BLUE NILE: SIGN UP AND GET $50 OFF YOUR PURCHASE OF $1000 OR MORE
Blue Nile is arguably the largest online diamond retailer. Founded 12 years ago, BlueNile has since established a reputation for great customer service and support. This success was also largely built on the better prices they could offer over the typical mom and pop store.
The company understands that a great majority of jewelry shoppers do not have much knowledge about jewelry in general. With this in mind, they go to lengths to ensure a potential customer is given sufficient information to weigh on a potential purchase.
This enables the consumer to make up his/her own mind and select a piece of jewelry of sound quality that is within their budget.
Loose diamonds are the core products at BlueNile.com and they form the bulk of the jewelry sold at their website. In fact, they have the largest online inventory of diamonds compared to anyone else in the world.
With over 180,000 diamonds available in different shapes and sizes, BlueNile.com caters to different people with different budgets.
Besides that, they also offer a wide range of pearls and gemstone jewelry sold in platinum, sterling silver, and gold.
When it comes to ring mountings, the options available seem almost endless. Whether you’re shopping for a wedding band, engagement ring or anniversary gift, Blue Nile’s immense collection can meet almost every customer’s taste in jewelry.
For example, if you’re shopping for a ring or pendant, you can use the company’s ‘Build Your Own’ tool to design your own setting. Besides a wide range of designs to choose from, you can also select the metal type of your own preferences from 3 options of white gold, gold and platinum.
When it comes to style, the selection of jewelry doesn’t disappoint. Even though they might not have licensing deals with brand names or settings made by well known designers, their alternatives to the classic ring are particularly pleasing.
Jewelry, especially diamond jewelry, is usually a reserve for higher end shoppers. However, budget buyers are well catered for as well. Prices for gemstone jewelry start for as low as $50 while those for loose and mounted diamonds tend to go up in the higher digits.
DESIGN YOUR OWN ENGAGEMENT RING: START WITH A SETTING OR START WITH A DIAMOND. IT’S REALLY UP TO YOU!
HISTORY OF BLUE NILE
Bluenile.com was first created by Mark Vadon in 1999. The idea of Blue Nile came to fruition when Mr. Vadon was looking for affordable diamond engagement rings and got tired of the available choices.
He thought that diamonds were basically a commodity and that all that was required to do was to become knowledgeable about the commodity and then shop for the best price.
In his quest, he stumbled on an online site called internetdiamonds.com that captured his interest. He called the owner of the site, made a partnership, and marketed his idea to the venture capital circuit. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The business model that Blue Nile follows is pretty straightforward. It is a simple but highly effective model that has now become the standard for online diamond jewelers.
Instead of buying diamonds, storing them in an inventory and then selling them for profit online through their website, Blue Nile lists diamonds directly from the source. This gives them a plethora of diamond offers for their customers without much cost. You can learn more about the business model and its advantages in this article.
Blue Nile’s dominance as a top diamond provider online has allowed the company to build partnerships with the biggest wholesalers in the world. This has allowed them to enjoy a comparative advantage over other diamond sellers by signing exclusivity contracts with the whole sellers.
This dominant position in the market has given them the freedom and means needed to produce an extensive array of amazing settings to satisfy a wide scope of consumer needs and tastes. They have also built long-term partnerships with some of the most exceptional designers like Monique Lhuillier (Her interpretation of the twist pave setting was simply superb!) and Zac Posen (the architect of the popular solitaire setting).
While Blue Nile enjoyed a strong position in the market, they lacked one crucial feature. Diamond buyers wanted the ability to see the diamond before purchasing them. This gave other companies the opportunity to carve out a significant share of the market by catering consumers who are looking for innovative tools to buy diamonds. As we revealed in our clarity article, you are better off purchasing an eye-clean SI diamond to get the most value out of your money.
Right now, however, Blue Nile is no longer missing out on this important feature. Before the onset of 2017, Blue Nile introduced their very own video technology. The images they provide are a distinct style to the ultra-clear James Allen images. For professional diamond experts, like us, the James Allen images are ideal because they provide a pristine view of a diamond like you were looking through it from a jeweler’s loupe.
But we acknowledge the fact that diamond buyers might feel comfortable with Blue Nile’s unique style of images that feature more of the diamond’s innate quality and not its flaws. It provides the impression that your diamond will be eye clean (the moment your eye glances on the inclusions magnified, you may get discouraged in an instant!)
Shopping at BlueNile.com the Smart Way
When I personally buy diamonds, I look out for tangible data to evaluate my options and never rely solely on what a salesperson tells me. Here at Beyond4cs.com, I advocate that you do the same as well. After all, it’s your hard earned money and the cost of an engagement ring is pretty significant.
Great return policies like those offered by BlueNile (30-day no questions asked refund) allow you to fall back on them if the need arises. That said, while return policies are good to have for the shopper, I never want to utlize them because it’s just unnecessary hassle to return a purchase.
Basically, I want to ensure I get it right the first time and I’m pretty sure you feel the same way. When shopping at BlueNile, I recommend that you only consider diamonds that have a video listing.
All personal and credit card information is processed through a secure server and the company will not disclose any of your information to third parties. Customers who are uneasy with giving their credit card information can opt to pay through PayPal or Google Checkout.
The Seattle based company does offer a 30-day money back guarantee which is pretty much the industry standard nowadays. In case you’re not pleased with what you had purchased, returning it isn’t too much of a hassle. Like most other reputable stores, all purchases are shipped securely via logistic companies like FedEx & UPS.
Customer support is offered 24/7 through phone, email, or live chat. On top of that, customers also have an option to add a custom message with a gift order. I personally think this is a nice value added service and adds a personal touch which is useful for many occasions.
Blue Nile’s Lab Created Diamonds
Blue Nile also specializes in lab-created diamonds. Though lab-created diamonds are touted as being eco-friendly and a more affordable alternative to mined diamonds, there are a few drawbacks to them that should be considered.
One of the major drawbacks of Blue Nile’s lab-created diamonds is the lack of quality control. Blue Nile offers a range of diamonds, from the most basic to the highest quality and grade. However, the quality of each diamond is not always consistent and many customers have complained that they received diamonds with flaws or imperfections that were not visible on the website. This can lead to disappointment and frustration, especially if the customer was expecting a flawless stone.
Another issue is that lab-created diamonds may not last as long as mined diamonds. Lab-created diamonds are created in a controlled environment and are not exposed to the natural elements that mined diamonds experience. As a result, lab-created diamonds may not be as durable or have the same sparkle and brilliance as their mined counterparts.
In addition, lab-created diamonds may not hold their value as well as mined diamonds. Since lab-created diamonds are not as rare or in demand as mined diamonds, they may not be as valuable over time.
Blue Nile Diamond Exclusivity
Like many other jewelers, Blue Nile has its own range of in-house diamonds named Astor. This new range was brought out in late 2017 to replace its previous Signature line.
The stones sold under the Signature range were at a premium rate under the guise that they were a superior cut. The diamonds were laser inscribed with the Blue Nile logo and came with an additional diamond grading report issued by GCAL.
Beyond this, there seemed to be little validation for the price hike, and there were reports of inconsistency within the Signature line. It was clear Blue Nile did not apply the same stringent analysis over their in-house diamonds, as their competitors were doing.
Since Blue Nile rolled out the new Astor range, I noticed that this cut has not been patented by Blue Nile, suggesting it is perhaps not as unique as it might have you think. With a trade as established as diamond cutting, it is rare for a company to create an entirely new cut for a round brilliant or princess cut stone.
Each diamond within the Astor range receives certification from GemEx and the GIA. GemEx reports are split and assessed in three categories; fire, brilliance, and sparkle. The Astor collection boasts the highest grading in these reports. However, Blue Nile is vague in its descriptions of the stones. It promises ‘the best’ proportions for light return and symmetry, but do not state what these proportions may be.
It is also worth mentioning that a GemEx certificate CANNOT and SHOULD NOT be used for ‘official’ certification purposes. Such certification is not a valuation, guarantee or appraisal. It also does not provide ‘scope’ images as these images are far more accurate in assessing light leakage and dispersion as well as symmetry.
You should only buy diamonds that have the proper GIA and AGS certifications.
It seems that Blue Nile still has work to do on this range. Much of the required technical data is missing, and in its place, are marketing claims of a high sparkle and brilliance, with little evidence to support this.
The diamonds are of good quality, but if you care about the finer details and more reliable documentation, Astor would not be the right choice for you.
How Can Blue Nile Sell Diamonds So Cheaply?
Blue Nile can sell high-quality diamonds for much less than competitors because Blue Nile doesn’t own the bulk of their inventory. They partner with diamond suppliers and feature the suppliers’ inventory on their site.
Blue Nile beats all the old diamond retailers by so much in price while offering better diamonds. And they offer a selection so huge you’d never get to the end of it.
It’s all possible because Blue Nile doesn’t have to tie up capital in all of those 144,000 diamonds.
Instead, they partner with diamond suppliers to feature their inventory on Blue Nile’s site. Those suppliers contract Blue Nile to sell them to you, the consumer.
It’s essentially a consignment operation. The suppliers consign their diamonds to Blue Nile to sell.
So you’re not buying from the diamond supplier. You’re definitely buying from Blue Nile. So you know who you’re doing business with.
It’s not like eBay — or even some products on Amazon — where you’re buying from an independent seller who is not eBay or Amazon.
To the contrary. When you place an order for a specific diamond featured on Blue Nile’s site, contracts kick in. Blue Nile pays the seller, thus buying the diamond for Blue Nile.
Blue Nile then immediately sells the diamond to you.
So you’re not risking anything like you sometimes are when buying from an eBay seller. You’re dealing directly with Blue Nile.
It’s just that Blue Nile gets “just in time” buying from whatever diamond supplier is offering the diamond.
Exclusive arrangements mean you pay less
Even better, some diamond suppliers have contracted with Blue Nile to offer their diamonds only to Blue Nile.
This doesn’t affect you so much directly. But indirectly, it makes prices a little better, because the supplier and Blue Nile have more certainty as to how their businesses will be doing. Stability means less risk for any business. Less risk means they (Blue Nile) can cut their profit margins more, thus offering better prices to you.
So the advantages are clear: huge selection and lower prices.
Can You Trust Blue Nile Diamonds?
You can absolutely trust Blue Nile diamonds because all their diamonds are GIA certified and inspected in person. You can trust that whatever diamond you choose, it has been carefully graded and inspected by a geologist. Take a look a some of their best diamonds.
Blue Nile has conflict-free sourcing. They use the Kimberly Process which is a world-known tracking method of diamonds. They know exactly what mine the diamond comes from before it goes to market. You can be sure the history of your diamond is carefully monitored.
What is also nice is if you are looking at a comparable diamond on another website, Blue Nile will match with a lower price guaranteed. Blue Nile also has an extensive diamond inventory depth which allows them to price the diamonds very competitively, giving you a nice broad selection.
You might be shocked to note that back in 2004, Blue Nile sold just as many engagement ring sets in the U.S. as the Tiffany & Co. What an amazing feat.
Are Blue Nile Diamonds Better than James Allen Diamonds?
When it comes to big online diamond sellers, James Allen (see Why are James Allen Diamonds So Cheap?) is one of the largest if not the biggest online diamond retailers in the world. However, Blue Nile presently offers more than 200,000 separate diamonds… which is exactly what James Allen boasts they have.
Pros for Blue Nile:
- Blue Nile delivers exceptional craftsmanship on their pieces and you get excellent value for the money.
- They have been known to be slightly lower in price than their competitors
- They will match any other vendor’s price.
- Blue Nile has a stellar reputation
- Their website is beautifully designed and easy to use.
Cons for Blue Nile:
- They don’t have the 360 degree views that James Allen uses to display their diamonds.
All in all both Blue Nile and James Allen are online diamond seller experts and you can’t go wrong with buying from either company,
Blue Nile Pricing
The most popular option from Blue Nile is the Rounds and Princess cuts in 14K white gold bands. These pieces range from $1,500 – $2,800, depending on the size and quality of the chosen stone.
Custom-made items such as matching sets for couples or custom engagement rings designed to suit individual tastes range between $3,000 – $5,500 or higher depending on upgrades chosen by customers during the design process.
Compared to competitors such as James Allen or Brilliant Earth, Blue Nile’s pricing is generally lower than either of those retailers. However, their selection may be slightly less diverse than those other services offer in terms of diamonds or gemstones available for their custom designs.
Blue Nile FAQs
Is Blue Nile worth it?
Yes. Blue Nile may be worth considering if you are looking for quality pieces at a reasonable price. The company is a well-known online jewelry retailer that offers high-quality diamonds, gemstones, and other jewelry at competitive prices. Whether or not it is worth it depends on your preferences and budget.
Is Blue Nile reputable for purchasing diamonds?
Yes, Blue Nile is a reputable company for purchasing diamonds. The company has been around for over 20 years. They have very high customer ratings and work with other reputable third-party accreditation bodies such as GIA, AGS, and IGI.
Does Blue Nile sell real diamonds?
Yes, Blue Nile sells real, natural diamonds. All of the diamonds sold on Blue Nile are certified and conflict-free.
Is Blue Nile luxury?
No, Blue Nile isn’t considered a luxury brand. Blue Nile offers various price points and styles, ranging from budget-friendly pieces to fine jewelry that is somewhat more expensive.
Bottom Line
Blue Nile is clearly a powerhouse company. They are the leader in online jewelry sales.
Blue Nile has mated their strong position in the industry with an almost fanatical obsession with quality and fulfillment. Throw in the advances they recently made on the technology side by adding videos, and they truly are a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
As a seasoned reviewer I knew that sooner or later I would come across a site which didn’t meet my high expectations . I never imagined it would be Blue Nile though. These 3 stars are for the good bits of the education section, the settings they offer and the 360°imagery. The other features on the site are less redeeming.
More recent customer feedback on Blue Nile has been poor as well, this comment was taken from a recent customer who contacted my site
I have purchased from them a lot in the past. They were much better in the past for their merchandise and diamonds. I recently purchased a small pair of what was supposed to be platinum earrings and when I got them they both had loose catches and both were not marked as platinum.
I called them and they seemed to downplay the no markings and asked me to send pictures which I did. I don’t know what is going on with this company, but totally unmarked supposedly platinum earrings is really pathetic. I was told by a customer service rep that they had this trouble with some of their engagement rings too. Buyer Beware!
BLUE NILE: SIGN UP AND GET $50 OFF YOUR PURCHASE OF $1000 OR MORE
