The best online source for your diamond needs
Buying online can be intimidating especially when the purchase is very large. I went to several local jewelers, but most of them weren't willing to lower their typical large commisions on diamond sales since this has been their traditional bread and butter. With the amazing amount of choices of diamonds that the local jeweler didn't have access to (I purchased a 1.88 which is more difficult to find) and the fact that the Internet has made diamonds more of a commodity, I couldn't fathom buying locally. Also local jewelers seemingly tried to sell everything based on color, clarity and size and left out the cut; I honestly believe that proportions are one of the most critical aspects of a diamond. Out of all of the online retailers I picked Union Diamond for several reasons. First off, their prices were on the lower side (i.e. lower than Blue Nile which is what many other online retailers are rated against) and since Union Diamond is out of state for me, I was able to save ~8% over a local jeweler. The second was the sheer volume of business that Union Diamond does. This is reassuring since I know that they will be around for a long time to come and may want to take them up on their buy-back upgrade policy. Chances are I'll never take advantage of it, but it's very comforting to know that they stand behind their diamonds. Union Diamond also had one of the longer return policies that actually make it possible to get the diamond and have it inspected (30 days). Even the mountings were less expensive than Blue Nile which was important since I could get a insurance policy prior to picking out the final engagement ring.While I don't plan to purchase another one as large as this anytime soon, I plan on going back to Union Diamond for my smaller needs. I think in the future, people will compare online retailers to Union Diamond vs. Blue Nile. To be honest, Blue Nile's signature series I feel are outside the boundries of a signature cut and yet there's a premium for it. It helps to know what you are looking for and that might require a lot of research, but trust me, buy online from Union Diamond, you will not regret it!

wonderful service
My (now) husband purchased my engagement ring from Union Diamond. The representative Tony Rixom was so professional and helpful; especially as we live in Germany but flying to L.A. on holiday for the actual proposal. It was sent to my best friend in CA without incident. And when the ring was a bit too large, we sent it back to be sized and it was promptly returned in 36 hours (and we only had to pay to ship it to them!) All the paperwork was in order and Tony suggested the most beautiful setting. We did not feel pressured to go beyond our budget. We had never purchased anything like this over the net. They made it a great experience. My ring is exactly what I wanted- tasteful and elegant.

The place I wanted to find
When I stated the process of shopping for an engagement ring I first became educated on diamond shopping, and visited the local stores and a few online jewelers, I then found Union Diamonds and the help of their Director of Sales, Barbara. Besides their amazing selection which helped a then student on a budget find an uncommon cut, Asscher, with all the parameters of quality I was looking for, and disregarding their vast selection for those of us who are millionaires and those of us who are not, and the fact that the local stores, both big chains and mom and pop couldn't beat their prices, their service is what really was remarkable.I found Union Diamond only a week before leaving for Marine boot camp, and having found 3 diamonds that could work, I called in to have a few questions answered and help me select a ring. From her advice, looking only at the certificate, she recommended 1 of the 3, but the stone was in California, and I had to go to boot camp. That said, the decision of clarity and making sure everything was accurate and in order was left up to her. If it wasn't what I asked for, she wouldn't have told my mother, who was in control of my money, as I was at boot camp, to buy it. It was Barbara's decision whether or not it was the stone I was looking for, and I was comfortable with that because she is so obviously caring and trustworthy in a occupational field that could use more people like her.Long story short, Barbara made it happen with a diamond that was right so that after boot camp, I could ask my loved one to marry me. That is service, that's Union Diamond.

Thanks Barbara!!!
I purchased a 1ct, G, SI1, Ideal cut from Barbara Palumbo. What initial brought me to Union Diamonds is their significantly lower prices compared to local jewelers and even the other internet retailers. At first, like most people I was very skeptical and hesitant to purchase such an expensive item on the internet without seeing it in person first, and the prices were so much lower, that my first reaction was this could not be legitimate, but I was very wrong. Prior to calling UD, I did a great deal of research on the internet learning about diamonds and visited several local jewelers. When I visited the Local Jewelers, especially one in particular, they made me feel like I was buying car. The prices were greatly inflated, they tried to push me into something more expensive, rushed me, and it was all the typical car salesman tactics. When I did call UD, Barbara, a sales representative at Union Diamonds was wonderful. I was so impressed with Barbara customer service. She was very informative, patient, gave honest feedback, I never felt rush and she never tried to push me into purchasing something more expensive. She made me feel very comfortable. Also, I got the feeling she was trying to get me the best diamond for my money. After I made a decision on which diamond and setting I wanted, which was on a Thursday evening, the ring was scheduled to arrive on the following Monday, but Barbara, with no charge, delivered it on Saturday, two days earlier. Once I received the ring, I was so impressed and satisfied with the quality. I took the ring to a local jeweler for an appraisal, and the jeweler was shocked when I told him the price I paid for the ring. I also showed him the appraisal that was provided by Union Diamonds, which was the retail price, which was for $1,900 more than what I paid for it. He told me I got a great price, and with the GIA laser inscribed certification number on the diamond, which we viewed and matched up to the certificate, and his measurements, he told me that this was definitely the diamond on the certification, and a full appraisal was unnecessary, that the one Union Diamonds provided was accurate and could be used for insurance purposes. Then on Monday, Barbara contacted me to follow up. Barbara provided only first class service and I would recommend to anyone, if you are purchasing a diamond, expensive or inexpensive, give Barbara a call, because once you do, you are going to get the best service and price. Thanks Barbara:

Very Happy with our Union Diamond Engagment Ring
First off I'd like to thank Barbara our customer rep from Union Diamond. During the whole process she was so patient and helpful. She always replied to our emails and phone calls in an calming and friendly manner. Given the fact that making such a purchase online could be a little nerve wrenching she did everything to ease our concerns and put everything in writing so we could fully understand all of their policies and our options. We were blown away by the beauty of the ring that arrived. Seeing the diamonds sparkle in the light only one world came out of my mouth...WOW! Also having the ring independently appraised put any concerns to rest. The center diamond met all the grades given by the GIA certification and the ring in total appraised for about 40% more than my purchase price. I'm 100% happy with my purchase and would recommmend anyone looking for a quality engagment ring to not hesitate in using Union Diamond (www.uniondiamonds.com) Thanks again Union Diamond you made my lovely lady very very happy.