I was wondering if anyone had any experience buying jewelry off of
www.jamesallen.com, www.bluenile.com, or www.debebians.com. I'd appreciate any thoughts about how reliable they are as far as value and customer service, particularly for an expensive purchase.

Thanks!

I've heard good things about bluenile but have never ordered from them. Best thing to do is check out the return policy.

They do all have good return policies, which is a must for sure.

My husband ordered my engagement ring from Blue Nile, almost 5 years ago. They were great. He ordered it in the wrong size (my fault!), and when we called, they said we could mail it back and they'd resize it and send it back to us. We didn't do that because we were overseas at the time and it would take FOREVER with military mail to get it, and I wanted to show it off at a work conference I was attending. But we were pleased with the purchase!!

I don't know how expensive the ring was, but it was at least 4 digits!! He got the appraisal paperwork, and it showed that it was appraised for more than he paid for it, so it was a good deal.

Bottom line: I would recommend Blue Nile! (at least, if they haven't changed in the past 5 years!)

I bought most of my Christmas gifts from bidz.com. it's an auction site, but unlike ebay, it's in real time and you can sit and watch the numbers change every 10 seconds. Heck, it was SO entertaining! My daughter and I watched one for over an hour as it went from $10 to $4000! (It was a $20K necklace). I was very happy with the pieces when they arrvied.

I have never bought from those listed, but I do buy from GEMSTV online. http://www.gemstv.com/home2.htm. I have never had any problems with their jewelry and their return policy rocks. They give you one month to have it looked at by a local jeweler and decide if you want it. If not you can return it with no problems.

I've not used any of the ones you've mentioned, but I have purchased multiple times through :

http://www.ross-simons.com/

I've always had an excellent experience with them!