I get asked fairly often why almost all my recommendations are for diamonds from James Allen. The question is almost always predicated on the person having found a similar diamond elsewhere somewhat cheaper than the price listed at James Allen.

I am in the process of researching and writing a more inclusive article on the entire issue, and will only be brief here.

Let me explain. Buying a diamond on the Internet is a bit of a risk. Buying anything on the Internet is a bit of a risk.

The Risks of Buying On The Internet

You don’t know who is processing your order on the other end – are they honest or not? will they steal my credit card information or not? Who knows? It is like playing Russian Roulette.

You don’t know who is filling your order – will he give me the merchandise that he is having a hard time selling because it is lightly dented or scratched, but I don’t see it anyway? Will he work hard to make sure I get the best one on the shelf or not?

With diamonds there is more cause for concern. Most people do not know too much about diamonds – does the person taking the order know more than me? Is that person looking to pawn off hard to sell diamonds on me? Am I going to get what I think I ordered? How will I ever be able to tell?

I can go on and on with the concerns people have buying anything on the Internet, let alone high-priced diamonds.

First you have to get past your fear of buying on the Internet. Most people already have, as most people are buying things on the Internet, whether it is groceries, electronics, sporting goods, shoes, clothing or jewelry and diamonds. once you get past that, you now have to understand that as long as you are buying from a reputable jeweler or diamond merchant, the fact that they are online does not suddenly make them suspect. Just the opposite; it presents you with the opportunity of buying diamonds at discounted prices, as there is less overhead.

You do have to make sure you are buying from someone reputable. It helps if they are members of reputable society, such as the Jewelers Board of Trade, or other such groups. Read the terms, make sure they are offering to you a good returns policy, a good money-back guarantee, and other terms that will ensure your purchase goes smoothly and allows you to return the product easily if you are not satisfied.

Buying Diamonds Online With Minimal Risk

There is one more way to cut down your risk. There are many online diamond merchants. Many of them are very good, and you can get great prices from all of them, again, making sure you buy from a reputable company. There is still the issue that you don’t really know what you are getting when you buy a diamond online. Do the details and measurements listed on the website really mean anything to you? At least if you go into a store you can see what you are buying, you can see the actual diamond, you can get a feel for what it is, even if you don’t really understand the details of the measurements.

James Allen Brings The Store To You

When you buy from James Allen, they are bringing the store to you. The one major benefit that James Allen has over other diamond merchants online is the technology they use on their website. Their technology allows you to see the actual diamond you are considering buying. Not just to see the diamond, but you can magnify the diamond using their technology called the “Virtual Loupe” and actually look at the coloring of the diamond and any visible inclusions. The technology James Allen uses allows you to make a far more informed decision about what you want to buy, and about what you should be buying. It takes almost all the guess work out of buying diamonds online, and helps you make a smart, informed, decision.

I recommend buying diamonds from James Allen because your risk is minimized. As a matter of fact, it is almost completely removed. Even if on any given diamond they are not the cheapest merchant, and they sometimes are and they sometimes are not, they offer something no other diamond merchant offers – James Allen brings the store to you.

James Allen’s virtual loupe lets you actually look at the diamond and evaluate it, rather than just buy it based on a guess.

To me, that extra bit of minimizing the risk, is worth it. That extra bit of minimizing the risk, to me, puts James Allen far ahead of the competition.

If you are considering buying a diamond online, you should definitely see how James Allen can minimize your risk. Go check them out and see what they can offer you.