JAMES ALLEN
unbiased grade: 4.7
We spent a number of hours testing this site and continue to do so. Almost daily we are interfacing with the website to analyze what product is offered and ease of use.
WHAT WE FOUND
From the moment you hit the site, it is very clear as to what direction you can take.
1st Impressions:
5
User-Friendliness:
4.7
Inventory Selection:
4.7
Customer Service:
4.5
Price:
4.7
Bells & Whistles:
4.7
The top of the landing page features several categories to choose from. This could seem overwhelming, so there are two main call-to-action tabs to choose from. Shop Engagement Rings or Shop Loose Diamonds. Let's get into each.
SHOP ENGAGEMENT RINGS
Breathless is the word we would use for the selection James Allen offers. There are classic settings like this(Choose Your Engagement Ring Setting | JamesAllen.com) to more modern options like this(Choose Your Engagement Ring Setting | JamesAllen.com). When landing on the ring page, an easy-to-use visual is placed in front of you giving options as to what style you may want to pursue. Once you click on that style, the site will filter to only those. From there you can browse to your heart's content.
Once you select a setting, it will take you to a page that will give you all the details you need. From a 360 degree video that you can interact with, to visuals of shapes and sizes on a model's finger. You may choose from a range of metal options in white gold, yellow gold, rose gold and platinum. You even have the option of a real-time inspection of the piece. Once you have made your decision on which setting you prefer, the site will then prompt you to select a diamond and or gemstone.
SHOP LOOSE RINGS
We found this to be a very user-friendly interface. You can very clearly choose between an earth-created diamond and a lab-created diamond. Once you do this, there are easy-to-understand visual and slider scales that allow you to narrow your search.
Once we did this, the site filtered to a selection of diamonds. We were able to sort by all different criteria. Whether it be the highest to lowest pricing or fastest delivery, there are multiple ways to get what you want.
Once a diamond is selected, the site provides an incredible amount of detail. Most importantly there is a 360-degree video of the diamond that is also interactive to the user. Take your cursor and move the diamond back and forth as much as you want.
Live Chat Feature:
If you still have questions, there is a tab for a real-time chat. This was the one area we did not love. On one hand, it was great to have a pretty seamless interaction with a service representative; they were able to see which diamond we were considering without having to spend time trying to tell them. However, we did not find them to be as discerning as we would have liked. The agent was super nice, but we felt like pushing a bit for the sale as opposed to giving us the real information we wanted. We did, however, understand the diamond was not on premises, so it does present a challenge for the representative. Which is why their return policy is so key.
Back to shopping:
Upon making your final selection, the site will then move you towards a final checkout where you have the options of:
- Paypal
- Credit Card
- Bank Transfer
- Financing
UPGRADING YOUR JAMES ALLEN JEWELRY PROTECTION PLANS - this offers levels of protection on your piece of jewelry from a limited lifetime warranty all the way to an extensive full lifetime warranty.
Finish the checkout and voila! Your new purchase should be to you in a matter of days risk-free. If you don't like it, return it. It's as easy as that. No hassles. No gimmicks.
UNBIASED REVIEW
PROS:
- Options
- User Friendly
- Visual Analysis 360-degree interactive video
- Financing
- Hassle-Free Return Policy
- Upgrade Policy
- Free Shipping
- Worldwide Shipping
- Free Engraving
- Free ring Sizing in the first year
CONS:
- No deep dive imperfection comparison tool when considering multiple stones
- Advanced Search is not as pronounced as we would like - Diamonds not on premises for live visual inspection(agent was using same visual as we were)
- Wishlist function not as advanced as Blue Nile for comparison
Overall grade 4.7/5
1st IMPRESSION 5
Warm and inviting feeling off the bat. From the moment you hit the site, it is very clear as to what direction you can take. The top of the landing page features several categories to choose from. This could seem overwhelming, so there are two main call-to-action tabs to choose from. Shop Engagement Rings or Shop Loose Diamonds. It was a soft, relaxed feeling, which we felt eased the user's mind for such an important decision.
USER-FRIENDLINESS 4.7
Easy tabs to understand on the landing page. From the moment you begin, the site helps you navigate quite easily to a variety of options. Slider bars are overall easy to use and straightforward. You do have to know how to dig down and filter to what would recommend (see tutorial). However, you will find this issue with ALL sites, so not a big deal. 360-degree high-resolution videos and tools to let you look at the diamond from different angles. We loved !
INVENTORY SELECTION 4.7
This site has A LOT to choose from...These guys obviously have the hook-up. There are many suitable options in all the categories from those who are super budget-conscious to those who want to go all out. An example would be a search for a round brilliant diamond from 1.00 carats to 1.10 carats, G-H-I color and VS1-VS2 clarity with ideal specs. JamesAllen.com produced a result of 51 options, while WhiteFlash was able to produce only 7 at the time of writing this review.
LIVE CHAT CUSTOMER SERVICES 4.5
Could use a little help, but still pretty darn good....wait was very short and the representative was able to see what I was looking at without having to share a link or give them an SKU number. For those not so tech-savvy, this is a win. The agent was super nice, but we felt like pushing a bit for the sale as opposed to giving us the real information we wanted.
PRICE 4.7
These guys seem to have quite an in!Pricing is quite competitive for all their diamonds. What we also found was that their branded option offering of True Hearts(True Hearts™ | Hearts and Arrows Diamonds by JamesAllen.com) was not overpriced in the least. They are offering a very very fair price for the strict parameters they put on these diamonds.
BELLS AND WHISTLES 4.7
Love the imaging they have... This makes the user feel pretty darn confident in what they are selecting. With the search parameters, you will find quite a deal here and purchase an insanely gorgeous diamond.
- Financing
- Hassle-Free Return Policy
- Upgrade Policy
- Financing
- Free Shipping
- Worldwide Shipping
- Free Engraving
- Free ring Sizing in the first year
JAMESALLEN.COM AKA "THE REVOLUTIONARY"
JamesAllen.com was founded by James Schultz in 1998. It was born out of a desire to provide customers with a more transparent and convenient way to shop for diamonds online. In the same vein as BLUENILE.COM, JamesAllen.com was born from the idea that the diamond-buying experience was broken. Consumers were trusting a behind-the-counter salesperson who was incentivized to push brands and most importantly did not possess the knowledge of the product that one deserves when making such an important decision. JAMES ALLEN has since become one of the most popular and trusted online diamond retailers.
THE JAMESALLEN DIFFERENCE
Can you imagine a day when you would buy a diamond without seeing it? Well, that was not so long ago! JAMES ALLEN was the first online diamond retailer to incorporate a real high-definition video that allows you to decide with your own eyes if you would rather buy this beautiful SI1 diamond a diamond with hard center black inclusion. You can click on the image of each diamond and slowly move the diamond with your cursor in order to look at every angle possible or you can watch as the diamond turns slowly on its own.
Other fun and useful features
- Superzoom functionality
- 360-degree view
- Link to Certification
- Diamond Schematic
- View Size on Hand Option
- Live Chat
In Addition, JamesAllen is proud to offer
- Financing
- 30 day money back guarantee
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping Worldwide
- Hassle-Free Returns
- Virtual Ring Sizer
- Free Engraving
- 1 Year Free Resizing
- Lifetime update
These features along with a countless collection of stylish and classic setting ring options, provide you with a tremendous user experience and one happy consumer.
TRUE HEARTS
True Hearts™ | Hearts and Arrows Diamonds is offered as a premier collection of diamonds, available in round cuts (Hearts and Arrows diamonds), princess cuts, and cushion cuts. A True Hearts™ Round Brilliant diamond is based on the industry expert's analysis of what an ideal proportioned diamond should be. From the 1919 thesis of Marcel Tolkowsky on how to cut ideal round brilliant diamonds(book Diamond Design) to the rigorous testing of the AGSL, True Hearts™ by James Allen™ offers you what they believe to be the finest cut diamond on the market. Named for the starburst pattern of hearts and arrows, each True Hearts™ diamond has perfect internal symmetry, proportions, and the highest gem grading for cut and polish.
For a princess cut or cushion cut diamond to qualify as a True Hearts™ diamond, it must be certified as an Ideal Cut by the AGS. This involves measuring a stone’s light performance - that is, how it reflects and bends the light to produce brilliance - as well as other characteristics such as cut, polish, and symmetry. All True Hearts™ princess cut and cushion cut diamonds on JamesAllen.com come with an AGS-certified Platinum Light Performance Diamond Quality Document. Fewer than 1% of the world’s diamonds have the perfect internal symmetry and proportions necessary to earn the True Hearts™ distinction.
CONSUMER EXPERIENCE
WOW...a seamless experience for the knowledgeable and not-so-knowledgeable consumer. Extremely intuitive. The intro page is a "choose your option" of earth-created or lab-created diamonds. Once inside, the options are endless, but in a fun way! Choose the shape and use the slider scales to help you narrow down options.
- Financing
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 Service
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping Worldwide
- Hassle-Free Returns
- Free Engraving
- 1 Year Free Resizing
- Lifetime Upgrade
