Blue Nile, which for years resisted selling lab-grown diamond engagement rings, is now offering them side-by-side with natural diamonds on its site.
Blue Nile has long sold lab-grown diamonds produced by De Beers’ Lightbox brand, but has, until now, not sold them for engagement rings.
The e-tailer was acquired by Signet in August.
Blue Nile’s inventory appears to be a little different than some of its competitors’. It seems to offering a large number of D-color diamonds, likely because they were produced with the high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) method, which is considered better at producing high-color diamonds than the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Most HPHT diamonds are grown in China.
While Blue Nile executives once said the site’s average sale was around $10,000, its lab-grown diamond selection includes many stones in the $1,000–$2,000 price range.
Blue Nile also appears to be selling them primarily with GIA reports, in keeping with its longstanding practice. Though GIA has been grading lab-grown diamonds since 2020, the leading lab for natural diamonds has not been widely embraced among lab-grown diamond companies.
It’s also not clear if lab-grown diamonds are subject to Blue Nile’s trade-in policy, which, it says, covers “All GIA or [AGS Lab-]graded natural and colorless diamonds purchased from Blue Nile.”
But it also says: “Upgrades are available on a like-for-like basis (e.g. lab grown for lab grown or natural for natural). Upgrading from natural to lab grown or vice-versa may be eligible on a case-by-case basis.”
Blue Nile’s trade-in policy “is being reviewed as well as part of integration and will likely be similar to James Allen’s,” a Signet spokesperson tells JCK.
James Allen’s trade-in policy covers both lab-grown and natural diamonds and can be seen here.
Photo © Blue Nile’s website.
