When buying diamonds, today many are still undecided as to whether it is better to buy their diamond online or physically in a retail store. I have decided to do this comparison to help determine whether shopping online is the best for you or not. There are several factors that go into whether it is the best option or not, with some advantages and disadvantages for each. In this post, I’ll explain as best I can the benefits and drawbacks of the two.
Certification
Most online retailers only sell certified diamonds, either by GIA, HRD, or IGI. In many physical retail stores, most diamonds will not be certified. This is normal, as the jewelers themselves are almost always certified raters, but it does not inspire confidence with some consumers. In all cases of a trusted jeweler, there should be no question about the quality of the diamond. However, certification costs money and an advantage of buying certified diamonds over non-certified diamonds is that you will often find them at a cheaper price. However, in general, it is highly recommended to buy certified diamonds, because although all jewelers can distinguish the clarity and color of a diamond, some may not so easily distinguish faulty cuts from fluorescence grades.
Selection
You will have to visit many stores before you find the large selection that you will find within the store of an average experienced online diamond dealer. The average jeweler generally only carries a fraction of the diamonds in a physical location by comparison. I would estimate that the average jewelry would have about a handful of loose diamonds (usually less) of notable size (noteworthy, I use a relatively strict definition of about 0.50 carats). The selection of less than a hundred compared to the thousands you will find online is where the online selection shows the greatest advantage. The wider selection makes it easier for potential buyers to find exactly the diamond they might want, whereas if the customer is willing to shop at a retail store, the situation will often end with the buyer settling for a slightly different diamond. than I would have wanted.
In the case of all online providers, they are connected with a direct line to the cutters, who buy directly from the miners. There are no unnecessary middlemen this way. Most jewelers rely on people to buy from cutters and sell them, so they don’t have direct access to such large lists, which only drives up prices, but more on that later.
However, a downside to this large selection is that the average online retailer takes around two weeks to deliver, whereas when you visit the store you can pay on the spot and walk away with the item instantly. For the person who does not want to wait, this could be an important factor. Many people don’t have the patience to wait that long for what they bought, which I find very understandable.
The ability to view in 3D
Recently a new niche has emerged in buying diamonds online. This is the ability to look inside your diamond in 3D. For me personally, this is a game changer. I think with this new technology people can look into the diamond even better than they can hold it with a lasso. Most diamonds have significant imperfections and can be part of their beauty. When you buy a diamond online in 3D, you know exactly what you are buying. Macro shots at perfect angles under perfect light allow even the most experienced diamond grader to rate inclusions better than with methods used in previous years.
While a customer may feel happy from the start after buying it thinking they could get a great price, they might regret it later as they learn to know the diamond fully over the years. When you can see what you are considering purchasing in such detail, you will know for sure what your purchase will look like and you will never regret it. Also, people who are new to gemstone shopping will find it much easier to learn what the physically visible differences are in the comfort of home rather than going from store to store.
Online return rates for diamonds purchased in 3D are extremely low.
Prices
Although the competition between gemstone and fine jewelry retailers is fierce, competition between online vendors is even fiercer. You can find much better prices online than in jewelry stores. Not only are the profits required for one or two more intermediaries not added to the total expense (saving the eventual end buyer additional costs) but, since they order directly from the main suppliers, they also do not intend to make that much profit. for sale. When a store has invested in a diamond years ago, and only now finds a buyer, they will try to make it worth the long wait, whereas an online seller usually has their fixed fees. On top of that, online diamond sellers don’t require as many human resources to keep the operation running as they manage large stocks very efficiently. Again, this allows them to save you costs by giving you a very honest price for your diamond.
However, if you are flexible with your choice, you may find incredible prices in stores. You can find a diamond that a jeweler bought for a very low price. Most people don’t mention a budget, but if you do mention a budget, the people who work at the store you’ve visited are sure to go out of their way to give you the best deal possible. To achieve this, you may have to visit many stores, but the odds are great that it will be worth it.
Conflict Free Diamonds
When you buy diamonds online, you are buying from select companies that the world’s largest retailers have decided to do business with. The diamonds owned by these companies consist entirely of diamonds that they mined and cut themselves. Since they also oversee all of their operations themselves, there is no place for conflict diamonds to enter these companies. Although in my opinion you shouldn’t worry, since the odds of conflict diamonds are extremely low when buying from stores, the only way to ensure that what you are buying does not have any conflict is to buy from one of the retailers directly connected to these companies and nothing more than these companies.
-Isaac