James Allen Review – All About JA & Buying The Perfect True Hearts Diamond
James Allen is quickly growing to be one of the largest and most popular diamond retailers online! This James Allen review goes over their company business model, quality of their diamonds, diamond engagement ring selection, and an in-depth True Hearts diamond review. You’ll learn some important tips and tricks to buying the best very best diamond from James Allen…but first, check out this super cute James Allen commercial below…
Ok, now that you are acquainted, let’s get to the important stuff. James Allen was founded in 2006 and remains a private diamond bridal retailer offering more than 200,000 diamonds with 360 HD photography and video imaging. Their customer service team is available 24/7 and offer all customers real time diamond inspections (more on that below). With the addition of a lifetime warranty, free worldwide shipping, and hassle free returns, there is no doubt as to why James Allen is growing at an exponential rate.
Although James Allen operates most of their business online, they do have a New York showroom that is available to customers by appointment only. Customers can shop via their virtual diamond inventory for colorless diamonds, fancy colored diamonds and even precious gemstones.
The business shares a very large pool of diamonds with other online jewelry stores and diamond dealers (mostly in the NYC area). James Allen is technically not a diamond drop-shipper as their policy clearly states that they evaluate and inspect every loose diamond prior to sale. This means that when you make a purchase online, the diamond is shipped from the supplier to James Allen for inspection, brand packaging, and shipment (more about traditional drop shipping in my Blue Nile review). However, this can sometimes be a cumbersome process as shipping diamonds to their office can take several days and then you have to wait for James Allen to visually inspect the diamond for quality control.
JA Quickly Becoming The #1 Go-To Online Diamond Retailer
James Allen is experiencing tremendous growth in the last several years and are quickly becoming the go-to diamond bridal retailer. One of their biggest competitors is the very popular Blue Nile however what Blue Nile is lacking in visual aesthetics and ease of use, James Allen has become the formidable front runner. The 360 degree HD digital display images for all loose diamonds, gemstones and jewelry makes for transparent shopping in the convenience of your own home. Even a diamond novice can quickly compare loose diamonds side by side to visually evaluate the famous four C’s of diamonds: carat weight, color, clarity, and of course the highly complex, ‘cut’.
Along with their 360 degree HD technology, James Allen offers customers real time diamond consultations. These virtual meetings are highly convenient and help the novice diamond buyer compare and contrast a selection of diamonds that fit their budget and personal preferences.
James Allen continues to shine over other diamond retailers when it comes to the technological innovation of their diamond search tool and 360 degree images. In terms of shear presentation and ease of use, James Allen is definitely the best.
360HD digital display images make searching for diamonds easy. A simple mouse over each diamond easily moves the diamond in a clockwise or ant-clockwise direction.
However, I would be remiss to say that James Allen’s search tool is a bit cumbersome. For example, you cannot select more than one shape at a time, and you have to input color and clarity grades separately while the search dynamically updates. This can get very tedious as you input each separate value and watch the system catch up. Additionally, when you select a specific diamond you are not able to scroll to the next one; you have to back out of the screen and then choose again. This only becomes really obvious when you’ve been searching for diamonds over and over again – which I’m sure many of you are!
James Allen Engagement Rings – Plenty of Choice!
James Allen also employs the same 360 degree HD digital display technology for their engagement ring search. Many of their styles are unique making it difficult to find anywhere else. They have everything from a Tiffany – style engagement ring to a highly unique micro-pave band with swirls of diamonds! All their engagement rings are available in popular jewelry metals including: White Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum and Rose Gold. They also have a wide variety of accompanying wedding rings to compliment any engagement ring setting or simply to stand alone.
Ladies would be particularly interested to know that JA has a cool stackable wedding ring search field for the more modern or stylish bride; reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn’s choice. Alternatively, men would be happy to know that JA provides a wide variety of different wedding ring styles from classic to carved, to diamond accent and even alternative metal!
A snippet of the available inventory of JA’s Rose Gold ‘Unique’ engagement rings. There is certainly a style here to suit any taste!
James Allen Jewelry
In addition to loose diamonds and engagement rings, James Allen also makes shopping for alternative gemstones just as easy. Once again, their 360 degree HD digital display technology allows for the easy search of any favorite blue sapphire, pink sapphire, yellow sapphire, red ruby or green emerald. However, their search tool lacks the ability to search through ‘quality’ grades of these semi-precious gemstones leaving the consumer a bit lost as to which emerald or sapphire is actually worth the money. This is where JA’s 24/7 chat service would be helpful in trying to determine which colored gemstone would be the best for your available budget and quality requirements. (Click here for more info on How To Buy Sapphires).
JA also offers fine jewelry in the way of diamond stud solitaire earrings, pendants, and designer diamond and gemstone rings. In comparison to their main competitor Blue Nile, James Allen is a bit weak here and would benefit from adding more choice to this area of their business.
James Allen ‘True Hearts’ Diamonds – ™ vs ®
James Allen has a selection of Hearts & Arrow diamonds called their ‘True Hearts” collection which has a trademark symbol. This is not the same as a registered trademark like A CUT ABOVE®. The difference being that a registered trademark requires a filing with the US Patent and Trademark office. Essentially, anyone can use a ™ but a ® requires legal filing which can take up to a year. There is a reason why I bring up this distinction.
True Hearts diamonds are not fully owned or held in-house like other online retailers that specialize in hearts and arrow super ideal diamonds (Whiteflash or BGD). James Allen True Hearts diamonds come with normal GIA or AGS gem lab reports that are being supplied by other diamond sellers.
James Allen does not have set criteria in which their True Hearts diamonds all comply with. So we don’t know what the standard is for True Hearts with regard to depth %, table %, crown angle, or pavilion angle. However, it it is a known fact that JA does permit a greater variety of crown/pavilion combinations than some other online retailers. In other words, their “True Hearts” collection is inconsistent as far as the quality of the optical symmetry is concerned. An example of True Hearts cut consistency can be found in the random selection of diamonds below:
The above diamonds represent an interesting mix of very different looking ‘hearts and arrows’ and ideal-scope images from James Allen’s True Hearts collection. Take notice of the ideal-scope images of the middle and right diamond where light leakage is obvious under the main table facet.
If you read my hearts and arrows article, then you would know that to get a perfect hearts and arrows diamond, a diamond cutter would need to perfectly align all bezel, star, upper girdle, lower girdle, and pavilion main facets to 180 degrees opposite of each other otherwise the hearts and arrows pattern will appear faded, incomplete, distorted or misaligned in it’s appearance.
Also, please remember that a ‘Super-Ideal’ diamond not only has perfect optical symmetry but also has superior light performance. As you can see in the middle and right diamond shown above, the ideal-scope images show light leakage through the pavilion. This directly affects overall brilliance and white light reflection. Don’t be fooled with brand names. In this case, James Allen’s ‘True Hearts’ diamonds are definitely not on par with the highly selective and superior A CUT ABOVE® range of diamonds from Whiteflash.
Feel free to review each diamond that I’ve selected for more information:
Left – 1.11ct J VVS1: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.11-carat-j-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-356442
Middle – 1.21ct I VS2: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.21-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-119488
Right – 1.24ct D VS2: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.24-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-73701
(Hmm, did you try the above links? Didn’t work huh? That’s because I think someone read this review and doesn’t want to be embarrassed. Sorry that you got redirected to their review page!)
Overall, some JA True Hearts diamonds are of great cut quality and represent a great value while others unfortunately do not make the ‘cut’. It must be said that if you are a discerning diamond buyer you must know that there is a clear difference in cut quality when it comes to evaluating different diamond retailers.
So how do you know if your True Hearts diamond has perfect optical symmetry?
Please review the hearts image to ensure the following:
-
- Have eight equal sized hearts that are both uniform in size and symmetrical
- Be separate from the arrow heads with a small gap that are all equal in size and symmetrical
- Pay special attention to the cleft in the heart. This shouldn’t exceed more than about a third of the length of the heart and should be uniform in shape for all eight hearts.
- The lobes of the hearts should be squared off by the crown facets
So how do you know if your True Hearts diamond has superior light performance?
When viewing an ideal-scope image the most important color is the amount of red light reflected followed by distinct and symmetrical dark contrast with little to no clear/white light leakage. Every diamond will show some amount of light leakage, but the point is to search for one that offers as little light leakage as possible. For more information on evaluating an ideal-scope image please visit: Ideal – Scope – Light Return, Light Leakage, and Contrast.
When in doubt, always feel free to contact me and ask before you make a decision. I’m always happy to help.
James Allen Advantages:
– James Allen’s diamonds have either Gemological Institute of America (GIA), American Gemological Society Laboratory (AGS) certificate or International Gemological Institute (IGI) certificate.
– Their online database houses over 200,000 loose laboratory graded diamonds, as well as fancy color and precious gems
– Actual magnified images, hearts and arrows, ideal-scope and HD videos of diamonds
– James Allen will laser inscribe your engagement ring for free and offers free ring sizing
– Shipping is free
– All items are fully insured during transit
– 100% full refund within 60 days, no return shipping fees
Some Disadvantages to Purchasing From James Allen Diamonds:
– James Allen’s prices are not necessarily the lowest priced diamonds on the internet
– James Allen’s jewelry (diamond stud styles, gemstone jewelry, diamond pendants) does not compare to the vast choice available at Blue Nile or other online retailers
– Their “True Hearts” diamonds permit a greater variety of crown/pavilion combinations than some other online reatilers, which basically translates into inconsistent hearts and arrows quality diamonds!
– You must spend at least 2x’s the original diamond purchase in order to take advantage of their buy back policy
Final Thoughts
My James Allen review gets a 4.5 star score because they were one of the first to have actual magnified diamond images online and they continue to make strides in this technology making it easier and more transparent for the newbie diamond or jewelry buyer. Their website is easy to navigate whether you are looking for loose diamonds, engagement rings, wedding bands, diamond studs, loose gemstones, or gemstone jewelry. They have top quality diamonds, jewelry, excellent customer service, fair-low prices online, and of course, I would certainly buy from them. 😉
I admit that their True Hearts collection of diamonds are not on par with other specialty retailers (Whiteflash and Brian Gavin for example), but overall a consumer can do their homework and find a beautiful diamond to fit their preferences and budget. James Allen has thousands of loose diamonds to search through and continues to innovate and take the lead in terms of the next generation of millennials looking to invest in a great quality diamond that offers great value for money. Check them out and if you need any help finding a diamond, remember to contact me!
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