Post # 1
Member
89 posts
Worker bee
Has anyone ordered their engagement ring online and been disappointed when it arrived? The only rings I can find that I LOVE are from outside the country and I’m nervous that it may look different in person or on my hand; it’s so hard to tell with a picture! Same deal with having it custom made, what if it turns out differently then how I imagined?? Ugh I just wish I could walk into a store, try one on and love it but I’m super picky.
Let me know what your experience with custom orders and online perchance have been like; and pictures too! I love looking at different designs as I’m still narrowing down my choices.
Post # 3
Member
603 posts
Busy bee
I ordered mine online & made sure to look up as many reviews as possible…also just googled the name of the store to see if anything bad came up…I was thrilled with mine …an estate ring from Awsomeblei jewellers…I ordered my fiancees online but had a problem with the size so I would say that you should take advantage of the free ring sizer that a lot of jewellers will send you…even though the sizing from US to Canada should be the same in my fiancees case it was not the same as the ring sizer we tried here!..
Post # 4
Member
960 posts
Busy bee
I bought mine off bidz.com so I couldn’t look at reviews or anything. Its an auction thats a set time frame.
I was not disapointed at all, in fact I was probably happier with it in person 🙂 My only concern was that it was fake given the deal I got, but I got it appraised and that set my mind at ease 🙂
Post # 5
Member
8035 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
@SR: I see you’re in Canada like me. One good option would be Blue Nile – they have the “recently purchased engagement rings” section so you can get a good idea of what it looks like in real life… and a lot of girls have rings from there so you can always ask to see if anyone has ‘real life’ pics of the ring you’re coveting. Worst case they have an awesome return policy.
Do you ever visit the US? We go there a couple of times a year and I tried on some rings in Tiffany’s and fell in love with the Soleste. We’ll probably order it online, but it definitely helped to try it on in real life.
Do you have a Birks nearby? They have some amazing rings.
I think for the custom design process it really helps if you do it with a local jeweler because if there are bumps along the way, you’re there in person to make sure it’s corrected. I think you get to see wax mock-ups first, and possibly see it mid-production (or at least you could if you asked, I’m sure). Make sure that you go into the process knowing whether they’re willing to alter it until it’s perfect or not. Educate yourself on jewelery terms and provide lots of photos of exactly what you want and don’t want. I know lots of ladies on here are very happy with their custom rings, while others were frustrated by the process. I doubt I’d do a custom design unless it was being done in the same city as I live in.
ETA: Get an idea of what styles look good on your hand (try lots on!) and go from there.
Post # 6
Member
2285 posts
Buzzing bee
I got mine from Mastergoldcraft on Etsy and I’m thrilled. It’s so much prettier in person.
Post # 7
Member
2770 posts
Sugar bee
@SR: I got mine online, I had it custom made by a jeweler in the US, so I did not see it until it arrived (he did send me pics of the ring through the creation process). It was a bit “risky” as it was a style I had never tried on, but I love it. I know I would have never fallen in love with anything at Ben Moss or People’s..
I agree that you should try on different styles in stores and go from there, at least then you will know what size/shape looks best on your hand. Also, if you order online, make sure there is a good return policy so you are not “stuck” with something you don’t love.
Post # 8
Member
2770 posts
Sugar bee
@Elky: That’s so cool! I’ve been curious about bidz, do you have a pic of your ring?
Post # 9
Member
89 posts
Worker bee
@canarydiamond: My original choice was from Birks lol but no, no Birks where I am. We won’t be going anywhere outside the province any time soon and we are wanting to purchase my ring ASAP. I have checked out Blue Nile and got some ideas there too
Post # 10
Member
4640 posts
Honey bee
i hadn’t heard about bidz before this thread. i’m off to check it out now!
brilliance.com does custom work and there are lots of good reviews on them, some of which were posted on weddingbee – you could probably search it and find them.
Post # 12
Member
246 posts
Helper bee
@SR: I ordered an antique ring online from Brilliant Earth. It was even more fantastic in person! The only problem was that I am in Canada, like you – and they charge additional taxes to ship to Canada (like, a lot of additional taxes). Fortunately we are less than an hour from the border and we had it shipped to a Fedex depot in the US. Aside from this inconvenience we found their customer service to be amazing. They sent us additional pictures of the ring and kept us up to date with timely emails. They do free Fedex overnight shipping and have a 30 day return policy with no additional fees. I have heard second hand that Blue Nile has a similar level of customer service, but that they do not charge additional taxes to ship to Canada…you would have to verify this for yourself though. I hope this helps!
Post # 13
Member
1266 posts
Bumble bee
IDK if anyone would consider buying an ering from Gemify.com, but if you are: DON’T. Don’t purchase anything from them as they are a scam company with no intentions of ever sending the merchandise (there IS no merchandise, just lies, stalling, and tactics to “wait you out” until you have no form of recourse). Gemify has attempted to scam me (unsuccessfully, thanks to me having an understanding of how Paypal disputes work) and I have since heard from others in PMs that they have been scammed from Gemify in the same way I was.
I personally did not order an ering from gemify, but they do sell them and I want to make sure no one gets ripped off.
Post # 14
Member
197 posts
Blushing bee
We purchased online from Whiteflash. I read excellent reviews about them on Pricescope.com and also on a financial forum. Making the decision to purchase sight-unseen was a little nerve wracking, but the price and quality were so much better than anything I saw in local stores. I live in an area with a lot of jewelry stores.
All the diamonds in their ACA, Expert Selection and Premium Select are in-house and are AGS or GIA certified and you can speak with a gemologist about a particular stone. The customer service was outstanding, they were helpful with questions we had during the order process and we were kept updated with emails and pictures. My Fiance was especially impressed with the shipping process. They do custom orders and have a section of the website where you can see some they have done.
Post # 15
Member
2249 posts
Buzzing bee
I ordered mine from Blue Nile (and I’m from Canada as well). The ring I wanted was no longer available (unless I wanted to buy a huge center stone, which we couldn’t afford)… they had it custom made for us, and we had it within 4 weeks. Once it shipped it was here the next day. Customer service was awesome, the ring is STUNNING, and all of the jewelers I’ve taken the ring to (to try on wedding bands) have commented on what an awesome diamond I got… after initially scoffing at us for buying our ring online 😉 They’ve all flat out told us that they couldn’t have matched the price that we paid for the quality that we got.
Post # 16
Member
1266 posts
Bumble bee
@katsmah: OMG I love the setting you chose! Beautiful ring!
WhiteFlash is doing my new ering right now, but I am pretty much in the dark as DH is handling it (I want to be surprised). I know they have taken excellent care of him and he has thanked me for pointing him in their direction!