Review of James Allen

Last updated on April 24, 2023

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As one of the first and now the largest online diamond jewelers James Allen has developed a reputation for excellence. They are almost completely online although they do have two brick-and-mortar stores, one in New York City and the other in Washington D.C.

We are going to review James Allen in this article to answer some questions that people may have about the brand and online diamond purchasing in general. If you are still on the fence about choosing between a brick-and-mortar store over trying the online experience perhaps we can help you make the final decision.

Who Founded James Allen?

James Allen Schultz, the namesake of this online jewelry company, was actually just one of four creative minds involved in the creation of the company. The other three were Oded Edelman, Michele Sigler and Dean Lederman.

Each founder brought something to the table which has helped build this impressive online company:

Oded Edelman

Oded was the third generation of his family to be involved in the diamond business and started his career as a diamond polisher, a process he innovated by developing an automated polishing method. This increased polishing efficiency and would ultimately help him lower diamond costs.

Edelman quickly moved on to trading diamonds around the globe building a network of connections that have held him in good stead in the wholesale diamond sales business. It was having this network in place which helped him be an important cog in the formation of James Allen in 2006.

Dean Lederman

Lederman is the business mind behind the company. Graduating McGill University in 1990 with a degree in management he quickly worked his way up to top level posts in diamond trading companies such as Y&M Diamond Trading.

It was during his 6 year stint as COO for Tessler Developments that Lederman became a founding member of James Allen. Dean himself also had 20 years of experience in the diamond industry.

James Allen Schultz & Michele Sigler

When it comes to the story of James Allen we have to group the man himself and Michele Sigler together. The origin story for the company suggests that Schultz bought his then fiancée's engagement ring in an online auction. Sigler was to be the recipient of this ring.

This was all in the early days of buying online so there was still trepidation involved in a largely untested new world of commerce. For Schultz the gamble paid off because when he had the ring appraised upon receiving it he realized that he had saved nearly 50% of the actual value of the piece by buying it online.

This experience raised an opportunity for James and Michele who are now married. They decided to contact diamond experts Edelman and Lederman. The four banded together to form JamesAllen.com the first online diamond sales company and thanks to its success now the largest in the world.

How Trustworthy Is James Allen?

In the grand scheme of things JamesAllen.com is a very young company having only been founded in 2006. Compared to the major giants of the diamond trading industry such as Cartier and Tiffany they are virtual infants.

They obviously do not have the premium names behind them that the Cartiers and Tiffanys of the world can boast but they have forged their own reputation for excellence and reliability. The company has a policy of guaranteeing customer satisfaction.

What sets James Allen apart is their commitment to innovation which is hardly surprising considering the fact that cofounder Oded Edelman was quite the innovator in his early career. The big diamond sellers tend to stick to their tried and true policies but James Allen has modernized the game to great success.

James Allen has created a buying experience that is not only trustworthy but extremely simple compared to the complicated world of jewelers or wholesale markets. Buying diamonds at a brick-and-mortar location is time consuming and you can often only view a fraction of what the location has on offer. With James Allen you can peruse and narrow down a field of hundreds of thousands of gems from the comfort of your home.

What Is the Company's Selection Like?

The beautiful jeweler you may pass in the high street might have a few hundred diamonds in stock at any time depending on the size of the location. James Allen however literally has hundreds of thousands listed for sale in their easy to search database.

In fact a check of the website's inventory on April 12^th 2023 indicated they had no fewer than 309,484 diamonds for sale ranging from $200 up into the millions of dollars in individual value. In fact the most expensive diamond listed that day was an 18.91 carat, completely colorless diamond worth over 2 million dollars. (interesting note the diamond appeared to have sold while I was viewing it, so some lucky person may be getting an amazing gift.)

With such a massive collection you may think the whole process would be daunting but worry not James Allen stays with the times and has created a fantastic search engine that allows you to set parameters for your diamond search.

You can set sliders for color, carats, clarity, cut quality and shape. This will allow you to narrow down your options and find a great selection that is perfect for your needs.

Now you may be thinking that this is still risky because you can't see and hold the diamonds before buying at a jeweler's store. True you can not hold the diamonds until you have bought and received them. You can however see them through 3D imaging and get a real feel for their quality.

Each diamond has been graded by an independent third party gemology lab and the results of this grading are freely available. Most diamonds will come with an official GIA, IGI or AGS diamond grading certificate detailing the qualities of the gemstone.

You can get a real sense of the quality of each piece on sale through this website and with such a large inventory you can really find the perfect diamond for your needs. You can’t do this kind of slow consideration process at a brick-and-mortar location.

Often as a store you can see one diamond at a time for a brief period and do not get the chance to compare them against one another. It may seem like a more luxurious experience but at the end of the day an online store like James Allen gives you time to look without the pressure of a sales person trying to hurry you along to a decision.

Are James Allen Diamonds a Good Deal?

There are some factors to consider when it comes to value for money in diamond sales. The first is that diamond prices are stable due to a very regulated processing system so two diamonds that are equal in size, quality, color and cut should be pretty much comparable in price. However, this is not the case when it comes to the final selling prices.

The truth is that if you were to buy a certain diamond at a store like Tiffany it might be 20% - 40% more expensive than if you bought that same diamond through James Allen. There are reasons for this such as business overheads that Tiffany has that James Allen does not.

In all honesty though you would likely pay an inflated price at Tiffany for the distinction of telling people you bought the diamond at Tiffany & Co. There is a premium for that little blue Tiffany box and being able to throw out the iconic name.

The diamonds at James Allen have the same quality as anything Tiffany can offer and they have the certificates to back that up. Lower overheads and certain innovations however allow James Allen to charge much less.

Of course don’t just take our word for it, do a comparison shop for yourself and you will see the massive gulf in value between the two shopping methods.

Are James Allen's Diamonds Good Quality?

As we mentioned many of James Allen's diamonds have been checked and graded by the three main gem grading labs in the United States. These are the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gem Society (AGS) and the International Gemological Institute (IGI).

Backed by grading certificates you can be sure that thanks to third party labs you are getting a quality certified diamond. They are as good if not better in some cases than you can get in a high end jewelers.

Their range is extensive with some diamonds worth a few hundred dollars and others hitting heady heights in millions. They have the whole range of diamond shapes, clarity, colors and sizes. If you have a set budget you will likely find the perfect diamond for you by playing around with the company's search engine.

What About Their Settings?

Once you choose a diamond you may want to have it set into a ring so this will require a setting. You may wonder if they skimped on the settings to try and keep diamond prices lower. This is far from the truth because James Allen appears to be committed to quality across the board.

They offer hundreds of setting options with something to suit all budgets. You can find them in various materials such as gold and platinum and in all the main setting types like solitaire, three stone, halo, channel set etc.

There are even some designed settings from the likes of danhov, Verragio, Martin Flyer and Jeff Cooper. Essentially there is something for everyone and for all budgets. If you want a simple setting for a beautiful diamond they have that. However if you want something more intricate they have you covered there too.

Is James Allen Conflict-Free?

Ethical diamond shoppers rejoice! James Allen is committed to only dealing with conflict-free diamond suppliers. If you have ever heard the term “blood diamond” you may know that the diamond industry has had a dark side pretty much from day one.

Historically and still to this day some companies have bought diamonds from mining companies who essentially used slave labor. This is a practice we find abhorrent in the Western world but is all too commonplace in some African countries with diamond mines.

For diamonds to be considered conflict-free, their suppliers must be certified as mining using only fair labor practices. James Allen will only purchase diamonds from suppliers that can show certification that this is the case.

Does James Allen Only Sell Natural Diamonds?

Natural diamonds were formed deep underground over thousands of years from carbon undergoing extremes of heat and pressure. The result is a crystalline structure that is the hardest natural material on the planet and extremely sought after.

James Allen as mentioned has a huge inventory of these natural diamonds but they also deal in lab created diamonds. These diamonds are identical in all ways that matter to natural diamonds but of course do not need to be mined.

These diamonds will also often have a lab certificate of quality from a third party lab but they will often be much cheaper than natural diamonds. Some people choose lab grown diamonds for ethical and environmental reasons.

Whichever you choose be it natural or lab grown James Allen has you covered with quality certified products.

James Allen's True Hearts Collection

Precision is sometimes a huge consideration when it comes to buying a diamond and this is something highly focused on when it comes to James Allen and the True Hearts collection. This is their premium range of diamonds which have gone through very skilled processing.

Using some of the best diamond craftspeople in the world they have developed a range of diamonds with patterns that resemble hearts and arrows. This unique trademarked method results in facet positioning that creates the effect of tiny mirrors, a very impressive visual to behold.

Fewer than 1% of the world's diamonds are suitable to be crafted in this way so their true hearts collection is limited and a result comes at a premium price.

What Are James Allen’s Policies?

Ideally there will never be an issue that requires you to need to return the diamond because the company takes great pains to ensure the utmost quality in all things. However things are not always perfect so they fully acknowledge this.

Risk-Free Buying Policy

As a solid incentive to take the plunge and buy online, James Allen offers a return policy that gives you a full refund if the product is returned within 30 days of purchase. This should be plenty of time to make sure you are happy with the piece and even get it independently appraised if you so choose.

Free Global Shipping

When you are selling hugely expensive items you are not going to quibble over shipping costs. James Allen is well aware of the importance of getting the product to the buyer so they cover all costs in that regard.

Financing Options

As any good business that deals in high end items should, James Allen understands that sometimes you need to spread the payments on purchases. Those who qualify may be eligible for interest free payments on purchases over $1000 if the balance is paid in six months or 24 month financing on purchases over $2000 with a 9.90% interest rate.

The Lifetime Full Credit Upgrade Guarantee

This is a fantastic policy as it shows they understand the realities of life. When a young couple first get married they may not have a lot of money so the first engagement ring may have to be on the more inexpensive side.

Their policy is that if you buy that first ring from them then should you decide to upgrade to a ring at least 2x the cost of the original you can trade the old one in for a full credit of the original purchase price to go toward the cost of the new ring.

This is a great way to get a big discount but the catch is you do have to hand over the old ring to get this credit toward the new one. Obviously you may have become very attached to the old one and not want to part with it for sentimental reasons.

Lifetime Warranty With Every Diamond

This may seem unbelievable but yes James Allen will repair and maintain your ring for free for a lifetime. Your local jeweler would never do that as they often make much of their revenue from repairs but James Allen does this for free with their diamonds.

You will have to pay the shipping costs of around $30 but this is still great coverage and phenomenal customer service in my opinion. When you factor in the already lower prices this does make James Allen a no-brainer in many regards.

Free Engraving

Another great benefit of buying with James Allen is that they offer free engraving with the purchase. This will allow you to write a message on the band of the ring at no extra cost.

24/7 Customer Service

They are a huge company with global reach so James Allen ensures they offer 24/7 customer service. This is something that your neighborhood jeweler just can’t do. They have their opening hours and that is usually your only window for getting customer service.

Conclusion

James Allen is without question the leaders in the online diamond market. They offer fantastic products with an excellent shopping experience with some amazing customer service. They may be a young company but they are one of the veterans of online sales.

They have developed a system that is the envy of others and should really be the first port of call for those looking to find the perfect diamond engagement ring online.

Reference Diamond Size Chart

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