Onine Stores

Ritani is a jewellery retailer that was started by a family of jewellers. Though they have outgrown the “family business” status, and now ship jewellery worldwide; they have retained their in-house workmanship and continue to handcraft their pieces from their base in Seattle.

Yes, Ritani is legit. It is not a scam store because you will receive the product you purchased without a problem. And also, they will never steal your money or credit cards details.

With a lot of jewellery retailers, it can be overwhelming to know where to head to for your jewellery pieces. Ritani advertises as the store to head to if you need a unique ring (your symbol of love) that matches your unique love.

This Ritani review will examine Ritani to provide the information that will help you determine if you should head there for your “symbol of love”.

Ritani review at a glance

• Online jewellery store founded in 1999
• Specializes in engagement rings and bridal jewellery
• Uses a unique “clicks and bricks” shopping model that expertly blends the advantages of online purchases and conventional brick and mortar purchase
• Famed for excellent craftsmanship especially for their ring settings
• Offers free shipping and returns to all addresses

What is Ritani?

Ritani is an online jewellery retailer that is headquartered in White Plains, New York. They were founded in 1999 by Harout Aghjayan (the brother of famous jewellery designer Vatche Aghjayan). Ritani specializes in engagement rings and bridal jewellery. However, they also hold non-engagement/ non-wedding jewellery pieces.

Ritani have slowly put themselves in the consciousness of stakeholders (that is, buyers and watchers) of the jewellery industry. They’ve accomplished this through years (almost two decades) of seamless service; some top quality craftsmanship of ring settings; and an innovative e-commerce business model.

The Ritani website is https://www.ritani.com/. It is compatible with mobile operating systems; so you can conveniently browse through listed items and place orders using your mobile phones and tablets.

Is Ritani legit?

Ritani is legitimate. It is not a scam. One of the first questions that people ask is whether an online platform is legit. Where the platform has to do with high-end purchases like diamonds, the questions is even more imperative. There is no doubt that Ritani is a legit jewellery retailer and not a scam store.

Their almost two decades of operation is one pointer. No scam store can continue ripping off people for that long a time. Also, Ritani has a physical existence with its headquarters based in Seattle (New York). Their operators are also visible and known; the company is currently run by Brian Watkins and has a board of directors that is also known. Suffice it to say that, scam stores have only a virtual existence, and their operators are also largely unknown.

In 2014, Ritani made the Forbes list of America’s Most Promising Companies. Over the years, the company has also been featured in The New York Times, CNN Money, Fox Business, and Business Insider. There is no way a scam store will get that kind of recognition.

Lastly, we will see that every piece of diamond listed in Ritani is GIA certified. This proves that Ritani is legit because GIA certifications are done by no less than four expert gemologist chosen at random. While these certifications are quality certificates, their mention here is to prove that the merchandise listed in Ritani does exist, meaning Ritani has the capacity to fulfil orders.

Features

Product description and Imagery

In online purchases, you don’t get to physically see and assess the items before the purchase. To give you some sight in this clear case of blind purchase, online stores provide an assortment of resources which can help you make an assessment of the items before the buying commitment. Online jewellery retailers are no exception; the helpful resources they provide to help you with your assessments include product description, product images, and 360⁰ video viewer.

Ritani provides all these resources but to a different degree of excellence. First, it should be said that Ritani has a diamond search button which is a very helpful tool when searching for diamonds with particular specifications.

Also, there are detailed descriptions of every diamond and piece of jewellery. For example, every diamond in Ritani’s inventory is listed with its 4 C specifications (cut, clarity, carat, and colour) as well as other details such as polish, symmetry, fluorescence, and measurements. If you’ll want to rely on only descriptions when buying your jewellery, the Ritani product descriptions are nigh-excellent. However, I don’t know of any diamond buyer who will be content with only product descriptions. When it comes to diamonds, visuals are important.

In this regard, Ritani does have a lot of high-quality product images. Many of the pictures really prove that “pictures are worth a thousand words”. However, it’s my observation that too many of the listed diamonds have pictures that are, at best, lacklustre.

Video Viewer came forward to improve on whatever images give. The videos show the diamond as it turns slowly through 360⁰. It is like holding the diamond in your hand and viewing it from whatever possible angle. Ritani also uses this 360⁰ video viewer.  However, only very few diamonds in Ritani’s inventory have video.

Also, there’s no way to know what particular diamonds have this video viewer until you choose the diamond for viewing.  Also, it’s not possible to look at only diamonds that have video because the search tool does not sift that. So you just have to blindly choose diamonds to find those with the video capability.

That said, if you want to see high-quality videos for every piece you’ll look at, or high-quality videos that give you every possible angle of the pieces, then Ritani might not be an ideal place.

Education Section

You don’t know what to look out for in a diamond; there’s no problem. Ritani has a robust education page that gives you what you need to make you feel equipped in diamond shopping. For example, the diamond shape page tells how the different diamond shapes and cut grade affect sparkle. Also, nice buying tips on the 4C’s page explains amongst others what diamond colour grade you should go for considering the jewellery you want to set it on (rose gold, white gold or platinum). You can also view how the different diamond carat graded diamonds will look on an average finger, and there is a skin tone tool that allows you to view the diamond on a finger with complexion matching yours.

Most persons are familiar with the 4C’s and rightly use these to assess a diamond’s quality. However,  but as gemologist will agree there are things beyond the 4C’s that are important when gemologists or experienced diamond buyers looks beyond the 4 Cs, at more subtle details such as the diamond’s structure and its angles, it’s level of fluorescence, the degree of inclusions, and the quality of its polish. You’ll find detailed discussions of all these in the “anatomy of a diamond” page. There is also a page on engagement rings, and another on settings, and another on precious metals which gives important information (such as the average lifespan and durability of bands). When you’ve digested the Ritani education pages, you’ll feel like a pro in getting the best diamond ring for your pocket.

Virtual Gemologist

After going through the education pages, if you still feel you can’t go through the diamond buying decisions on your own; no problem. After all, diamonds are a precious symbol of love, and it’s understandable that you want the “perfect” piece. Ritani offers the “Virtual Gemologist” service just for you, where you get a free consultation with an expert (gemologist).

You can select up to four diamonds which the expert will go over with you, and then you sign up for the consultation (at a time convenient for you).

One good news is that you don’t have to wait long to get the appointment; you can schedule Virtual Gemologist sessions for the very same or the next day. And if you must cancel an appointment; there’s no problem. All you need do is to call Ritani’s Virtual Gemologist customer service (at 1.888.202.0804).

The expert provides nothing less than expert service; you’ll be shown HD imagery and 20X magnification images of the diamonds, and be walked through the different exclusive reports.

Whether you are new to the diamond field, or a veteran on it; the experts/ gemologist can help you decide which diamond to buy, or recommend an entirely different diamond based on what matters most to you.

Clicks and Bricks

There are different advantages to buying items online and in brick and mortar stores. Online purchase affords convenience, while brick and mortar stores give the opportunity to physically see and assess the item before the purchase. Usually, online stores try to soften the disadvantage by providing, item certificates, detailed descriptions, as well as quality images and even video viewer tools. At best, these give a mere imitation of “physically seeing and assessing” your jewellery piece.

Ritani comes up with a unique model that marries the advantages of online purchase and purchases from brick and mortar stores, which is the “clicks and bricks” model. The model allows you to pick your diamond ring or design one online (Ritani website), then get it shipped to a local jeweller for previewing.

One interesting thing is that the in-store preview does not carry any obligation to buy. If you like what you see, you can complete the transaction and go home with your jewellery piece; but if you do not like what you see, you can simply walk away.

Some will argue that the Ritani “clicks and bricks” have little value since jewellers offer return policies that allow customers to return the jewellery if they are not totally satisfied with it. However, it can take quite a while for your items to get back to the retailer, for them to process it, and more time for the refund to get to your account. If you don’t have a lot of time on your hand; you might have to go to another store when still expecting to be refunded by the original store. And if you don’t have a high enough credit limit, buying from another store might not be possible until the refund from the first store clocks in. This scenario can be avoided with Ritani’s clicks and bricks model. If you don’t like what you see, you may simply move on to another store for your purchase and not be restricted by funds tied down (that is, awaiting refund).

Also, the in-store experience and being able to physically preview the diamond is something that, to many customers, is vital. It is understandable because diamond and bridal jewellery purchases are big purchases with considerable expense. Thus, previewing the items in-store gives a kind of peace of mind that is not inherent in online purchases.

Partner Jewelry Stores

For the click and bricks model to work, Ritani has formed a partnership with a lot of local jewellers all over the US and Canada. These local jewellers’ stores are where you go to for your ring preview in the “clicks and bricks” model. However, the stores are not just for review, they facilitate other Ritani’s services such as returns, the complimentary cleaning service, and more.

Because, there are many of these stores in the US and Canada, customers in those regions will not have to drive far to access the Ritani services. Customer reviews are glowing in this regard. It’s very common to find reviews such as “You are not going to find this kind of combination of value and service anywhere else”. However, because many Ritani services are tied to these partner stores, it means that many services are not available to international customers.

Product

You’ll want a store that holds a large inventory so that you’ll be more likely to find something that you like. In this regard, Ritani ticks the box. The product category, and a description of items, you’ll find in each category are as follows:

• Engagement Rings

The main product offering of Ritani is a diamond engagement ring; thus, you’re in for a treat. Ritani has a lot of custom engagement rings. Like most jeweller, you may create your own ring. In doing that, you may start with a diamond or with a setting.

You can also shop engagement rings by type that ranges from elegant simplicity to dazzling sophistication. There are the very popular solitaire engagement rings, which showcase the dazzling beauty of a single diamond; there are the more complex and ornate halo engagement rings, which have a border of small, delicate diamonds framing the centre diamond, and enhancing it with additional brilliance; there are the complex but highly customizable three-stone engagement rings, which have exquisite small diamonds, stunning sapphires or rubies flanking a centre diamond to dramatically increase sparkle and visual impact; there’s also the classic engagement rings with tasteful diamond-studded bands.

You can shop by type, and get vintage engagement rings. These sets are antique-inspired but subtly infused with modern style, to blend the best of the past with the best of the modern.  You can also get stunning sapphire rings, bridal sets, and promise rings.

Your engagement ring shopping may start with the metal. Ritani have five metal options you can choose from, which include 18kt rose gold, 18kt white gold, 14kt white gold, 18kt yellow gold, and platinum

• Diamond

Ritani has a vast collection of loose diamonds (over 75,000 at the time of writing). This is not the largest collection of loose diamond amongst online diamond retailers but is large enough. That way you don’t have an inventory that can become overwhelming when sifting through; rather it’s just big enough for all your selection needs. You’ll find diamonds in all 10 popular shapes – Round, Princess, Cushion,, Emerald, Radiant, Oval, Pear, Asscher, Marquise, and Heart.

You may also shop from the Ritani Reserve Diamonds. These are supposed to be ideal diamonds; that is, diamonds with the best cut grading for maximum spark and brilliance.

 

• Wedding Rings

You may shop from the Bestselling Women’s Rings, Bestselling Men’s Bands or Anniversary Rings. The Women’s Wedding Rings include Diamond, Eternity and Classic; while the Men’s Wedding Bands include Diamond, Classic and Modern.

You may also choose to buy a wedding band that matches your engagement ring no matter its style.  Thus, you may match your Halo, Classic, Solitaire, and Three-Stone engagement rings.

• Jewellery

In this category, you’ll find other jewellery pieces other than engagement rings and wedding bands. This includes different types of earrings (gold, pearl, diamond, and gemstone), Bracelets (gold, charm, pearl, tennis, Cuffs & Bangles), and necklaces (gold, pearl, diamond, and gemstone).

You’ll also find Diamond Stud Earrings, Diamond Halo Earrings and Diamond Halo Pendants. If you are for designer labels, you’ll also find collections from Lili Claspe x Ritani, EF Collection and Mimi So. Just like you may design your own engagement ring, there is also the option to design your own jewellery (Design a Diamond Pendant or Design Diamond Earrings)

• Gift

You can get various jewellery gift items for Anniversary Gifts, Bridal Gifts, Birthday Gifts and Milestone Gifts. Some items are Halo Studs, Halo Pendants and Diamond Studs, Diamond jewellery, Cufflinks, Amulets & Tags, Bracelets. Also, you can shop for designers gift (Lili Claspe x Ritani, EF Collection, and Mimi So). You can even design your gift. If you’ll be shopping with a budget, you can go to “Gifts By Price”; and you’ll find items: $250 & Under, $500 & Under, $750 & Under, and $1500 & Under.

Quality

It’s not enough to know that a store holds a large selection of items from which you can make a selection; it’ll also be important that the items are of good quality so that you’ll not waste time poring through loads of poor quality items.

In this regard, it will interest you to know that Ritani only lists GIA and AGS certified diamonds on their site. GIA (Gemological Institute of America) standardized diamond grading by introducing the 4C’s; while the AGS (American Gem Society) has also established itself as a top-level diamond grading organization. As a result, almost all experts recommend buying an AGS or GIA certified diamond.

When it comes to settings, Ritani’s selections are great. Ritani has some exquisite ring settings, including unique ones that you can’t find anywhere. Many industry watchers (including me) agree that Ritani’s top-notch ring settings are the main reasons for their emergence as a strong contender in the diamond and jewellery retailing business. One reason that can be identified for the excellent ring settings is that they manufacture their jewellery in-house, and have control over the whole process. From their base in Seattle, every single piece of jewellery is carefully crafted by highly skilled craftsmen using state of the art equipment in a controlled environment. Most of their settings (e.g the micro-pave ring setting) have intricate features and detailing that defies automation, and can only be hand carved by super-skilled craftsmen.  Thus, when you get a ring setting from Ritani, you’re sure to be getting one of the best possible pieces of design.

However, what do they say about premium items? They are usually pricey. Thus, you’ll also find that, in terms of cost, ring settings in Ritani do not stack up well with the competition. The settings in Ritani tend to be more expensive than comparable settings from other top jewellers. You’ll also find that Ritani does not have as many different settings as these jewellers, especially low-cost settings.

There is a group of diamonds called the “Ritani Reserve Diamonds”. The name tells that they belong to a special category. They are the premium diamonds in Ritani’s inventory. Ritani advertises that the Reserve Diamonds “is certified as the most exceptional 1% of all diamonds worldwide, cut precisely to yield the most sparkle”.

This is one area where Ritani really dropped the ball. Their premium stones do not hold up to the tag when held up to scrutiny, in terms of cut precision and optical performance. For example, some random diamonds pulled from their Reserve Diamond collections had dug-out facets that altered scintillation. Thus, the balance of the sparkliness is altered in the premium stones that are supposedly cut to yield the most sparkle. (Note that, digging out is a technique that craftsmen use, when cutting diamonds, to save carat). Some other stones from the collection showed light leakage which caused less brilliance.

That said, if you want super ideal diamonds with excellent cut precision that gives the very best optical performance, Ritani might want to point you to their Reserve Diamonds, but you should do well to look away.

Price

Price is the most important factor in purchases. Even in high-end products like diamonds and bridal jewellery, you shouldn’t want to pay beyond what a particular piece (by virtue of its specs) should reasonably command.

The best way to gauge price is to do a comparison with the competition. When this was done, it was found that Ritani’s prices are fair, but not always the lowest. It’s been mentioned that Ritani’s ring settings are clearly pricier than the settings you’ll find in most other jewellers. For the loose diamonds, you’ll find many that are competitively priced, but a good number are also priced on the high. For example, you’ll find a Ritani Reserve Diamond priced at about $9,500; but you can find a stone with the same cut and carat grading priced much lower in some other top online jewellers.

Interestingly, Ritani has a “diamond price match” policy, where they pledge to give you the best price for your diamond. That is, if an online competitor’s diamond is priced for less, Ritani will attempt to find a similar diamond for you at a lower price. This policy is to ensure that they provide you with the most competitive prices possible. However, it should be noted that before Ritani will give a matching diamond, their experts will check out the stone (from the other store), and must determine that it has the same spec with theirs in terms of the 4 Cs (cut, colour, clarity, and carat weight) as well as additional criteria such as fluorescence, polish and symmetry, table and depth percentage, etc.

Payment Method

The ideal shop should offer stress-free services which include making payments conveniently. To do this they have to support a good range of payment so that you can easily find one for convenient use no matter where you’ll be buying from.

Ritani does support a good range of payment method. They accept payment from many popular credit and debit cards, PayPal, and bank transfers. However, it should be noted that Bank Wires or “Bank Transfers” are best utilized for International Payments because, most often than not, foreign credit cards are declined. However, this is not a particular problem with Ritani. That said, you even get a 1.5% discount when you place your order using a Bank Wire.

Shipping

Shipping is an important element of online purchases; the two shipping considerations being the cost of shipping and delivery times. Reviews of online purchases have it that one of the biggest reasons customers abandon their shopping carts at checkout is because of shipping cost. Customers don’t want high shipping costs; and the closer shipping costs are to zero, the best for customers. In terms of shipping times; customers don’t want to wait forever to get their package.

Ritani ships merchandise worldwide, and in terms of the double consideration of shipping cost and delivery times they tick the relevant boxes. Ritani offers free shipping, not only for US and APO domestic shipping but also for international shipping.

One good thing with international shipping is that there are no additional costs (not even C.O.D. charges) to be paid upon delivery. The total you pay at checkout is the exact amount that you will be billed for your package. That total amount at checkout already includes all applicable duties and taxes imposed by the customs and revenue authorities in the destination country. Also, all shipping is fully insured at zero cost to you.

Ritani currently ships to the following countries: Norway, Italy, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Japan, Turks, Netherlands, Greece, Bermuda, Germany, China, Singapore, Slovakia, Qatar, Canada, Turkey, Czech-republic, Cayman Islands, Kuwait, Egypt, Latvia, Sweden, Israel, Poland, Luxembourg, South Africa, Gibraltar, Australia, Liechtenstein, Austria, New-Zealand, Ireland, Thailand, India, Hungary, Mexico, Malta, United Kingdom, Belize, South Korea, Slovenia, Barbados, Belgium, Monaco, Trinidad and Tobago, Spain, France, Finland, Macao, Denmark, and Lithuania. However, the company is aggressively expanding its international coverage by adding more countries. Thus, it’s very likely that more countries have been added to the list.

Shipment to Addresses in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and South America takes 2 – 9 days; while shipment to addresses in Europe and the United Arab Emirates, the rest of Asia, and Europe take 3 – 9 days.

Returns

Ritani’s unique “click and bricks” model is designed to remove the one big disadvantage of online purchases, which is buying merchandise blindly (that is, not physically seeing and inspecting items before the buy decision). However, that problems still exist for many Ritani purchases, especially orders that will be shipped to international addresses. There is also the possibility that the initial excitement may disappear, and you will have a change of mind about the diamond or piece of jewellery upon delivery of it. There is also the faint possibility of being delivered a wrong or damaged item. Whatever the case, you’ll need to be able to return the merchandise to the retailer, for a refund or an exchange with another item. Therefore, there is a need to review the return policy of Ritani.

Ritani, like almost every online jeweller, has a return policy that allows the return of merchandise for a refund and/ or exchange.

If you opt to return a Ritani purchase, the first thing to do is to call Ritani customer service (at 1.888.202.0801). However, the returns policy also makes for good reading. First, the returns window is 30 days, which gives you a whole month from the time of delivery to your home to return the item to Ritani. This is also on par with the jewellery industry average which is 30 days. Secondly, the returns shipping cost is borne by Ritani, and they also do not charge any restocking fees. Thus, when you return an item

Lastly, there is free return insurance. You don’t have to worry about the items getting lost or damaged on their way back to Ritani and you being liable. You are 100% covered from the time the item leaves your door until it arrives at Ritani’s door.

Another interesting perk is that Ritani can arrange for the items to be picked up at your door. When you initiate the returns process; after packaging the items as required and attaching the returns label, you do not have to move to the shipping service to drop off the package. It can be arranged for someone to come to your door to pick up the package. Think excellent customer experience! Also, returns are fully insured.

However, there are a few items which are final sales and cannot be returned. They include

• Custom eternity rings, or those that have been modified
• Engraved jewellery items (excluding wedding and engagement rings
• Any special orders or custom requests (excluding wedding and engagement rings)

Other Services

Lifetime Warranty

You should want a jeweller that stands by their products. Ritani does just that with their lifetime warranty. Like most jewellers, the warranty covers only manufacturing defects. The warranty is a ring life care program. That is, if at any time a manufacturing defect causes damage on a Ritani ring, you can return the ring to Ritani, and they will repair or replace the item at no cost to you. Note that this does not apply to designers collections carried by Ritani; and also that the lifetime warranty only applies to US and Canada customers.

However, it shouldn’t surprise you that in such “manufacturing-defect only” conditioned warranties, when the time is up, there is a tendency for the seller to try to absolve themselves by claiming that the damage is not due to manufacturing defects. Unfortunately, this ugly situation has played out in Ritani. In this particular case, even some Ritani’s partner jewellery stores confirmed it was a manufacturing defect (that the crack on was due to porosity and bubbles forming during the manufacturing process); and one of them even reached out to Ritani to let them know. But Ritani wouldn’t budge.

Lifetime cleaning

You want your diamond piece always sparkling. While you can do the necessary cleaning yourself; it is best done by the professionals. The complimentary lifetime cleaning offer of Ritani, means they’ll clean your diamond for you free of charge (at least twice a year). However, you don’t have to send the ring to them. The offer is only available in-store. All you need do is walk into any of the many partner jewellery stores of Ritani. Thus, the offer is also available to only customers from the US and Canada.

Customer Service

The ideal legit jewellery store will provide for effectively answering the questions that customers will have and solving any issues that customers may have with their transactions. Ritani provides different channels for providing necessary assistance to customers.

There’s an FAQ on their website where you can get articles for self-help. Admittedly, in a high-end purchase like diamonds, self-help might not do it for you, and you’ll want to directly reach a support rep of the company. You can do that via phone, chat, email, or post.

The live chat feature is available on their website; for the telephone service, the line is 1.888.974.8264; for the email service, the email address to send your submissions is care@ritani.com; and for the post, the mailing address to send your correspondence is 30 Dr Martin Luther King Blvd., White Plains, NY 10601.

Ritani also has an active blog and a strong social media presence; you can also use those media to reach them.

However, it should be noted that the Ritani customer support service is not available 24/ 7. For the chat and phone services, Ritani’s support agents are active from 8 am – 12 pm ET (Mondays – Fridays), from 10 am – 7 pm ET on Saturdays, and from 12 am – 9 pm on Sundays.

Summary

Ritani has established itself as a major player in the jewellery industry. And they deserve their place. The company is legit. That said, they pride themselves on craftsmanship and are able to give top quality ring settings. They have also revolutionized customer-oriented e-commerce with their innovative “clicks and bricks” model that allows you to see and preview your ring before committing financially to it. Amongst other services, they give you free expert opinion, free shipping and returns, and interesting warranties such as lifetime warranty, and free cleaning.

However, there are some areas where they fall short. The main ones include the lack of HD pictures and video for many of the diamonds listed; the question marks on the cut precision and optical performance of their supposedly premium diamonds; and the relatively high prices of ring settings and loose diamonds.

Do you have any question or experience with Ritani? If yes, kindly use the review section below to give us you brief Ritani review.

Club Monaco is an online fashion shop that advertises as a “brand that designs and creates modern yet timeless clothing and accessories for women and men“. They add that their collections feature “relevant, wearable pieces, fine fabrics and exceptional fits”.

Club Monaco is a legit fashion store. They will never steal your money or credit card details. And there have never been complaints about theft. All purchased goods are shipped to the owners without a problem.

Those descriptions are fitting of the go-to shop for fashion needs. The big question then is whether Club Monaco is actually the go-to shop or whether it is just an empty shop that only attaches glowing stickers to itself. In the first place, is Club Monaco genuine?

This Club Monaco review will examine the store in order to provide information that will help you answer those questions.

Club Monaco review at a glance

• Started in 1985 as a Canadian company, but owned and operated by US fashion giant Polo Ralph Lauren since 1999
• They operate over 150 stores all over the world
• They specializes in both men and women clothing and fashion accessories
• Their merchandise is reputed to be of high quality but expensively priced
• They offer free shipping for the US orders over $150 and for international orders over $200
• They allow returns within 30 days of the delivery date
• Customer Support is available through email and telephone

What is Club Monaco?

Club Monaco is an online fashion website that was started in 1985 by three Canadians when they opened they opened the first fashion shop by the name in Queen Street West in Toronto, Canada. Club Monaco gained popularity for their classic black and white styles for both men and women; the company expanded, and in 1989 they opened their first US shop.

Club Monaco operated as a Canadian Company until 1999, when it was acquired by the US fashion giant – Polo Ralph Lauren.

Apart from the change in ownership, Club Monaco has gone through various other changes over the years: they ditched their classic black and white styles and embraced modern styles; they launched a lifestyle brand in 2000; they eliminated their men’s wear line in about 2011 and reintroduce it in about 2015, and they added a footwear line in 2013.

However, through all the changes, Club Monaco comes out as a reputable retail brand that designs modern yet timeless clothing and accessories for men and women. True to that status, they operate stores in over 150 locations worldwide which include Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,  and the United States.

Is Club Monaco legit?

Club Monaco is legit. It is not a Legit and scam are probably some of the best keywords on the internet. With so many scam platforms online ripping people off, before proceeding to transact with an online platform, customers want to know whether it is legit or a scam.

In this regard, you need not worry because Club Monaco comes out as very legit. First, Club Monaco is a company duly registered as Club Monaco US, LLC; and it is an arm of Polo Ralph Lauren which is also a duly registered company. In this least, this means that Club Monaco is 100% legal.

Also, too many people, a scam store is one that does not deliver when orders are placed causing them to lose their payment. It should be said that the fake stores do not fulfil orders because they cannot. They operate only virtually; with no physical warehouse, stores, or distribution centre. Thus, fake stores have no capacity to fulfil orders. On the other hand, Club Monaco had a physical existence that features a corporate headquarter in New York and over 140 stores (holding hundreds of thousands of merchandise) in various parts of the world. Thus, Club Monaco has the capacity to fulfil orders and is therefore legit.

Using the test of time, we see that Club Monaco has been operating since 1985 which is over 33 years of operation. Suffice it to say that no scam store can operate for that long. Scam operation cannot continue perpetually; the information will be out in no time, and the stores will run for the covers and disappear.

Is Club Monaco safe?

Club Monaco is also a safe platform to make payment. When you shop in an online store, you share information like your credit card details; and if fraudsters intercept this data, they can clear your account. Thus, the legit store should also be safe. That is, it should make sure that the sensitive information you share with them is protected.

In this regard, Club Monaco takes certain physical, administrative and technical steps to safeguard the personal information and payment details you submit on their platform. For example, they use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology which is the industry standard for creating a private connection between a device and a web server communicating on the internet. Data transferred in the link is outside the reach of unauthorized third parties. Also, the data is encrypted before being relayed in the link, to further assure it’s protection.

With the use of this top-notch technical security feature, it is safe to say that Club Monaco is safe.

Features

Club Monaco Dresses:

Product Description and Images

Online purchase is characterized by blind purchases where you don’t get to see the items until it is delivered to you. However, it doesn’t have to be completely blind, in that the store should provide resources that will help you make an assessment of the item before committing to the purchase. These resources include product descriptions and product images. The ideal store should have descriptions that are detailed enough and images that are thorough and clear enough so that it would be as if you’re physically examining the item.

In this regard, Club Monaco ticks the box. The product description includes the type of fabric, seam work, measurements, and even the model’s sizes (for on-model items). Images are very clear and shot from various angles to give you a good view of the item.

While the product description and product images of Club Monaco will help you with a good assessment of the item, I’ll like to see them employ recent developments in the industry, which is a video viewer. Some online stores use video technology, where their listed items are shown in a short on-model video. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a thousand pictures.

Website

The ideal app should have a website that allows shopping on the go, and that is only possible if the website is compatible with mobile devices.

In this regard, the website of Club Monaco is fully mobile optimized. If you enter the URL into your web browser, you’ll be redirected to the mobile page which resizes to fit the small screens of mobile phones and tablets. You’ll be able to view all listings, pay for your order, track the order and do anything else that can be done with desktop devices.

Also, the website is easy to navigate. On the landing page, you’ll find links to the men’s wear and women’s wear category; you can also follow links to the shipping information page, “about us” page, and the terms of use. The webpage is simple and uncluttered.

Product Range

The ideal online fashion store should be a one-stop shop for fashion needs, and it can be that by holding a wide product range. Why is this necessary? You want to buy all your items in one place so that you can take advantage of bulk purchase discounts. You also want to pay for one order shipment as you ship all your items from one store instead of paying multiple order shipments and ship different items from different stores.

In this regard, Club Monaco ticks the box. The shop offers both men and women clothing, and you’ll find items for all seasons and occasions.

In the women wear range, the product categories are:

• Clothing – You’ll find sweaters, coats and trench coats, jackets and vest, dresses, jumpsuit and rompers, pants, jeans, shirts, knots and Tees, skirts, shorts, and swimwear
• Accessories – You’ll find shoes, hats, scarves and gloves, jewellery, handbags and belts, sunglasses, tights, home and beauty products.

In the men’s wear range, the product category and items you’ll find in each category are:

• Clothing – this include sweater, outerwear, pants, jeans, sweatshirts and knit jackets, shirts, Tees and Polos, suits and blazers, shorts and more
• Accessories – this includes shoes, hats, gloves and scarves, socks, bags and small accessories, jewellery, grooming products, ties and belts, sunglasses

Apart from holding a wide product range, Club Monaco also holds a large number of each product type. With this, you can make a choice from a large inventory, and you’re more likely to find something that you like. Club Monaco is able to offer a large inventory because they draw items from a lot of designers. These include: On The Bright Side, A Perfect Pair, The Heritage Crest Collection, All That Jazz, Golden Hour, In Bloom, Around Town, Cooldown warm up, The feel of it, No ordinary life, At Ease, She’s the One, Soft Focus, A New Suit, Day Shift, Some Place Better Than Here

Also, it is not enough that an online fashion store holds a large inventory, it is also important that their items should be of good quality.

In this regard, Club  Monaco ticks the box. They create functional wearable pieces that feature fine fabrics and exceptional fits. Online reviews of customers who have actually bought from Club Monaco also support this. Looking up what actual customers are saying about Club Monaco on the various customers review platforms, we found statements like “I would like to shop here again even when they’re expensive because the clothes are beautiful”, “the clothes are definitely pricey but the quality is there”, “modern, chic and stylish pieces… but the fit and quality is amazing”, “they have the most luxurious fabrics and quality is amazing”.

The ultimate test of quality for most customers is clothing pieces that can stand the test of time. The reviews also include customers happy with timeless clothing materials that have stayed years and still look new.

That said; there is no doubt that the quality of items in the store is top notch.

Shipping

Shipping is an important consideration in online purchases. First, you’ll want to know if the store ships to your location; also you’ll want to know if the shipping costs are not unreasonably high, and you’ll also want to know how long it will take your order to be delivered to your location. Following these, the ideal online store will ship to a lot of worldwide destinations, will have shipping rates that are as low as possible, and will have delivery times that are as fast as possible.

In the first case, Club Monaco ships to all locations in the US and Canada as well as over 100 international countries. While this is impressive, you’ll find online fashion retailers that cover twice as many countries. What it means is that many persons from many international locations will be unable to shop in Club Monaco.

In terms of shipping cost; the lowest possible cost that can be offered is zero, which is free shipping. Thankfully, Club Monaco offers free shipping, but the terms differ in different countries.

For shipping to the US, free shipping is available for all orders over $150 dollars on the Standard and Economy delivery options only. However, for international destinations, free shipping is available for orders over $200. If you’ve seen reviews of other stores, you’ll find that the domestic US free shipping offer is not good enough. This is because you have a high order qualifying amount. There are many online fashion stores that ships free to the US address for orders of about $50 – $100; but Club Monaco requires that your order is into $150. This put pressure on customers to spend more than intended in order to qualify for free shipping.

Where free shipping is not applicable, Club Monaco charges reasonable rates which depends on the delivery options chosen.

For US shipping there are five different options you may choose from. There is an Economy delivery option which takes 7 – 10 business days and cost $5.00. There is also a Standard delivery option which takes 5 – 7 business days and cost $8.00. The free shipping is available for orders over $150 that you’ll want to ship with either of these two options.

US orders also have expedited shipping options which include: the 2 Business Days delivery, an Overnight delivery, as well as a special Saturday delivery. Their moniker is revealing of how long it will take you to receive your package with these options. The 2 Business days delivery will get you the package in 2 business days, and it cost $20. The overnight delivery will get you the package the next business day following order placement, and it cost $25. Lastly, the Saturday delivery allows you to receive your package on a pre-arranged Saturday, and it cost $35.

Shipping to most other international destinations is available only through standard delivery option. This takes 7 – 13 business days for Mexico and the UK; and 7 – 15 business days for most countries in Europe, South America and Asia. But Russia orders may take up to 22 business days. For Africa and the Middle East, the standard shipping takes 7 – 17 business days; while for Australia and New Zealand, it takes 8 – 17 business days. The shipping cost for any of the destinations will be revealed at checkout.

Club Monaco offers international shipping through Borderfree. Because Borderfree supports a lot of currencies, this means that Club Monaco is able to show product prices as well as order totals in a lot of local currency. Also, the order total at checkout will be the only amount paid for getting the package; there’ll be no hidden charges to be paid on receipt of the package.

Returns and Exchange Policy

There are many reasons you’ll want to return an item after an online purchase. It could be that you got the wrong size, you’re not satisfied with the quality, the item gets to you damaged, and more. Whatever the case, instead of being stuck with an item you’ll rather not have, you’ll want to be able to return the item for a refund or an exchange with another item.

Returns

Thankfully, Club Monaco like every other online fashion retailers allows you to return any item in your order that you’re not totally satisfied with, and they’ll issue you a full refund.

Their returns policy allows 30 days from the time of delivery for every return to be made. The allowed 30 days returns window is on par with what most fashion retailers in the industry offer. Returns getting to Club Monaco within 30 days are accepted and processed, but those getting to them after the allowed 30 days are not accepted, and will not be sent back.

This is one area where customers will have to think twice before buying from Club Monaco. Though the 30 days window is wide enough; if for some reasons your returns for not get back to them on time, you’ll lose the item and whatever you paid for it. In this regard, some stores have policies that allow for the refund to be issued to original payment method if the returns get to them on time, and for refunds to be issued as store credit if the returns get to them late. With such policies, there’s no fear that the item will get to them late and you’ll lose it altogether.

That said, I’ll like to see Club Monaco issue refunds (as store credit) where returns get to them late.

However, it is not only the return window that determines if returns will be accepted. There are some conditions that the items must also meet. Any item to be returned must be in its new condition, which means it must not have been washed, worn or altered. It must also be accompanied by its original invoice; it must have all tags attached and must be returned in its original packaging.

However, there are certain items that are final sale merchandise and are not eligible for return or credit. This includes bodysuits, home collections, and items marked as final sale.

For US customers, Club Monaco includes a USPS pre-paid returns label which makes for easy returns. All you need do is package the items appropriately, attach the returns label and drop it off at the post office. If you use the returns label, $5.00 will be deducted from your order refund.

When you use the returns label, you can start tracking the returns 3 days after mailing it. After receipt of the returned item, it takes about two weeks for it to be processed. After it’s processing and issuance of refund using your original payment method, you’ll also do some waiting for the refund to reflect in your bank account. This means that you should get your refund within three weeks. This is better than some online fashion stores but can be improved upon. I’ll like to see a reduction in the returns processing time so that the whole time of waiting for a refund will be significantly reduced.

In-store returns are also allowed for US orders, so you can go to the nearest Club Monaco store with the item you want to return together with its original invoice and return it to the store.

Exchange

After a returned item is received by the store and processed, you’ll have to wait for your refund to be issued. If you’ll want to use the same fund to get another item; it’s only when the fund has reflected in your account that you can proceed to place the order for the new item. However, where the store allows exchanges, you can simply order the new item immediately your returns is processed, cutting off the refund-waiting time. Thus, product exchanges expedite the process of getting another item in place of the returned item.

Unfortunately, Club Monaco does not offer product exchanges. You’ll have to wait to be refunded and then place a new order.

Price and Related Policies

Price

Price is the very first thing that you’ll look at in every intended purchase. The reason is that no matter the perceived quality of merchandise, you will not want to pay what you perceive as unreasonable for it. Therefore, it’s important to review the prices of items in a store.

In almost every review platform, Club Monaco is described as a high-end clothing line. The high-end that always precede “clothing line” tells the story, which is that their merchandise is expensively priced.

For example, you’ll be hard pressed to find: a dress that is under $150, or a women’s jumpsuit or pant that is under $100. The men’s wear is no different, as you’ll find that most shirts are priced at about $80, and most pants are over $100.

It’s my opinion that the prices of Club Monaco are on the high side. Customer reviews of Club Monaco also agree. In most review platforms, customers comment that Club Monaco merchandise are expensively priced. Reviews include comments such as: “their prices are on the high end”, “the only reason why I give it a 4 stars is because of the high price”, “the prices are a little steep”, “the clothes are definitely pricey”, “in my opinion they’re a bit expensive”, “I just ordered one because of the high prices”, and much more.

That said; if you want to shop on the cheap, Club Monaco is definitely the destination you should be heading.

Price Adjustment

Club Monaco is committed to giving you the best value possible; so even if you buy an item and find a few days later that it is marked down on their site, you don’t need to worry about not having waited a few days more before making your purchase.

If the item is marked down within seven days of your original purchase (the date on your invoice), all you need do is contact Club Monaco about it and they’ll credit you the price difference using your original payment method. However, is only applicable to items purchased at full retail price.

Promotions

A review of the promotions offered by a store is important because it gives customers the opportunity to get items for free or for less than their full prices.

Thankfully, Club Monaco offers different promos from time to time. The promos are usually time specific which means that they apply to only specific time periods.

At the time of writing this review, one of the promos that were being offered was tagged “friends and family event”; it allowed 25% off certain purchases including all new arrivals.

Club Monaco also offers a student discount of 20%. All you need do is show a valid student ID card at checkout. Also, this is the biggest student discount you’ll find in the industry. Some stores don’t even offer student discounts, while others offer less than 20%.

Another advantage of shopping in Club Monaco is that they have a referral program that rewards you when someone you introduce to the store makes a successful purchase. Even the friend you invite gets rewarded.

The friend gets a 20% discount on their first purchase in the store, and you also get a 20% discount on your next purchase. However, the offer cannot be used on sales/ clearance items, vintage items and items of some of the featured brands.

Payment Method

You want an online fashion store that supports a wide range of payment options so that you won’t have any problem with paying for your orders.

In this regard, Club Monaco partners with Borderfree and thus accepts the full range of payment options that Borderfree accepts. This includes PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, and China UnionPay. Borderfree says that more payment options will be added soon.

Customer Support Service

There may be something you’ll want to know about the store and you’ll need a store that readily helps customers with their every question. There may be issues with orders, and you’ll want a store that swiftly helps with resolving such issues. Therefore, a review of the customer support service of an online store is very important.

Club Monaco provides two channels for addressing customers’ issues/ complaints – an email service and a telephone service.

The telephone line for reaching the company is 1-888-733-6410; while the email address to submit your queries is: CustomerAssistanceUS@ClubMonaco.com. You may also use the online contact form on their website to send Club Monaco a mail.

However, I’ll like to see more customer support options, especially the live chat feature. Where a customer does not want to pick up the phone for support, live chat will still allow instantaneous feedback.

Summary

Club Monaco is a legit online fashion retailer. There’s no doubt about that. They’re owned by Polo Ralph Lauren, and with over 150 stores, they have the capacity to fulfil orders. With the use of industry-standard data protection measures, the shop is also safe.

Club Monaco ticks all the boxes of the ideal fashion online retailer. Club Monaco offers both men and women clothing, and you’ll find every clothing piece. They hold a large inventory and you’ll not be short of choice.

With credit cards and PayPal accepted as payment options; paying for orders is easy. Free shipping is offered worldwide; returns are allowed and made easy with a returns label (US orders), and they have a responsive customer support service.

I liked

• Hold a wide product range, and a large inventory of each product type
• Offers only functional and high-quality clothing pieces
• Free shipping is offered, and it is available for worldwide addresses

I didn’t like

• The amount that qualifies an order for free shipping is relatively high ($150 for US orders and $200 for international orders)
• Relatively high prices for merchandise in the store
• Relatively high order amount for qualifying for free shipping
• Does not offer product exchanges
• Limited payment options
• Limited support options

D you have any question or experience with Club Monaco? If yes, you may use the review section below to give us your brief Club Monaco review.

Superdry is a UK online fashion retailer with a Japanese face. They advertise as “an exciting contemporary brand which focuses on high-quality products”.

Yes, Superdry is a legitimate fashion store online. They deliver any item that is bought from the website. So, it is not a scam.

The go-to fashion shop should definitely provide high-quality fashion products. Does Superdry actually provide high-quality products, or is that just advert-speak? If they do provide the quality we’ll expect of a go-to shop; what about the other important elements of a go-to shop, does Superdry tick those.  For example: do they have a wide product range?

How about their service (browsing listings and ordering, shipping, returns, customer service); is it painless? How about their prices; are they reasonable? Is it safe to shop in the store? In the first place, is the store legit?

This review will examine Superdry in order to provide information that will help you answer those questions.

Superdry review at a glance

• Started in 1985 as Cult Clothing, and first went by the name Superdry in 2004
• Despite the Japanese writings in their logo;  UK public company, headquartered in the UK, and trading in the London Stock Exchange
• Provides all types of men and women clothing; but better known for their hoodies, coats and jackets
• Ships to over 200 countries worldwide, and offer free shipping to 45
• Allows returns within 28 days of delivery; and will issue a refund in the original payment method
• They accept payment using credit/ debit cards and PayPal
• Customer support is available via email (care@superdry.com) and telephone (+44 333 321 2222)

What is Superdry?

Superdry is an online fashion store. The company that is today known as Superdry was started by Ian Hibbs and Julian Dunkerton in Cheltenham in 1985. However, then it was known as Cult Clothing. The company grew and many more stores were established all over the UK. It was in 2004 that the name Superdry was birthed when one of their stores that opened in London went by the name. In 2010, Superdry went public when it was floated in the London Stock Exchange.

Though Superdry is a full-blooded UK brand, they have some Japanese writings on their logo that gives the impression that they are Japanese.

Superdry has a significant presence around the world. There are Superdry branded locations in about 46 countries which includes 139 owned stores, over 200 franchised and licensed stores, and over 160 concessions. Superdry specializes in both men and women fashion products, and they hold all the different fashion styles for both sexes. However, the company is better known for their trackies, hoodies, jackets, and coats.

Is Superdry legit?

Superdry is legit, not a scam. There are too many scam artists on the internet who will stop at nothing to rip people off. One of their prominent tactics is fake stores where unsuspecting customers will pay for the merchandise but never receive the delivery. Therefore, before paying for anything in an online store, it’s important to make sure that the store is legit.

In this regards, there’s no doubt that Superdry is legit. First, the company was established in 1985, which means that they’ve been operating for over 33 years. In that time the company has gone through various stages of evolution but still remains as a fashion destination. Suffice it to say that no fake store can operate for decades. Scamming activities are revealed in a little time; and with such exposure, the fake stores close and disappear.

Also, Superdry is a duly registered company that is even listed in the London Stock Exchange. Suffice it to say that no fake store will seek legal recognition by way of company registration or go as far as going public. Lastly, Superdry has the capacity to fulfil orders. There are over 500 Superdry branded locations worldwide, and these locations hold hundreds of thousands of merchandise. That said, fake stores operate only virtually; they do not have any physical merchandise and so will not deliver when customers place orders and make payment. The capacity of Superdry to fulfil orders conferred to them by their physical existence is further evidence that Superdry is legit.

Is Superdry safe?

Superdry is safe. It is not enough that an online store is legit. The store should also be safe. This is because, while a legit store will not rip you off; if it isn’t safe, it will leave you exposed to fraudsters who will rip you off. This is because when you use an online store you share sensitive information (such as your credit card details), and fraudsters who intercept this information can defraud you. Thus, the legit store should also ensure that customers’ are protected.

In this regard Superdry also comes out strong. They use industry-standard SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology to create a secure link between your device and their servers and to allow for the encryption of any information that you transmit. Superdry explains that SSL technology includes authentication, encryption, and data integrity. This assures that their server is secure, that the data transferred is not altered, and that your data cannot be read even if captured by an unauthorized third party. With the use of this industry standard technology, there’s no doubt that Superdry is safe.

Product Description and Product Images

The ideal fashion online shop should make the online purchase less blind by giving you resources that will help you assess the item properly before making the purchase. These include product descriptions and product images.

In this regard, Superdry takes the lead. Their product description page contains every possible detail that will help you with a thorough assessment of the item. The detailed description includes the number of pockets and their position, the number of logos (and the position of every logo) and more. There’s also a specification section, which shows the material composition of the clothing, and the type of cleaning/ care required. It also comes with a size guide, which shows the dimensions (lengths etc) of the clothing.

The product images in Superdry put the clothing right in front of you. They are high-quality images that show the front, back, other positions of the clothing piece, including close-ups of certain details. For on-model images, you’ll also see the model height (chest size etc). Lastly, Superdry uses video technology on most of its items. This shows a short slow video of a model donning the clothing piece and moving around. This allows you to see the clothing piece in action, as against a still picture.

With the detailed product description, high-quality product images and excellent video viewer that Superdry uses, you’ll be able to properly assess a product, and you are less likely to order an item that will not be to your liking when you receive delivery of it.

Product Range

The ideal fashion shop should hold a wide range of product so that you can shop all your fashion products in one place. This will result in cost savings to the customer. Where shops run bulk purchase discounts, buying all your products in one place can qualify you for such discounts. Also, where shops offer flat shipping rates; buying all your items in one place can save you shipping cost, as you’ll be shipping only one order as against paying the shipping costs of multiple orders from different stores.

Superdry specializes in both men and women wear, and they hold every single clothing type and accessory for men and women.

In the men section, you’ll find:

• Outerwear – Jackets, Windcheaters, Down Jackets, Leather Jackets, Gilets
• Tops – Hoodies, Jumpers, Sweatshirts, T-Shirts, Shirts, Polo Shirts
• Bottoms – Jeans (tapered, straight, slim, skinny, and ripped), Joggers, Trousers, Shorts, Swim Shorts
• Accessories – Bags, Underwear & Socks, Knitted Accessories, Other Accessories
• Footwear – Boots, Trainers, Shoes, Flip Flops, Sliders

In the women section, you’ll find:

• Outerwear – Jackets & Coats, Windcheaters, Down Jackets, Leather Jackets, Gilets
• Tops – Hoodies, Tops/ Sweatshirts, Knitwear, Dresses (Bodycon, skater, maxi, midi etc), T-Shirts, Shirts
• Bottoms – Jeans, Joggers, Trousers, Skirts, Swimwear
• Accessories – Bags, Underwear & Socks, Knitted Accessories, Other Accessories
• Footwear – Boots, Trainers, Shoes

Apart from holding different product types; it’s also important to know if the store holds a large inventory of each product type. A large inventory will give customers a large selection to choose from, and with that, they are more likely to find what to meet their preferences.

The company is better known for their hoodies, jumpers, jackets, and coats; and in these categories, they spoil you with a choice. You’ll find hundreds of different types and colours of these clothing pieces. However, the inventory was not so large in other categories. For example, the men jeans section held only 35 items, women’s shirts section held only 33 items.

Also, it’s not enough that a fashion store holds a wide product range or a large inventory; it’s also important that their products be of good quality. In this regard, Superdry ticks the box. Remember that the company advertises as an exciting contemporary brand which focuses on high-quality products. We found that to be true. Superdry is characterized by quality fabrics, unique detailing, and tailored fits. These combine to earn Superdry a reputation for quality clothing pieces in the industry.

This isn’t just in my opinion. Customer reviews of Superdry are many online; and there seems to be one conclusion, which is that Superdry provides high-quality clothing pieces. Trust Pilot holds over 100,000 customer reviews of Superdry, and the average rating great (4 out of 5). Reviews include such comments as:  “Perfect Puffa Jacket”, “Good quality, great choice”, “very pleased with the purchase”, “Great items”, “premium coat”, and so on. In other reviews platforms, you’ll find comments like “the clothes are amazingly good quality”, “their jackets look great”, and more.

Prices, Promotions and Payment Methods

Prices

Price is the most important thing in any purchase whether online or in brick and mortar stores because customers will not want to pay above what is reasonable for a clothing piece. Therefore, a review of any fashion store must examine their prices to reveal whether they are reasonably priced. In this regard, Superdry ticks the box.

Superdry definitely does not pride themselves on providing low cost and acceptable clothing, but their prices are not over the top either. Superdry expertly finds the balance between providing high quality and keeping the price as respectable as possible. You’ll find: hoodies at $80 – $150; men’s jeans at $120 – $190; men’s jumpers at $80 – $120; women’s dresses at $70 – $110; and women’s sweatshirts at $54 – $100.

That said; while Superdry may not be ideal for those who want to shop cheap. Items in the store are a bit over-priced, but definitely not expensive for the quality that they offer.

Promotions

Every business run promotions to increase sales, and the online fashion retail business is no different. Online fashion retailers run different promos from time to time. A review of the promos of an online store is important because promos allow the customer to get free products, or to get products for less than the full price.

At the time of writing this review, Superdry was offering a price discount of 20% off everything with the code XMAS. While this is good; we are used to seeing online fashion retailers giving bigger price discounts. The only other promo that we saw on their landing page was an offer of guaranteed delivery on Christmas day (25^th December) if you order before 8 PM on 21^st December (at least four days before). If you ask me; that sounds like a promo only if the retailer is plagued by slow deliveries. In an industry where one can get same day delivery, next day delivery, or two days delivery, an offer of 4 days delivery does not come out as a promo. What is more, Superdry is not plagued by slow delivery.

Thus, we cannot say that Superdry is an online fashion retailer that is known for promos. There are other promos and offers that we’ll like to see; and unfortunately, Superdry does not offer any of those. For example, they do not price match. Some fashion retailers price-match by pledging to give you an item in their inventory for a lower price than it is listed if an identical item is being offered at the lower price at another store. Also, Superdry does not give student discount, where there are fashion retailers that give the student as much as 20% off if a valid student ID card is presented.

That said; we’ll like to see more promos from Superdry, including bigger price discounts, student discounts and more.

Payment Method

You don’t want to be given the run around just because you want to make payment for your order. Thus, the ideal online shop should support a variety of convenient payment methods.

Superdry ticks the box in supporting convenient payment methods. They accept payment using the popular credit/ debit cards such as MasterCard, Visa, and American Express; they also accept PayPal payments. Apart from these generic options (credit cards and PayPal), there are other payment options that are supported for particular countries. At checkout, such options will be displayed.

That said, with the payment options that Superdry supports, you should not have a problem with paying for your orders no matter where you may be shopping from.

Shipping

Most customers abandon their shopping carts at checkout because of shipping cost. This shows that shipping cost is an important consideration in any review of online stores. Where shipping costs are too high, the total expenditure on an item that may have been perceived as acceptably priced can easily become unacceptable. Thus, it’s important that the shipping cost be as low as possible. Another important shipping consideration is shipping times because no customer will want to wait forever to receive delivery of his/ her package.  In this regard, the ideal online store will have short shipping times.

First, it should be said that Superdry ships to over 200 counties/ regions. If you’ve seen reviews of online stores, you’ll find that many retailers cover just over 100 countries. With Superdry covering over 200 countries, it means that your location is more likely to be covered, and you can make purchases from the store.

In terms of shipping cost; the lowest possible cost is free shipping. Thankfully, Superdry offers free shipping. Free shipping is available to the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States. In most of the European countries, it takes 2 – 3 days. In some others and in the US, it takes 3 – 5 days; while in a few others (such as China, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina), it takes 4 – 6 days.

If you’ve checked other reviews of online fashion stores, you’ll find that when many of them offer free shipping, there is a catch. The catch is that they’ll require you to spend up to a particular amount to qualify (For example, free shipping for orders over $100). However, in Superdry, there’s no such catch. Free shipping to the 45 countries it is offered is available on all order vouchers. This means that there is no undue pressure to spend more than intended just because you want to chase free shipping.

Where free shipping is not applicable, Superdry charges flat rates which means that what you pay as shipping cost do not increase with an increase in your order weight. The shipping rate depends on the shipping destinations. However, it is $18 for most countries (New Zealand, Hong Kong, Brazil etc) and $25.00 for a few others (e.g. Nigeria). In terms of delivery times, it also differs with the destination. Some places (like Brazil, New Zealand, Barbados) takes 3 – 5 days; others (like Russia, Fiji, and some Africa Countries) takes 4 – 6 days; while some others can take up to 8 – 10 days (like Cambodia, Nicaragua, Canary Islands etc).

It is one thing to advertise delivery estimated times, but it is another thing to actually delivery in those times. While many online fashion retailers fail to live up to their delivery time estimates, evidence shows that Superdry does. It should also be said that Superdry has a reputation for fast delivery. Customer reviews online from independent review platforms contain comments such as: “Delivery was really fast. I was really surprised”, “on time”, “Speedy delivery”, “arrived safely and quickly”, “best delivery ever” and so much more.

Returns

Online purchase means that you’ll be buying items that you have not physically examined. There’s the risk that the item may not meet your expectations when it gets delivered to you. There are different reasons for this; it could be that the item is damaged in transit. It could also be that the item is delivered intact but that a wrong size was ordered (either too big or too small). Thus, the ideal online fashion store should allow customers to return items that they are not totally satisfied with.

Thankfully, Superdry allows returns. If you are not completely satisfied with any item in your order, you can return the item to the company. They allow a returns window of 28 days, which means that you have 28 days from the time of receiving the order to return any item in it that you are not totally satisfied with. If you’ve checked the return policies of online fashion stores, you’ll find that the longest window you’ll get is 30 days. In this regard, Superdry is not far behind. Their 28 days window gives customers enough time to get the returns to the company and get their refund.

Superdry includes a Returns form in packages, which must be filled and returned with the item if you opt to return it. The return package must also contain any documentation that followed the item.  Apart from returning the items within 28 days, there are other conditions that must be met for the returns to be accepted and a refund processed. The returned items must be in their new original conditions. The items should not be damaged or soiled. They should not be worn or washed. They should not have stains or even scents from make-up, perfume, aftershave or deodorant. Also, the items must be returned in their original packaging.

However, there are certain items that cannot be returned. These include underwear, swimwear and cosmetics, especially if these have the hygienic seal broken.

When it comes to the cost of returns, Superdry allows free returns shipping for UK orders as long as they meet the returns conditions are returned within the returns window. However, customers returning items from outside the UK will bear the cost of returns shipping.

If your items are received by Superdry, it will take them about 7 – 10 days to process it, after which the refund will be issued via your original payment method. If you’ve seen other reviews, you’ll find that many stores take longer to process returns, which will cause customers to wait than necessary to receive their refund. However, with the relatively shorter returns processing time of Superdry, you’re more likely to get your refund on time.

Customer Support Service

You don’t want to wait until you need assistance before you check for the customer support service of an online store. Since having questions or issues are inevitable, the ideal online store should provide different channels for addressing customers’ inquiries/ issues.

Like most online stores, the first step to getting help from Superdry.com is an FAQ section on their site. The section treats some of the questions that you may have. However, the section is not detailed enough, and you might still need to contact the company directly.

Superdry has a support team that they say is always keen to help. The channels they provide for contacting a member of the team include an online contact form, an email service, and a telephone service.

The contact form can be found on their website. All you need do is select a topic (shopping, delivery, returns, account etc), a subtopic, submit your name, email, order number and your message. Superdry will reply your submissions via your email address. Alternatively, you can contact them using the traditional email. You can send your email to care@superdry.com.

Like every email service, you’ll have to wait for some time (which can be more than 24 hours) to get a response from Superdry. If you’ll want instant feedback, you can use the telephone service. Superdry provides two lines; one for online enquiries (+44 333 321 2222), and the other for store enquiries (+44 333 321 2002). The telephone lines are toll-free, so you don’t have to worry about charges when contacting Superdry. However, the telephone service is not available round the clock. It is active only between: 08:00 – 23:00 (GMT) Monday – Friday; 08:00 – 20:00 (GMT) on Saturdays; and 08:00 – 20:00 (GMT) on Sundays. However, we’ll like to see customer support service is made available round the clock.

Reputation

This will examine how Superdry is perceived in the online community. It’s been gathered that on many independent review platforms, Superdry have very good ratings. This has to do with the quality of products, the fast delivery, efficient customer support and overall service. However, there are a few negative reviews. Though these are too few and far in between to be significant, it’s important that in the spirit of an honest review, everything is laid bare.

One reason for poor rating was order cancellation, or more appropriately inability to cancel orders. Some customers who mistakenly place a wrong order found frustratingly that there was no way to immediately cancel the order. It can be argued that it should be possible to cancel an order that the company has not started to process. However, it is plainly stated in a FAQ article on their site that the company is unable to cancel an order once the checkout process has been completed. The only remedy is that the customer has to wait to receive the item and return it. Also, it should be said that this is not something peculiar to Superdry; in almost all online fashion stores, it is impossible to cancel an order once it is placed.

In the customer reviews, one other thing you’ll find that annoyed some customer is the branding. In most of Superdry’s products, you’ll see their logo all over the clothing. Many customers spoke of a liking for the more subtly branded merchandise. Also, another little annoyance that was identified from the reviews is that Superdry is “too common”. Reviews include comments like “everyone else is wearing them”, “Superdry is far too common now”, and more. In my opinion, this is even a plus for the company; it shows that their products are classy and trendy, as well as affordable quality. I camp with one of the reviewers who proclaimed “If you like them, wear them. If you don’t, don’t. Who cares what everyone else is wearing”.

Summary

Superdry is a legit and safe fashion online store. They provide all types of men and women clothing and accessories but are better known for their outerwear (jackets, coats, and hoodies). Don’t let the Americana name or the Japanese graphics on their logo and products fool you, they are a full British brand. However, they draw inspiration from everywhere possible to provide exquisite styles that are reputable for high quality. You’ll also find that their service is top notch – payment is painless, delivery is fast, returns are easy, and customer service is friendly and efficient.

I liked

• Use of video technology for previewing products
• High quality clothing pieces especially the outerwears
• Free shipping is offered to about 45 countries
• Fast delivery
• Returns are allowed (within 28 days of delivery date)

I didn’t like

• Items are a bit over-priced
• The promotions are not impressive (the price discount is conservative, and there is no student discount)
• Customer support service is not 24/ 7

Kay.com is the e-commerce place of Kay Jewelers. Kay Jewelers run with the tagline: “Every kiss begins with Kay”. That will mean that for those special articles that are symbol of your love and appreciation (such as diamonds, engagement rings, wedding bands, jewelry gifts, etc) of that special someone, Kay Jewelers is the place to go.

The big question is whether Kay Jewelers provide high-quality jewellery to qualify as the go-to diamond and jewellery store. If they do have the product, what about their prices; do the prices offered by Kay Jewelers represent good value for money? Also, does the jewellery store offer the service that we’ll want of an ideal jewellery store (such as easy ordering and payment processes, fast delivery, hassle free returns, effective customer service, etc)? In the first place, is Kay Jewelers genuine?

Yes, Kay jewelers is legit. It is not a scam because they will never steal your money or credit card details. And will receive anything you buy from the store without a problem.

This Kay Jewelers review will examine Kay Jewelers in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.

Kay Jewelers review at a glance

• Website and e-commerce store is www.kay.com
• The brand was established in 1916
• Is currently owned by Sterling Jewelers (which is owned by Signet Jewelers)
• Operates over 900 stores and retail outlets
• The e-commerce store ships merchandise to locations within the US
• Return are allowed: 60 days from purchase for refund; 90 days from purchase for exchange
• Support service is available via postal mail, email, telephone, and live chat

What is Kay Jewelers? – Background

The history of Kay Jewelers can be traced to 1916 when the Edmund and Sol Kaufman opened the first store using one corner of their dad’s furniture store, in Reading Pennsylvania. That first store offered much more than jewellery, as it also sold items like eyeglasses and electric razors. However, over the years Kay Jewelers has evolved to be a jewellery destination, and their product offering includes engagement, non-engagement jewellery and watches.

Kay Jewelers is currently a division of Sterling Jewelers, which itself is owned by Signet Jewelers Inc. This corporation has a lot of top brands in the industry under its wings which include Zales, Jared, The Galleria of Jewelry, Piercing Pagoda, Ernst Jones, Peoples. In fact, Signet Jewelers Inc is the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewellery.

Kay Jewelers has the second largest store network in the jewellery industry (the first being Zales). So by that parameter (brick and mortar stores), Kay Jeweler is the second largest jeweler at least in the US. With their over 900 stores and retail outlet, you’ll find Kay Jewelers in most shopping malls in the country.

Thus, Kay Jewelers is essentially a brick and mortar (offline) jeweler. However, given that it is inconceivable for a modern company not to have an official website, the company launched its website (www.kay.com) which is not only informational but also for e-commerce. However, unlike “true” online retailers that have all or the large part of their business coming from their e-commerce site, only a minute part of Kay’s business comes from their website. Thus, though Kay processes orders placed in its website, the company does not come out as an online jewellery retailer.

Lastly, Kay Jewelers says that you can be confident that any piece you buy from them is conflict free. Why? The company complies with the Kimberly process and also requires its suppliers to provide a warranty that the stones supplied are conflict-free.

Products

Product Range

You want a diamond and jewellery store that’s able to provide a variety of products. That way you’ll be able to shop all your jewellery needs in one place. This offers convenience, as a lot of time and effort goes into getting the right place for such special articles as diamonds and jewellery. Also, there are cost savings that come from getting products in one place. Discounts from large order purchases is one; while another is paying to ship one order instead of paying for shipping of multiple orders from multiple stores. That said, the ideal diamond and jewellery store will offer a wide product range.

Kay Jewelers does just that. Whether in their physical retail stores or in the e-commerce store (Kay.com), you can get engagement rings, wedding, bands, etc. The menu in Kay.com lists the following product categories:

• Ring – Kay Jewelers hold the full gamut. You’ll find engagement rings, wedding and anniversary rings, bridal sets, personalized rings, and even toe rings.

The store provides rings in all the different metals, which include Tungsten (Black, grey, white, and brown), Palladium, Platinum, Rose Gold, Titanium, White Gold, Yellow Gold, sterling silver, stainless steel, and more. Also, Kay Jewelers provides different styles of rings that’ll satisfy the majority of ring shoppers (Bexel, Halo, Pave, Solitaire, Vintage, 2 stones, 3 stones, etc).

For the engagement rings, as it should be with any serious jeweler, you have the option to buy a pre-set engagement ring or to create your own engagement ring. One issue with pre-set rings is that the retailer chooses both the stone and the setting and will not allow any customizations. So you have little or no say in the quality of the diamond. Therefore, it’s good that you can get a unique engagement ring that is all about you by using the “design a ring” feature to choose your own diamond for your engagement ring.

• Necklaces – Styles include Chains, Lockets, Personalized and more. It doesn’t matter in what metal you want your necklace; Kay Jewelers have it all.
• Bracelets – you can shop different styles that include Anklets, Bangles, Cuffs, Chains, Tennis Bracelets, Personalized Bracelets and more. They are also available in the different metals which range from diamond to sterling silver.
• Earrings – A variety of Earrings styles are available which range from climbers, Studs, Hoops, Personalized and more. You can get them in all metals types – diamonds, sterling silver, platinum, etc
• Watches – You can shop top designer watches from Bulova, Alpina, Calvein Klein, Citizen, Edifice, Fossil, G-Shock, Hamilton and more
• Collection – Kay Jewelry also holds some exclusive jewellery collections which include Beautiful Life, Chains, Floral, Love + Be Loved, Signature Heart, Three stone, and more

Inventory Size

The ideal diamond and jewellery store should not only have a variety of products but also have a large inventory of each product type. That is, if you get to a particular product section of a jewellery store, instead of finding only a few items to choose from, you’ll want to find a large collection to choose from. With a large selection, you’re more likely to find a piece that appeals to you and that fits your budget.

In this regards, Kay Jewelers does so-so. Their inventory is sizeable enough to satisfy the selection needs of many a jewellery shopper; but at the same time, it does not compare to what is held by the inventory leaders in the industry (such as James Allen or the Blue Nile).

For example, at the time of writing this review, pre-set engagement rings (diamond mounted) were just over 1,500 in Kay.com. Given the different combination of quality grading, ring styles, metal types that are possible; you’ll find that 1,500 does not even scratch it.

To build your own ring, you’ll need to choose a loose diamond from their collection; so that brings us to the inventory size of the loose diamonds. At the time of writing, there were just over 6,000 loose diamonds listed in Kay.com. This number might seem large, but if you consider that the industry leaders (in terms of inventory) hold about 200,000 loose diamonds, you’ll realize just how limited the selection of Kay Jewelers is.

Product Quality

For articles like diamonds that symbolizes love, one thing you won’t want to compromise is quality. Thus, you’ll want to shop in a diamonds and jewellery store that holds only high-quality articles.

In this regards Kay Jewelers does so-so. Let us start with their pre-set engagement rings. It’s been mentioned earlier that not having a say in the quality of the mounted diamond is a general issue with pre-set rings (no matter the retailer). However, this problem is more profound in Kay.com largely because the majority of the pre-set rings in Kay Jewelers use I1 clarity diamonds, which will feature ugly inclusions (flaws) even to the casual observer. As a result, when shopping pre-set rings from Kay Jewelers, you won’t find too many rings with eye clean diamonds. To get an engagement ring with better quality diamonds, you’ll have to create your own ring; and if you don’t want to go through the process, you’ll simply have to go to another diamond and jewellery store.

Now to their diamond certifications; Kay.com list IGI certified diamonds. While many of the top jewelers in the industry use the better regarded (and standard) GIA or AGS certificates. It is generally held that IGI is loose with their grading; thus, an IGI graded diamond will be found to be bumped up one or two grades than it would have been graded by GIA or AGS. That is, when two equally graded diamonds from the two labs are examined, the GIA diamonds will almost always be found to be of higher quality than the IGI graded diamond. Thus, an S2 diamond from IGI will not compare to an S2 diamond from GIA or AGS. In fact, the S2 graded diamond from IGI will only receive I1 or I2 grading from GIA.

Also, it doesn’t help that Kay Jewelers does not provide exact colour and clarity grading for their rings; it’s always provided as a range (diamond of colour G – H, and clarity of SI2 – I1).

The implication of this is that you do not know exactly what you are getting. For example, for diamond graded as above, will you be getting an H I1 diamond or a G SI2 diamond? Savvy shoppers know that the former does not compare to the latter in quality.

That said; this combination of having “low quality” diamonds on their pre-set rings, using the lowly regarded IGI certification, and not stating the exact quality specs of the diamond, does not make Kay Jewelers come out as a store that provides quality.

Features

In-store Service

Kay Jewelers has a robust store network. While this has some negatives to it (as we’ll find in the pricing section), there are some positives to it; and the Company strongly leverages on these positives.

For example, they offer a lot of in-store services that the purely online jewellers cannot offer. Some of these include:

• Repair – You can simply walk into any Kay Jewelers store to have your piece repaired irrespective of whether it was bought in the store or online. This offers convenience that having to return your piece by mail cannot offer.
• Custom Design – If you need a jewellery piece that is not among what Kay Jewelers provides, you can get it via the “custom design” feature. It allows you to create custom jewellery. You just have to go to Kay’s store with a sketch, snapshot, family heirloom or even a description; and their professionals will produce a replica of the unique design. After that, it’ll be cast, handset, and polished, and you’ll have your unique piece. The only customization that many of the online retailers offer end at engraving and create-you-own engagement ring
• Progressive Leasing – This is a financing plan that allows you to get your diamond jewellery now and pay later. However, unlike another financing plan, you won’t own the jewelry until you have made all the scheduled payments or exercised a buyout option (which allows you to save money and pay off the lease within 90 days). Though you may apply online to get a decision on the lease (how much you can get approved for), you’ll have to go to Kay’s store to get the merchandise
• Kay Jewelers Gold Exchange – you can take your unwanted gold and platinum jewellery to a Kay’s store, and you’ll get a fair price for it

Build Your Ring Feature

The design your ring process in Kay.com was very well laid out and easy to follow. It must be said that we’ve reviewed a lot of diamond and jewellery stores, and Kay’s process is one of the simplest and most straightforward we’ve met so far.

From the “Create your own Engagement Ring” page, click “create now” and the ring customizer page will open a 7 step process.

• Get started – the first page of the 7-step process is where you will choose to either “create your own” from scratch or to “select from popular designs”. To be in control and get a very unique ring, you can click “create your own”, and it’ll open the second step
• Diamond – the 2 step is where you’ll choose your diamond. You’ll start with the diamond shape, then carat weight, and then the quality. The quality grading is: Good, Better, and Best.
• Ring Head – You can choose from a number of styles that include 4 Prongs, Halo, Bezel, Peg Head, 3 stones and more. Where the chosen styles require accent stones, you’ll also select what metal these stones should be in this 3 step.
• Mounting – It’s in this 4th step that you’ll select the mounting style, side setting, mounting type, carving, and engraving (if desired).

Different mounting styles are available that include: single, single with peekaboo (round or princess), Double, Double with Peekaboo (Round or Princess), Triple, Double Twist, Knife Edge and more. Where the selected style requires peekaboo, you’ll also select the Peekaboo stone.

From the mounting style, you’ll proceed to select the side setting. For simplicity you may choose none; if you choose a side setting (styles include Channel Round, Channel Princess, U-Pave, and more), you’ll also select its length (whether half, three-quarter or full), and the stones.

If you choose a carving style (which include plain, leaf, scroll, etc), you’ll also select its length

• Metal – This is where you’ll select your metal type, and colour (ring head colour, and mounting metal colour)
• Band – In this step, you’re given the choice to make it a set by adding a wedding band.
• If you click “yes” to add a band, you’ll proceed to select the band style, side setting, carving, metal, and engraving (if any).
• Review – the final step is where you can review your ring design. You’ll be able to view all your selections from the second stage, and you can go back for any modification. If satisfied with your ring, you can add it to your bag; then continue shopping or proceed to checkout.

Simply put, the attention to detail was very impressive. And the process was super easy; it was simply about knowing what you want and selecting it one step at a time. One bump to report here is that the “ring review” after building the ring sounds more of viewing mockups (what your final design looks like), but it is essentially a list of all your selections. We’ll like to see Kay.com come up with more images of what the final ring will be like. However, the most serious bump is that there was no way to select the clarity and colour of the diamond.

We built a Round cut 1 ct diamond (quality grading good) engagement ring. It is a 10K White Gold classic ring – 4 prongs, single mounting, no side settings, and plain carvings. The ring came at a cost of $6,131.53.

Price, Promotions and Related Policies

Price

Even with high-end articles such as diamonds and jewellery no one will want to pay beyond what’s perceived as reasonable. Thus, the ideal diamond and jewellery store should offer prices that are reasonable. In this industry, the reasonableness of prices is largely measured by comparing prices.

In this regards, Kay does so-so. You won’t even have to search long or hard online before you find that the price of an item in Kay Jewelers will be significantly more than the price of a similar (equal quality) piece in some other stores. Sometimes the price difference could be as much as 50% – 100%.

For example, the diamond engagement ring we created at Kay.com came in at $6,131.53. However, we could get an even better diamond (1ct, Good Cut, I Color, SI2 Clarity) at Blue Nile priced at £3,515. Mount that diamond on a classic setting that matches the one we got from Kay.com, and you’ll have your ring at just $4,115. Thus, you’ll be saving $2,016.53. What is more, you’ll be getting a better diamond.

That said; you’ll find a lot of online reviews where Kay Jewelers is written off as expensive and not providing value for money. Given that one of the promises of the parent company of Kay Jewelers (Signet Jewelers Limited) is “to provide competitively priced jewellery and watches”. You may begin to wonder where the competitiveness in Kay’s pricing is.

Thus, it should be said that Kay Jewelers come out as expensive but only when placed side by side with online retailers. A whole article can be written to explain why the brick and mortar jewellery retailers just cannot offer the prices of their online counterparts. Without going into the details, suffice it to say that holding diamond inventory and maintaining physical retail outlets is expensive, and the brick and mortar pass these costs to their customers via higher prices. The “true” online stores do not have to worry about holding inventory or maintaining stores, and so are able to offer lower prices.

That said, if you compare apples to oranges (traditional brick and mortar retailer to online retailers), Kay Jewelers will comes out as super expensive. However, if you compare apples to apples, the competitiveness in pricing that is promised can then be seen.

Promotions

It’s no secret that customers seek out promotions. With promotions, you can get articles for free or for less than their regular prices. Thus, to many customers, the ideal retailer will have a lot of promotion.

In this regard, Kay advertises that the Company “always has a jewellery sale going on”. We took this with a pinch of salt because while huge cost saving offers are regular sightings amongst apparel retailers, they are rare amongst diamond and jewellery retailers.

Thus, we love the pleasant surprise of finding that Kay Jewelers run a lot of promotions, with many of them really huge. For example, at the time of writing this review, there were a “clearance sales” running that knocked off up to 50% from the regular prices of selected items.

Some of the promos that were running at the time of writing this review are:

• Write a review about Kay for a chance to win $100 Kay gift card
• Get 15% off first purchase if placed on June 1
• Get 20% off select Gold Jewelry
• Get 40% off all open Hearts by Jane Seymour
• Get 25% off all personalized jewellery
• Get 20% on select Rembrandt charms
• Save 10% on your next Jewelry repair of $10 or more

Like all promos run by every store, promotions in Kay Jewelers are time specific, so you’ll have to check from time to time to know what is being offered at any particular time. Alternatively, you may register for text alert and you’ll get exclusive offers.

Financing

With the Kay Jewelers Credit card, you don’t have to worry about not being able to cover the cost of an item, because it allows you to buy a Kay’s jewellery today and pay later. There are two plans that can be accessed:

• 12 months plan – you’ll have to complete payment in 12 months. However, you’re required to make a down payment of 20% of the purchase price; and the purchase has to be at least $500.
• 36 months plan – you’ll have to complete payment in 36 months. Down payments are not required, but the minimum purchase requirement is $3,000.

Other services

Lifetime Diamond and Gemstone Guarantee

The true retailer should stand by its product, and Kay Jewelers does that by offering a lifetime warranty for their diamonds and coloured gemstone. The lifetime guarantee covers:

• Lifetime cleaning and inspection – You can take your item to a Kay’s store for inspection at any time. However, you’ll need to have your stone inspected by the Company at least every 6 months to stay under the warranty. Such inspections ensure the integrity of the item because any problem found will be fixed; interestingly such inspections are free of charge
• Stone replacement – for any stone that is chipped, broken or lost from its setting during normal wear, Kay Jewelers will replace it at no cost to you
• Mounting – if any defect is found in your mounting, Kat Jewelers will repair or replace it; also at no cost to you, but the service has to be within 12 months from the date of your purchase of the item

Diamond Jewelry Upgrades and Trade-Ins

You can bring your diamond jewellery to Kay Jewelers and trade it with another diamond jewellery. This upgrade and trade-in program allows you to get new diamond jewellery without having to pay the full price for it. The old diamond jewellery you submit will be towards getting the new item, and the amount you’ll pay will be the difference in price. The only condition is that the price of the new diamond item you want to get must be at least twice the price of the old item you’ll be submitting.

Interestingly, the upgrade and trade-in program in Kay Jewelers does not apply to only articles bought in the store. No matter where the old diamond jewellery was bought (whether in a Kay’s store, the Kay e-commerce site, or any other jewellery store) you can take it to Kay Jeweler towards the purchase of a new diamond jewellery

Extended Service Plan

This is an optional plan that can be bought when buying your jewellery in Kay. It covers many of the things not covered by the complimentary lifetime diamond and gemstone warranty. Thus, by making this one payment for the Extended Service Plan, you can have all the repair work that the jewellery will require covered by Kay Jewelers. Such repair work includes ring sizing, refinishing and polishing, rhodium plating, resetting diamond and stones, and more. The cost of the service plan is dependent on the cost of the jewellery: $19.99 for jewellery costing $0.01 – $75.99; $29.99 for jewellery costing $76.00 – $100.99; and more.

Shipping

When you place an order online, it will have to be moved to the shipping address (provided by you) where you will receive it. The most important shipping considerations are: shipping destinations, shipping times, and shipping costs

• Shipping Destinations

You can only buy from an online store that ships to your shipping address. Therefore, you’ll want a store that ships to many worldwide locations so that your shipping address is more likely to be covered. Unfortunately, Kay.com is not one of such stores. Kay.com comes out as a store that ships to only locations within the US. Thus, international customers cannot place orders in the e-commerce store of Kay Jewelers.

• Shipping Times

You’ll want a store that offers quick delivery else you may have to wait endlessly to receive delivery of items ordered in Kay.com. First, the e-commerce store offers two delivery options – ship to store, and ship to your door.

For the former, the items will be shipped to a Kay’s store, and you’ll go there for pick up. However, Kay Jewelers does not allow another person (other than you) to pick it up. Delivery to store generally takes 2 business days.

For delivery to door, three shipping options are offered. There’s a “Ground shipping” that takes 3 – 5 business days; there’s a “Second Day shipping” which will take two business days to deliver your order, and there’s an “Overnight Shipping” that’ll take deliver as its name suggest.

However, these estimated times only apply to items that are in-stock; while items that will require some work (customized, items, personalized items, etc) will take longer.

• Shipping Cost

You’ll also want a store that offers shipping costs that are as low as possible. This is because high shipping costs can easily make the items in a store expensive to acquire even if the items themselves were deemed reasonably priced.

In this regard, Kay.com does so-so. They offer free shipping for items shipping to a Kay’s store. For items shipping to your door, you’ll find the applicable shipping costs during the checkout. However, Kay Jewelers run a lot of promotions which include free shipping.

Return

Kay Jewelers says that they are only happy when you (their customer) are happy. Thus, the store allows customers to return items if you are not totally pleased with the order. What follows is a review of their return policy.

• Items that can be returned

Though Kay Jewelers allow returns, not all Kay’s orders can be returned to the store for an exchange or refund. Items that cannot be returned include custom-designed merchandise, special-ordered watches class rings, or personalized (engraved) merchandise. However, this is on par with almost every other jewellery store in the business.

• Return Window

Items that are returned to Kay Jewelers will only be accepted by the store if the items are received within an allowed time frame. You’ll want an extended time frame so that the risk of your items getting to the store late will be reduced.

Thankfully, Kay Jewelers does relatively well in this regards. The store allows up to 60 days from purchase date for returns, and 90 days from purchase date for exchange. Most of the other jewelry stores allow only 30 days. That said; the generous return window of Kay Jewelers means that you’ll not race against time if you have to return an item from your order.

However, the exception to this very generous window is watches that have not been specially ordered. Such items have the standard 30 days from purchase return window.

• Return Process

If you have to return an item to a jewellery retailer, you won’t want to be faced with a difficult return process. Kay Jewelers does relatively well in this regards. They accept returns to their stores and also returns mailed to their warehouse. This is a classic example of Kay Jewelers leveraging their robust store network. In-store returns are very convenient to customers, and this convenience afforded by the return of online purchases to store is something that the pure online jewellers cannot offer.

Also, even when returning items to Kay Jewelers by mail, the process is relatively easy. You’ll have to visit the site and print the return label and return address label. Then, on the packing slip that accompanied your order, you’ll have to indicate the reason for the return. Then you’ll have to package the item appropriately (including all original documents and certificates); attach the return label to the package; then mail the package to the return shipping address.

• Refund Policy

How and when you’ll get your refund is an important consideration when returning any item to a retailer. For returns to Kay Jewelers, you’ll get the refund via the original payment method. This is better than stores that exclusively issue store credits for returns. This is because, unlike store credits that tie you to the issuing store, with refunds as cash to the payment methods you can choose to visit and use the funds in another store for your future purchases.

Most importantly, Kay Jewelers are relatively fast (or at least they say so) in issuing refunds. The store advertises that they issue refunds within three weeks of receiving returned items.

Customer Support Service

You want a store that will effectively answer the questions that customers will have and resolve any issue that customers may have.

Kay Jewelers supports a variety of methods for contacting them, which include:

• Postal mail – send your letters to Sterling Jewelers Inc., 375 Ghent Road, Akron, Ohio 44333
• Email – you may send an email using the contact form from their website
• Telephone – the number to call is:  (800) 527-8029
• Live Chat – Also accessible from the website

The service is available between 9:00 am – 10 pm ET (Mondays – Fridays), between 10:00 am – 10:00 pm ET on Saturdays and between 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm ET on Sundays

Pros:

• Has a very robust in-store operation
• Provides a wide variety of products which includes engagement rings, non-engagement jewellery and watches
• Lifetime diamond warranty is offered
• Diamond jewellery upgrade and trade-in is offered, where you can even trade jewellery not originally purchased from Kay Jewelers 
• Offers different financing plans
• Offers a generous return window of 60 days from purchase date
• In store return of online purchases are possible
• Various ways available for contacting support service and seeking help

Cons:

• Selection is relatively small
• Not many pre-set rings with eye clean diamonds are provided (most have I2 clarity grading)
• Exact clarity and color grading are not provided
• Diamonds are with “less” reputable IGI certification
• Prices are generally higher than you’ll find in most stores (especially the online retailers)
• Support service is not available 24/ 7

Summary

Kay Jewelers is one of the largest brick and mortar jewellery store in the US with over 900 stores across the country. Their operation as a brick and mortar store means that they can neither offer the selection nor the prices that the online jewellers offer. Thus, you’ll find Kay.com having relatively smaller inventory than almost every other online jewellery store. You’ll also find that items in Kay Jewelers are significantly more expensive than similar items in the online jewellery stores.

Also, Kay Jewelers came out as not offering quality. That they use IGI certification instead of the tighter and widely used GIA certification does not help their case. It is compounded by the fact that the company does not provide exact colour and clarity grading, and also largely use poor quality (I2) diamonds for their pre-set engagement rings.

However, if you can somehow ignore the quality concerns, and also do not mind spending almost double what you can get a piece for in another store, you can shop in Kay Jewelers and you’ll have one of the most generous return policy in the industry, as well as a raft of in-store services that the online jewellery stores cannot offer.

Anine Bing is a self-titled women fashion brand from Anine Bing, the former model and current fashion blogger and entrepreneur. The fashion house says its mission is to create clothes that are easy to wear.

Yes, Anine Bing is a legit fashion store. It is not a scam because you will receive what you purchased from the store. And also they will never try to steal your money or credit card detail.

The big question is whether Anine Bing delivers on that and really provides functional essentials that all women will want in their wardrobes. Another question will be whether the emphasis on easy to wear clothing affect the quality of Anine Bing’s products. Also, if Anine Bing does have the promised product (easy clothing + quality clothing), do they also provide the top services that we’ll want from the go-to fashion destination (such as competitive pricing, easy ordering and payment, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer support service, etc)? In the first place, is Anine Bing a genuine platform?

This Anine Bing review will examine Anine Bing in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.

Anine Bing review at a glance

• Is a US-based fashion brand that focuses exclusively on women wear
• The brand’s website is www.aninebing.com and www.eu.aninebing.com
• Was founded in 2012 by former model and fashion blogger Anine Bing
• Offers a variety of women wears ranging from tops, bottoms, jackets, and dresses, as well as shoes and accessories
• Better known for providing easy to wear functional pieces
• Ships to worldwide locations
• Offers free shipping and free returns
• Return window is 14 days from the delivery date
• Customer support is available via email

What is Anine Bing?

Anine Bing is a women-focused fashion store headquartered in Los Angeles CA. The store was founded in 2012 by Anine Bing who still actively serves as its Chief Creative Officer. The former model cum fashion blogger cum entrepreneur brings her vast experience into Anine Bing (the brand).

The brand started from the living room of Anine Bing (the person). After gaining a good following from showcasing her outfit on Instagram, the then blogger launched the online site and started providing her clothing to her followers. She started with about 15 items consisting of basic essentials such as women Jackets, Jeans, T-Shirt, and dresses. Not long after, Shoes were added to their selection. According to Anine Bing (the person), the Charlie Boots that started their shoe selection put Anine Bing (the brand) on the map of the fashion industry. Just recently, (2018) Anine Bing added kids’ collection to their product offering. Anine Bing Kids is a unisex line offering clothing and accessories for kids aged between 2 and 10.

After its success, online Anine Bing quickly started opening retail outlets to be closer to its customers. As a result, the fashion house now boasts of retail outlets in many cities of the world which includes Barcelona, Berlin, Los Angeles, London, Madrid, New York, and Paris.

Products

Product Range

You’ll want the fashion store you enter for your purchases to hold a variety of fashion products. Even when the store focuses on a niche, you’ll the store to offer a variety of products within the niche. Thus, the ideal online fashion store should have a wide product range.

Anine Bing does relatively okay in this regards. The store focuses on women fashion; and so offers the whole gamut of women clothing. Getting to the Anine Bing website, the product categories you’ll find in the menu (and the items you’ll find in each category) are as follows:

• Clothing – Jackets, Tops, Sweaters, Bottoms, Denim, Dresses, Lingerie
• Shoes
• Accessories – Jewelry, Bags, Sunglasses, Belts, Savage Rose

There’s also the “Current” category where you can shop new arrivals, back in stocks, special summer collections, and special picks by Team Bing. Lastly, there’s a kids category, where you can shop kids’ clothing, shoes, and accessories.

A look at the product offering shows that Anine Bing lives up to their promise of providing everyday basics. You’ll find all apparel in Anine Bing as functional clothing that is easy to wear, from their casual pieces to their outing pieces.

Inventory Size

It’s not enough that the ideal store holds a variety of products; it’s also important that it holds a large inventory of each product type. With a large inventory, customers will have a large collection to choose from when shopping; and they’ll be more likely to find something that they like.

Anine Bing does well in this regards. In most of the product sections, you’ll find hundreds of items to choose from. This is by no means close to the inventory leaders in the industry, but it is a sizeable enough collection to satisfy the selection needs of most customers.

However, we observe that Anine Bing does the opposite of what many fashion retailers do. Most fashion stores have apparel as their primary product offering and this category usually have the highest numbers in term of inventory while other categories like shoes and accessories have fewer inventory counts that reflect their only secondary status. However, in Anine Bing, while apparel is their primary offering, the shoe category has the largest inventory.

Product Quality

Anine Bing (the person) has been quoted as saying that the fit together with the quality is the two most important factors in a good piece of clothing. Thus, the focus on providing easy to wear clothing does not lead to the relegation of quality.

As a luxury store, you’ll expect items to meet high-quality standards, which include good materials (fabrics), good tailoring, and more. Thankfully, the items of Anine Bing are large of fine quality. Thus, when you pick the functional Anine Bing piece that’ll soothe your body whether when going for an outing or for everyday use, you can be sure that the piece will be durable.

However, it should be said that there are some reviews of Anine Bing where customers have complaints about the quality of their orders. However, these are not prominent as to form a theme; and can be considered as the exception rather than the norm.

Prices, Promotions and Related Policies

Prices

The prices of items in a store are some of the first things buyers look at. Thus, stores should feature items whose prices are deemed reasonable. The only way to determine the reasonableness of prices is to compare what’s being offered with that of the competition.

When that is done, Anine Bing features somewhere in the top half. It’s was all too surprising given that Anine Bing advertises as a luxury store for everyday basics. Luxury stores are not particularly known to be focused on providing the best prices.

For example, at the time of writing this review, on the European online store of Anine Bing, you’ll find graphics Tees starting around €89; a lot of shirts and sweatshirts were easily above the €100 mark; jackets easily crossed €200 and into the high hundreds; while Blazers easily crossed €300 and into the high hundreds. Some items could also be found with prices in four figures.

The prices in Anine Bing were not in the expensive ranges of Chanel or Louis Vuitton; thus, Anine Bing can be considered a fair player amongst luxury shops. However, when the whole market is considered, the prices of Anine Bing can definitely be considered expensive in their own right.

To put these prices in perspective; while you’ll struggle to find anything priced around €50 in Anine Bing, many of the price leaders in the industry (such as H&M, Boohoo, and Topshop) hold hundreds of exquisite articles under €50.

One feature you’ll find in the price friendly stores is price matching, where the store’s commitment to giving you the best price will make them sell their item to you for less than it is listed, if you can prove that a similar item (same spec and of equal quality) is listed somewhere else at a lower price.

That said; Anine is definitely not the place to be looking at if you want an online fashion store to shop affordable clothes. However, you’ll find the store a good destination, if you want relatively fair prices for luxury items.

Promotions

Customers look around for promotions, and the reason is not farfetched. Promotions represent cost-saving offers with which you can get items for free or for less than their full prices. Thus, the ideal store should run plenty of promotions.

The website of Anine Bing does not show the company as one that’s generous with promotions. It does not announce any price slashing discounts or any of the other promotional deals that we’ve come to associated with the websites of the promotion-generous fashion retailers.

We didn’t find popular like student discounts, military discounts, or even the oft-seen newsletter subscription discounts. Also, though Anine Bing offers sales items, we couldn’t find any separate sales section on the website.

Though the Anine Bing website was largely silent, we found the store occasionally run some promotions, albeit not the huge cost saving offers of promotion centric stores. That said; it’s safe to say that Anine Bing is not generous with promotions.

Payment Methods

Included in the smooth service that an online store promise is a hassle-free payment. That starts from finding a banking option supported by the store that you can use to conveniently pay for your order no matter where you are resident.

Anine Bing also does so-so in this regards. You can pay for your Anine Bing order using PayPal or any of the popular credit/ debit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover card. Granted, PayPal and the cards are worldwide options ensuring that you’ll find a means to pay for your order anywhere. However, the supported payment methods come out as limited. You’ll find fashion stores that support PayPal the cards as well as different web wallets, bank transfer options, and even alternative methods like COD (cash on delivery) payments.

Shipping

Shipping is an important consideration in the online purchase because your order has to be moved to where you’ll take delivery of it (the shipping address). The most important things to consider about shipping are: shipping destinations, shipping times, and shipping costs

Shipping Destination

You can’t use an online store if you are resident (and will want your order shipped to) point A, but the store only ships to point B. Thus, you’ll want to consider the locations that the online store ships before any other consideration. In this regard, you’ll want a store that ships to many worldwide locations so that your location is more likely to be served.

Anine Bing does well in this regards. Unlike most stores that serve only their domestic market, Anine Bing ships to many worldwide locations. Anine Bing ships worldwide using two online stores. The US store (www.aninebing.com) serves North America, South America, Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East; while the European store (www.eu.aninebing.com) serves Europe and Israel.

Shipping Times

You’ll want a store with fast delivery else you’ll find yourself waiting endlessly to receive delivery of orders placed online.

Anine Bing does so-so in this regards. First, there is a relatively long order processing time of 3 – 5 business days. That is, after submitting your order, it may take up to five business days before the order will leave the fulfilment centre of Anine Bing and start its journey to your shipping address. Needless to say, this is a long time. Even if shipment time is one day, the long processing time will mean that delivery will take 4 – 6 business days. As a result, you’ll find that Anine Bing does not offer the fast delivery we’ll want.

Shipping Costs

Shipping costs can easily make an item that is reasonably priced expensive to acquire. This is because shipping costs add to purchase price in determining the total acquisition cost of any item purchased online. As a result, you’ll want stores that feature shipping cost that is as low as possible.

Anine Bing does well in this regards because the fashion store offers the lowest possible shipping cost, which is $0 (in order words, free shipping). Interestingly, free shipping is available to all locations served. However, for free shipping to apply, you have to buy from the appropriate website of Anine Bing (that is, the website that serves your market).  For example, if your shipping address is in the US, you have to buy from the “US” site; and if your shipping address is in Europe, you have to buy from the “European site”. Buying from the Anine website that does not serve your market will attract a shipping and handling fee that is up to €100 (according to the “shipping page” of the website).

Where free shipping does not apply, you’ll find the applicable shipping cost published during checkout. It should be said that from the numerous reviews online, it can be gleaned that shipping charges when free shipping does not apply are relatively high.

Returns

There are many factors that may cause you to be unsatisfied with your order when the item is delivered to you. There is the issue of the size difference, where a size that does not fit has been ordered; there’s also the issue of the item delivered not meeting certain quality expectation, and it is even possible that an entirely wrong item is delivered. That said; you’ll want to be able to return the order to the store and get a replacement or refund.

Every serious fashion retailer accepts returns, and it’s not surprising that Anine Bing does. The real question is what’s contained in the return policy.

Return Window

Retailers will only accept the items that are returned to them within an allowed time frame usually from the time of delivery. That said; you’ll want an extended period, which will greatly reduce the risk of your returns getting to the fulfilment centre of the retailer late.

In this regards, Anine Bing only does so-so with a return window of 14 days. That is, any Anine Bing order you must return to the store must get to their fulfilment centre within 14 days of the item being delivered to you. Returns getting to them later than 14 days from delivery date will be rejected and sent back to you (at a cost to you).

If you’ve seen reviews of other online fashion stores, you’ll find that the “14 days from delivery date” return window of Anine Bing is relatively short. In fact, it is less than half the “30 days from delivery date” return window that is oft seen offered by many stores in the industry. That said; if you have to return any item in your Anine Bing order, you’ll have to act fast after receiving the item.

Also, the policy of Anine Bing to reject and send back returns that are received late is stricter than some fashion stores who accept late returns but issue store credits for them instead of cash refunds.

Items that can be returned

However, not all items can be returned to Anine Bing. The headliner here is Sales items. All orders placed on sales items are final, and cannot be returned to Anime Bing. The store’s hard stance on sales items can easily be seen on the “Returns and Exchanges” page of their website; one line reads: “No returns, exchanges, or store credits. No exceptions”.

Because sales items are discounted, and because customers want value for money when shopping, shopping Sales items is the norm rather than the exception. Thus, it puts customer between a rock and a hard place when return policies make Sales Items final sales (non-returnable). Customers will have to choose between two unwanted choices – buying at the usually expensive full prices and being eligible for returns, or buying the usually low-priced sales items and not being eligible for returns. With the Sales Items return policy of Anine Bing, customers will be faced with this conundrum.

In must be said that generally stores put a line on returns of sales items. However, some fashion stores in the industry have more relaxed policies in this regard. For example, there are stores that allow returns of sale items but only for items that were not heavily discounted; while there are others that accept returns of all sales items but with a reduced return window. We’ll like to see Anine Bing adopt one of these.

In addition to Sales Items, Personalized items cannot also be returned or exchanged. However, this is what’s obtainable across the industry; and you’ll expect nothing more give the nature of personalized items.

Items that are not final sale and can be returned to Anine Bing must meet certain conditions to be accepted by the store. Returns must be in the same conditions they were when delivered. Where items are returned for being defective, it’s important to know that material deterioration that occur with use are not considered defect.

Return Process

It frustrating enough that you have to returns an item to a retailer, so you won’t want to meet a cumbersome return process.  Thus, the ideal store should offer easy returns.

Anine Bing does so-so in this regards. First, in-store purchases can only be returned in-store, while online purchases must be returned by mail to the fulfillment center of Anine Bing. Some fashion retailers with physical outlets allow returns of online purchases to their stores, affording customers the convenience that such in-store gives. Given that Anine Bing has some physical outlets and talks of affording “seamless returns”, we’d expected them to permit in-store returns of online purchases. However, it should be said that Anine Bing is not alone in not allowing in-store returns of online purchases. In fact, in the fashion industry, “in-store returns of online purchases” is the exception rather than the norm.

Also, to return merchandise to Anine Bing by mail (all online purchases) you must first contact the customer care department of the store (via email at info@aninebing.com). This is not bad in itself, as it informs the store of your decision, and with exchanges, it facilitate the receipt of the replacement item. However, what’s not good about this process is that, it may take Anine Bing up to 2 business days to get back to you with confirmation. Given that their return window is already a relatively short 14 days, any time waiting to get return authorization further increases the risk of your return getting to their warehouse late and being rejected.

After getting authorization, you may proceed to fill out the Return Form included in your order, package the item appropriately, and include your purchase receipt, and ship then send the return package to the carrier. You may use a carrier of choice; in that case, the return shipping address to mail the package to is: US Warehouse, Pixor c/o ANINE BING RETURNS, 5901 Eastern Ave., Commerce, CA 90040.

Cost of Returns

Also, you don’t want to be dithered from returning an unwanted item because of high cost of returning it. Thus, you’ll want the store you use to have cost of returns that are as low as possible.

In this regards, Anine Bing advertises “free returns and exchanges on all orders”. This should put Anine Bing on top of many stores, because you’ll find many stores where customers bear the cost of return shipping; some stores will even charge you restocking fees when you make a return.

Return Processing and Refund

After returning an item to a store for a refund of your payment, you’ll want to get cash payment to your account instead of store credits. This is because, store credits will tie you to the particular store, and you’ll have to use the funds for future purchases in the store. But with cash refunds, you can choose to go to another store for your future purchases.

Thankfully, unlike stores that issue only store credits, Anine Bing issue refunds as cash payment via the original purchase method.

Also, you won’t want to wait endlessly to receive the said refund. Thus, you’ll want stores that process returns and issue refunds quickly. Anine Bing pulls in at average in this regards. All returns to the store are processed within 2 – 3 weeks, after which the refunds are issued. You’ll have to allow some time for the said refund to be reflected in your account. Thus, overall, you’ll have a waiting time of about 3 – 4 weeks.

Granted, many fashion stores in the industry take about a month to process and issue refunds; but this is not the fast refund processing time we’ll want from a modern customer-focused fashion retailer.

Customer Support Service

The ideal online fashion retailer should have a robust system for assisting customers. Whether it is simple questions or issues with orders, customers will always need assistance. The effective of the support service is measured by how many channels are supported, the response time, as well as the helpfulness of responses.

In most online platforms, the first place to get answers is the self help articles in an FAQ page or Knowledge base in the company’s website.  Anine Bing does have an FAQ page on their website which answers questions on such topics as accepted payment methods, ordering, final sales items and more. However, we found the FAQ to be inadequate. First, it is not as detailed as we’ll want it; and secondly, answers are not grouped by topics to aid navigation.

If the assistance you need require you to directly contact a rep of the company, Anine Bing support email service for that. Interestingly, they provide a couple of email address to direct different types of enquires. This is nice as it automatically sorts enquiries and channels them to particular departments that will handle them. The email addresses are: concierge@aninebing.com – for general customer care issues, as well as styling and fit enquiries; buying@aninebing.com – for enquiries about wholesale purchases; and press@aninebing.com – for the press.

However, it’s disappointing that Anine Bing supports only one direct contact channel. It also doesn’t help that the supported channel is the email service that’ll require customers to wait for some while to get a response to their submission. These days, online platforms support a host of instant feedback channels such as telephone service, live chat, and even video technology such as Skype.

It also does not help that the email service is not available round the clock. Agents only man the service to respond to customers between 8:00am – 5:0pm, Mondays – Saturdays. For a world facing platform, we’ll want to see 24/ 7 customer support so that there’ll be no problem of customers’ uptime being the service’s downtime.

However, it must be said that Anine Bing has received many sticks in the independent customers’ review platforms online for poor customer support. In platforms such as Trust Pilot and its like, you’ll find customers’ review about Anine Bing reporting basic customer service failures such as long response time, not responding at all, etc.

That said, with a less than adequate FAQ page, no instant feedback channel supported, and too many reports of long/ no response or unhelpful service; it’s safe to say that the customer support service of Anine Bing needs fixing.

Is Anine Bing safe and legit?

Anine Bing is a safe and legit fashion store. In the retailing world, the safety of a platform is simply its ability to safeguard the sensitive information that customers share with it; and preventing such information from leaking to unauthorized third parties.

Anine Bing says all the usuals; that is committed to the safety and security of customers’ personal information and transaction data. They back up that statement by employing technical measures such as SSL (secure sockets layer) technology. SSL ensures that data transfer between the buyer’s device and seller’s servers is private. Since SSL also encrypts data using bank-grade encryption protocol, even if it is intercepted, it will be unreadable to the hackers.

With the use of that technical measure as well as other administrative stops, it’s safe to say that Anine Bing is safe.

Summary

As a former model and still fashion blogger, few will know more about functional women clothing than Anine Bing, the owner of the self-titled fashion house Anine Bing. Thus, when Anine Bing (the person) pulls her experience into a mission to provide easy to wear and quality fashion styles for women, you can be sure of what you’ll get.

Anime Bing (the brand) lives up to its promise and provides a range of simple easy to wear women essentials that include tops, bottoms, dresses, lingerie. Shoes and fashion accessories are also available to complete the easy look; while kids’ wears have been added lately.

However, Anime Bing is a luxury store and prices reflect that luxury status. Items are a bit expensively priced, and there are little to no price slashing promotions on offer. Anine Bing tries to help by offering free shipping; and to ensure a happy customer, they also offer free returns. However, apart from being free, you might find nothing more to like about the return policy. The return window is only 14 days, and you’ll have to wait for return authorization that may eat up to 2 days from the return window. You’ll also have to make do with email when contacting customer support service, as instant feedback channels are not supported.

The bottom line is that, Anine Bing is a strong contender for the best provider of simple everyday women wears. If you won’t mind paying a little extra and won’t have to return an item from your order, you’ll find the fashion house to be excellent.

Pros:

• Offers a variety of women wear, especially basics
• Offers a very variety and large inventory of women shoes
• Ships to worldwide locations
• Free shipping is offered
• Free returns are offered for all orders

Cons:

• As a luxury store, prices are in the expensive range
• It takes 3 – 5 days to process orders before being dispatched for shipment; thus fast delivery is not offered
• “14 days from delivery date” return window is relatively small
• Can take up to 2 days to get return confirmation/ authorization after submitting the return request
• The 2 – 3 weeks that returns processing takes is relatively long
• Only e-mail is supported for customer support; telephone and live chat are not supported
• Customer support is not available 24/ 7

Do you have any experience with Anine Bing? Use the review section below to give us a your Anine Bing review.

Tiffany & Co. is a US-based company which is one name that you’re likely to come across when searching for diamond and jewellery retailers. However, unlike the other jewellers, the company also offers a range of non-jewellery products such as home items, personal accessories, fragrances, and more.

Yes, Tiffany & Co. is a legit outlet. It is not a scam store because they will never steal your money or credit card info. And you will receive any Jewellery you purchased from the store.

Does the provision of other non-jewellery products affect them on the diamond and jewellery front? Or does the company offers quality diamonds and beautiful jewellery pieces that we’ll expect of the go-to diamond and jewellery store? What about their service, do they offer top services (such as diamond education and consultation, easy ordering, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer service, and more). In the first place, is Tiffany & Co. genuine?

This Tiffany & Co. review will examine Tiffany & Co. in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.

Tiffany & Co. review at a glance

• A New York based jewelry and specialty retailer founded in 1837
• Operates 94 stores in the US, and 279 others around the world
• Offers a wide product range that includes jewelry, watches, fragrances, home items, and more
• Better known for their luxury diamonds and sterling silver jewelry
• Provides arguably the highest quality diamond and settings in the industry
• Their prices are some of the most expensive in the industry
• Cost saving offers are almost non-existent
• Offers fast delivery
• Offers free shipping to all locations
• Offers free returns with a return window of 30 days from delivery date
• Customer service is available via email and telephone

What is Tiffany & Co? – Background

Tiffany & Co is an American jewellery and speciality retailer. The company was started as far back as 1837, by Charles L. Tiffany and John B. Young. However, at the time it was nothing like the company we know today; the company went by the name “Tiffany, Young, and Ellis”, and its primary product offering was stationery items. It wasn’t until 1853 (16 years later), that the emphasis switched to jewellery; and that came after Charles Tiffany took complete control and change its name to “Tiffany & Company”.

The company was incorporated in 1868. Avon Products Inc bought Tiffany in 1978, and later sold it (to an investment Group) in 1984; but in 1987, only three years after, the company went public again, and continues to trade in the New York Stock Exchange.

Though the emphasis is now on jewellery, Tiffany & Co. provides a variety of other products; in fact, Tiffany & Co has a wide product range that trumps that of almost every other jeweller. Apart from diamonds and gemstones, engagement and wedding rings, and other jewellery, Tiffany & Co. also offers watches, fragrances, China, and personal accessories. And yes, they still offer stationery.

Tiffany is arguably the world’s most famous jewellery store, and they have a storied history that some other jewellers can only dream of. For example, in 1862, during the Civil War, Tiffany supplied the Union Army with swords and surgical implements amongst other things. At the Exposition Universelle, which was a World Fair held in Paris in 1867, Tiffany won an award for excellence in silverware; becoming the first US Company to be so recognized.

They followed up that first award with others (Best jewellery exhibitor) in the 1878 Paris Exposition. Also, in 1884 Tiffany & Co. was awarded the contract to revise the Great Seal of the United States, which is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the federal government of the United States. In the early nineties (1919), the United States also contracted Tiffany & Co. to revise the Medal of Honor awarded its Department of Navy; and in 1968, the company was commissioned by the US First Lady at the time (Lady Bird Johnson) to design a china service for the White House. Suffice it to say that no scam store can have such a storied company.

Tiffany & Co. is also the maker of many trophies used in the sports circles. Some of these include: the Vince Lombardi Trophy (which is given the NFL team that wins the super bowl), the Larry O’Brien Trophy (which is given to the winner of the NBA finals), the MLS championship trophy (which is given to the MLS team that wins the post-season championship games), and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Sprint Cup Trophy.

Is Tiffany & Co safe?

Yes, Tiffany & Co. is a safe and legitimate store. You also want a store that is safe in ensuring that the information that your share with it is well guarded. This is a no-brainer; information such as your personal data and payment data cannot be allowed to leak to unauthorized third parties else you may be ripped off or worse.

Tiffany & Co. also ticks the box in this regards. The company states that they maintain administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect customers’ data from unauthorized loss, alteration or destruction. We’ll like to have the details of some of these measures. Although Tiffany does not provide those details, we can take confidence from the fact that Tiffany & Co has not suffered a data breach. That said; it’s safe to say that Tiffany & Co. is safe.

Jewellry Stores Like Tiffany:

• JamesAllen.com
• BluNile.com

Features

Shopping in Tiffany & Co

Tiffany and Co operate a host of physical stores in location across the US and 42 other countries of the world. Their store network covers North and South America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania; the only regions of the world where a Tiffany & Co store cannot be found in Africa and, of course, Antarctica.  At the time of writing, Tiffany & Co. operated 94 stores in the US alone and 279 others in the various international locations.

However, having physical stores with inventory comes at a cost, which is usually passed on to the buyers. That is why traditional jewellery retailers simply cannot meet the prices of online jewellery retailers. In the same vein, as we’ll see this fact is reflected in the pricing of Tiffany & Co.

For online shopping; Tiffany & Co. has different websites for different markets. The website www.tiffany.com is for the US market, to be used by US shoppers for delivery within the US; the website www.international.tiffany.com is for many international shoppers for delivery to some international locations. However, from anyone Tiffany site, you can navigate to the particular site serving your market, from which you can purchase and ship articles to your location.

That said; Tiffany & Co. is not exclusively an online store with one or two physical outlets serving only as showrooms, neither is the company exclusively a traditional brick and mortar store with a website for only informational purposes. Though Tiffany and Co. have a robust online operation; they also hold inventory, and run an equally robust traditional in-store operation. As a result, you’ll find that Tiffany & Co. is mentioned in lists of both traditional diamond and jewellery retailers, and online diamond and jewellery retailers.

Direct Manufacture

Most jewellers use the “virtual listing” model, which means that most of the items listed in their stores are owned and/ or manufactured by third-party partners. With such business models, it is only when an order is placed in the store that the item will be delivered to the company’s fulfilment centre to be processed.

However, with Tiffany & Co., the business model is the reverse. The company manufactures the majority of its products themselves, and they cut and polish their diamonds in their workshops. That way the Company has direct oversight of the manufacturing/ production of items.

However, there is a catch. Where the stores that use virtual listing is able to provide a large inventory (which includes what is physically in their stores and what is stocked by their partners all over the world), selection in Tiffany & Co. will be limited to what is in their stores.

Consultation

Luxury diamonds and jewellery are special items that you can’t afford to get wrong. So as not to get it wrong, Tiffany & Co. offers the necessary assistance. You can request a consultation with a diamond expert, who’ll give you the necessary assistance in choosing a ring or a special anniversary gift, or in personalizing a wedding band.

You can have such consultations online (via telephone), or you may schedule the appointment in a Tiffany & Co. store.  What is more, the service is at no additional cost.

Conflict Free Diamonds

Tiffany & Co. has a zero-tolerance policy toward conflict diamonds. Thus, to ensure that all diamonds in their inventory are conflict free, they source their diamonds only from countries that are full participants in the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme. However, because the narrow definition that the Kimberly Process gives conflict-free diamonds does not take into consideration a host of unethical issues (such as human right abuse, degradation of the environment, etc), Tiffany &Co. promises going beyond the Kimberly Process by advocating for stronger global standards, especially in the protection of human rights and the environment.

Sustainability

It’s no news that mining has devastating effects; it’s been documented that many mining communities are plagued with environmental degradation and human right abuses. As a result, there have been calls for diamond and jewellery business operations with minimal environmental footprint and responsible labour practices.

In this regard, Tiffany & Co. say they view it as a moral duty and as a business imperative to sustain the natural environment. Thus, they use their voice and actions to protect the planet and positively affect communities, as illustrated by the following:

• Green Packaging

Going “green” is being preached in every circle, and the single most important reason is to create a sustainable earth. Tiffany & Co philosophy to protect the environment is reflected in most aspect of the company including their packaging. The iconic blue boxes and bags that the company uses in packaging articles are made with paper from sustainable sources and recycled materials.

However, the “Little Blue Box” is not all about eco-friendliness. Everything about it speaks of class – from its trademarked blue shade (called the Tiffany Blue) to the stylish white ribbons hugging it. Thus, the blue box itself is an integral part of the whole “Tiffany Experience”.

• Protecting the Environment

Tiffany & Co. is one company that has been known to advocate for the protection of special landscapes in Alaska (such as Yellowstone National Park and Bristol Bay) from the devastating effects of mining.

• Charitable Giving

The Tiffany & Co Foundation was established in 2000; and over the years, it has provided grants to a lot of non-profit organization and civic institutions, especially those involved in the protection of the environment, and improving the welfare of persons in and around mining communities. The company reports that the Tiffany & Co. foundation has awarded over USD $75 million in grants since it was established.

Products

Product Range

You’ll want the ideal online store to have a wide product range so that you can shop your related products in one place. For example, it’ll be more convenient to buy your complete ring in one place, instead of having to purchase your diamond in one store and having to look up another store for the setting.

Tiffany & Co. aces it in terms of the product range. Tiffany & Co. may have started as a “Stationery and special items store”, but they have transitioned into a “Jewelry and speciality store”. Thus, they offer loose diamonds (both white and coloured), a variety of gemstones, settings, jewellery, as well as non-jewellery items such as home items and personal accessories. That said; you’ll be hard pressed to find a jeweller that’ll have a wider product range.

The various product categories you’ll find in the websites of Tiffany & Co. and the items you can shop in each category are as follows:

Jewelry

• Necklaces & Pendants
• Bracelets
• Earrings
• Rings
• Charms

Love and Engagement

• Engagement Rings
• Wedding Band Sets
• Women’s Wedding Bands
• Men’s Wedding Bands
• Couples’ Rings

Watches

• Women’s watches
• Men’s watches

Home & Accessories

• Tableware(Diner plates, Mugs, Pitcher, Tea cups and saucers, etc)
• Bar and Drinkware (Wine glasses, Sterling silver dishes and martini spoons, cocktail picks, etc)
• Coffee and Tea
• Desk Accessories (Book ends, Paper Clips, Magnifying Glasses, Sterling Silver Pencil Sharpeners and Rulers, Letter Openers, Alarm Clocks, etc)
• Décor (Flower Pots, Crystal Vases, Candle Stick, Fish Bowl, etc)
• Games & Novelties (Measuring Tapes, Playing Cards, Harmonica, First Aid Box, etc)
• Baby (Teddy Bear, Piggy Bank, Bubble Blower, Baby Blanket, etc)

Gifts (for…)

• Mother’s Day
• Graduation
• Her
• Him
• The Couple
• Baby
• The Home

Being that diamonds and jewelry is the primary offering of Tiffany & Co; it should be said you’ll have the full gamut when shopping diamonds in the store. They provide the diamonds in all popular shapes which includes Oval, Round, Cushion, Pear, Princess, Emerald, Asscher, Heart, and more. The fancy diamonds are available in a range of color that range from blue, yellow, brown, and more. And for the rings, Tiffany & Co. provides them in a variety of styles – Halo, three stone, Pave and more.

Inventory Size

While having a wide product range is ideal, having a large inventory of each product type is even more important. For instance, when shopping diamonds, instead of having only a few number of a particular grade to choose from, you’ll want to have a large selection to choose from. Needless to say, with a large selection, you’re more likely to find a piece that matches your preference and your budget.

Tiffany & Co. does relatively well in this regards. Although they are by no means near the industry inventory leaders, they provide a sizeable enough inventory that will satisfy all your selection needs. For example, you’ll find tens of thousands of diamonds, and thousands of items in the jewellery sections. Moving to the non-jewellery products, you’ll find hundreds of items in most sections.

Product Quality

With special items like diamonds and jewellery, you don’t want anything but top-quality. This is one area where Tiffany is easily at the top of the pile. It is said in some quarters that Tiffany & Co. is the Lamborghini of jewellers. That says much about the quality of the products sold by the store – there really should be no worries about getting an inferior product from the company.

For example, all diamonds you’ll find in Tiffany & Co. are cut to ideal proportions, which are diamonds with angles, and symmetry that are near-perfect causing them to reflect almost all the light that passes through them to give that brilliance and fire through the table to the crown. You’ll find that a solitaire diamond in Tiffany & Co must be at least “I” in colour and “VS2” in purity (that is, only minor inclusions which are only observable with effort, even under 10x magnification).

The settings you’ll find in Tiffany & Co. are also regarded as some of the best and classiest in the world. For example, you’ll find that their sterling silver is plated with Rhodium to avoid tarnishing.

Also, if you go to the independent customers’ review platform online, you’ll find a lot of satisfactory comments about the quality of articles from Tiffany & Co. That said; there’s no doubt that Tiffany & Co. provides A-quality items.

Prices, Promotions and Related Policies

Prices

No one will want to pay what is perceived as unreasonable for a product, and that goes for even for high-end items like diamonds. Thus, the ideal diamonds and jewellery store should offer prices that are reasonable. However, it should be said “reasonableness” of prices is largely subjective, as there are buyers who will readily pay a premium for some perceived quality that may not be evident to others. Thus, to be objective, we can only compare the prices in one store (in this case Tiffany & Co.) with prices of the competition.

When this is done, Tiffany comes out as arguably the most expensive store in the diamond and jewellery industry. It’s not news that for a ring in Tiffany & Co. you can get as much as $5,000 – $10,000 for buying an identical piece from another store.

For example, for this review, shopping from the Tiffany UK site, we looked at a 1.25 carats G colour 1 VS2 stone with excellent cut mounted on the classic solitaire Tiffany setting. The ring came at a cost of £18,000. Then looking at some of the other big names in the industry (such as the Blue Nile and James Allen), we were able to find identical diamonds for $8,364 – $11,635. The simplicity of the Tiffany setting means it’s even easier to get a similar piece; that came in at $1,200 – $2,155. Thus, for $9564 – $13,790, we could get a piece no different from (or better than if you consider that the most expensive stone considered is from the “Astor Ideal” collection of the Blue Nile which is some of the best-cut diamonds in the market) the £18,000 priced piece in Tiffany & Co.

In fact, it’s no secret that Tiffany & Co. are expensively priced. A stroll through the online platforms and you’ll find questions like “why is Tiffany expensive?” and “is Tiffany expensive because of better quality or just branding?” The latter question is answered by our example of the £18,000 priced Tiffany engagement ring since a ring of equal (or better) quality can be obtained for far less. Thus, like the best of the luxury houses in any circle, the premium you’ll pay isn’t just for the product, but also for the brand.

Promotions

Promotions are simply cost saving opportunities because they allow customers to get items for free or for less than the regular prices of the items. Naturally, customers look out for such cost-saving offers; and will want the ideal online store to run a lot of promotions.

Tiffany & Co. also does not stand among the generous stores in this regards. Just as we’ve come to expect of luxury stores, in Tiffany & Co. cost-saving offers are few and far in between, almost bothering on nonexistent. We did say that the company occasionally floats special sales coupons and that they offered military discounts in the US.

Shipping

Except you’ll be buying from the Tiffany & Co. stores, you order has to be moved from the fulfilment centres to the shipping address provided where you’ll take delivery of the order. Thus, shipping is an important consideration in online purchases. The most important shipping considerations are shipping destinations, shipping cost and shipping times.

Shipping Destinations

Except for a jewellery retailer ships to your territory, receiving delivery of your order will be difficult. Thus, you’ll want the ideal online retailer to ship to many worldwide locations so that your territory is more likely to be covered.

Tiffany & Co. ticks the box in this regards. The store ships to many worldwide locations. However, you’ll have to visit the appropriate Tiffany & Co. site when shipping internationally. For example, www.tiffany.com will ship only to US locations, www.tiffany.co.uk will ship to UK locations, while www.international.tiffany.com will ship to some other international location.

Shipping Times and Shipping Cost

That shopper does not exist who’ll have no issues with waiting everlastingly to receive delivery of orders placed in online stores. Thus, the ideal stores for online shopping should feature fast delivery. Also, shipping costs add to the total spend in purchasing any particular article online; thus, you’ll want the shipping cost to be as low as possible.

Tiffany does well in terms of shipping times and shipping costs. Because of having various outlets in different countries, orders will most likely be shipping from fulfilment centres close to the shipping addresses. Hence, the fast shipping times (and consequently low costs).

What it also means is that how long you’ll have to wait for your order as well as how much you’ll pay for shipping will depend on the website you’re shopping from. For example, for orders from www.tiffany.co.uk (shipping to the UK), there are two shipping options – Express delivery which cost £15.00, and Standard delivery which cost £5.00 (but is free for orders over £500). The Standard delivery usually takes 3 workings days but would take8 working days for standard engraved items, and 13 working days for hand engraved and monogrammed items. For the Express UK deliveries, orders placed by 1:30 Mondays – Thursday are delivered the next working day.

For orders from www.tiffany.it (shipping to Italy), only the Standard shipping is supported. It cost €7.00 but is free for all others over €500, and it will take 5 days for the items to get to your door but will take longer for personalized items.

One important thing is that free shipping is offered to all locations served. Although, it comes with a minimum order requirement of 500 credits (that is, £, €, $).

Returns

For articles that symbolize or communicate love (such as engagement rings and the many other gift items provided by diamond and jewellery retailers), settling for less is not an option. Thus, the purchase should be satisfactory. As a result, you’ll want a store that allows you to return any item that you are not totally satisfied with.

Tiffany & Co. like almost every other brand in the business allow returns of items for refunds or exchange. However, only items eligible as defined by their return policy are accepted. Therefore, what follows is a review of their return policy.

Return Process

You won’t want to have an item you’ll rather return but be put off returning it by a cumbersome return process. Thus, you’ll want a return process that’s smooth sailing.

Tiffany does relatively well in this regards. To return an item, you’ll have to simply visit the appropriate Tiffany & Co. website to print a “Return Label”. Then you can proceed to package the item appropriately, attach the return label to the return package, and take it to the right carrier. The provision of return labels, which are usually pre-paid and pre-addressed, makes for easy returns. 

Return Window

Stores accept returns of unwanted items only when the items are received by them within designated timeframes. Thus, you’ll want an extended period, so that you’ll not run the risk of the item getting to the store late and being rejected.

Tiffany also does well in this regards, as they offer a 30-day return policy which opens on the date of delivery. That is, every item to be returned must be made within 30 days of receipt of the item. 

Items that can be returned

However, not every Tiffany & Co. order is accepted for refunds or exchanges. Engraved items are not accepted by the company. However, Tiffany & Co is not alone in this respect; because of the personalized nature of engraved items, they are not accepted for returns by almost all jewellers in the business. Tiffany & Co. also does not accept returns of fragrances. However, for items to be accepted, they must be returned with all documentation.

Cost of Returns

You’ll not want to be put off returning an order because of prohibitive cost. Thus, the ideal store should offer return costs that are as low as possible.

Tiffany & Co. ticks this box by offering the lowest possible return cost there is, which is zero (that is free returns). The return labels provided are not only prepaid but free; thus, nothing is deducted from your refund.

Return Processing and Refunds

Another important consideration is how and when refunds are issued. You don’t want to wait for too long before receiving your refunds.

The refund processing time is different for different markets. That is, just like the shipping times, the return processing time depends on the Tiffany & Co. site you’re buying from. For example, Tiffany promises to process UK orders (from www.tiffany.co.uk) within 10 days of receiving the returned item in their fulfilment centre. However, Italian offers (from www.tiffany.it) if returned to the store will be processed within 14 days of receipt of the item.

Customer Support Service

Customers will always have questions about a store’s product offerings or service to which getting answers will be necessary. Also, issues with others are common no matter how effectively a store operates. Thus, the ideal online store should provide for handling the questions and complaints of customers. 

Tiffany& Co. ticks the box in this regards. There’s an FAQ section in all their sites which self help hold articles that answers many questions that customers have asked in the past. If that does not solve it for you; they also support an email service and a telephone service.

The e-mail service is powered by an online contact form that can be accessed from the appropriate Tiffany website. For the telephone service, different numbers are provided for different markets.  For example, the phone number to call is 0800 160 1837 for the UK market, 00 800 2000 1122 for the Italy market.

However, it must be said that in most of the independent review platforms one of the reasons for the poor rating of the company is online customer service. For example, in Trust Pilot, Tiffany & Co. has a poor rating of 2.5 out of 10, with many customers’ comments showing basic customer support service failures on the part of the company. Looking at the reviews, it seems like the “Tiffany Experience” did not cross the border from the in-store support to the online support.

Summary

Tiffany & Co. is a luxury shop for jewellery and speciality items. Their product offering includes engagement and wedding rings, gemstones, jewellery, as well as home items, décor, and personal accessories.

The company provides some of the highest quality pieces you’ll find in the market; and in their case, highest quality goes with highest prices. Thus, Tiffany & Co. comes out as very expensive; and worst still, there are no cost saving promotional offers. However, the premium you’ll pay when shopping in Tiffany & Co. is not simply for better quality, as you’ll find items of comparable quality for far cheaper in other store. Therefore, you’re paying for the brand – the Tiffany experience, it is called.

Thus, Tiffany & Co. makes a fine diamond and jewellery store for those who want the high-quality high branded product and are ready to pay top dollar for it. You won’t be disappointed with their service either. There are easy ordering, fast delivery, relatively easy returns; and if you come stuck, there are many channels for reaching their customer support service.

Pros:

• Offers a wide product range that transcends diamonds and jewellery to include fragrance, personal accessories, and more
• Most of their products are manufactured in house which enables direct oversight of production
• They offer arguably the highest quality products in the industry
• They ship worldwide
• Free shipping is offered to all locations (albeit for orders above 500 credits)
• Delivery is relatively fast
• Returns are accepted, the process is easy, and with a generous 30 days window
• Return processing and issuing refunds are relatively fast (10 – 14 days from receipt of returns)

Cons:

• Selection is limited to items in their stores
• Prices are arguably the most expensive in the industry
• There are no cost saving opportunities

Zales advertises as “the diamond store”. Note that Zales is not advertising as “a” diamond store but “the” diamond store. This will mean that Zales is the diamond store that will first come to mind when you think of diamond and jewellery retailers.

Zales is a legit diamond store. It is not a scam store because they will never steal your money or financial details. And you will receive any jewellery you purchase from the store without a problem.

The big question is whether that “the diamond store” tag is simply a marketing line, or whether Zales is actually the first diamond store that comes to the mind of followers of the diamond retailing business. In order words, does Zales offer quality product and quality service to make them stand out in the diamond retailing business? In the first place, is Zales material genuine?

This Zales review will examine Zales in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more. 

Zales review at a glance

• Is an American diamond retailer founded in 1924
• Incorporated as Zale Corporation in 1993, and began doing business online in 1998
• Owned by Signet Jewelers Inc since 2014
• Its main website is www.zales.com
• Provides a wide variety of products that include loose diamonds, gemstones, and jewellery
• Ships merchandise to only locations in the US and the US Territories
• Free shipping is available (albeit for orders over $149)
• Returns are allowed if made within 60 days of the purchase date
• Offers a lifetime diamond Commitment that includes diamond breakage coverage, a diamond upgrade program and more
• Zales pioneered credit plans; and still offers some of the best financing plans in the industry
• Customer support is available via postal mail, online contact form, and telephone

What is Zales?

Zales was established by Morris Zale, William Zale and Ben Lipshy as far back as 1924. Though the company was called Zales Jewelers at the time, their inventory also included cookware, small appliances and cameras. The company started trading in the American Stock Exchange in 1958. In the 1960s, they diversified into shoes, sporting goods, furniture and more; and to reflect this diversity the company rebranded as Zale Corporation.

Zale launched its e-commerce site (www.zales.com) in 1998; and in the years that follow, the Company continued its expansion with the acquisition of the likes of Peoples Jewellers and Piercing Pagoda.

From that one store in 1924, Zale has grown into a corporation with over 700 stores across the 50 US states and Puerto Rico. Their purchase of People’s Jewellers means they also have a presence in Canada. The company strongly pushes the moniker “the jewellery store”, claiming to be one of the largest (and best) fine jewellers in the world.

However, since 2014, the parent Company of Zale Corporation is Signet Jewelers Inc, after the latter purchased Zales. With other brands (such as Kay Jewelers, Jared the Galleria of Jewelers and others) under their umbrella, Signet is arguably the largest speciality retail jeweller in the word.

Signet (Zales’ parent Company) is a founding (and certified) member of the Responsible Jewelry Council whose mission is to promote responsible, ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices throughout the jewellery supply chain. Thus, there’s confidence that diamonds in Zales are conflict-free and responsibly sourced.

Products

Product Range

The ideal jeweller should hold a variety of products so that you can shop all your jewellery needs in one place. For example, it won’t be super convenient to get your diamond in a store and go to another for its mounting/setting.

Zales ticks the box in this regards. Though the Zale Corporation offers items other than diamond and jewellery such as shoes, furniture, and home accessories; this review focuses on Zales, the diamond store. Thus, we’ll look at their diamond and jewellery offering.

On that front, Zales does excellently well also. They hold all product categories you’ll expect of a jeweller. The different product category that the menu in the landing age of their website will open up is as follows:

• Engagement and Wedding

This is where you can shop your loose diamonds, settings, wedding bands, engagement rings, anniversary rings, etc. When it comes to diamonds and bridal jewellery, there is a reason Zales is called “the jewellery store” – they hold an assortment of diamonds and jewellery that range from simple (everyday basics) to extravagant (exquisite). Zales holds all the 10 popular shapes of diamonds (Asscher, Cushion, Emerald, Heart, Marquise, Oval Pear, Princess, Radiant, Round) and even less popular ones like Baguette.

You’ll also find different engagement ring styles, ranging from Halo to three stone, solitaire, eternity rings, vintage inspired, and more. You can also shop from a host of bridal gemstones, as well as bridal sets.

Their exclusive collection holds exquisite pieces from Arctic Brilliance, Celebration Ideal, Enchanted Disney, Ever Us, Vera Wang Love, and more.

• Rings

You can shop rings in different materials, which include diamond, gemstone, pearls, cobalt, gold, platinum, rose gold, silver, stainless steel, titanium, and tungsten. As said, all the popular styles are available; and you can personalize your rings.

There is even a “Price” section which allows you to shop rings by their prices. So you can quickly find bands that match your budget, instead of having to scroll through the whole collection

• Necklaces

Necklaces are provided in the different metals –Diamond, Gemstone, Pearl, Gold, Platinum, Rose Gold, Silver, and Stainless Steel.

You’ll find men and women necklaces in different styles which include Bolo Necklaces, Chains, Choker Necklaces, Cross, Hearts, Infinity, Lockets, Monogram, Personalized, and more

• Earrings

There are men and ladies earrings available in different metals (diamonds, gold, and more) and different styles (Crawlers, Diamond studs, Gemstone studs, Hoops, Drop, Front-Back and Personalized).

• Bracelets

There are men and Ladies bracelets in a variety of styles – Anklets, Bangles and Cuffs, Bolo Bracelets, Charms, tennis bracelets, personalized and more. They come is the different metals – gold, rose gold, diamond, silver, stainless steel, pearl, and more

• Watches

There are men and ladies smartwatches and more from different brands that include Bulova, Caravelle, Citizen, Fossil, Invicta, JBW, Movado, Technomarine, and Wittnauer more.

• Collection

You can shop Zales exclusive collections that include Arctic Brilliance, Celebration Diamond, Elegant Reflections, Endless Brilliance, Ever Us, Love’s Destiny, Vera Wang Love, and others. You can also shop from a host of jewellery brands that include Amore La Vita, Julianna B, Le Vian, Made in Italy, Past Present Future, Stackable Expressions, and others

• Create your Own

This is where you can choose a particular diamond and a setting that you’ll want it mounted. You can start with the diamond or the setting.

• Gift Ideas

In this section, items you can shop are grouped by occasion, recipient, popular gifts, and price

• Clearance

This section holds discounted items

Inventory Size

You want a jeweller to offer not only a variety of product but also a wide inventory of each product type. With a wide inventory, you’ll have a vast collection to choose from when shopping, and you’ll be more likely to find something that you like and that matches your budget.

In this regards, Zales does so-so. At the time of writing this review, the number of loose diamonds in the online store was just over 20,000. This means that Zales does not even hold a candle to the inventory leaders (such as James Allen, and the Blue Nile who are known to hold around 200,000 loose diamonds). We also found only about 200 settings in the Zales when trying to build an engagement ring in Zales. Needless to say, this number also comes out as too small. Necklaces and Earrings were similarly so-so in numbers; for example, necklaces were about 4,000 and earrings were just over 5,400.

That said; Zales definitely does not have the numbers of some of the other big names in the industry. But that is not to say that you’ll find Zales lacking. Their humble numbers will serve the selection needs of many a diamond and jewellery shopper.

Product Quality

You want the ideal store to hold only high-quality products so that whatever you won’t run the risk of buying items that’ll fall short of quality expectations.

When it comes to diamonds, there are international standards used for rating quality. The Diamond Quality Grade Chart range from I1 (Included first degree) to FL (Flawless); where FL Diamonds are the highest quality diamonds, and I1 diamonds have flaws even visible to the casual observer. That said; many quality-focused retailers do not list these Included (I1 and I2) diamonds. However, Zales has a bulk of these lowest quality diamonds.

However, they list these low-quality diamonds does not mean that they do not have stunning high-quality diamonds. You’ll find a lot of them in the store. You only have to scroll to search through their collection to find these stunning pieces that your pocket can command.

Another thing that has caused eyebrows to be raised towards Zales is their diamond certification. Most of the competing stores list diamonds with GIA or AGS certificates. However, most of the diamonds in Zales are with IGI certificates.

GIA is the gold standard, as it is generally held that IGI tends to be looser in its ratings. Thus where an IGI certified diamond has the same ratings as a GIA certified diamond, the GIA diamond is regarded as a better quality diamond. That said; Zales use of the “inferior” IGI certificate makes it come out as a retailer that does not offer quality.

Price, Promotions and Related Policies

Price

I don’t know of many shoppers that’ll want to throw money around recklessly. Shoppers want value for money, and one of the first things they’ll look out in a store is the prices of items in relation to their quality. This is best done by comparing the prices of items listed in Zales with the prices of similar (equal specs) items in the competing stores.

When this is done, Zales only comes out limping; as it is quite expensive. For example, at the time of writing this review, we looked at a 1ct D VS2 Radiant Cut loose diamond which Zales listed at $7,868. Looking at Blue Nile, we found better quality (very good cut) 1.01 D VS2 stones Radiant Diamonds at $3,983 – $5,899. Thus, you’ll be saving $1,696 – $3,885, which is 25% – 49.3%. Also, a classic 1 ct I I2 Oval Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring in 14K White Gold, was priced at Zales at $4,999. However, moving to Blue Nile, we could easily find better quality (I SI2) 1ct Oval diamonds for about $3,000. Put one of those on any of the classic solitaire settings in the store, and you’ll have your engagement ring coming under $4,000. Thus, you’ll save $1,000+ and have a higher quality ring.

That said; whether you are buying loose diamonds, full rings, or any other jewellery, you’ll find Zales more expensive than many of the big diamond and jewellery brands in the market. And it is not just a slight difference; as our example of the loose diamond shows, the price difference can sometimes come in at over 50%. This poor value for money has been underlined as one of the biggest weakness of Zales.

However, we were not surprised that Zales comes in as expensive when compared to names like Blue Nile or James Allen. It should be said that the business model of Zales is different from these jewellers considered the price leaders in the industry.

With over 700 retail outlets, Zales is essentially a traditional retailer with the bulk of its business coming in through its brick and mortar stores. Holding inventory and maintaining these stores have cost implications, and these are passed to the buyer via relatively higher prices. On the other hand, these price leaders have the bulk of their business from their online stores, with one or two outlets only serving as a showroom.  With the associated costs of maintaining physical stores eliminated, these “real” online retailers can outshine the traditional store-based retailers when it comes to pricing.

Promotions

Promotions allow customers to get items in a store for free or for less than the items regular (full) prices. Thus, they represent cost saving opportunities. Therefore, it’s only natural that buyers seek out stores with a lot of promotional offers.

In this regards, the diamond and jewellery stores are not known to be as generous with promotions as their apparel retailers. However, Zales does very well to challenge that. They offer a raft of price slashing promotional offers rare in the diamond spheres.

At the time of writing this review; on getting to the landing page of the Zales website, a pop-up welcomed us, which promised to knock off 10% off our first purchase. There was also a “Dazzling Deals” promo which promised to knock off 50% of the prices of selected items. At the time of writing, 167 items were found to which the Dazzling Deals apply, they include engagement rings, diamond wedding bands, diamond rings, diamond studs, Earrings, and more. Zales also has a clearance page, where a lot of items can be found, discounted by as much as 10%.

Financing Plan

If you must have a jewellery piece but cannot completely cover its costs at the moment, Zales is one of the jewellery stores that you can go to.

In fact, Zales blossomed in the late 1920s largely because of it’s “a penny down and a dollar a week” credit plan; so what will be surprising is an absence of a financing plan today. However, Zales does not give us this surprise; they have financing plans that allow you to get your jewellery piece now and pay later. These plans are available via:

• The Diamond Credit Card

There are four financing plans available for holders of the diamond credit cards which include: a 6 months plan, a 12 months plan, an 18 months plan, and a 36 months plan.

While minimum purchase and minimum monthly payments are required, Zales credit plans beat many credit plans in the industry for two reasons. First, unlike financing plans in the diamond industry that requires a certain percentage of the purchase price as down payment, Zales financing plans require $0 down payment. Secondly, Zales plans come with 0% APR (only the 36 months plans comes with 9.99% APR). However, $9.95 is charged for every transaction under the 12 months and 18 months plans.

Cardholders also have access to exclusive promos such as $50 off on birthdays, 10% off any repairs done in-store, and free standard shipping.

• Lease Purchase Program

This is a no credit needed alternative that allows you to get your item with a $79 initial payment. However, you won’t own the article until you have made all schedule payments (within 12 months) or exercise a cost saving early 90 days buyout option

Shipping

You’ll have to consider how you’ll get articles ordered online from the Zales website. The most important shipping considerations are shipping destinations, shipping cost and shipping times.

Shipping Destination:

 One of your very first considerations should be the locations that Zales ships to. This is because except an online store ship to where you are resident it will be difficult to receive delivery of your orders. In this regards, you’ll want the ideal store to ship to many worldwide locations so that your territory is very likely to be covered. Zales does not come out as that store, because they ship articles to only locations within the US and US Territories.

Shipping Times

If you order an item online, you won’t want to wait forever to receive delivery of the order. So you’ll want a retailer with fast deliveries.

In this regards, Zales offers two ways of receiving your orders, which are in-store pickup and delivery to your door. Delivery to store will be available for pick up in three working days. For delivery to door, there are three shipping options – 2nd Day Air delivery (orders are delivered within 2 business days), Next Day Air Saver delivery (orders are delivered the next business day following order placement), and Saturday delivery (orders are delivered on a selected Saturday). However, for next day delivery, you’ll have to place the order before 11:00 am; while Saturday delivery can only be placed on Thursday (after 11:00 am) through Friday (before 1:00 pm). Zales also deliver to US P.O. Boxes addresses, as well as to APO/ FPO addresses; but you’ll have to allow additional time for the military addresses.  

However, it must be said that these delivery times only apply to in-stock items; any item that requires personalization or sizing will take extra days for delivery. For ring resizing, you’ll need to allow 2 additional days, while for personalized items may take longer depending on the type of personalization required.

Shipping Costs

Also, the total cost of acquiring any online piece consists of its purchase price and its shipping cost. Therefore, high shipping cost can easily raise the acquisition cost to undesirable levels. As a result, you’ll want a store with shipping costs that are as low as possible.

Zales offers the lowest possible shipping cost, which is free shipping. All Zales items for in-store pick up are shipped to the selected store free of charge. When shipping to your door; the 2nd Day Air delivery cost $6.95, the Next Day Air Saver delivery cost $21.95, Saturday delivery cost $32.95, delivery to P.O. Boxes cost $7.95, while delivery to military addresses cost $18.95.

However, free shipping is still possible for delivery to your door, but there’s a minimum order requirement of $149. If you’ve looked at reviews of other jewelers you’ll find that the minimum order requirement of Zales is one of the lowest in the industry. In many stores, you’ll be required to spend as much as $500 or more to qualify for free shipping. That said; with the Zales $149+ free shipping offer, you won’t have to spend over the board to have your items shipped to your door free of charge.

However, it must be said here that while Zales promises fast deliveries and quotes relatively fast order processing and shipment times, many customers’ reviews in independent online platforms says otherwise. There are just so many reviews of late deliveries that it cannot be chalked off as a one-off glitch.

Returns

The stock of diamonds and related jewellery in Zales are items you use to communicate love and appreciation. Thus, these items should be nothing short of satisfactory. Therefore, you’ll want to be able to return an item that you are not totally satisfied with. Given that almost all online retailers allow returns, it’s not surprising that Zales allow returns.

However, sometimes bobby traps lay in the return policies of online stores; so what follows is a consideration of the return policy of Zales.

Items that can be returned

Items that cannot be returned to Zales for refunds or exchange include personalized orders, special order watches and clearance items. For the items that can be returned to Zales, for them to be accepted, the items must be in their original condition and must be returned with the necessary certificates.

Return Process

You don’t want a cumbersome return process that’ll frustrate your efforts to return an unwanted order; thus, you’ll want a store that features easy returns. Zales ticks the box in this regards.

First, the Company allow returns in-store and by mail. All items purchased in store must be returned to store; however, items purchased online may be returned to store or by mail to their distribution centre. Since, Zales operate hundreds of physical outlets, finding a Zales’ store is easy; thus, in-store returns of online orders make for super convenient returns. This is better (more convenient) than the policy of some stores, that demands return by mail for all online purchases.

Also, the return process is easy. In-store return entails simply taking the items to a Zales store along with the necessary certificates and purchase receipt. For online returns, you’ll have to reach the customer support (via telephone) to state your intention to make the return. Then you can proceed to package the item appropriately; include the required documentation (diamond certificates, packing slip or ship confirmation email, or online purchase receipt); then ship the package to the return address indicated on the packing slip (SJIX Processing, 375 Ghent Road, Akron, OH-44333).

While the return process is relatively easy; it could be better with the provision of pre-paid and pre-addressed return labels.

Return Window

Items returned to a retailer are accepted only if they are received by the retailer within the timeframe allowed for returns. Thus, you’ll want an extended period so that you’ll not run the risk of your returns going in late.

Zales does very well in this regards. They offer a 60 days return policy; where items must get to Zales within 60 days of purchase. If you’ve checked the other stores, you’ll find that the oft-offered is 30 days from the delivery date. While the return window of Zales opens on the purchase date, it’ll start counting even when the item ordered has not been received. But because it will not take the whole of 30 days to receive the delivery, a return window of “60 days from purchase date” is wider than an industry standard window of “30 days from the delivery date”. The only exception to their “60 days” return policy is watched, which has a return window of 30 days from purchase date.

Cost of Returns

You’ll not want to be put off returning an item because of the high cost of doing so. Thus, the ideal store should feature return costs that as low as possible.

Sadly, Zales does not offer free returns, so customers will have to pay for return shipping. The fact that Zales does not provide return labels will mean that customers cannot take advantage of the discounted prices of return labels; thus, you’ll find that the cost of returns relatively higher in Zales.

 Return Processing and Refunds

Zales issues refunds via the original purchase method. However, if the returned item is over $200, refunds will be via checks. It’s good that refunds get to the customers as cash; which allows them to move to another store for a future purchase if they so desire. On the other hand, in stores where refunds are primarily as store credits, the customer will be tied to using the funds for future purchases in the particular store.

However, Zales states in their return policy that where items are returned to them without the purchase receipt, they can only issue store credits. This also comes out fine because most stores will not accept returns of items if a copy of the original invoice does not accompany the returns.

When it comes to when you’ll receive the refund after returning a Zales’ item, you don’t want to be waiting forever. In this regards, it’ll take Zales 30 days from the day they receive the returned item in their distribution centre to issue the refund. While this is similar to the offering of most other jewellers, it is not the fast returns processing time we’ll want.

Other Services

Zales Lifetime Diamond Commitment

Zales is one jeweller that stands by its products. It does this by the “Lifetime Diamond Commitment” which you get with a diamond purchase of $200 or more. The commitment includes:

• Diamond Breakage Cover

Zales will replace your diamond at no charge to you if it chipped, broken or lost (from its original setting)

• Lifetime Cleaning and Inspection

Zales will inspect and clean your diamond free of charge for as long as you own it. However, to maintain the warranty, you must send it for inspection at least every 6 months. All Zales store is capable of cleaning services, and you can take your item (whether purchased online) to any Zales store for inspection and cleaning.

• Lifetime Guaranteed Trade-In Value
• If you want a bigger Zales stone, you can return your former Zales diamond to the store, and they will accept it towards the purchase of the new diamond. However, the purchase price of the new item must be a least twice that of the former stone. This is similar to the diamond upgrade program of other diamond jewellers. However, Zales offer is superior in that while most of the other jewellers limit the offer to lose diamonds, Zales’ offer cover most diamond pieces of jewellery such as diamond bridal sets, solitaire rings, solitaire earrings, and solitaire pendants

Mounting Services

You can get a loose diamond from anywhere and have it set in Zales. You can take the stone to any Zales local store for this service; Zales’ staff will even give you advice in choosing a setting that fits your stone, taste and budget.

Sizing

Rings are sized items, and it’s common to have ordered a size that does not fit; thus, you’ll want a resizing service. Though all jewellers offer to resize, Zales’ resizing service deserves special mention because its availability in their retail stores gives the convenience that most other jewellers cannot give.

Custom Design Service

In most jewelers customization is limited to building an engagement ring; but in Zales, customization options are virtually unlimited. Zales uses an in-store feature (Romantic Creation) to offer this endless custom design service. You can visit any of the Zales stores, and with the help of jewellery consultants and design software, you’ll be able to create not just engagement rings, but also pendants, wedding and anniversary bands.

After approving the design, it’ll be sent to Zales’ jewellers to be produced (cast, handset with the diamond/ gemstone and finished). Thus, with Zales, you’re not limited to specific designs in their online store or physical outlets. You can be creative, and design your own Zales jewellery piece.

Customer Support Service

Customers will always have questions or complaints (especially issues with orders) no matter how effectively an online store runs. Thus, ideal store will have a robust service for handling customers’ questions and complaints.

The first step to getting help in most online platforms is an FAQ page which usually holds answers to questions that customers have asked in the past. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any link to an FAQ page from either the landing page of the Zales website or their customer service page. To be fair to Zales, their “contact us” page meekly tries but fail utterly to function as a traditional FAQ. Given that the self-help articles of the traditional FAQ sometimes provide satisfactory answers to customers’ questions, it’s disappointing that this useful resource is not available.

That said; you’ll find yourself needing to contact Zales (their customer support agents) for almost everything. The contact channels that they support (according to their website) include postal mail, e-mail, telephone, and live chat.

To use postal mail, the address to send all letters is Z-mail Customer Service, 375 Ghent Road, Akron, Ohio 44333. We know the problem with postal mail – long response time; thus, you’ll want to use the other options. For the email service, you can send the company an email by using the contact form in the “contact us” page of the website. You’ll put your email address, and will get a response in your email within 24 hours.

However, if the relatively short response time of the email service is too much to bear, you can use the instant response channels of telephone and live chat. However, while these channels are available 7 days a week, they are not active round the clock. You can only reach an agent between the hours of 10:00 am – 10:00 pm (ET) in the weekdays, and between 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm (ET) in the weekends. For the telephone service, the number to call is 800 311 5393, while the live chat can be accessed from the website. However at the time of writing this review, the live chat feature was unavailable, and it seemed to have been so for quite a while.

Given that long processing times makes postal mail service is unpopular, that the live chat is largely unavailable, and that the e-mail service is merely an online contact form; the available direct contact channels come out as limited. It also does not help that the service is not 24/7.

The disappointment at the customer service will only be heightened when you look up the ratings of the service in the independent customers’ review platforms. Across all the platforms, Zales’ customer support service has very poor ratings; with customers reporting basic customer support failures.

Summary

Zales claims to be “the diamond store”; which to us means the diamond store that’ll readily come to mind to followers of the diamond retailing business. Except it is in the aspect of being very visible with their over 700 retail outlets; Zales actually offers very little to make them the diamond store that readily comes to mind.

A store needs to offer quality products to be “the store”; and Zales is found wanting with their IGI certified diamonds. This is because IGI certified diamonds are generally found to be of poorer quality than a similarly graded diamond from labs like AGS or GIA. Also, Zales lists a lot of I1 and 12 diamonds, which you won’t find listed in the quality-focused store. It also does not help that Zales have a relatively small selection.

Also, a store needs to offer quality service to be “the store”; and Zales is also found wanting. First, their pricing means they do not offer value for money; for any product in Zales, you can get a product of the same (or even higher) quality for far cheaper. Also, Zales does not ship internationally; and even to US locations that are served, customers’ reviews show that quick delivery is the exception rather than the norm.

However, Zales has some strong points. Their in-store services are second to none in the jewellery industry with services like mounting, custom design, sizing, inspection & cleaning, and more; and they even allow the in-store return of online purchases. Also, free shipping is available with the lowest minimum order requirement in the industry; while their “60 days from purchase date” returns window is generous. Also, Zales has some cute promotions which are rare in the diamond industry; but where Zales blows away the competition is their financing plans, which feature $0 down payment and 0% APR.

Pros:

• Hundreds of retail locations across the US providing a variety of top in-store services
• Offers a wide product range that includes loose diamonds, and jewellery of a variety of metal types and styles
• They offer a good number of price slashing promotions
• Offers a lifetime diamond Commitment that includes diamond breakage coverage, lifetime cleaning and inspection, and lifetime upgrade for diamond jewellery
• Free shipping is available
• Qualifying order for free shipping is low ($149+ orders)
• Offers a generous return window of 60 days from purchase date
• Allow in-store returns for online purchases
• Offers a financing plan
• Telephone service is supported

Cons:

• Use the inferior IGI diamond certificates
• Their stock of loose diamonds and settings is relatively small
• Their prices are significantly higher than in most of the other competing stores
• They ship merchandise to locations within the US and Puerto Rico
• Too many reports of late deliveries
• Customer support service is limited (FAQ page is missing, live chat is largely unavailable, and support is not 24/7)

Joules.com is the e-commerce platform of Joules, a British clothing company. They offer country-inspired clothing and accessories for everyone – women, men, boys, girls and babies. The big question is whether you should go to Joules.com to shop for your fashion items. In the first place is Joules genuine?

Yes, Joules is a legitimate fashion store. It is not a scam because you will receive your orders without a problem. And also, all you credit card details are safe on the platform.

But does Joules provide quality material?

This Joules review will put Joules under the spotlight; we’ll examine their policies, products and services in order to provide the information that will help you determine if Joules.com is an online fashion store worth going to.

Joules.com review at a glance

• A UK based fashion Company owned by the Joules Group Plc
• Was established in 1977, and began online operation in 2003
• Offers country-inspired and contemporary clothing and accessories for men, women, boys, girls, and babies
• Offers free shipping for in-store collection and for standard delivery orders above £49
• Allows returns of both full-price items and sales items within 28 days and 14 days of the delivery date respectively
• Customer support is available via telephone and email

What is Joules.com?

Joules is one of the fashion brands of the company Joules Group Plc, which is a registered company in England and Wales. The company was started, as Joule and Sons, as far back as 1977 by Ian Joule; and from 1989, it was operated by his son Tom Joule. In this it’s early years; the company’s modus operandi was selling branded clothing at country shows. The focus was country clothing that was a shift from the traditional British styles.

In 1994, Joule and Sons rebranded, and Joules was born. In 1999, Joules started its own clothing line and started selling own-branded merchandise. In the turn of the new millennium, the company was forced to change its operation, and a mail order catalogue was started in 2002. This was swiftly followed by the launch of the e-commerce platform (joules.com) in 2003.

The success of Joules has led to the establishment of other brands. Little Joule was launched in 2008 to provide clothing for 2 – 12 year olds, Baby Joule was launched in 2009 with a focus on clothing for babies, and a home range was launched in 2013. The Joules Group was listed in the stock exchange in 2016. Joules currently operate over 100 stores in the UK alone.

The website of the store is www.joules.com. The website can be assessed using any modern up-to-date browser. The website is also fully mobilized; thus, you can open the online store with your mobile phones and tablets and shop on the go.

Product Range

The ideal store should be a one-stop shop that allows you to get all your related products in one place. That scenario is not only convenient, it result in significant cost savings. The cost savings comes from high order amount that qualifies for bulk purchase discounts; as well as from paying from one order shipment instead of paying for different shipment of different items from different stores. To be a one-stop fashion shop, the ideal shop should have a wide product range. They should hold merchandise that covers all the fashion products – that is every piece of clothing, shoes, and accessories.

In this regard, Joules.com ticks the box. A large part of its inventory consists of country-inspired clothing, Polo Shirts and Wellington boots which were what the company started with back in the days. In tune with the times, they have also added contemporary clothing. Joules.com comes out as a one-stop shop for everyone. They provide fashion products for men, women, boys, girls and babies. The different items you’ll find in each of the category are as follows:

Women

• Clothing – Right as rain (waterproof jacket, wellies etc), Blazers, Dresses (Tunics), Dressing Gowns, Gilets, Jackets and Coats, Trousers and Jeans, Knitwear, Leggings, Nightwear, Shirts and Blouses, Sweatshirts, Tops, Tunics, Underwear
• Accessories – Hand bags and Purses, Hats, Scarves and Gloves, Phone Cases, Socks, Toiletries, Umbrellas, and Watches
• Footwear – Shoes and Boots, Slippers, Wellies, Chelsea Boots

Men

• Clothing – Dressing Gowns, Gilets, Jackets and Coats, Loungewear, Polo Shirts, Rugby Shirts, Sweatshirts and Jumpers, Trousers and Jeans, T-Shirts and Tops, Underwear, and Right as Rain (Water-proof jackets and Wellies)
• Accessories and Footwear – Hats, Scarves and Gloves, Shoes and Boots, Slippers, Socks, Toiletries, Wellies, and Watches

Girls

• Clothing – Right as Rain, Dresses, Dressing Gowns, Gilets, Jackets and Coats, Jeans and Trousers, Knitwear, Leggings, Nightwear, Skirts, Sweatshirts, T – Shirts and Tops
• Footwear and Accessories – Bags, Hats, Scarves and Gloves, Shoes and Boots, Slippers, Socks and Tights, and Wellies

Boys

• Clothing – Dressing Gowns, Gilets, Jackets and Coats, Nightwear, Polo Shirts, Rugby Shirts, Shirts, Sweatshirts and Jumpers, Trousers and Shorts, T-Shirts and Tops, and Right as Rain (Water-proof jackets and Wellies)
• Accessories and Footwear – Hats, Scarves and Gloves, Shoes and Boots, Slippers, and Wellies

Baby

• Girls Baby and Toddler (Essentials, Body suits, Shoes, sets)
• Boys Baby and Toddler (Essentials, Babygrows, Shoes and Boots, and outfit sets)

It is not enough that a shop holds a wide product range, it is also important that the shop holds a large inventory of each product type. A large inventory allows you to choose from a wide selection, and you’ll be more likely to find something that you like.

In this regard, Joules.com does not have much to be desired. Only a few of their product categories holds a sizeable items count; while the majority of their product types holds only a few items. For example, at the time of writing this review, the Women Tops had about 80 styles which is sizeable enough for selection purposes; but women blazer had only 5 styles, Cardigan had 2 styles, dresses had 29 styles, Trousers and Jeans had 15 styles, Men’s Gilet held only 6 styles, Men’s Dressing Gown held only 2 styles, and Men’s Polo Shirts had only 4 styles. That said, while you can find exquisite contemporary clothing pieces in Joules.com; we’ll like to see more options in many of their categories.

Another important consideration is quality. It won’t matter to you that an online store holds a large inventory if it’s already proven that their quality is down many notches. Thus, the ideal online store should not only have a wide product range and a large inventory of each product type, but should hold good quality merchandise. In this regard, Joules.com also ticks the box. Quality is subjective and means different things to different people, so the best gauge of quality will be to look at customers’ reviews of the items purchased from Joues.com.

On many of the independent customers’ reviews platforms online, the service of Joules.com is highly rated, and so is the quality of their products. For example, in Trust Pilot, Joules.com has an average rating of 9.1 out of 10, with over 81% of respondents rating it excellent and another 11% rating it great. Some of the comments you’ll find in the reviews are: “the quality of Joules clothing is also extremely high”, “the children’s clothes stand up to the rough and tumble of everyday spills and falls”, “Love Joules clothes and accessories”, “quality clothing”, “lovely items”, “great product”, “I love everything about Joules”. That said; it is safe to say that Joules clothing ticks the boxes of quality clothing; good fabric and fine tailoring combine well to produce timeless pieces that wash well.

Prices, Promotions and Payment Method

Price

The prices of items in a store are important when considering making purchases from the store. You’ll want a store with items that are reasonably priced. Thus, while the ideal online fashion store should have high-quality fashion products, it’s also important that the prices of the items are in a range considered reasonable. For this reason, stores that feature low and affordable prices make the go-to stores.

In this regard, Joules.com does not really come out as a store that features low and affordable prices; but at the same time, they cannot be said to be among the expensive stores. For example, at the time of writing this review, you’ll find: Women Blazers priced at £79.95 – £169, cardigan priced at £64.95, dresses priced at £19.95 – £69.95. You’ll find a lot of Tops for £19.95 – £29.95, Trousers and Jeans at £17.95 – £59.95, and Men’s Polo Shirts at £22.95 – £39.95. These prices are definitely not the lowest you’ll find in the market, but they will not put a deep hole in your wallet/ purse either.

That said; if shopping cheap is the primary concern, you’ll find other online stores with similar items that are priced lower. But if getting quality contemporary clothing at okay-prices is the concern, then Joules.com is as good as any other.

Promotions

Customers always look out for promos; and when they are offered promos by stores, they consider the sizes of the promos. The promotional offers are opportunities for customers to get items for free or for less than their full prices; and the bigger (or more frequent) the promotional package, the better for the customer. Thus, the ideal online fashion shop should run regular promotions.

In this regards, Joules ticks the box. They run a lot of promos. However, like all promos, Joules’ promos are only applicable to specified items and are only for a specified period of time. Some of the promos that Joules have offered lately include: Get 3 for 2 on a mix of pants, socks and toiletries; and 20% off autumn favourites. At the time of writing this review, there was a clearance offer that gives 50% off most items in the men, women, kids, and babies categories.

That said; if you want some exciting promos that significantly knock down the prices of listed items, Joules.com might be worth looking at.

Payment Method

You want to be able to make payment for your order conveniently, so the ideal online fashion shop should support a range of payment methods so that finding one to use will not be a problem no matter where you’ll be shopping from.

In this regard, Joules.com accepts payment from PayPal as well as a range of credit and debit cards. Specifically, the cards that you can use in Joules.com are Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Maestro cards.

Since cards and PayPal are generic/ global options that are available in almost every global location, you should not have issues with paying for your orders in Joules.com. However, it remains that they support only limited banking options. For example, you’ll notice that they do not support web wallets, bank transfer options or even cryptocurrencies. However, this is not something that is peculiar to Joules.com; online fashion retailers tend to support only limited payment options.

Shipping

It’s fine that there should be a lot of gorgeous items to choose from; it’s also nice to have an easy process for selecting the items into your shopping cart and paying for orders, but all of that will be useless if the items do not get to you. Thus, shipping is an important element of online shopping. The three shipping considerations are shipping destinations, shipping cost, and shipping/ delivery times.

Shipping Destination

The first shipping consideration should be shipping destination. You’ll want to know if the online shop ships to where you’ll want to take delivery of your package. If the store does not serve that place, then you’ll have to look at another store or be ready to receive delivery of your package in any of the other locations that the particular store serves. Therefore, the ideal online shop should support many locations across the world so that where you are will most likely be covered.

In this regards, Joules comes out strong. They ship to over 210 countries. These countries are as follows: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangledesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonare (Sint Eustatius and Saba), Bosnia and Herzrgovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros Islands, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Congo (Republic of the), Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao, Cote D’Ivoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabion, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See (Vatican City State), Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Moldova (Republic of), Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Nieu, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, UAE, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

If you’ve checked reviews of online fashion stores, you’ll find that this is one of the widest coverage. Many of the highly regarded stores cover just over 100 countries. Thus, no matter where you are on the planet, you’re more likely to be able to get your package when you shop in Joules.com.

Shipping Cost and Times

After determining that the store ships to your location, you’ll want to know how much and how long it will take for the package to be delivered to you. High shipping costs are undesirable because they increase the total expenditure for the items. Thus, the ideal store will have shipping costs that are as low as possible. In the same vein, long delivery times are undesirable; thus, the ideal store will deliver packages as fast as possible.

Being a UK based company, Joules.com has more delivery options for domestic (UK) orders than it has for international orders. The particular option chosen determines the actual delivery cost as well as delivery times for the order. The available options for UK orders are Click and Collect, CollectPlus, Standard delivery, and Saturday delivery.

The Click and Collect option allows you to purchase an item online and have it delivered to a Joules store where you’ll visit to collect the package. It takes 2 – 4 working days, and is free for all orders. The CollectPlus also ships the package to a CollectPlus store where you’ll visit to collect it; it takes 5 working days and is also free for all orders. Standard delivery ships the package to your home any day from Monday to Friday; it takes 5 working days and cost £3.95. However, Standard shipping is free for all orders over £49. The Saturday Delivery ships the package to your home on a Saturday selected by you; and it cost £6.95.

When shipping to European addresses; it takes 5 – 7 business days and cost £9; the only exception is shipping to Turkey which takes 5 – 7 days but cost £16. When shipping to every other location (Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Islands) it takes 8 – 14 business days and cost £16; the only exception is shipping to Colombia which takes 8 – 14 business days but cost £20.

The shipping cost and times outlined above shows that Joules.com does offer the lowest possible shipping cost, which is free shipping. Their home delivery free shipping offer is also good in that the amount that qualifies an order for free shipping is low – just £49+. Unlike in some stores where the amount that qualifies orders for free shipping is raised to three figures, in Joules.com, you’ll not have to spend too much before you can get free shipping. However, the free shipping offer of Joules.com is not the best we’ll like to see because it only applies to UK orders. We’ll like to see free shipping applying to worldwide orders.

Another glaring miss from the domestic delivery options is the Next Day Delivery. At the time of writing this review, Next Day Delivery was not listed among the domestic (UK) delivery options offered by Joules.com. However, it was an option that Joules has tried before; but it came with more complaints than success stories. The very few negative reviews of Joules that you’ll find in the internet stem from customers who paid for Next Day Delivery but did not get their package as expected. Therefore, it’s understandable that Joules no longer supports the Next Day Delivery. However, there are customers who’ll want to get their package in a whim. If you’re one of those, or you find yourself in a situation where you’ll need your package the very next day, Joules.com may not be the store you should be looking at. There are online stores that do fulfil Next Day Delivery orders, and there are some that even fulfil same Day delivery orders.

Returns Policy

There are many reasons for wanting to return an item to a store after it is delivered to you. While some of the reasons may be due to the customer, such as ordering the wrong size, having a change of mind about the item, etc; others may be due to the seller, such as delivering a wrong product, or the item getting damaged in transit. Whatever the case, you won’t want to be stuck with an item you’ll rather not have; thus, the ideal online store is one that will allow customers return items that they are not satisfied with and be refunded.

Almost all online fashion retailers allow returns for refunds/ exchange, and Joules.com is no different. The returns policy of Joules.com makes for good reading. First, the returns window is 28 days, which means that you have 28 days from the day you receive delivery of the item to return it back to Joules. However, if the item is a sales item, the returns window is 14 days. A return window of 28 days is good enough as it allows enough time to get the item back to Joules.

From a review of many online stores, we find that the industry average returns window is 30 days; thus, the window of Joules is just two days shy of the industry average. The icing on the cake is that Joules allow returns of sales items. Though the window is only 14 days, it is a better offer than you’ll get in most other stores. You’ll hardly see online fashion retailers that allow returns of sales items. Such stores put one in a dilemma where one will have to go for the full-price items (which are mostly expensively priced) to have any chance of making returns if need be.

That said; one of the good things about Joules.com is that sales items are not final sales. However, there are some items that are finals sales (that is, cannot be returned); and understandably so. These include: swimwear, underwear, earrings, and toiletries. These items are “final sales” items if their hygienic seals are broken; understandably that position is due to health and hygiene reasons.

However, for your items to be accepted and a refund issued, the items need to be in their original new conditions. That is, they should be unworn, free from stains or scents, and unwashed; they should also be undamaged and unaltered; and they should have all tags intact.

You can return items in-store by taking it to a Joules store; alternatively, you may return it via post. To return via post, all you need do is package the item appropriately, include the purchase receipts and a covering letter, attach the returns label, and drop it off at a Joules store or at a Post Office. If you ask me, I don’t like the part of including a cover letter. I think an order number should suffice; and from the order number, the company should be able to take whatever detail they want about you and your order.

Another good thing about Joules is that they offer free returns. For domestic UK returns, the returns labels are free; and nothing will be deducted from your refund. However, they say that during sales period, returns may not be free.

The one small thing we didn’t like about the Joules’ return policy is that they do not state how long it will take to process a refund. Most of the other fashion retailers give a time frame that they try to stay true to. However, Joules.com does not make that commitment. This means that no particular timeframe can be quoted within which you’ll expect to get your refund if you opt to return any item to the store. It should also be said that in the customers’ reviews online, there were some complaints (though few) of customers having to wait for too long to get a refund after returning items to Joules.

Customer Support

Before using an online store, you should also make sure that the store has channels for contacting them, and that the channels are effective. This is because it is possible that you’ll have questions about the store and/ or their offerings, or you’ll have some issues with your order; and when the questions or issues crop up, you’ll not want to be left hanging. In this regard, the ideal online store should also provide various channels for effectively addressing the complaints and queries of customers.

In terms of customer support service, Joules.com supports regular channels. The first step in getting help is an FAQ page on their website. The FAQ is well arranged with sections as Delivery and collection, Returns and Refunds, Shopping with Joules, Prices and Payment etc. This will help your navigation, as you look to get answers to some of the questions you have.

Sometimes, there is a need to directly contact a support rep of the company. Joules.com allows such contact via email and telephone. To send them a mail, you’ll have to go to their website and use the contact form. Alternatively, you can send them a mail directly from your regular email address using Joulesteam@joules.com. Whatever case, their response will usually come to you in your inbox in 24 hours.

This is rather fast response time if you consider that some retailers can have you waiting for feedback for more than 48 hours. However, if you’ll rather get an instant response, you can use the telephone support service. The telephone number to call is 0345 250 7160. However, the telephone service is not available round the clock. You can reach an agent: between 8am – 8pm on Mondays – Fridays, and between 9am – 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s a good thing that telephone service is available at all; but since Joules.com is serving a global market where a region’s downtime is another region’s uptime, we’ll like to see the service go 24/ 7.

It should also be said that Joules.com visit independent customers’ review platforms to seek out customers who may have not been satisfied with what they got in the store. They responded to almost every review in many of such platforms; in every case trying to solve whatever issue was unsolved and to leave the customer satisfied and happy. This commitment to customer satisfaction even beyond their own platform is commendable.

Summary

Online fashion stores cannot be more legit than Joules.com. The company is incorporated, listed in a stock exchange, has been operating for over 4 decades, and has been selling merchandise online for over 15 years. With over 100 stores in the UK, they ship to over 210 countries worldwide. They do fulfil orders; and as a result, they have one of the highest ratings you’ll find for an online fashion retailer in independent customer reviews platforms.

In terms of the product; they provide quality country-inspired clothing and some contemporary styles for men, women, kids and babies. They have a good product range, and you’ll find most clothing type you need. However, they can add a lot more inventory in some of the clothing sections. Prices are also not over the top, but they can be dropped lower.

In terms of service; Joules is applauded. Free shipping is offered; though efforts should be made for the offer to reach some more regions. Also, in an industry where most stores are plagued by late delivery, Joules does admirably well to deliver within expected times. However, the Next Day delivery is seriously missing in their delivery options. Returns are also easy; they offer free returns and even allow returns of sales items. Lastly, when you do need to contact customer support, you won’t be left frustrated. They have different channels to contact an agent, and their responses are prompt and helpful.

I liked

• A one-stop shop for everyone; as they hold men’s wear, women’s wear, kids’ wear, and babies wear
• Covers many regions/ countries
• Offers quality products at okay-prices
• Fast delivery of package
• Offers free shipping (albeit for UK orders)
• Allows returns of Sales items (within 14 days of delivery date)
• Offers free returns

I didn’t like

• Few styles in many of the clothing sections
• No Next Day delivery option
• Free shipping is not available worldwide
• No given time frame for returns/ refund processing
• Telephone support not available 24/7\

Do you have any experience with Joules? If yes, you may use the review section below to give us your brief Joules review.

Brilliant Earth is a diamond and jewellery retailer passionate about providing uniquely beautiful, ethically sourced fine jewellery. “Uniquely beautiful diamonds and jewellery” is what you want from any diamond and jewellery store; but does Brilliant Earth actually offer products meeting that description? Also, almost every jeweller claims to provide ethically sourced jewellery; what makes Brilliant Earth different? In the first place, is Brilliant Earth genuine?

Yes, Brilliant Earth is a legit jewellery store. It is not a scam because they will never steal your money or bank details. And you will receive any jewellery you ordered from the store.

But does Brilliant Earth offer quality jewellery or fake?

This Brilliant Earth review will examine Brilliant Earth in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.

Brilliant Earth review at a glance

• The website is www.brilliantearth.com
• It is a diamond and jewelry company started in 2015
• Is widely known for their “social responsible” philosophy exhibited in ethical sourcing, giving back to mining communities, and more
• Offers a variety of products that includes engagement rings, wedding rings, diamonds, gemstones and jewelry
• Offers the biggest collection of lab created diamonds in the industry
• Operates 7 showrooms in locations within the US, and ships merchandise all over the world
• Offers fast delivery
• Accept returns of some items, with a return window of 30 days from date of shipment
• Offers free shipping and returns (albeit to US, Canadian, UK, and Australian orders)
• Offers complimentary ring resizing (also to US, Canadian, UK, and Australian orders)
• Customer support is available via live chat, e-mail (support@brilliantearth.com), and telephone (+1 800-691-0952)

What is Brilliant Earth? – Background

Brilliant Earth is a jewellery store that was started in 2005. Like most set-ups, Brilliant Earth was started after a failure to find the desired item. Beth Gerstein could not find an engagement ring that represented her high conflict-free values; in came Eric Grossberg who shared those values, and had even completed research on the subject.

The two teamed up, and Brilliant Earth was birthed, with a mission to not only provide quality diamonds and jewellery, but also to cultivate a more transparent, sustainable, and compassionate jewellery industry.

In other words, there should be no compromise between quality and conscience. In their about 14 years of existence, Brilliant Earth says has championed socially responsible jewellery business operation, that they easily stand out as the leader in ethically sourced fine jewellery.

Brilliant Earth has retail outlets and showrooms in 7 cities in the US – San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Chicago, Washington DC, and Boston. Also, the 7 locations are appointment-only showrooms; that is, you’ll have to book an appointment to visit.  

If you want in-store shopping, you’ll have to be resident close to these outlets or be ready to do some travelling if you’re to buy from Brilliant Earth. Also, unlike some online jewellery retailers, Brilliant Earth does not partner with local jewellers to increase their physical reach. Thus, Brilliant Earth does not come out as the best brand for in-store shopping.

Is Brilliant Earth Legit and Safe?

Brilliant Earth is a legit and also safe jewellery store. You’ll be sharing your personal data as well as transaction (especially credit card) detail when you buy from an online jeweller. Thus, you’ll want a safe store that will safeguard this sensitive data and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

Brilliant Earth also does very well in this regard. The company uses technical security measures which include SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology. SSL creates a private connection between buyer (your devices) and the seller (Brilliant Earth’s servers) ensuring that whatever information is transmitted is shielded from third parties; the data is also encrypted before being sent through the channels, ensuring that even if captured, it cannot be decoded and read. That said; it’s safe to say that Brilliant Earth is safe.

Stores Like Brilliant Earth:

Below are some of the online stores like Brilliant Earth

• BlueNIle.com
• JamesAllen.com
• Fashionnova.com

Brilliant Earth Philosophy

Ethical Sourcing

Brilliant Earth is the industry leader for ethically earth diamonds. In fact, ethical sourcing is one area where Brilliant Earth stands out. According to the company, whereas the other diamond and jewellery retailers provide “conflict-free” diamonds, Brilliant Earth provides “beyond conflict-free” diamonds.

If you’re wondering what the difference is; they explain that the Kimberly process which most jewellers follow narrowly defines conflict-free diamonds as “diamonds that finance rebel movements against organized movements”.

However, besides financing rebel movements, diamond mining is plagued by a host of other ethical abuses.  Because the definition of “conflict diamond” is too narrow, there are situations where diamonds are technical “conflict free”, but tainted with these ethical abuses such as violence, human right abuses, environmental degradation, and other issues.

That said; the “beyond conflict-free” diamonds take all of these issues into consideration; and the diamonds in this category will have origins that do not involve:

• financing of rebel movements
• degradation of the environment
• violating human rights
• the throwing away of responsible labor practice (fair wages, safe working conditions, etc)

Brilliant Earth is able to provide these “beyond conflict free” diamonds by understanding their supply chain; they carefully select suppliers who demonstrate adherence to their high standards of sourcing, and they create and employ processes to track the origins of their diamonds.

The diamonds available in Brilliant are sourced from Canada, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa; and the mines that these stones come from are committed to the highest possible environmental and human rights standards.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Brilliant Earth being socially responsible goes beyond ethical sourcing; the company also has a strong policy of giving back to diamond mining communities. Brilliant Earth’s giving includes:

• Improving livelihood
• Preventing abuse
• Protecting the environment
• Empowering communities

For example, Brilliant Earth donates 5% of net profits to mining communities, not limited to the communities in which they operate. One of such example of “giving back” is the Brilliant Mobile School initiative – A primary school program that brought primary education to children (aged 7 – 14) in a rural diamond mining community in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who may have otherwise accompanied their parents to the Lungudi mines

Brilliant Earth also support and donate to programs dedicated to improving human rights and environmental practices in the diamond and jewelry industry. For example, the company supported the Center for Research and Development in their efforts to monitor mines, report abuses, and advocate for local communities. The company has also helped in land restoration efforts to make former mining areas suitable for agricultural and other uses. It was to that effect that the company partnered with One Sky (an environmental non-profit organization) as well as the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone. There have also been community empowering efforts which include: building community centers for local mining communities, funding youth leadership training, and providing essential medical aid.

That said; it can be seen that Brilliant Earth appeals to the conscientious or socially responsible diamond shopper.

Features

The Website

The online store can be found at www.brilliantearth.com. The website is available in English Language. It’s a very intuitive site that has everything in the right places. You’ll be able to go to the product categories, select a product into the shopping cart, and complete checkout without hassles.

Also, for each item you select, you’ll have detailed descriptions, which include grading reports and product images. If you need additional images of an item, you can request this. The video technology which has revolutionized product viewing in the diamond industry is also employed by Brilliant Earth. You’ll find almost all the diamonds available with 360⁰ video viewer, in which the stones can be viewed in zoomed slow motion video. You’ll be able to see the stone from every angle, just as when physically examining it in an in-store purchase.

Eco-friendly Diamonds

Because of Brilliant Earth’s passion for ethical sourcing, they offer eco-friendly diamonds such as lab created and recycled diamonds. It’s been documented that mining devastates the environment, so these diamonds are obtained without mining (read: devastating the environment).

Lab Created Diamonds – As their name suggests, these diamonds are grown in the labs. Since they are obtained without mining, there is no devastation of the ecosystem. Thus, they are eco-friendly, and meet even the widest definitions of conflict-free diamonds. However, even very skilled gemologist cannot tell the difference between the natural diamonds and the lab created diamonds. These diamonds have the same physical, chemical, and optical characteristics as the mined natural diamonds; they exhibit the same fire, sparkle and scintillation. What is more, the eco-friendly lab created diamonds are less expensive than their mined natural counterparts.

Recycled Diamonds – As their name suggests, these diamonds are gotten from previous stones that were originally mined. However, they are eco-friendly because no new mining is required for Brilliant Earth to make the stones available. Also, it’s not recycling in the true sense of the word. The recycled diamonds are simply harvested from vintage rings, and from returns (especially those from customers who need a diamond upgrade).

Packaging

You don’t want your symbol of love to come to you in a package that is anything less. Thus, “packaging” has become an important consideration when looking at diamond and jewelry stores.

Protecting the environment is an essential element of the philosophy of Brilliant Earth, so they have adopted a “green” eco-friendly packaging. Their items come in a unique wooden boxes handcrafted in New Zealand. Mind you, these packaging boxes are not green-focused unattractive boxes; rather they are exquisite beautiful boxes. In the wooden brown box which can be snapped open like every other packaging in the industry, you’ll find the ring nestling in white velvet. Thus, the packaging of Brilliant Earth has everything you’ll find in the packaging employed by other jewelers, plus the advantage of being eco-friendly.

Temporary Settings

There’s nothing like a surprise proposal; however, if you want your partner to choose the setting she loves, it’ll let the cat out of the bag and spoil the surprise. Thus, keeping the announcement a surprise, and having your partner make her choice of setting shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.

However, Brilliant Earth solves this conundrum with their “temporary setting” offer. Once you have zeroed in on a diamond, you can have Brilliant Earth mount it on a “classic 18K White Gold 2mm Comfort Fit to form a solitaire engagement ring”. You can then use the ring for your proposal. After the proposal, you can return the temporary setting; and then you and your partner can proceed to pick the desired setting.

You’ll have 60 days (from the day of purchase) to return the temporary setting. This will be enough time to arrange your proposal, and return the temporary setting. Also, the service comes at a cost of $75. Upon purchase of the temporary engagement ring (diamond + temporary setting), a $75 refurbishment fee is deducted from the purchase price of the temporary setting, and the remaining balance will be credited towards the purchase of the new settings.

Free Lifetime Diamond Upgrade

If you have a Brilliant Earth loose diamond but want a bigger stone from the company, you need not cough out the full money for the new stone. With the “Free Lifetime Diamond Upgrade”, you can simply exchange the former (smaller) stone for the bigger one. You’ll get credit equivalent to the original purchase price, and all you’ll need to pay is the price difference.

However, the new stone must be at least 50% greater value. Also, all loose diamonds being upgraded must be accompanied with original certifications; they must also be undamaged, and in saleable conditions, as many of these will form the bulk of recycled diamonds put up for sale.

Lastly, as is suggested by its name, the lifetime diamond upgrade offer is for only diamonds.  It does not apply to gemstones, or jewelry. However, amongst the diamonds only natural diamonds are eligible for upgrade. That is, the offer does not apply to the lab created diamonds.

Free Lifetime Manufacturing Warranty

The ideal retailer will stand by its products. With their free lifetime manufacturing warranty, Brilliant Earth stands by the quality and craftsmanship of their diamonds and jewelry. If at any time during its use, a Brilliant Earth product is deemed to have a manufacturing fault; you may contact the company, and they repair the warrantied damage, or replace the item without charge.

The only items not covered by this warranty are the vintage products; and it is because the warranty is a “manufacturing” warranty, but vintage products are not manufactured by Brilliant Earth. However, since it’s a manufacturing warranty, it excludes coverage for wear and tear, loss of gemstone, or theft. There should be no worries there, as these issues are typically not covered in manufacturing warranties; however, you might worry that the Brilliant Earth manufacturing Warranty also excludes damage due to a failure to obtain repairs necessary to preserve the integrity of the jewelry.

It should be said that manufacturing warranties are usually sources of disputes between customers and retailers. This happens when the customers deem the issue with their item a manufacturing defect and expect the jeweler to effect repairs free of charge, but the retailer claims the issue is not a manufacturing defect (and hence not covered by the warranty), and quotes a price for the repairs.

It is our opinion that this last item (excluding damage due to failure to obtain certain repairs) can give the company room for classing too many issues as not under the warranty. For example, the issue could be a clear manufacturing issue, but it’ll be said that the issue is one that occurred because necessary repairs were not done. That said, while a lifetime manufacturing warranty is wonderful, the warranty is suspect with that clause (excluding damage due to failure to obtain certain “necessary” repair works).

Another thing of note is that you’ll have to have $50 to exercise the warranty. Before the shipment of the defective item to Brilliant Earth, $50 will be taken from your account. However, after evaluation, if the damage is covered by the warranty, the company will: refund you the money, effect all necessary repairs, and ship the item to you free of charge. However, if the damage is deemed not covered by the warranty, the company will quote you a price for the repairs. Upon approval, the deposit will be applied for the repairs, but if not approved the deposit is applied to shipping the item back to you.

Extended Service Plans

This service is for common wear and tear issues, as well as other issues not covered by the complimentary manufacturing warranty. It’s a 3 year service plan where Brilliant Earth will provide complimentary inspection and cleaning of your new jewelry; and if there’s any damage needing repair, with the “extended service plan”, you’ll only have to pay discounted rates. 

Product Offering

Product Range

When it comes to buying jewelry online, you’ll want a one-stop jewelry retailer, where you can get everything you need. This saves you the time and effort of checking multiple store. Even for stores that seriously narrow their product offering to particular niche; you’ll want the store to provide a wide variety of items within that niche.

Brilliant Earth does well in this regards, as they offer a wide variety of products. Their product categories, and the items you’ll find in each category, are as follows:

• Engagement Rings

You can shop different engagement rings in Brilliant Earth. Like most jewelers, their biggest collection is the diamond engagement rings. To build your special ring; you can start by choosing a setting, and then you can select a diamond that you’ll mount on it. You may also start by choosing a diamond, and then you can select a setting that you’ll mount it on. Since, Brilliant Earth also offers lab created diamonds; you can also start building your engagement ring, by first picking a lab created diamond.

In this category, you can also shop Bridal Sets and custom engagement rings. The engagement rings are available in different styles that include Classic, Halo, Solitaire, Accents, Three Stone, and Vintage inspired

• Wedding Rings

You can shop men and women wedding rings, as well as anniversary rings. The women rings are available in different metals which include Platinum, White gold, Rose gold, and Yellow gold; the men’s rings are also available in all of those metals, including Palladium.

• Diamonds:

Natural Diamonds – The first group of products you’ll find in this category are the Natural Diamonds, which are the regular diamonds sourced from selected mine around the world. You’ll find natural diamonds in all the popular shapes: Round, Oval, Cushion, Princess, Pear, Emerald, Marquise, Asscher, Radiant, and Heart.

If you want fancy colored diamonds, Brilliant Earth also holds natural diamonds having a range of colors which includes yellow (orangy yellow, light yellow, greenish yellow, intense yellow), pink (faint pink, orangy pink),  etc.

Super Ideal Diamonds – If you want natural diamonds with excellent cut precision which would give the very best optical performance, Brilliant Earth has thousands of them in their “super ideal diamonds” section

Lab Created Diamonds – You can also shop from the eco-friendly lab-created diamonds section, for some exquisite stones.

Brilliant Earth also has these lab-created colored diamonds, so you can have these stones in different shades of yellow, pink, blue, and some other fancy colors.

• Gemstones:

Apart from the diamonds, Brilliant Earth also provides different gemstones such as Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Moissanite, Aquamarine, Morganite, and more

• Jewelry:

Brilliant Earth also offers the different types of jewelry – Rings, Earrings and Studs, Necklaces, and Bracelets. These products are available in natural diamond, lab diamond, and gemstones.

The above shows that Brilliant Earth is a brand that has the product; you can visit the store for your engagement and non-engagement jewelry.

Inventory Size

The ideal retail store will not stop at having a variety of products, but will also have a large inventory of each product. With a large inventory in each product section, your selection needs will be served; and when you have a large selection to choose from, you’ll be more likely to find something that matches your taste and preference.

This is one area where Brilliant Earth does not finish anywhere near the podium places. The company holds its own, but does not have the numbers that some other retailers in the industry can boast of.

For example, at the time of writing this review, Brilliant Earth had just over 60,000 loose natural diamonds. Of these, the Super Ideal collection had over 39,000 stones, while the colored diamonds were just 28. Also, in the lab-created diamonds section, there were just over 9,400 stones; and of these, 296 were fancy colored stones.

If you consider that the industry’s inventory leaders have around 200,000 loose diamonds, you’ll see that Brilliant Earth does not even have half the numbers of these leading (in terms of inventory size) jewelers. However, while Brilliant Earth has a relatively smaller inventory, their thousands of options will still be enough to satisfy many buyers.

Product Quality

The fine jewelry that Brilliant Earth promises is modified by “uniquely beautiful” and “ethically sourced”. Brilliant Earth aces the latter with their “beyond conflict free” philosophy, but what about the former? Does Brilliant Earth provide jewelry pieces that are uniquely beautiful, and most importantly timeless?

Brilliant Earth also does well in this regards. Their collection of Super Ideal Diamonds features cut precision that is on par with those of many jewelers in the industry. These and other diamonds in the store are handcraft by expert jeweler in the business, and these stones come with relevant grading reports, and ASET and Idealscope images.

It should be said that Brilliant Earth has some beautifully made settings, especially their vintage-inspired items. In fact, Brilliant Earth specializes in vintage-inspired designs; as such, their vintage pieces are some of the best settings you’ll find in the industry.

In terms of setting, Brilliant Earth does not offer stand-alone settings. Sometimes, customers have a stone already, or want a stone from another store, and will only be visiting a particular store for a setting. However, this is not possible with Brilliant Earth. The company does not provide stand-alone settings or semi-mounts. They explain that this is because their settings are made-to-order, where each one is handcrafted for a center stone with unique characteristics.

Price, Promotions, and Related Policies

Price

No matter how stunning a jewelry piece is, you won’t want to pay what you perceive as unreasonable for it. Thus, the ideal jewelry store should feature pieces that are reasonably priced.

The reasonableness of the prices of items listed in a store can be determined only by comparing them with prices in competing stores. When this is done, Brilliant Earth comes out as competitive, especially for their bigger stones. However, their smaller stones (especially those below 1 carat) tend to be higher in price than stones of the same specs in some of the leading diamond and jewelry stores.

Thus, if you’ll be getting small stones and want the best possible prices, Brilliant Earth might not be the ideal place. But if you want bigger stones, you’ll find that their prices are no different from those of the best-priced jewelers.

Also, one feature you’ll find in stores that focuses on competitive pricing (providing the best prices) is Price Matching. That is, the store will promise to match any lower price you find in another store, as long as the lower-priced stone (in the other store) has the same specs as the stone you’ll be getting in their store. However, Brilliant Earth does not price match

Promotions

Diamonds and related jewelry are high-end products that will require a significant investment. On the other hand, promotions are cost saving options that allow customers to get products for less than the listed price of the items. Thus, it’ll be good to have diamond and jewelry stores run a raft of promotions so that items can be made available at knocked down prices.

Brilliant Earth does not do well in this regard. During the research for this review, we didn’t find any price slashing coupon to apply; and it didn’t appear that Brilliant Earth ran any cost saving offer at any time.

The only thing like an offer that Brilliant Earth was offering at the time of writing is a complimentary Diamond Bezel bracelet for every purchase over $1,000.

Payment Methods

Paying for your orders should be convenient in the ideal online store; and this starts from having different payment options to choose from.

Brilliant Earth does somewhat okay in this regards. They support PayPal, Bank wire, ApplePay and the popular credit cards such as Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover Card. However, Bank Wire can be used for only orders over $500; and except the order is shipping to the US, the UK or Australia, a $35 processing fee is charged. Also, credit card payment is only available to customers shipping to the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Other international customers will have to make do with the other payment methods. This would be disappointing to a lot of customers because credit card payment is very popular owing to the convenience it offers.

Financing

If you’ll want a store where you can buy now and pay later; Brilliant Earth is one as they offer some financing plans.

There’s a 12 months no-interest plan via Wells Fargo Jewelry Advantage credit card. As long as the total payment is made within the 12 months promotional period, there’ll be no interest charges, and the total you’ll pay will be the item’s purchase price; but if the total payment is not completed within the 12 months period, you’ll be charged interest at the APR for purchases which is 28.99%. However, this financing plan is available to only US customers.

Another financing opportunity that Brilliant Earth offers is layaway payment, which allows you, after making an initial deposit, to make monthly payments on the purchase. The layaway plan is available to all orders, but you’ll have to contact customer care to request it.

Shipping

Online purchases will have to be shipped to the shipping address (the buyer’s door or another location selected by the buyer where he/ she will take possession of the package). Thus, shipping is an important consideration in online purchases. The most important shipping elements are: shipping destinations, shipping times, and shipping costs.

Shipping Destination

One of the first checks when considering using an online diamond and jewelry store is whether the retailer ships to your territory. This is important because the store serves your desired location, it’ll be difficult to receive delivery of the order.

In this regards, you’ll want a store that ships to many worldwide locations, so that your shipping location will more likely be served.

Brilliant Earth does very well in terms of shipping destinations. This is because the company ships merchandise all over the world.

Shipping Times

Not one diamond or jewelry shopper will want to wait forever to receive his/ her order. Therefore, the ideal online jewelry retailer should offer fast delivery. Since most items are made-to-order, production time are unique to each item. Shipping times are also determined by the location that the product will be travelling to. Thus, estimated delivery times are only displayed at checkout, when the order and the shipping address have been established.

However, Brilliant Earth promises fast production time and shipping to make sure that you’ll not have to wait for too long after placing an order to receive delivery of the items. For example, most shipping takes 2 – 5 business days; while shipping to very distant addresses may take just over two weeks. If you’ve checked reviews of other online diamond and jewelry retailers, you’ll find that the estimated delivery times of Brilliant Earth are relatively fast.

Shipping Costs

The total cost of acquiring anything online consists of the item purchase cost and its shipping costs. Thus, high shipping costs can add significantly to the total acquisition costs. As a result, the ideal online stores will offer shipping costs that are as low as possible.

Brilliant Earth does very well in this regards. The lowest possible shipping cost is zero (that is free shipping), and the company offers this. However, the free shipping offer applies only to orders shipping to the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Shipping to every other country will attract a shipping charge of $50.

That said, limiting the free shipping offer to four countries (US, Canada, UK, and Australia) is a little disappointing because: (i) diamonds and other products in the store are high-end products and complimentary shipping is not too much to ask for (ii) many of the competition ships free of charge to every location that is served.

Returns

There are situations where you’ll not be totally satisfied with your order; and instead of holding on to the unwanted item, you’ll want to return it to the retailer. Thus, the return policy of stores is an important consideration when looking at online stores. Brilliant Earth allows returns; and what follows is a review of their return policy.

Items that can be returned

Brilliant Earth orders that can be returned include all rings, loose diamonds, and all loose gemstone orders. This exclude all personalized items such as; made-to-order or custom items, items that have been engraved or resized, and items that have been previously exchanged.

All items to be returned must be in their original unworn conditions, and must be accompanied by all original documentations. A $250 replacement fee will be charged per diamond certificate not included with the returned item.

Return Window

Returned items are only accepted if the items are received by the retailer within a specified time period. Thus, you’ll want an extended time period so that you’ll not be pressed with time, or run the risk of having your unwanted items rejected by the retailer because of the item(s) getting back to their fulfillment center late.

In this regards, Brilliant Earth offers a return 30 days return window. However, it should be said that the 30 days window does not open on the delivery date, but before. For in-store pick up items, the 30 days return window starts counting the day the item was available for pick up in the selected store; and for items moved to shipping addresses, it starts counting the day the item was made available to ship.

That said; the window is relatively shorter than that of most other retailers in the business. While many of these other retail stores equally offer a “30 days” return window, it only starts counting on the day the customer takes possession of the item.

That said; if you must return a Brilliant Earth order, you’ll have to act fast after receiving delivery of the item, because your return window will already be closing.

Resizing

One of the main reasons for returns of rings is not-fitting sizes; since rings are sized products, it’s quite easy to order something that is either too small or too big. Thankfully, Brilliant Earth accepts returns of rings for resizing.

Also, in the case of resizing, the return window is extended to 60 days (which also starts counting the day the item ships). Thus, you’ll have enough time to try out the ring, and determine that you really have to resize it.

As long the request and return of the original item is within the 60 days window; resizing is complimentary (that is, free of charge). Resizing of items received by Brilliant Earth will attract a resizing fee. Also personalized rings (custom, modified or engraved rings) are subject to resizing fees. While, Vintage rings have only one complimentary resizing. However, Eternity rings cannot be resized.

While, the complimentary resizing is a good offer, it only applies to orders shipped to the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. It’s disappointing that Brilliant Earth’s complimentary resizing offer does not apply to international shipping outside those four countries because: (i) sizing issues is a universal problem (ii) many other jewelry retailers offer resizing services to all orders

Cost of Returns

You won’t want to receive items you are not totally pleased with only to be put off returning them because of the high cost of returns. Thus, you’ll want costs of returns to be as low as possible.

Brilliant Earth does relatively okay in this regards. The lowest possible cost is zero; and Brilliant Earth offers that with free return shipping. You’ll not be charged to ship an item back to the store; and if you want a replacement item, the company will also ship you the replacement item free of charge. 

Even for the complimentary resizing, shipping is free both ways (that is, free inward shipping when returning the wrong-sized ring to the company, as well as free outward shipping when the company is sending you the new right-sized ring).

However, just like the complimentary resizing offer, the free return shipping offer only applies to orders moving to the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Return Process

You don’t want to face a cumbersome return process when you have an unwanted item in your hands. The return process of Brilliant Earth is fairly easy. You’ll have to contact customer support to request a “Return Shipping Authorization Code” (RSAC) as well as a free return label (where applicable). After that, you’ll have to package your item appropriately, clearly write the RSAC on the outside of the return package, and then send the package to the recommended carrier or any other carrier of choice.

Return Processing and Refunds

If you return an item to a retailer for a refund, you’ll not want to wait forever before being refunded. Thus, you’ll want a store that processes returns and issues refunds quickly.

Brilliant Earth ticks the box in this regards. All returned items will pass through quality checks, but the processing is over in approximately seven business days from the date of receipt of the item. If you’ve checked other online jewelers, you’ll find that seven days is one of the fastest returns processing time in the industry.

After return processing, refunds are swiftly issued. All refunds are issued via the original payment method; but where the original purchase was by bank wire or any other supported payment method requiring special processing, refunds will be via checks. Also, it’s a good thing that refunds are as cash to the original payment method and not as store credits; that way, customers will not be forced to use the funds for future purchases in Brilliant Earth, but can choose to go to another store.

Customer Support Service

Customers will always have questions or complaints. Thus, the ideal online jeweler should provide for handling customers’ questions or complaints.

Brilliant Earth has an FAQ page in their website that answers most of the questions that you’ll have about the company, and their products and service. The self-help articles of the FAQ are categorized into: the mission of Brilliant Earth, their products, and placing an order. Their mission category covers such topics as Brilliant Earth’s “beyond conflict free” philosophy, and how Brilliant Earth differs from other jewelers who offer conflict free diamonds. Their products category answers different questions relating to the product offering of the company; while the order placement category answers questions relating to prices, financing, payment methods, other charges, and more.

If you’ll want direct contact with a customer support rep of the company, Brilliant Earth supports email, live chat, and telephone. For the email service, the email address to send you submissions is: support@brilliantearth.com. You’ll have some waiting to do to get a response, and this can take up to 24 hours. For instant feedback, you may use the telephone service or live chat; the telephone number to call is +1 800-691-0952, while the live chat can be accessed from their website.

The support service is available everyday of the week; however, it is not available 24/7. You can only reach the company within 6:00 am – 7:00 pm (PT) on weekdays, and within 7:00 am – 7:00 pm (PT) in the weekends.

Pros:

• Pioneers socially responsible diamond and jewelry industry
• Offers a variety of products that includes engagement rings, wedding rings, diamonds, gemstones and jewelry
• Offers a large selection of eco-friendly lab created diamonds
• Ships merchandise all over the world
• Offers relatively fast delivery
• Offers free shipping (albeit for US, Canadian, UK, and Australian orders)
• Allows returns of loose diamonds, gemstones, and jewelry if made within 30 days of shipment
• Offers free returns and free ring resizing (albeit for US, Canadian, UK, and Australian orders)
• Offers a “temporary settings” feature
• Offers a free lifetime diamond upgrade
• Offers a life time manufacturing warranty
• Refunds processing is relatively fast (seven business days)
• A variety of channels for reaching customer support service (live chat, email, and telephone)

Cons:

• Limited retail outlets/ showrooms; thus, not the best brand for in-store shopping
• Does not provide stand-alone settings; so you cannot buy a stone from another store to mount on a setting from Brilliant Earth
• Has a relatively small inventory of loose diamonds
• Prices (especially for stones under one carat) are a little on the high side
• There are no cost saving offers
• Does not price match unlike many other retailers in the industry
• Payment via credit cards are only available for US, Canadian, UK and Australian orders
• Customer support service is not available 24/ 7

Conclusion

Brilliant Earth is a legitimate diamond and jewellery retailer store with a strong focus on ethical sourcing and giving back. In fact, everything about the company smacks of this philosophy, from their initiatives to their eco-friendly diamonds (lab-created and recycled diamonds) right to their eco-friendly packaging (artfully made wooden boxes). Thus, the company will be appealing to all conscientious and socially responsible shoppers.

However, conscience is not at the expense of quality. Brilliant Earth provides some beautiful jewellery, their diamonds are beautiful and have the relevant quality gradings, their Super Ideal Diamonds will rival any in the industry, and you’ll find some of the best designs among their vintage-inspired settings.

When it comes to service, Brilliant Earth also holds their own: delivery is worldwide and relatively fast; free shipping is offered; free returns is offered with a 30 days window; they stand by their product with a lifetime quality warranty; they offer temporary settings that allow your partner to choose her setting while still keeping your proposal a secret; there are financing options.

It’s almost smooth sailing except for some small knacks, such as their stock being limited, their prices being relatively high (especially diamonds under 1 carats), etc. On the whole, there is little reason why you shouldn’t shop your diamonds and other jewellery in Brilliant Earth.