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Overall Score:2.83 | | ||||
Price:1.5 | | Selection:2 | | Customer Service: 5 | |
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The History
Of all the stores we’ve reviewed, Birks’ history is about as storied as you can get. Their roots go back a couple of centuries, with company founder Henry Birks opening their first store in 1879 in Montreal with a grand total of $3,000 in capital. The business has moved around a bit but settled on their location in Phillips Square a couple years later and have been there ever since.
Birks slowly expanded and their reputation burgeoned throughout the 1900s. Like Tiffany & Co, Birks was known for their signature blue box. In 1993, Jonathan Birks sold the family business to the Italian investment company Regaluxe Group.
Now 140 years later, under the name Maison Birks, they now operate 28 stores around Canada. Some are freestanding boutiques, while others are mall locations.
The Experience
Jenny and I spent the afternoon strolling around Square One Mall in the suburbs of Toronto. Just around the corner from a Starbucks, we saw Maison Birks. Now there is no doubt that there is a mall feel to the experience, but Birks genuinely makes an effort to give that homey standalone store feel. The store had a very nice entrance and a calm interior.
Once inside, the staff immediately descended on us. They were incredibly friendly (at first I thought that was just a Canadian thing but, after visiting several stores afterwards, their friendliness stood out) and eager to help.
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.
We started chatting about diamonds and rings. The sales rep was a bit confusing when explaining the certification process, but she asked the store manager to step in and he clarified that every diamond in the store had a GIA certificate.
Deal Alert: Get 25% off engagement ring settings at Blue Nile! (valid until May 6th)
The Product
Birks does not have the widest selection of settings but their quality is impeccable, both when it comes to settings and to diamonds. We looked at two diamonds in a solitaire setting. The first one was a 1.06 I SI2 Excellent cut round diamond for C$13,000. The cut was just a tad off (I’d like to see a lower depth), but it was a brilliant diamond and it was eye-clean.
The second diamond we saw was a gorgeous 1.01 I VS2 excellent cut for C$15,000. I loved the look of this diamond. It was also eye-clean and a bit more brilliant.
The Value
The diamonds were excellent choices and the ring was very nice, but the price seems too high for me. Here is a comparable setting from Blue Nile for C$1,574. I also tried to find some comparable diamonds. Here is a 1.06ct G SI2 from Blue Nile that has similar specs. If you add this diamond to the ring, the price comes out to just under C$8,000. That is a significant savings.
The difference is more pronounced when you look at this 1.01 I VVS2 excellent cut from Blue Nile. Add that to the ring and you come in at C$8,569. This diamond is superior in quality to the I VS2 from Birks and it costs almost 40% less.
Bottom Line Recommendation
For a mall store, Birks offers a great experience and outstanding quality. I don’t think the price is particularly unreasonable. You will not be disappointed by the product. But if you have no particular preference for buying in their store, you can save about 40% by purchasing from Blue Nile.
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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