Blue Nile Review – Home To Astor Diamonds
Everyone is familiar with Blue Nile. They are the powerhouse of loose diamonds online and have been operating their online diamond business since 1999. Based in Seattle, Washington, their advantage in the online diamond market is shear size. At the time of this writing (July 2018), they have more than 140,000 diamonds available for search online at any given time.
Quick History of Blue Nile
Although Blue Nile was once a public company, it was recently purchased by a private investment group in November 2016. There have been some notable changes to Blue Nile’s business. Their overall diamond inventory has decreased by 40% and they have changed their ‘Signature’ diamond brand to their new ‘Astor‘ line of diamonds. Diamond rings still make up about 70% of Blue Nile’s sales as they cater to the first time diamond buyer. Because most people don’t know where to start their diamond engagement ring shopping, they rely upon Blue Nile to help educate and steer them in the right direction.
Why People Like Blue Nile – ‘Build Your Own Ring’ OG
Blue Nile has always relied on their very popular “build-your-own-ring” option and were the first to offer in this incredibly helpful tool to the public long ago. The ability to build your own engagement ring allows the consumer to choose their loose diamond and the ring separately. Choosing a loose diamond is a critical piece to ensuring a successful jewelry purchase as quality varies widely in the market.
Blue Nile Diamond Visualization 360 Degree Magnified Videos of Diamonds
Blue Nile recently launched their new diamond visualization which allows consumers to search for diamonds that have a 360 degree magnified HD video. This is a feature not to be missed, as seeing a diamond in a magnified video allows the consumer to see how well the diamond is cut and what inclusions and/or blemishes it might have.
1.01ct G VS2 diamond from Blue Nile
Keep in mind that unlike other boutique diamond retailers, Blue Nile doesn’t fully own or house the 140,000+ diamonds that are in their online inventory. They instead utilize the very common drop-shipping business practice of showcasing diamonds on their website which are owned by various diamond wholesalers located elsewhere. This helps to keep the overhead costs down and thus pass on the savings directly to the consumer.
Blue Nile Astor Diamonds – An Interesting Brand That Doesn’t Tell You Much
This Blue Nile Review also delves deep into Blue Nile’s Astor diamonds. These diamonds are marketed as an exclusive collection of diamonds that have been cut for optimal brilliance. In fact, Blue Nile asserts that only 1 in 1000 diamonds possess the potential to achieve the Astor by Blue Nile status.
Astor diamonds are being sold with both a GIA lab report and a GemEx diamond light performance certificate. The use of two separate independent labs is an attempt to convey Astor diamonds top quality and brilliance.
The GemEx certificate provides images taken of the diamond using a BrillianceScope Analyzer.
The GemEx report provides different images of the Astor diamond with the aim to convey the diamond’s varying levels of light reflection. You may be interested to know that both GIA and AGS (two of the world’s most reputable gem labs) have tested the BrillianceScope® Analyzer and returned it based on their inconsistent findings. This means that the tool used to evaluate light brilliance for Blue Nile Astor diamonds is scientifically inaccurate and in effect, misleading.
Blue Nile is essentially attempting to garner trust with the average consumer, hoping that a 3rd party gem lab report will offer the critical piece of mind that every diamond consumer needs in order to finally make a diamond purchase. However, its significance is lost on the average consumer. Instead, people are confused by what the brand is really trying say and convey. If they are trying to differentiate themselves among the other notable and popular diamond cut brands, they are doing a very poor job. The GemEx Certificate is in no way a direct comparison to the scientifically sound ASET light performance technologies extensively tested within American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL). GemEx offers no consistent helpful information of light return, light leakage, and contrast like the popular and easy to understand ideal-scope.
So, should the average consumer waste their time looking at Blue Nile’s Astor diamonds? Well, it depends. If you have found a ring setting that you absolutely love then you’ll obviously want to purchase your diamond from the same online retailer. If this is the case then a consumer will have to look at each diamond individually and evaluate it based on cut proportions from the GIA report and 360 magnified videos and magnified images. I urge every consumer going this route to contact a diamond professional to make sure that everything checks out on their diamond selection.
Blue Nile Engagement Rings
Blue Nile offers designer engagement rings exclusive to Blue Nile including: Bella Vaughan, Monique Lhuillier, and Zac Posen. These designers have created a lovely offering of engagement ring styles to choose from modern to classic to avant garde.
An ODBA reader’s Monique Lhuillier Cathedral Solitaire Engagement Ring from Blue Nile
Blue Nile also offers their Blue Nile Studio collection of engagement rings and many consumers find that the top 20 styles are helpful in their engagement ring style selection.
ODBA readers shows off her Classic Halo diamond engagement ring from Blue Nile’s Studio collection.
Over the years my readers have told me that Blue Nile’s jewelry craftsmanship is very nice and they have been very pleased with their diamond engagement rings. Many readers have been enlightened by my Blue Nile review and grateful to get the professional advice in seeking out the perfect diamond for them.
Blue Nile Jewelry
Blue Nile also offers an extensive collection of beautiful jewelry including wedding bands and eternity rings, classic gemstones and pearls set in all the precious metals and offered in bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings. Gifts below $500 are a popular search item for individual’s looking for a thoughtful birthday, anniversary, or anytime gift.
Blue Nile Offers:
- Actual diamond videos and images via their Diamond Visualization Tool
- 24/7 Customer Service!
- Free delivery for both domestic and international orders
- Blue Nile Credit Card with various financing options
- 30 day return policy
- Conflict-free diamonds
- Specific Canadian diamond selection (for those that are very concerned about where their diamonds are sourced)
- New fancy diamond collection online
Some Disadvantages:
- Blue Nile Astor Diamonds come with a GIA lab report and GemEx report which is misleading to the public with regard to the diamond’s overall cut precision and light performance.
- No longer the cheapest and most competitively priced for loose diamonds online
Blue Nile Conclusion – Why Most People Still Buy From Blue Nile
Blue Nile is the oldest and largest online jewelry retailer and I love their vast collection of beautiful jewelry and large inventory of diamonds. I think that anyone can find a beautiful piece of jewelry that is reasonably priced when compared to other online jewelry retailers. My only major concern with Blue Nile is the current marketing of their Astor diamonds. The GemEx report details different images of the Astor diamond with the aim to convey the diamond’s varying levels of light reflection. The challenge is the efficacy of the BrillianceScope® Analyzer tool itself, as many notable gem labs have used it and have chosen not to rely on its inconsistent findings. Thus, the information can be said to be misleading or at the very least inaccurate.
However, that does not mean that one cannot find a beautiful ideal cut diamond from Blue Nile. It will just take a bit longer in searching through their database to find a suitable diamond.
Blue Nile does offer some great incentives for consumers including: free domestic and international shipping policy, worry free customs and no international tax complications. Additionally, the Blue Nile Credit Card offers various financing options that many people love to take advantage of. We also cannot discount the helpful 24/7 customer service which is fast and prompt. So, in the end, I do recommend Blue Nile but keep in mind that it will take a bit of due diligence and homework on the consumer’s part to ensure that your diamond purchase is a smart one.
Please contact me if you are thinking of purchasing from Blue Nile. If you have a few diamonds that you would like a second opinion on, please don’t hesitate to reach out and confirm how they measure up. I look forward to hearing from you!
Happy Diamond Buying!
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