Best Jewelers Online
The best place for engagement rings Online
Christin Hill
Updated on: March 11, 2023
Are you trying to decide where to purchase an engagement ring Online? What factors are important in deciding which jeweler to choose? To help you decide, we have compared some of the best jewelers providing an online service
The results are below!
The results are below!
Blue Nile
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Build a ring? -
Recycled Diamonds Possible? -
Can use your own diamond?
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Handcrafted
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Online consulting for a ring? -
Natural and lab grown diamonds?
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Custom, not customized
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Diamonds at wholesale prices?
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5 star reviews?
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Jeweler to the Stars?
James Allen
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Build a ring?
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Recycled Diamonds Possible?
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Can use your own diamond?
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Handcrafted
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Online consulting for a ring?
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Natural and lab grown diamonds?
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Custom, not customized
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Diamonds at wholesale prices?
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5 star reviews?
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Jeweler to the Stars?
Brilliant Earth
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Build a ring?
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Recycled Diamonds Possible?
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Can use your own diamond?
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Handcrafted
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Online consulting for a ring?
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Natural and lab grown diamonds?
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Custom, not customized
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Diamonds at wholesale prices?
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5 star reviews?
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Jeweler to the Stars?
Robbins Brothers
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Build a ring?
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Recycled Diamonds Possible?
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Can use your own diamond?
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Handcrafted
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Online consulting for a ring?
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Natural and lab grown diamonds?
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Custom, not customized
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Diamonds at wholesale prices?
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5 star reviews?
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Jeweler to the Stars?
Table of Contents
Choosing the Best Engagement Ring
Buying an engagement ring online comes with pros and cons. You will likely save money over a store-bought item, but getting the style, fit and overall service online right is tougher. Blue Nile has good pricing on diamonds, but fell down on service, and failure to offer recycled diamonds. Brilliant Earth had the most online customization options in their ring builder, and we found the online consulting service more helpful and friendly.
The low reviews of James Allen were an immediate turnoff, and Robbins Brothers just had less on offer in every respect. Styles, gemstones, and review scores.
Our top pick?
Brilliant Earth
Blue Nile
Made their name by being one of the world's largest suppliers of mined stone engagement rings. Pricing for this product is good as they mass produce their rings, and sell their stones at wholesale prices, but their rings are mass-produced and cast as opposed to being handcrafted so it's a commoditized product, not something unique and special.
Blue Nile
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Build a ring?
-
Recycled Diamonds Possible?
-
Can use your own diamond?
-
Handcrafted
-
Online consulting for a ring?
-
Natural and lab grown diamonds?
-
Custom, not customized
-
Diamonds at wholesale prices?
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5 star reviews?
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Jeweler to the Stars?
Build a ring?
Blue Nile has engagement rings in stock, they also offer the option of building your own ring with the setting and diamonds of your choice, chosen from the options they present.
Recycled Diamonds Possible?
Can use your own diamond?
Blue Nile, does not permit its clients to use their own diamond(s).
Handcrafted
Blue Nile rings are cast, so buying from Blue Nile means your ring will be one of many.
Online consulting for a ring?
Blue Nile offers 1-on-1 video consultations with diamond experts. Clients also have the privilege of exploring a virtual showroom.
Natural and lab grown diamonds?
Blue Nile has recently commenced offering lab-grown diamonds in addition to their natural mined diamonds
Custom, not customized
While Blue Nile offers a ‘Build Your Own Ring’ service, they limit the client to choose pre-made settings, limiting room for creativity in their ring design.
Diamonds at wholesale prices?
Because of their exclusive deals with diamond wholesalers, Blue Nile tends to offer quality diamonds at agreeable costs. While they do not expressly offer wholesale pricing, they can match a competitor’s price if their competitor is offering a lower price for a diamond of the same quality.
5 star reviews?
Between Yelp and Google reviews, Blue Nile has an average rating of 4.5.
Jeweler to the Stars?
While Blue Nile can create rings similar to those worn by celebrities, they are not known for their celebrity clientele.
James Allen
Whilst checking out James Allen, we were aggressively targeted with multiple Video ads, stalking us around the internet. The ads made it seem like if we didn't buy from James Allen, we'd be sorry, our GF might in fact say no.
The marketing hype is not matched with actual happy customers with James Allen having the lowest reviews of any of the jewelers we considered. They've even removed reviews from Facebook as their reviews as so bad. Avoid.
James Allen
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Build a ring?
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Recycled Diamonds Possible?
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Can use your own diamond?
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Handcrafted
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Online consulting for a ring?
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Natural and lab grown diamonds?
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Custom, not customized
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Diamonds at wholesale prices?
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5 star reviews?
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Jeweler to the Stars?
Build a ring?
Apart from their stocked items, James Allen allows clients to choose their own gemstone and setting from pre-made designs through their online ring-builder.
Recycled Diamonds Possible?
Can use your own diamond?
James Allen does not permit their clients to use their own diamond(s).
Handcrafted
James Allen rings are cast, so buying from James Allen means your ring will be one of many.
Online consulting for a ring?
James Allen offers real-time diamond inspection online with a gemologist but not a ring design consulting service.
Natural and lab grown diamonds?
James Allen offers both natural (mined) diamonds and lab-grown diamonds.
Custom, not customized
James Allen has an online feature where prospective clients can design their own rings. Users may select ring head, metal, shank, and diamond size from the options they provide. But it's chosen from a limited options system, not custom designed and built.
Diamonds at wholesale prices?
5 star reviews?
Crowd-sourced reviews from sites such as Facebook which is always a red flag. Businesses with bad review scores on Facebook usually disable them (as is the case with James Allen). On Yelp, they score a meager 2.5 stars. Their advertising, portraying them as the best place for an engagement ring, seems far from reality
Jeweler to the Stars?
While James Allen does offer its clients designs inspired by celebrity engagement rings, they do not have a notable celebrity clientele.
Brilliant Earth
Our Top Pick
A well-known brand, with a focus on ensuring the customer achieves a good result. For us, this is the most important factor. No online jewelers are selling truly one-of-a-kind pieces, but Brilliant Earth had the most options for customizing your ring, from stone sizes, groupings, band style etc. Thousands of 5 stars reviews have been achieved, with good reason.
Brilliant Earth
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Build a ring?
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Recycled Diamonds Possible?
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Can use your own diamond?
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Handcrafted
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Online consulting for a ring?
-
Natural and lab grown diamonds?
-
Custom, not customized
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Diamonds at wholesale prices?
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5 star reviews?
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Jeweler to the Stars?
Build a ring?
Brilliant Earth offers clients the option to build their own ring with a gemstone and setting that they can choose from the options available on their website.
Recycled Diamonds Possible?
Can use your own diamond?
Brilliant Earth sells pre-made rings, as such, there is no opportunity to have your stone(s) used.
Handcrafted
Brilliant Earth rings are cast, so buying from Brilliant Earth means your ring will be one of many.
Online consulting for a ring?
Brilliant Earth offers 1-on-1 video consultations for up to 50 minutes with a jewelry consultant but not a jewelry expert. Appointments can be made through their website.
Natural and lab grown diamonds?
Brilliant Earth offers both natural and lab-grown diamonds for their engagement ring designs.
Custom, not customized
Brilliant Earth does offer custom ring designs. They have a catalog of previous custom engagement designs that clients can explore for inspiration. They then can choose the metal, gemstone, and style they want, after which they can contact their designers, who will help them design the final ring.
Diamonds at wholesale prices?
While Brilliant Earth has a large selection of diamonds, they come with a 50% premium markup and do not offer wholesale pricing. Price comparison sites note similar diamonds can be found elsewhere almost 20% cheaper.
5 star reviews?
Between Yelp and Google reviews, Brilliant Earth has an average rating of 4.1, the highest of any of the Online jewelers we reviewed.
Jeweler to the Stars?
Brilliant Earth designs rings similar to those worn by celebrities, but they are not known to have celebrity clients.
Robbins Brothers
Reasonable without being outstanding. Off-the-shelf jewelry, some budget pricing including lab grown diamond rings, but nothing custom.
Robbins Brothers
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Build a ring?
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Recycled Diamonds Possible?
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Can use your own diamond?
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Handcrafted
-
Online consulting for a ring?
-
Natural and lab grown diamonds?
-
Custom, not customized
-
Diamonds at wholesale prices?
-
5 star reviews?
-
Jeweler to the Stars?
Build a ring?
The Robbins Brothers only offer clients stocked items. This means that you can only purchase ready-made rings instead of designing one of your own. While these rings are customizable, they are not custom; they can only be modified to the extent the original design will allow, not an entirely new creation as a true-custom ring.
Recycled Diamonds Possible?
Can use your own diamond?
Robbins Brothers sell pre-made rings, as such, there is no opportunity to have your stone(s) used.
Handcrafted
Robbins Brothers sells mass-produced cast rings. They are not handcrafted.
Online consulting for a ring?
Robbins Brothers offer both in-store and virtual appointments, which can be scheduled through their website.
Natural and lab grown diamonds?
Robbins Brothers offers both man-made (also known as lab-grown) diamonds as well as natural diamonds.
Custom, not customized
Robbins Brother has a selection of engagement rings, and with a variety of collections to choose from, their rings may also be customized. Clients can also book an appointment with their jewelers to design their engagement ring. But it's customized, not custom jewelry.
Diamonds at wholesale prices?
While Robbins Brothers have a long history as an engagement ring store, their diamonds often carry considerable markups of up to 50%. Diamonds of better quality may be sourced for much less through Wholesale Diamond sellers who sell direct to the public as well.
5 star reviews?
Between Yelp, Google, and Facebook reviews, Robbins Brothers has an average rating of 4.5.
Jeweler to the Stars?
While the Robbins Brothers can create lookalike celebrity ring designs, they do not have a celebrity clientele.
Final Word
Brilliant Earth
A literature and sociology major with a Master’s in Music, Christine Marie Hill is a marketer and product comparison expert.