As a jewelry designer with eight years of experience I know firsthand that finding the right diamond can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be! Luckily, there are two companies that consistently make the process easier. That way, you can choose your diamond without having a full-blown panic attack.

Blue Nile and James Allen and both companies with massive inventories, competitive pricing, and strong reputations. However, shopping today isn’t just about what’s in stock, it´s about the full buying experience.  

So which one is better? The answer isn’t black and white. Let’s take a closer look at what actually sets them apart.

James Allen

James Allen was founded in 2006 and is owned by Signet Jewelers, it has an excellent reputation in terms of product and after-sales service.  It is one of the companies that revolutionized online diamond shopping with the 360° diamond view and high-resolution zooms.

Blue Nile

Blue Nile was founded in 1999 and in 2022, was acquired by Signet Jewelers, which means they’re actually a sister company to James Allen now. Even still, Blue Nile has been in the market for many years now and has one of the best reputations as a diamond seller.

Main Differences Between James Allen and Blue Nile

• Blue Nile has several physical stores across the United States, 23 in total. I consider that a pretty big advantage, especially if you have doubts about your purchase and you need to see the diamond or want to talk with an adviser. James Allen only has two physical locations, one in Washington DC and the other in New York. 
• This is a personal preference, but based on my experience browsing both sites, I like that the Blue Nile website is simpler and more direct. James Allen’s site is more cluttered. I could see people wasting a lot of time looking at every detail. 
• James Allen targets a younger audience, which is apparent throughout its website and social media. Meanwhile, Blue Nile targets a more sophisticated, middle-aged audience. That doesn’t mean they’ll check your age before allowing you to make a purchase, though! 
• As far as packaging goes, Blue Nile comes in an opaque blue box, while James Allen has a more luxurious satin red box. Which you think is the prettiest will depend on each person’s taste.
• If you’re set on buying a colored stone, I suggest you look at James Allen; their inventory of gemstones is larger, so you’ll have more options.
• As for the fine jewelry section, James Allen has 6,777 pieces ready for sale, while Blue Nile has 8,884.

James Allen Vs Blue Nile: Comparative Table

FEATURE	JAMES ALLEN	BLUE NILE
Diamonds	Over 194,659 natural diamonds and 112,444 lab grown diamonds	Over 167,575 natural diamonds and 107,625 lab grown diamonds
Colored stones	More than 23,000 colorful gemstones	6,655 gemstones
Pricing	Generally lower for loose diamonds, slightly higher for rings	Higher for loose diamond, lower for rings (both custom and ready to ship)
Website	360° view and High magnification of diamonds	360° view and High magnification of diamonds
Online Certificate	GIA / IGI/ AGS	GIA/ IGI
Shopping experience	Excellent graphics, videos, easy to understand	Excellent graphics, videos, easy to understand
Customer service	Customer service is available 24/7	Customer service is available 24/7
Return policy	Free 30-Day Returns	Free 30-Day Returns

 On the surface, both of these companies appear very similar. The decision to buy from James Allen or Blue Nile depends on a few details, let’s talk about them:

At the time of this writing, James Allen has the larger inventory of the two companies. You’ll have plenty of options available in your search for the perfect diamond.

Blue Nile’s inventory isn’t far behind. They currently offer around 50,000 fewer diamonds than James Allen, but still have an inventory of over 270,000. A much bigger selection than what you’d find in a regular jewelry store, but still smaller than James Allen’s.

The main difference between the two companies lies in the number of colored diamonds and gemstones, so if you are looking for a ruby, emerald, sapphire, or fancy-colored engagement ring, I recommend you start with James Allen, just because you’ll have more options to choose from. Even still, Blue Nile offers thousands of fancy-colored diamonds and gemstones to choose from as well. 

Both companies also offer huge selections of lab-grown diamonds, which I love. Today’s lab-grown diamonds are of excellent quality. You can only tell the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds if you have a certificate, but it’s impossible to tell with the naked eye. I consider them an excellent option since their price is much lower than a natural diamond, but the quality is supe

Pricing

One of the advantages of both companies is their competitive pricing. To accurately compare prices, I like to look at both companies’ solitaire rings, because It´s one of the most common ring settings. A regular 14k yellow solitaire from James Allen costs $1,400, while the same ring is $1,310 from Blue Nile. You´ll find the same story if you choose a platinum solitaire. One tip: don’t forget to look at both the diamond size/quality and the metal type when comparing prices. 

When it comes to common engagement ring styles like pavé or solitaire, Blue Nile’s rings were almost always priced better than James Allen’s, despite being the same quality and very similar designs. 

Both companies also offer free engraving, which I thought was a nice touch.

Diamond Images

A few years ago, the main difference between both online sites was their diamond images. Well…not any more. Blue Nile has caught up to James Allen with excellent product views, zoom capabilities, and a 360° view of the diamonds. This is super important because it means that you can see the diamond that you want to buy in high resolution as if you were looking at it with a microscope.  This is one of the reasons why I actually recommend that you shop diamonds online if you don´t have knowledge in diamonds, because that zoom view is something that you just won’t get when you buy in a regular store.

One tip: If you have no idea what to look for when you see a diamond, my advice is to pay attention to the table (largest flat top facet). You don´t want many clouds or inclusions there, because that can affect the shine of your diamond, and you don´t want that!

Customize Your Ring

In addition to their huge selections of jewelry, both companies offer the option to design your own ring. You choose the diamond, the head, the band, and the material. My favorite thing is that the sites show you how your design is coming along. That’s another advantage of buying online. You can see in real time how your design will look.

I tested both and if I had to choose, I’d say I liked James Allen’s more as a jewelry designer. It’s a bit faster at displaying designs, and felt more intuitive with how I work. I think Blue Nile might be a better option for amateur designers. They have features where they suggest the best settings/diamonds for what you’ve chosen so far, which can keep you from feeling overwhelmed. My advice would be to try it on both websites and decide which options you like the most.

A fun tip for designing your engagement ring: if you want the band to be in yellow or rose gold, designers will often make the head from white gold or platinum. This makes the diamond sparkle more and appear more crystal clear. Otherwise, your diamond might look yellowish.

Shopping Experience

Both companies have great web sites, as long as you have experience shopping online, you aren´t going to find any major difficulties. However, if you know anything about diamonds and jewelry, the number of diamonds and styles can be a little overwhelming. Luckily, both sites have great customer service available 24/7 that will help you clear up your doubts.

Guarantees

Both companies offer diamond certificates, which you can even view online before making your purchase. This is important because the only way to verify the authenticity of a diamond is with a certificate, which also confirms all of its characteristics. The most important certificate for natural diamonds is the one provided by GIA, and both companies offer it. I always recommend buying diamonds with a certificate issued by a recognized laboratory. It’s the only way to know if a diamond is natural or lab-grown.

Both brands also offer a full money-back return within 30 days of receiving the product. That means you don’t run any risk if what you ordered isn’t what you had in mind.

Which One Should You Choose

• If it’s your first time buying loose diamonds?  James Allen. Their charts and explanations about the qualities of diamonds are very easy to understand.
• If you want a simple web site to navigate? Blue Nile
• If you are going to buy an engagement ring? Blue Nile. Same quality, better prices.
• If you want a lab-grown diamond specifically? James Allen. More options to choose from.
• Which is safer if you don’t understand inclusions? Both, you just need to see the laboratory certificate. There is an illustration of the diamond that shows all of the inclusions.

Final Thoughts

After analyzing both companies and seeing their differences, it was apparent that these sister sites have a lot in common. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that either one is a good option when buying your jewelry, because both offer good quality, good customer service and both have an excellent reputation.

The difference between the two depends on what you value ​​most when making a purchase. If you’re someone who prefers having many options to analyze, likes to spend a lot of time researching something before buying, or wants to try many design options before deciding, then I would recommend James Allen.

But if you know that you want something more classic, an easy purchase, and a competitive price I’d probably lean towards Blue Nile.

Ultimately, the best option will be the one you choose. It all depends on the piece of jewelry you are looking for and on what elements you value most when making a purchase.

In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with either of them.