• Being able to see what the picture of the actual diamond that will be set on the ring.
• The return policy of the online jeweler.
• How safe is it?

Here’s the lowdown:

Not all jewelry sites have real pictures of every diamond that they carry. I would definitely recommend buying from an online jeweler that offers real pictures of all their diamonds. James Allen, our most highly recommended online jeweler, has real pictures of every diamond that they have in stock on their website. They also have a virtual loupe that shows their diamonds under magnification, right from their website.

Most online stores usually offer 30 day return policies with a money back guarantee. Some only offer 15 days, so make sure you order from a store with a 30 day or more return period.

And what about the safety of buying online? Buying online is safe. James Allen offers payment by wire transfer, personal check, certified check, money order, and credit card. All credit cards payments are processed on a secure server. Additionally, wire transfer payments receive a 1.5% discount. So, you have a variety of ways to pay and you can pay however you are most comfortable.

In addition, there are a few other advantages to buying diamond jewelry online:

• The prices are better.
• You’re not being rushed by a pushy salesman.

The majority of the time, online jewelry stores offer MUCH better value. Brick and mortar jewelry stores consistently markup diamond prices to higher prices then online stores. It’s very common to see 2 diamonds with almost the exact same characteristics, 1 sold in a jewelry store and 1 sold online, and the online diamond is $1000 or more below the price in the jewelry store.

Also, what about the pushy salesmen that try to rush you through your purchase? When you buy online, you don’t have to deal with any of that! Definitely a positive.

To answer the question that titles this post (Is buying online a good idea?): Yes, buying online is a great idea. Just make sure you buy from a reputable online jeweler. James Allen is our #1 recommendation – they have an A+ rating from the BBB, a 5-star rating at iVouch.com, and an “outstanding” rating at Bizrate.com.

If you want to see what James Allen has to offer, click here to check out their store.

Hello diamond ring seeker! Welcome to our site. Our goal is to help people buy diamond rings by providing information about choosing the best diamonds and pointing you in the direction of the best stores to buy from. Don’t worry, we’ve done all the searching online for diamond stores so that you don’t have to go crazy finding the best stores.

Here are the results of my searching:  If you want to buy a diamond ring online, there are two stores that stand out above the rest:

• James Allen – My #1 recommendation.
• Blue Nile – The largest online jewelry retailer and Forbes’ Favorite Online Jeweler.

Why are they the best stores for diamond rings and engagement rings? You can read my full review for James Allen here and my full review of Blue Nile here, but here’s a quick summary:

• They have great prices (consistently $1,000 or more below brick and mortar jewelry store prices!).
• They have great selection. Blue Nile has the biggest selection out there (80,000+ diamonds to choose from!).
• James Allen has real pictures of every diamond in stock.
• They both have diamond grading reports for all their diamonds.
• They have great reputations (both rated A+ from the BBB).

That’s pretty much it! Go ahead and look around Blue Nile and James Allen… I promise you will find what you’re looking for!

If you need help choosing your diamond, see our diamond buying guides for recommendation on how to choose the best diamonds.

So, when you’re looking to buy diamond rings, you know that this site is the place to go first! Come back often because I will be updating this site with more sales and coupon codes.