It was a “Green Monday Extended Sale” at Helzberg Diamond! An allegedly $1,500 diamond pendant necklace was marked down to $1,000. Great deal? Not really. Here’s how to get a certified, better-spec’d diamond for up to $310 less.
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The Helzberg offer: $1,000, marked down from $1,500.
See it live at Helzberg, until it’s discontinued.
(I like to include item numbers from diamond retailers such as Helzberg. I’m not finding such a number on the product page. However, the URL has this string of numbers in it: 2162889.
And even better, the SKU in the shopping cart, for that pendant, is 2162917.)
The James Allen MUCH better price of as low as $690 (on a certified, objectively better diamond pendant)
Earth-created for $860 ($140 under the Helzberg offer):
Lab-created for $690 ($310 under the Helzberg offer):
Specs compared directly
Carats
The Helzberg diamond, the James Allen earth-created diamond, and the James Allen lab-created diamond, are all about 0.5 carats. The lab-created diamond is 4% larger at 0.52 carats, but it’s still a pretty close match.
Clarity
Helzberg diamond in this pendant has a minimum of I2-Clarity:
That’s pretty bad clarity, as you can see from the chart. True, they say it’s a minimum. But that means you shouldn’t get all optimistic and believe that you’ll get a diamond of better clarity than I2, in my opinion.
James Allen earth-created diamond example is I1-Clarity. That’s slightly better, at least.
I’ve included a shot below, using the diagram, just to mark that visually for you: it’s about the same as the Helzberg diamond. Slightly better. (But it’s significantly less expensive, even so.)
Plus it’s certified by the GIA. So you know what you’re getting.
James Allen lab-created diamond example is SI2-Clarity. That’s significantly better (3 entire grades!) than the Helzberg offer.
Color (Note that the perfectly colorless grade is “D”. There are no such grades as A, B, or C.)
Helzberg diamonds’ color in this pendant is Color “H or I”:
That’s not necessarily bad, especially for a fairly sparkly cut / shape such as the Round Cuts which are in this pendant. The brilliance and sparkle and fire in such a cut can more or less hide any yellow color.
The James Allen earth-created diamond in this example has the Color H. (Plus, it’s GIA-certified, which means the color grade is REAL.)
The James Allen lab-created diamond in this example has the Color E. That’s an incredibly huge jump in quality, compared to the Helzberg offer. (Plus, it’s IGI-certified, which, again, means the color grade is REAL.)
The color “E” is 4 grades better than the minimum stated specs for the Helzberg offer. That’s huge. In fact, “E” is one grade short of “D”, which is perfect. (Remember, “D” is the top color grade score for a diamond.)
How to get the James Allen deals
At James Allen, you don’t just add a pendant to cart and check out. It’s slightly more involved than that. At the same time, it’s much more interesting (and gives you more control and choice).
Instead, you do this:
- You choose a pendant.
- Then you choose a loose diamond to add to it.
But it’s not as hard as it may seem. In fact it’s easy.
At least, it’s easy if you have someone walking you through it for the first time.
Here’s exactly how to get these deals (or very similar deals) at James Allen:
1. Select this 14K white gold pendant. (It’s available in Yellow Gold or Platinum too, at a drop down on the product page.)
2. For the diamond, go to these pre-set James Allen diamond search results and select a diamond from the first 2 or 3 diamonds in the list.
(James Allen diamonds are unique, so I can’t send you straight to a specific diamond. It would sell out quickly. But there are many many others in the inventory. The price will be close to what you see here.
Also, of course the inventory is always changing, so you may see slightly different prices when you search.)
3. For even greater savings, click the “Lab-Created Diamonds” filter. (Use my pre-set James Allen Lab-Created Diamonds search results.)
4. Add the pendant and the diamond to your cart and check out.
Conclusion: This Helzberg diamond is overpriced. You can save up to $300 or more, and get a certified, much better diamond.
Helzberg, and other off-the-shelf jewelry retailers, often try to make us think they’re offering us a huge deal on a “discounted” diamond pendant or ring. Usually they’re just marking down what was overpriced to begin with.
One advantage Helzberg might have on this? Generally they can ship it faster. But, especially when Helzberg doesn’t have a sale going on, it’s a mistake to sacrifice that much quality, and that much money too.
(And the markdowns are still overpriced, based on my comparisons to James Allen.)
I feature James Allen in my price compares not because I’m an affiliate (I am), but because they have the best prices, the best shopping experience, and the most transparent, useful search engine for their enormous diamond inventory.)
Congrats on saving good money on this pendant. What will you spend it on?
It’s easy to get great deals on better diamond jewelry — for less money! Here’s how:
- Scroll up to the section on “How to Get the James Allen Deals.”
- Follow the easy directions there.
- Feel 100% confident that you bought the best diamond for the money
How to search this site to save up to tens of thousands of dollars at trusted diamond retailers, vs most any Costco, Kay, Jared, or Zales ring you’re considering
Search and save. You could save enough for a new compact car. Or a honeymoon. Or several expensive dinner dates. Or that guitar you’ve been wanting.
Read this very short note on how easy it is.
