way to save money when buying jewelry online
- The red flags you should watch out for when buying diamond and gemstone jewelry from online stores
- The best online jewelry stores to buy jewelry
- And a lot more!
Let’s jump right in!
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Best Place to Buy Cubic Zirconia Rings
Wondering which are the best stores to buy cubic zirconia rings online? I have pulled up a quick list of the best places. Keep scrolling to learn more about each of the stores on the list.
- James Allen (best value for money)
- Blue Nile (best collection)
- Whiteflash (best diamond shapes and cuts)
- Clean Origin (best lab-created diamonds)
- Leibish and Co (best-colored diamonds)
- Ritani (best designer and fashion settings)
Why Buy Cubic Zirconia Rings Online
Before we discuss any further, let’s first explore the reasons why you should consider buying jewelry from online stores.
Most jewelry pieces come at very hefty prices and for most buyers, there is a need to want to touch and feel the pieces before transacting. This is expected.
However, how much worth is this touch and feel experience. This experience can cost you 20%, 30%, or 40% on a jewelry piece sold online.
Let’s explore some more.
Convenience
We can go back and forth about this but I think that we probably all agree that it is convenient to shop online. You get to shop from the comfort of your home, coffee shop, office, or anywhere else without necessarily visiting the shop physically.
What could be better than shopping for a diamond piece of your choice while lying on a cozy couch in your house?
Whether your preferred seller is nearby or miles away, you can still shop without going to the store. Furthermore, most sellers allow you to chat and email the store staff all day every day so you don’t have to wait around for help.
Cheaper Pieces
Not only is it convenient to shop online but it also attracts lower costs.
But wait a minute….. Where do the low costs come from?
From drop shipping.
Dropshipping refers to a where a jewelry store outlines the images of its products on its website and buying the pieces only when a customer orders. This is a convenient way of reducing the extra costs incurred with inventory storage and warehouse space.
Reputable stores like Blue Nile and James Allen practice this. Most of the diamonds and jewelry they sell comes straight from the manufacturer; there are no intermediaries in the process.
At the tail end of dropshipping is a cheap diamond, which becomes cost-effective for the buyer. For most stores, there is no room for lowering the jewelry prices since they incur many overhead costs, which lead to high selling prices for their pieces.
No Hassle
If you have shopped from a physical jewelry store, then you know the bother that comes with pushy salespeople. These sales staff will put so much pressure on you whether you are simply window-shopping or want to buy diamonds.
It is very annoying to have someone pushing you to buy a certain piece of jewelry yet you know very well at the back of your mind the difference between what you want and what you don’t.
Fortunately, the online jewelry stores I know of do not have such sales representatives. I only know of a nice customer care staff that is ready to give you all the information you want as well as answer any questions you may have about jewelry. In addition, your confidence is backed by the fact that there is no one judging your choice of jewelry when purchasing jewelry online.
Wide Selection
You will not find a wide selection of jewelry types in a local store like you would in an online inventory. In a physical store, there is no much space to store so many jewelry pieces. Where there is a lot of space, the markup price is high because of the need to cover storage costs.
For example, most diamond jewelers may not afford the huge finances needed to fill up a mall. Moreover, it is very risky to keep all that expensive jewelry in one place.
This means brick and mortar stores need to dig in the pocket a little deeper to cater to storage and security costs for the expensive jewelry pieces.
Online jewelry shops have the advantage of storing as many types of jewelry as they wish. This is possible because they do not need a physical shop. They use a drop shipping business style where customers have a direct link to the jewelry manufacturers.
How to Buy Cubic Zirconia Rings Online
After looking at a few things to note, let’s now look at the best and right way to buy jewelry pieces online.
Step 1: Find the the right seller
The first thing you need to do to end up with the best jewelry is to look for a trustworthy and reputable online jewelry dealer.
How do you find the right one?
Having considerable knowledge about jewelry and its sellers, I would highly recommend shopping from James Allen or Blue Nile. Of course, there are other online vendors but these two take the trophy for being the best online jewelers.
These shops have invested in giving their customers the best shopping experience and optimizing their websites. In other words, their efforts are centered on the buyer first. This is very important.
One big issue with online jewelry shopping is that most people like and wish to touch and feel the type of jewelry they want before buying it. This creates a big problem for most online jewelry vendors. This is mostly referred to as “the touch and feel” problem.
However, most online jewelers have found a way to solve the “touch and feel” problem. James Allen for instance offers its customers an HD 360-degree camera for viewing a diamond in all angles on the internet. See below.
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This is the basis for James Allen to compete with other online jewelers when it comes to jewelry shopping.
Similarly, Blue Nile has a 360-degree camera. However, this technology is only available for their diamonds. James Allen offers the same for all the jewelry that they sell.
It must have cost James Allen a fortune to get this for all their products, but it works best to convince buyers like you to get to commit to a lifetime purchase online.
Step 2: Check shipping and tax costs
Since you are not visiting any physical shop, you will be required to pay for the product to be shipped to wherever you will be. In addition, you will pay for sales tax on your purchase.
The sales tax will cost you more than shipping costs. Most jewelry pieces are small and lightweight, so the shipping cost is usually almost negligible.
Different states and cities charge differently when it comes to sales taxes because of the high cost of jewelry. You can decrease the total cost by shipping your product to a state that does not charge sales tax. States like Oregon on the west coast, Montana in the central part of the USA, and Delaware on the far east coast do not charge sales tax on online jewelry purchases.
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You could open a remote mailbox account in any of these states for as little as $20 then have the ring forwarded to the mailbox. Later on, the ring can be forwarded to your home mail address. With this kind of approach, you will end up saving up hundreds of dollars on sales tax.
Step 3: Check certifications or authentication
The most expensive or valuable types of jewelry normally come with authentication certificates that prove the quality of the jewelry. Independent and nonpartisan gemologists issue these certificates or any other documentation from reputable labs.
There is a lot of uncertainty with online purchases. Thus, it is important to prove that what you are buying is credible and genuine. For example, the website can claim that a diamond ring is VS2 clarity, but is that really true.
Most jewelry made of gemstone comes with grading certificates from trusted labs like GIA or AGS. It is important to ask for certificates from these labs before buying and ensure that they are part of your purchase.
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If you buy a new jewelry piece without any certificate, chances are you are buying something fake. You should be very worried about an online shop that does not provide these certificates.
Think about getting a car warranty. If the online seller offers you a diamond ring that does not have a certificate for authenticity, you are better off buying elsewhere. You never know, you could be buying cubic zirconia for $1,000’s.
Step 4: Ask for real videos and photos
We have already established that many online jewelers sell pieces that are not in their stock! These shops do this to artificially increase their inventory stock, with a list of products with photos instead of a real photo.
The “stock” photos are not the real photos of the actual jewelry pieces but of similar products.
The seller only contacts the manufacturer for real pictures only after a customer asks about the product.
Before you buy a piece of jewelry, always confirm the dimensions of the product since cameras may make small jewelry pieces look bigger.
Some online sellers correct the color somehow to make the jewelry look a little brighter. Reputable online jewelry vendors optimize the buying experience for online buyers. James Allen for instance has 360-degree videos for all the products in their inventory. I feel this is the least that an online seller can do for customers.
Step 5: Check warranty
Sometimes, it is possible to receive what you did not order. You should think about buying from a jeweler that backs up their jewelry pieces with an assurance of good quality. This is where a warranty comes in handy.
Always ask if there is an option for a warranty and if there are any added costs. Most online sellers provide lifetime warranties that cover routine metal works, cleaning, and polishing. Some will offer limited warranties, which last a short period, and attract a cost if you wish to extend the period.
RECOMMENDED: James Allen Return Policy
Blue Nile and James Allen offer their customers lifetime warranties that cover rhodium plating for white gold, cleaning, polishing, re-polishing, prong re-tipping, and stone tightening. You have to be keen as some warranties have restrictions and will be rendered void if you breach any of the conditions leaving you disadvantages.
See below how Blue Nile lists all their exclusions when it comes to warranty.
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From above, if you take a ring gotten from Blue Nile to a local jeweler, you will have violated the warranty agreement.
This, however, does not mean that Blue Nile is swindling customers. It only means the business will not be profitable if the warranty offered would be 100% lifetime with no questions asked on valuable jewelry.
This would create a loophole for people to abuse such a policy. The most important thing is to make sure you buy from a jeweler who backs their products with a convenient warranty.
RECOMMENDED: Is Blue Nile’s Warranty Good?
Online Store vs In-Store: Where Should You Buy?
I have already highlighted repeatedly the benefits of buying jewelry online, but here is a detailed explanation of the reasons.
Lower Overhead Costs
As we have already established, buying jewelry from an online shop is cheaper.
Physical shops have to take care of other costs like rent in a place with a lot of traffic, shipping fees, security, and storage, among others.
The owners of physical stores also need to estimate customer demand depending on location and risk running out of stock for common styles. It is so disappointing to hear that a store has sold out a certain piece but a store several miles away has exactly what you want. The excitement of buying jewelry instantly turns into frustration leading to walking to the next store or simply forgetting about the whole jewelry purchase idea.
Physical jewelry shops need to revise their jewelry prices to cover all the above-mentioned costs.
Online stores conveniently position their warehouses in industrial areas where the rent is cheap and rely on a few customer support staff for online services offered.
No Queuing
The crowd in physical stores normally balloons during festivities such as Christmas, Valentine’s, or any other celebrations.
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Sometimes, you can spend hours in a physical store just to buy a pair of earrings just because you are buying them during a holiday. With online jewelry shopping, you can make quick purchases on a holiday since there are no crowds.
No Pressure from Salespeople
In a brick-and-mortar jewelry shop, you have no option but to interact with pushy sales representatives. In most cases, these reps are pushed to makes sales based on the commission they make from the sales. This means all the information given to you is selective.
It is impossible to tell whether a salesperson is being honest and truthful with the information since you know for sure they are working on commission.
When buying any type of jewelry online, you can rest assured that the information you will get from the staff is unbiased and objective.
Coupons and Deals
Online jewelry shops operate 24/7, meaning you are always aware of when great deals will go live.
Furthermore, you can ask the online chat agent or the support staff if there are sales going on and in most cases, they will give you a coupon. With online support staff, whether you buy or not is not an issue, their job is to make you a happy and satisfied customer.
Avoid Sales Tax
If you go shopping in a physical store near you, you most likely will pay sales tax. In some states like New York, the sales tax is as high as 10% of the value of the jewelry you buy. With online shopping, you can easily avoid this cost by having the jewelry sent to a remote mailbox in a state that does not charge sales tax. Later on, the mail can be forwarded to your home mailbox.
Save Money When Buying Cubic Zirconia Rings
Convinced to buy jewelry online? Here are some useful tips to help you save some money.
Financing
Let’s talk about the funds first.
Several online jewelry vendors provide interest-free jewelry financing plans to help customers buy their favorite jewelry pieces in bits instead of making one huge purchase. For example, I used the plan at Brilliant Earth to buy a ring for my wife.
Brilliant earth has a 12 months interest-free plan through Wells Fargo. It almost the same thing as opening a new credit card. As long as your credit history is good and you have decent credit, it is a good plan. You can have it auto-paid for 12 months in 12 installments.
Clearance Sales
Some online jewelers normally have a clearance sale where some of their pieces are sold at a considerably lower price than usual to make room for new stock for the coming fiscal year. The discounts could go up to 90%. Some shops offer discounts on holidays and other special days, but not as high as during a clearance sale.
Coupons
You can get coupons virtually out of anything, whether you are signing up, buying something, visiting a website, or reading a magazine. A coupon is a promotional code that reduces the amount on your total invoice after you buy a product. Most online jewelers use coupons to promote the products they sell. You can take advantage of this and hunt for coupons to reduce the overall cost of buying jewelry online.
Red Flags When Buying Cubic Zirconia Rings Online
I cannot fail to tell you the red flags to look out for when buying any type of jewelry online before I conclude with this guide. I reserve the right to update this red flags section any time in the future!
No Certificates
All valuable jewelry must be certified before penetrating the market. This certification is usually done by an independent agency like the Gemological Institute of America or the American Gem Society. Always ask for this certificate and make sure it is part of your purchase.
Any time you purchase jewelry, ensure it comes with a grading certificate.
Stock Images
When buying jewelry online, stock images are a NO, although sometimes it’s not easy to tell. See below a stock image photo of a nice round cut diamond set in white gold solitaire.
RECOMMENDED: How to Buy Gold Jewelry Online
Looking at it, it is a nice-looking image, but is it the real ring you will be getting?
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Do not get me wrong, stock images are not bad, but what buy something you have not seen.
Any store that does not have a list of the actual product photos should raise a red flag.
The easiest way to know if the image you are looking at is a real or stock image is to do a reverse image search with Google. Look at the example below.
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Limited Information
When buying anything and especially jewelry online, information is very important. You need to know everything about the jewelry piece before committing to buy. At the very least, the information you seek should include the following:
- 4Cs (Carat, Color, Clarity, Cut)
- Jewelry dimensions
- Year of manufacture
- Size
Any product that does not have this information or it has limited information is a clear red flag.
Very Low Prices
Even with great discounts, sales off, and other sales strategies being offered by online vendors, some jewelers take this advantage to lure a buyer into purchasing substandard jewelry.
A good example is jewelry that does not have visible flaws may be sold at a significantly low price than the original. Keep in mind the saying “when the deal is too good, think twice”.
Always be extra careful and vigilant when the deal seems too good.