4 replies to this topic

[BRIANR]

I would like to submit a question,kind of a Devils advocate question. But, it could be fun.

If I were looking at the exact same stone offered at the same price,with all policies being the same. Returns,upgrades,shipping,info available,reputation ect ect.... anyway you get the idea. From different online vendors,which one would you advise me to pick from.

I realize that in the real world,the odds of this happening are pretty slim,if not at all.But for the purpose of this question,we'll accept that it is true.

Choices.

1.Good Old Gold

2.Blue Nile

3.Whiteflash

4.James Allen

5.Wink Jones

6.Put all the names in a hat and pick one.

Would love to hear from everyone,experts,vendors who post here,jewelers,independent appraisers,everyone with an opinion.
Please no cop outs,All things are equal. Please be honest.

[Sparkles]

Well if "exactly the same stone" AND all other "things are equal", then no choice exists.

[BRIANR]

Sparkles, on Wednesday, Sep 3 2008, 09:21 PM, said:

Well if "exactly the same stone" AND all other "things are equal", then no choice exists.

Unless,there is some personal bias towards one vendor over another.For or against. Also,you always have the ole pick a name out a hat.

Edited by BRIANR, 06 September 2008 - 06:17 AM.

[rokstok]

This is an extremely biased answer, but I wouldn't choose any of those online vendors. The only two that I've heard of personally is Blue Nile and James Allen. I am biased towards rokstok.com, as I am a Buffalo native, and the company is based out of Buffalo. They are on-par with Blue Nile in all aspects and most often better in price. Seriously consider them if you're still looking.

[denverappraiser]

Not that it matters, but I’ve heard of all of them and all are fine outfits in their own way. That said, I agree that this is a hugely baised question. The problem is that all other things are NOT equal, nor can they be. People but different values on different attributes of the sellers. Blue Nile, for example, is a huge corporate outfit and people like the impression of stability that that carries with it. Wink Jones is a boutique sort of place and you can actually talk to Mr. Jones personally about your stone. I think they only have 1 or 2 people there and it's a very personal experience. That comes with it’s own comfort level. Some of those, like GoodOldGold, devote a lot of effort to providing extra shopping information in the form of technical testing and photographs that they make readilly available so that you can choose what you like. Call it a cop out if you want but these things simply are not equal. Are these things of value? Yes, of course they are, and different people value them differently. Blue Nile has a HUGE advertising budget and it’s the reason that everyone has heard of them. Does that make them better? In some since yes, and it's obviously working for them, but it’s a personal decision. The cheapest prices you'll see don’t come from any of those folks. You’ll get quoted the cheapest price from outfits you’ve never heard of, who have nominal support, no location, maybe not even a telephone and zero inventory or expertise. Is that better? Maybe. For some it certainly is, others choose a different set of attributes about their dealer. The value added by the dealer isn’t free, even if it isn’t usually separately billed. What you’re willing to pay for is up to you but there is no ‘best’ answer.