Is it safe to buy a diamond online?
While it has become perfectly normal for people to purchase smaller items such as books, music, clothing, and slightly more substantial items such as designer purses and kitchen gadgets online, there can be a little more trepidation involved with purchasing a diamond sight unseen. Or at least that is what some of our customers have told us...
We've been conducting business online for so long at this point, that it has become second nature to sell diamonds online. However we definitely had some concerns in the beginning, and they are not that different from the same concerns that some people express when buying a diamond online.
A little history of online diamond sales:
When we first started selling diamonds online, there were only a handful of web sites which sold diamonds, only a few of them have stood the test of time.
The majority of those web sites were owned and operated by people who are extremely reputable, and many close friendships were developed with other online diamond dealers over the years.
The online diamond selling community was small and close knit, it seemed like everybody knew everybody else and we worked closely with each other to ensure that people buying a diamond online had a wonderful experience.
One of the biggest advantages that online diamond dealers like Brian Gavin offer people is unparalleled access to an extensive inventory of diamonds cut to an exceptional level of optical symmetry, such as the diamonds featured in the Brian Gavin Signature and Brian Gavin Blue collections.
When we first introduced our Hearts & Arrows Signature Diamonds to the online diamond community, the average jewelry store in America had no idea that such diamonds even existed. There were even a few of them who tried to convince their customers that "Hearts and Arrows Diamonds" were "Smoke and Mirrors" which is an explanation that backfired because of all the references which were being made to them in trade magazines.
Evolution of Online Diamond Sales:
Over the year, the nature of online diamond sales has changed dramatically. One of the trends which we find most disturbing is that the majority of companies selling diamonds online today, operate under a business model which simply mirrors the inventory from the multiple listing service (MLS) which is relied on by the diamond industry to market their diamonds globally.
These "Online Diamond Dealers" are more like diamond clearinghouses which promote themselves as having an inventory consisting of hundreds of thousands of diamonds, but the truth is that most of them will never even see the diamonds that they sell, they are drop shipped to their customers, just like books being shipped by a fulfillment center.
But this does not seem to prevent them from telling people how beautiful the diamonds look, or whether the inclusions present a potential durability risk or not, or even whether an SI-1 or SI-2 clarity diamond is "eye clean" or not.
While this business model does seem to work exceptionally well for some companies, who have extensive background and experience selling other consumer products online via the vendor drop ship fulfillment process, there are a number of companies who this method of conducting business does not work well for and they receive a myriad of complaints from customers via the Better Business Bureau and the Jewelers Vigilance Committee.
Conduct Your Due Diligence:
Rest assured that it is possible to purchase beautiful diamonds online with ease, and experience a high level of customer satisfaction... our customers do it every day!
Brian Gavin Diamonds is so successful selling diamonds online, because we take a hands-on approach to buying and selling diamonds. Brian Gavin is a 5th generation diamond cutter, who oversees the cutting process for the diamonds featured in our Signature and Blue collections, and personally evaluates every diamond to ensure that it meets his strict selection criteria.
Our business is a family operation, which focuses on delivering diamonds and jewelry of exceptional quality to our customers. And we offer a generous inspection and return policy which ensures your complete satisfaction.
We operate our business out of an actual location, not the basement or garage of our house. You can even schedule an appointment to meet with us and select a diamond from our exclusive in-house inventory in-person.
We have thousands of satisfied customers, who sing our praises on a number of online diamond forums, and who have raved about us on iVouch. While this might be your first online diamond purchase, the reality is that you are not our first online customer, but know that we consider your individual project requirements to be unique and we will strive to ensure that your experience buying a diamond from Brian Gavin online is a positive one. We want to be the jeweler that you call for all of your diamond and jewelry needs.
