I write up diamond shopping comparisons, by the facts and hard numbers. In today’s comparison , something very unusual happens: (with a couple of caveats!) Szul seems to possibly beat James Allen for value.
But does Szul really win, in the end?
What will the hard data and numbers show? What does logical, scientific thinking as you shop for diamonds lead to, in this case?
In this head to head comparison, Szul seems to come out on top. But there are some very important caveats. And then there’s a huge touchdown from James Allen in the fourth quarter
The caveats, if you’re even considering the ring from Szul:
- The Szul diamond does not have a 3rd-party diamond grading report. That’s a huge red flag. It doesn’t necessarily mean this diamond is not worth buying. But it’s a huge red flag. If you’re willing and able to examine the diamond yourself when it comes in, and judge whether it’s as good as Szul says it is, and if you’re able to return it to Szul for a refund in the event you’re unhappy … then this may be a way for you to save a ton of money.
- You need to have plenty of time to return it if you’re unhappy. So, if you and your future spouse are in a hurry to get engaged, don’t try this. Don’t order this Szul diamond. Here’s why: you can’t see the Szul diamond before you buy it. There is no 3D imaging of diamonds at Szul. So, if you’re unhappy with it after it arrives, you’ll have to a) return it b) wait some time for a refund c) shop for, choose, pay for, and wait for delivery of a different diamond ring from somewhere else.
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Why am I even mentioning this Szul deal, if it comes with so many caveats?
Why do I point out this possible strategy for getting a killer deal on this Szul diamond engagement ring, when there are so many caveats?
The caveats include:
- It might be a quite undesirable diamond.
- Because it doesn’t have a GIA (or other lab) 3rd-party unbiased grading report, this diamond might not measure up to what Szul claims for its Clarity and Color.
- The Cut Quality (Szul says it’s “Good”) could be awful. That means it’ll have terrible sparkle and fire.
If it were graded by GIA standards (you should assume it’s graded much less strictly, since it’s a “self-graded” score in this case, not from the GIA), then “Good” would place it right in the middle. It would be like a “C” in school.
I’m mentioning this possible great deal at Szul, against my better judgment, for one reason:
Szul claims to offer a 30-day full money back guarantee on it.
(I don’t speak for Szul. I don’t want to state this guarantee as fact. I’m just a blogger. Their policy could have changed between the time I wrote this and the time you read. Or I could have missed some tiny detail in the fine print. But I am reporting that they claim to offer this guarantee in general.)
Confirm directly with Szul in writing that they give you a full 100% money-back guarantee, before you spend this amount of money on a diamond without a GIA (or other lab) grading report.
If you have several months before you plan to propose, your potential savings on this ring are worth trying it, in my opinion.
If you have less than two months before you propose, I suggest going straight to James Allen (my go to place, usually with the best prices and service), to start your process there. That way you won’t have any unpleasant surprises.
What are the odds this Szul diamond ring on sale will be satisfactory? Meaning: with a “good enough” Cut Quality?
The cut quality is called “Good.” But it’s a self-graded spec from Szul. It’s not done by an independent diamond lab such as the GIA, IGI, or AGS.
So, the odds are, I would say figuratively, around 25%.
On the other hand, maybe they want to be rid of these and it’s a kind of clearance sale. (There are never such sales on loose diamonds with GIA — or other lab — grading reports. But clearance sales on pre-made diamond engagement rings are conceivable for stores such as Szul, which sell a LOT of other kinds of jewelry and accessories.)
This is a crazy good deal on a diamond. Which makes me not trust it. (I know, based on looking at hard numbers including diamond grading specs, that finding a truly discounted diamond is rare.)
The only thing that makes me open to buying this 1-carat diamond ring from Szul is Szul’s return guarantee.
Szul’s offer: a 1-Carat Round Brilliant Cut, self-graded diamond (self-graded is always a red flag) ring in 14K white gold for $1,649
See it live at Szul (unless it’s gone out of stock).
CUT SHAPE: Round Brilliant
CUT QUALITY: “Good” (Self-graded, which is a red flag.)
CARATS: at least 0.96 carats (This is a mass market sale. So they have many of these rings. This means many diamonds. This means they can state not specs of a specific stone, but only the minimum specs of the stones they use for this ring.)
COLOR: from G to H (Again, notice they’re building these rings from many diamonds. So they specify you’ll get maybe a G, maybe an H. And no you can’t choose.)
CLARITY: S1 to S2 (Again, it depends on the diamond they happen to grab to make your ring. I’ve marked S1 to show you the best possible clarity you’ll get. But notice that it could shade over into the next worse clarity scale.)
What would you pay for an IGI graded diamond with better specs at James Allen? $1,580. Beats even Szul’s questionable diamond on “clearance” sale.
James Allen wins again! I didn’t expect it to win on price in this uneven contest.
Szul got to get away with not even having a 3rd party lab grade. They just graded it themselves! Whereas James Allen’s diamond had to meet strict 3rd party grading. (From the IGI in this case.)
Plus, James Allen’s diamond is way better in cut quality.
But James Allen still wins, even on price alone. I have a new level of respect now.
How did they do it?
I helped. I chose lab-created diamonds to sort through.
Going for Lab Created there makes all the difference.
(For the thousandth time, and I do completely understand why everyone keeps asking, but YES, LAB CREATED DIAMONDS ARE 100% IDENTICAL TO EARTH CREATED DIAMONDS. They’re not fake. They’re real. 100% identical. They’re just made in a lab instead of made deep inside the earth. What great news, right?
They’re like farm grown blueberries vs. wild-gathered blueberries. Taste 100% the same.
(Possibly lab grown diamonds are generally better than earth mined diamonds, because labs can control conditions, whereas conditions deep inside the planet 3 billion years ago were … kind of random.)
This James Allen ring has an Ideal CUT QUALITY (consider that “Excellent” on the GIA scale), H color, and S12 clarity.
So the COLOR and CLARITY are the same as the Szul ring.
But the CUT QUALITY is hugely better. “Ideal” (means “Excellent” in the GIA’s scale) for James Allen’s diamond vs “Good” for Szul’s diamond. That’s the most important quality in a diamond. It determines how well it sparkles.
Even better, these specs are all judged and graded not by the merchant, as with the Szul diamond, but by a 3rd party diamond grading lab, the IGI (International Gemological Institute).
How to get this (or a very similar) deal at James Allen
Take these two steps:
- Select this setting.
- Go to the diamond sorter at James Allen and set your filters just as shown in this image (below).
Then just select one of the diamonds it serves up, and proceed to checkout.
Congratulations, you just avoided falling for a marketing trick.
You avoided falling for “73% off!” badges at Szul.
You avoided paying $1,600 for diamond which doesn’t even have a diamond grading report.
You got a much better diamond from James Allen, and saved money.
I should have known James Allen would win in the end. Here’s why:
Even highly experienced diamond shoppers such as myself can get (temporarily!) distracted by marketing tricks.
But when you know a go to source, in this case James Allen, which doesn’t mess around, which is transparent, which is set up to give the best price and the best service, based on their business model? Yeah you can know they’re almost 100% going to win every such contest of real value.
