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Overall Score:1.67 | | ||||
| Price:1.5 | | Selection:2 | | Customer Service: 1.5 | |
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| Cons |
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| Other Recommended Retailers |
The Background:
Christ Jewelers has a long and storied history and is a powerhouse in the German jewelry market. Established in Frankfurt 150 years ago by Wilhelm Alexander Christ, it has grown to a 210 stores that sell almost 400 million euros in jewelry each year. The overwhelming majority of their sales are not diamond engagement rings, but it’s still a formidable operation. The CHRIST Group, which operates the company, also owns retail jewelry and watch stores Brinckmann & Lange and VALMANO.
The Experience:
Walking into Christ was not exactly a luxurious or welcoming experience. The store is very dark and nobody offered us help. Even when we found a salesperson, the person didn’t offer us a place to sit. Considering we were shopping for a 10,000 euro diamond, you would think they would make us more comfortable. While writing this review, I asked Jenny (one of our consultants who joined me for the secret shopping) to describe the Christ experience. Her immediate response was “it felt like we were in a shoe store.” Not the greatest endorsement.
The sales assistant that helped us was not very helpful. She did not have much diamond knowledge and didn’t really guide at all. After looking at a few diamonds, the “best” choice was a 1.02ct H IF IGI certified round diamond in a 14kt white gold solitaire setting. The price was an eye-popping 10,599 euros.
Why you should trust us
To help you with the diamond buying process we lean on our expertise and experience. The author of this article, our CEO, Mike Fried has over 20 years of experience in the diamond industry. Mike started from the bottom, sorting and evaluating hundreds of thousands of diamonds to learn every facet (pun intended) of diamond quality and value. Mike followed that up by spending years buying and selling diamonds on the wholesale market as well as selling tens of millions of dollars worth of diamonds to diamond retailers.
Let’s start with the diamond before we discuss the value you are getting. First off the diamond had an IGI certificate which, as we explain in our post here, is not as strong as the industry standard. While it was likely an IF diamond, there was no way it was an H color. That said, the diamond was very nice; it was well cut, bright and eye-clean. It may be a nice diamond, but buying an IF clarity diamond is fundamentally poor value. You are wasting money on a diamond characteristic that doesn’t actually make the diamond look nicer. You can buy a VVS2 and it would be just as “eye-clean” as the IF. We explain this in our article on diamond clarity.
Deal Alert: Get 25% off engagement ring settings at Blue Nile!
The Value
Now on to the value, or lack thereof. Even ignoring the fact that you can find better value dropping in clarity, the price is way too high for a ring like that. Take a look at this pair: Here is a beautiful 1.01 I IF (GIA Certified) diamond from Blue Nile with a comparable 14kt white gold solitaire setting. The price for this ring is 6,393 euros.
You can get the exact same ring for 40% cheaper. What exactly is Christ offering for that money? The experience wasn’t pleasant, their service wasn’t helpful and the store didn’t leave us with a particularly luxurious feeling.
Bottom Line
You are getting far better value buying from Blue Nile or James Allen. Blue Nile has had a European office in Ireland since 2007, meaning you don’t have to worry about any additional taxes buying within the EU and there are no problems returning a diamond ring if it’s not to your liking (they have an excellent return policy). While some stores may offer some added value with their experience, Christ certainly wasn’t one of them.
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free International Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisals
- One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
- Free ring inscriptions
- Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Best-in-class packaging
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisal
- One free resizing within the first year of purchase
- High quality images of about half of their diamonds
- 24/7 Customer Service
- 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
- Best in class fulfillment
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