Why you (and many) love to compare these two stores

It’s natural that you’re asking whether Zales or Kay Jewelers is the best jewelry store. We’re uber familiar with them. And with others such as Jared, and Tiffany.

They do a lot of advertising. And they occupy a lot of real estate in shopping districts and shopping malls.

But I have the only correct answer for you in the year 2020, to this question about Kay or Zales (or these others): Neither. None of the above.

You’re going to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars after reading this

(It’s not that hard). You’ll see how easy it is. All based on what you’ll learn here in this article.

Here’s why the answer is … “Neither. None of the above.” … when it comes to brick and mortar diamond jewelry sales:

1. You shouldn’t have to overpay for diamond jewelry, based on branding.
2. The only diamonds really worth buying are graded by 3rd party, unbiased labs such as the GIA, the IGI, and the AGS.

Basic facts about Zales

Zales has been around for about 100 years. Established in 1924, they pioneered locating jewelry stores in shopping districts, and eventually malls, beginning in the 1950s.

That’s essentially what has made them a household name. You’re familiar with them because you’ve seen them in shopping districts since the time you were a kid.

But does that mean they’re the best option for buying diamond jewelry nearly 100 years later? When Amazon and other online retailers have revolutionized shopping for the consumer. Nope. They are not the best option for most people. And I’ll make my case easily below.

Zales’ diamond quality / their grading lab

Most of Zales’ diamonds are graded by the IGI.

That’s fine. BUT, I share the opinion of many people that the IGI is slightly inferior to the GIA and AGS as a diamond grading lab.

In other words, I believe that the IGI (International Gemological Institute) grades diamonds a little easier than do the GIA (Gemological Institute of America, which is the best) and the AGS (American Gemological Association).

That would explain why you might see an IGI-graded diamond priced for less than a GIA-graded diamond with the “same” basic grades.

Zales’ price offerings

Zales prices diamonds for budget shoppers. (But there are much better options for saving money as a budget shopper for diamond jewelry.)

That doesn’t mean they offer the best deals. (And even wealthy people prefer to get deals. Even as a budget shopper, there is a better way to get a budget diamond. And it’s the same way wealthy people get a good deal on an expensive diamond.)

Basic facts about Kay Jewelers

Kay was also formed about a century ago, in 1916.

Kay also has a strategy of occupying as many brick and mortar shopping districts and malls as possible.

They also have worked on your psychology by showing up in your eyesight many times, in real life, in your comings and goings, since you were a kid.

Same strategy.

Not surprising since (ummm) they are owned by the same company.

Yup, Zales and Kay are owned by the same company.

Kay’s diamond quality / grading lab

Most of Kay’s diamonds are also graded by the IGI. (Not surprising, since they’re owned by the same company as owns Zales.)

All the same comments apply here.

Having the IGI grade your diamonds is better than having no independent lab grade them at all, like Tiffany. (Yes, that’s right. I’ve only ever seen Tiffany grade their own diamonds, rather than subject them to independent, unbiased grading labs.)

So that’s good. The IGI grades many of Kay’s diamonds. But I share the opinion of many people: GIA and AGS diamond reports are slightly more trustworthy.

But no big deal. I don’t mean to overstate any difference I perceive between IGI and GIA/AGS grades.

The main difference in price will be found in a new business model. A business model for the 21st Century. Not one from the 20th Century. I’ll spell it out below.

And I’ll show you exactly how much money you can save, in concrete terms, comparing a diamond from Kay/Zales to an equivalent or better one from James Allen.

Kay’s price offerings

Kay’s prices diamonds for middle-income to wealthy shoppers. Meaning, their prices are shifted a bit higher than Zales.

This makes sense, right? I mean, they’re owned by the same company. So it makes sense they would construct two different buying experiences that overlap: Zales for budget to middle income, and Kay for middle income to wealthy.

(But again, I’ll show you much better options for saving money at any income level, shopping for diamond jewelry.)

I said the answer to Kay vs Zales is: Neither. Now I’ll prove it with screen shots of price and quality comparison.

Now I’m going to take a diamond engagement ring from Kay. And I’ll compare it to any equivalent that I’ll search for at Zales. (Unsure I’ll find one. But it doesn’t matter and here’s why … )

Then I’ll compare the Kay/Zales diamond(s) to an engagement ring at, you guessed it, James Allen.

And you’re going to be blown away at the better objective quality and the far better price.

I love doing these comparisons. You’ll see why right now.

The Kay Jeweler’s 1-Carat “Certified” Cushion Cut Diamond Engagement Ring in 14K White Gold for $3,539

You can see this Kay Jewelers ring live here.

This ring is “certified”, but I searched hard and didn’t see what lab certifies it. Let’s assume that it’s IGI or GIA, for comparison’s sake. (Don’t assume that if you’re actually buying it. It could be “certified” by some not well respected lab. You won’t know unless you ask. But frankly, not making it clear, up front and center, is a red flag for any experienced diamond shopper. What lab certifies a diamond should be plain.

COLOR: I

CLARITY: I1

CUT QUALITY: Not graded. Which is normal for a Cushion Cut diamond. (The only cut shape which is graded for cut quality by most 3rd-party diamond grading labs is Round Brilliant Cut. Yep. Believe it or not.)

Now look at James Allen’s offer of a ring with better color and an industry standard GIA diamond grading report. Price? $1,740.

You can easily build an identical ring at James Allen in two steps:

1. Start here, with that setting.
2. Add a diamond after sliding your diamond filter sliders as shown in the image below. (The link automatically opens with these filters set. You’re welcome!)

Notice, below, the product page for this diamond. It’s from James Allen, so the lab which graded the diamond is easily findable. Of course, it’s the GIA. Nice.

You may wonder: Ok, James Allen blows away Kay. What about Zales?

The answer is: Yeah, sorry. Of course James Allen blows away Zales too.

James Allen’s business model makes their pricing possible. They don’t do many brick and mortar stores, and all that that costs.

Instead, they put their investments into scalable advantages such as 3D imaging of diamonds. And customer service in their Internet business model.

Here’s what Zales’ price of the same quality ring looks like: $3,179.

Notice that the diamond ring at Zales (pictured below) has the same COLOR of I, which isn’t a great grade anyway. And the CLARITY is I1, which is not a great clarity grade either.

So this is basically the same quality ring that we looked at at Kay.

What lab graded this Zales diamond? GIA? IGI? AGS? Well … None, that I could find on that product page. So, Zales may have “graded themselves” on this diamond. Which would give it even more red flags.

(I’m writing this article as a price comparison of Zales vs Kay vs the real winner, James Allen. Not as a recommendation for any of these rings, exactly.)

So, the question “Kay vs Zales, Which is the best jewelry store?” … Has an unexpected/expected answer: Neither. James Allen is the best, backed by the numbers.

What I’ve shown you in plain numbers above is:

James Allen has a better diamond ring (better color, in this case) for at least $1,439 less than either Kay or Zales.

Yes, it’s the same or better. There’s no catch. The difference in price reflects the differences in cost between the two business models.

Kay and Zales have to pay a lot of rent in shopping districts. James Allen does not. It’s similar to the difference between a big box store and Amazon.

I’ve done a LOT of diamond comparison shopping over the years. And James Allen wins almost every time.

Did I just cherry-pick these comparisons from Zales vs Kay vs James to make James Allen look good? No. Here’s proof after proof.

You might think I cherry picked the offers on this page just to make James Allen look good. But James Allen vs Zales vs Kay comes out on top time after time. In both quality and price.

Time after time, James Allen offers a better diamond for a lower price.

They can do it because they’ve built an online diamond retailing site from the ground up. Without the expense of brick and mortar locations. Without the expense of even winding down brick and mortar locations.

I’ll now prove it. Look at all the Kay Jewelers rings I’ve compared.

And look at all the Zales rings I’ve compared.