Zales Diamond Engagement Rings Review
Screenshot of Zales.com – The Diamond Store
Today, we will be doing a review of Zales.com; the online branch of well-known Zale Corporation. Back in 1998, the online store was launched to help the company build a presence in Internet e-commerce.
Fast forward 17 years into 2014, Zales.com online business is expanding and offers an extremely wide range of services. They can be considered as a pioneer of contemporary and social ideas in the online diamond trade.
Zales.com brings together the world of professional jewelry with the world of people whose eyes will shine when they see the “budget” label. While they seem to be the obvious choice for many bargain shoppers, Zales may not be the correct fit for many others.
Let us take a look at what’s in the package and decide whether Zales.com is a place where you should buy your next piece of diamond jewelry or not!
Examining The Features And Services Provided
Before I get started with the long list of negative points about Zales, let’s first talk about the positive aspects of Zales since there are only a few in my opinion.
I must say that the range of services provided by Zales is applaudable. From diamond engagement rings to branded watches, there is a wide range of fine jewelry available for both men and women. Surprisingly, Zales also has a well-designed and usable mobile version of their website.
As you fine-tune your search criteria to a level where every single parameter is customized specifically to your needs, it would please you to know there are still dozens of products and available options to choose from.
When it comes to customer services, they also provide a number of methods in which you can get in touch with them for support. They have a toll free number which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you prefer textual communication, you can also write to them via e-mail.
Or if you prefer, you can get in touch with them through their Facebook or Twitter profile pages or leave a comment on their blog. Yes, Zales is an up-to-date business and they use social media as a form of marketing as well as a feedback channel.
Zales.com’s Policies, Shipping & Returns
Lots of generic, mass-produced ring setting designs to choose from.
In terms of financing, Zales provides everything that most of their competitors offer, and more. While I am personally not a fan of buying luxury products on credit and end up paying unnecessary interests, some of you might still be interested to explore this option. You can get more details on their credit services page.
You would typically get free shipping for purchases and they also have a unique, 60 day return policy which is way more generous than many of their competitors. What that means is that if you order something online, you will get it at your door without paying any shipping fees and be able to try it out for more than two months.
For any reason you are not satisfied with the purchase, you will be refunded without any questions asked as long as their return terms and conditions are met.
How the Typical Zale Customer Might Look Like
Zales.com is everything but elitist. Their modern edge reveals that their target market includes typical users of social media networks. Also, the fact that they are providing “huge discounts” on several of their items proves that they are not willing to catch the eyes of opulent executives.
That said, they do offer some extravagant designs even though the majority of listings consist of varied pieces in the lower price ranges. The middle class young man whose lifelong dream was buying a diamond engagement ring for his chosen one might make Zales.com seem like a perfect choice for him. However, the pretentious mogul might find services better fitted for his empyrean budget at other places.
To a seasoned jewelry buyer like myself, I know that good quality diamonds are NEVER on sale. So, here’s the most important question for diamond ring shoppers…
How does the quality of their diamond engagement rings fare?
Buyer Beware! You Better Read The Fine Print And Check Details
Generally, when it comes to buying diamonds, unbelievably low prices guarantee garbage quality. You see, high quality diamonds are never on sale because traders and consumers are willing to pay more for them.
So, let’s review some of the engagement ring product listings from Zales.com and you will begin to understand why they can offer seemingly “low prices”.
1-1/2 CT. T.W. Diamond Frame Double Row Engagement Ring in 14K White Gold
I want to bring to your attention that the majority of the diamonds used in their pre-set engagement rings are not graded by a reliable lab like GIA or AGS. To make matters worse, the listings actually have really bad clarity ratings to begin with.
In case you don’t know yet, the beautiful image you see on the left is NOT a correct representation of the jewelry piece. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you are getting what you see because an I1-I2 diamond is going to look really nasty with lots of inclusions.
This is the real reason why Zales diamonds are so cheap. And of course, Zales protects themselves from legal trouble by indicating in their fine print that “the merchandise may not always be exactly as pictured”.
Do you see the large flawless diamond set in the ring? Sorry, you are NOT receiving that in reality…
Here’s How Diamonds Graded By GIA as I1 and I2 Look Like In Real Life
Do you fancy yourself buying and presenting an engagement ring to a loved one with the diamonds shown above? Now, these diamonds are graded by GIA as I1 and I2 respectively.
Could you imagine how much worse the diamonds in Zale’s engagement rings will look like when their diamonds aren’t even certified by a proper source?
Zales Signature “Celebration” Diamond Cuts
By now, you probably know that the default Zales pre-set diamond rings aren’t a great idea since you won’t know what you are getting exactly. Brace yourself, there’s even more to come…
Did you know that Zales has a line of signature diamonds they labeled with a “Celebration” brand name? With bold claims of creating “the most brilliant diamond in the world”, Zales has touted its horn loudly in that statement.
Is this really true? Well, we performed an in-depth review of the 3 different Celebration diamond cuts and weren’t impressed at all. Find out why on the next page…
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27 Comments
I did some googling and found that most complaints that Zales received were with regards to their diamond rings, earrings and watches. Would you have any idea about Zales’s wedding rings sets? Are they any good? I saw a couple of designs that I liked and am interesting in getting.
Lastly, what do you think of the Zales lifetime diamond commitment program?
https://www.zales.com/in-store-services
Most of Zales’s bridal sets are made up of diamonds which aren’t “certified”. For the others that do have some sort of “certification”, you need to bear in mind that not all certificates and documents are the same. I’m definitely not a fan and I would recommend buying diamonds with GIA grading reports.
The lifetime diamond commitment program is a very typical form of after sales service that many other jewelers provide for free. Really, it’s nothing special.
Zales will tell you if you open an account you will get no annual fee and no interest for 6 months. When you get the bill there will be a $10. fee for this. They do not tell you about the fee when they push you into this promotion. i would have paid cash to avoid this fee. ZALES SUCKS
Avoid like the plague. I ordered an Aquamarine set of ring, earrings and necklace. The necklace and earrings looked like aquamarine. The ring looked like a piece of foggy grey sea glass. I took it to two jewelers; Michaels and Ross-Simmons. They both advised it was NOT aquamarine. I called to complain about it, but the 1st person “Darryl” and his Supervisor “Janet” and then the Manager all went on to say that they could not NOTHING about it. Got some cheap sea glass from them. Run Away.
I purchased a sizing of a ring that’s been in my family for over fifty years. They lost the wedding band. I was devastated. They said they would replace it but it’s about the fact that they were careless enough to lose the ring. I wouldn’t send anyone to zales and I will never be a customer again. If i were you I would stay away.
I cannot even begin to tell you how TERRIBLE Zales is as a company!!!!!! I have purchased 5 different pieces of jewelry from them and 2 of those items had to be totally replaced, one burned up in house fire, one was just a man’s wedding band with no stones, and the other one just happens to have stones that have not fell out yet (We haven’t had it long though). This company sells warranties for many pieces of jewelry that they know are un-repairable. That means if you are buying a warranty on a piece of jewelry that you really like, chances are that if a stone falls out, they will hold on to your jewelry as if they are going to fix it but then call you to let you know that the jewelry cannot be fixed but they can give you a one time replacement. This now means that if you want a warranty on the new piece of jewelry you have to buy another warranty!! Zales truly does not care about their customers. Before writing this review, I called Zales guest services 6 times after being lied to from the manager and district manager. I don’t have time to write my whole experience right now, but know that I gave Zales many, many opportunities to fix the problem that I have. Please feel free to message me for the details though or wait for me to finish my review when I have more time. Bottom line is that Zales is a lying company that sells terrible warranties and junk jewelry. I will be writing to local papers, online sites, and even my local news stations with a full review of my experiences with Zales, especially the one I am currently going through. Zales fooled me once but they aren’t ever going to fool me again and I am going to let as many people know as I can!
Warranties, repairs and policies can sometimes be misunderstood or conveyed wrongly. I don’t want to take sides here without knowing the full story but it seems like Zales is honoring its warranty policy for the repairs and had replaced the jewelry when they deemed it “irreparable”. With a new replacement and getting a new warranty on it, you really have to speak to Zales on what their policies are. It does seem weird that the consumer is expected to buy a “new” warranty for the replacement. Good luck!
Just had a battery replaced in a watch at Village Mall in Auburn AL. Can you believe that they can’t even replace a battery without screwing things up. I carried the watch to the store yesterday and the clerk asked me if I minded waiting for about 30 minutes. I told her “no, I didn’t mind. When I went back to the store, they were closing and they had shut down the registers. She said that I could pick it up the following day with no charge. I picked it up today, and didn’t inspect it. I just looked at it a moment ago and the band is broken. One of the screws is missing. I’m afraid to go back to get it repaired. They might screw something else up. I’m looking at all of these horrible reviews. I will never go back to that store for any reason. The worst part is they were deceptive. I would have felt much better if they had owned up to breaking the band.
I had my first and my LAST experience just recently. I got an amethyst ring for myself for Christmas the day before Thanksgiving. Since they didn’t have it in my size, they had to resize the ring. It took 3 weeks to get the ring back. The very next day after the ring was picked up, a stone fell out of it. I called and complained and they said they would replace the stone for free. I bought the ring back and I was told it would be another 3 weeks to get the stone fixed. Just 2 days before my ring was supposed to come back, they call and said the stone is on backorder and that it would be another 3 weeks to get my ring back. At that point, I said I was done and requested a refund. I got a refund, but am SO disgusted with this store. It is mid-January and I still never got my ring. Zales, you have lost my business FOREVER and I will tell everyone I know (and I know a LOT of people) to NEVER, EVER buy from Zales. Ugh, what a miserable experience!! This was the store in Manassas, VA.
In Zales’s defense, they do not hide the fact of what the clarity grade is on a diamond. Is zales good quality? They never claimed they are. People need to read the description before making a purchase. Are they over priced? I think most jewelers are, but not all, although they are few and far between. Personally, anyone that buys a diamond ring on line is taking a risk of not being happy, although you can return it within two months. People just need to put their computers, tablets and cell phones down and drive themselves to a jeweler and pick one out in person. As far as the financing, I use it often and as long as I make my payments on time, I do not get charged any interest. The small fee is not an issue for me and is a LOT better then paying the interest. The financing is also offered in store as well and you are always told about the fee. I also like their diamond warranty they give you for free is the item is over $250. I shop at two different Zales stores in my area and have never had an issue. I just know what I am looking for and I educate myself about anything I am shopping for before I even shop. Education is the key.
In reading some of the comments here, I can understand being upset about a family ring going MIA when sending it out for sizing, but seriously why would you have done that in the first place with a ring with so much emotional attachment. Always find a jeweler (and they are out there) that does sizing on premise. They are usually family owned jewelers and if they are not too busy you can even watch them do the sizing. I am in the Phila area. Three weeks for sizing if it is sent out is the average for jewelers around here that do not size on premise. Also another review about waiting weeks to order a stone that fell out is also the norm since they are imported over seas these days in most cases. I myself recommend Zales to people I know and I prefer them over Kay and Jared which are basically the same company.
Jim Burke. Your story seems fishy to me since Zales has a 60 day return policy and would have taken the sea glass back without question. Next you will say that you waited until you had it over two months before taking it to the other jewelers. I have returned items and have never had an issue. You can even return an on line item to the store for the refund and even then, no questions asked as long as you have your receipt and ID. Obviously I like Zales, but I just don’t buy your story.
Reene,I have to say I concur with your comments.I’m in Canada where Peoples Jewellers is our counterpart for Zales. So far I have had very good service from them and I too “use” their financing.But….I have noticed discrepancies between grading reports and receipts regarding cut and carat tw. I noticed this when we took my wife’s rings in for rhodium replating..which was done without any hitches at all..They sales rep says she’ll get me some answers on this. One really needs to look over all paperwork carefully.I bought “Canadian diamonds” and they are laser inscribed so you can trace them back to the mine but peoples is unable to tell me how this is done….interesting. Paul maybe you have some insight here? Research tells me that Signet and Sterling Jewellers own Zales and Peoples and Kays and and and….They do business with DeBeers and are based in the Bahamas.
I was very sickened when I saw a commercial by Zales jewelry. It contained two females getting married. I will not be a customer for Zales nor any of its affiliates. If they want to endorse that immoral lifestyle then that will be on them on the day of judgement. But as for me they will not get a dime of my money for my up and coming wedding.
I don’t have issues with same-sex marriage. If you do, you will probably not like this as well: http://time.com/3662955/tiffany-gay-ad/
Put husbands wedding ring on layaway (paid off in 2 payments). Was given wrong ring in the wrong size. Original ring was no where to be found. The employees are not the brightest either.
10 years ago , after my ring was sized and ready for pick up, they tried to give me the wrong ring.
Definitely shop elsewhere. We will never do business with Zales again
They will ruin your credit, I paid 10 times more then the required payment and paid early. Got charged with a late fee, lowered our credit line and of course they turned it in to the credit bureau. When you pay $275.00 or $ 225.00 or even the $150.00 instead of the $25.00 they have the nerve of saying I’m “Late”.. They are in NO rush to even help you in Customer services or Corp. Office.
It was paid off ahead of time, so I am worried just what else they will do and lie. They Will TAKE your money and RUIN Your Credit, BEWARE CAUSE THEY ARE CROOKED…. ):
Maybe we should start a Class Action Lawsuit??
I believe that I would have a strong case for making larger payments and paying off early would stand up in court. Any one want to try or have any other input???
My one month old ring from zales in grapevine was only on my finger for one week. I sent it back be sized correctly after the wedding which is what they advised me to do since it couldn’t be made in time. They call me after 2 weeks and say the ring was damaged and could not be repaired “DAMAGED” I replied. How could it be damaged? They explained the white gold had come off of the yellow gold. I was pissed because we spent over $800 on this ring. I told them I want the original ring fixed and not replaced. The store manager was confused because she thought what’s the big deal!? I explained the big deal was that my wife put this ring on my finger not one your gonna replace it with that looks the same. So she calls the district manager and he said that he is going to get the original ring fixed correctly and give me a 50 dollar gift card. (At this point I wouldn’t even want this damn gift card because I’ll never do business with them again unless they fix it right). So I get a call today and the rings in, which makes no sense because it was supposed to take multiple weeks to be fixed so I’m 99% sure they just replaced it. Maybe, maybe not. Anyways when I asked her to check it over on the phone she said it looks lop sided. At this point I’m pretty upset.
I will never do business with Zales ever again. It takes 3 business days to process an online order. But that still isn’t a guarantee that the diamond will ship on the 3rd day. It still hasn’t shipped. I ordered a ring that will need resized once it reaches my local store. I have to physically accept the ring and hand it right back to them to have it resized. It’s an unnecessary trip that should be able to be done over the phone. Now they have me in a bind even though I ordered almost two weeks before I needed it.
To be fair (I’m not defending Zales here), 3 business days is a reasonable time for them to manufacture or call in the diamond from their supplier to build the ring. I’m not sure what was communicated between you and Zales but delivery times should be stated clearly at the point of purchase.
Secondly, I’m not sure why there is a need to get the ring resized if the order to craft the ring was made with the correct finger size in the first place. It just doesn’t make sense to be shopping for a ring that needs to be resized when it is brand new. Perhaps you want to shed more light on this.
Missing package and WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE
BUYER BEWARE ONLY FIVE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!
BEEN OVER 10 DAYS NOW AND STILL NO RESPONSE.
YET ANOTHER WITHOUT ANY CONTACT. GOT THE SAME ANSWER THAT ANYONE ELSE WHO COMPLAINED GO! SORRY WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS WE CAN. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE DECEMBER 9. I’LL KEEP POSTING THIS UNTIL I GET RESULTS!
STILL HAVE NOT CONTACTED ME AS PROMISED. i WILL KEEP POSTING THIS UNTIL I GET AN ANSWER!
BUYERS BEWARE…..WARNING! WARING! WARING!
ZALES THE DIAMOND STORE IS THE BIGGEST RIP OFF EVER!
500+% MARK UP. THEY ALSO STAND BEHIND THEIR WARRANTY. WAY BEHIND. IF YOU DON’T FOLLOW THEIR RULES EXACTLY WARRANTY IS VOID. “THAT IS JUST POLICY” HERE’S OUR STORY SAD BUT TRUE!
My grandson, who is in the Marines, purchase an engagement ring from the local Zales in San Diego last Dec. He then got deployed and spent the next seven months on a ship. I kept the ring safe until he returned to get married. But the wedding was canceled. We tried to return the ring through Zales, but their RETURN POLICY is 60 days! No matter what! “JUST POLICY”
So we had the ring appraised by two reputable independent stores, who both said the ring is worth about $800 and Zales cost was about $350-$500. He paid $2499 for it. The best that we could get from them was $350 to $400. Both noticed that a small stone was missing, probably happened when Zales cleaned the ring.
Called Zales again about the missing stone, no problem it’s covered under warranty. But sorry, you must have the ring checked and cleaned by Zales every six months otherwise the WARRANTY is VOID. It’s “JUST POLICY”. We explained that it would have been hard to have the ring cleaned because the ship does not have a Zales on board! This ring has never been on a finger!
Now comes the real good news. On January 1 his balloon payment is due or start paying 24% interest on the balance plus the accrued interest of $600.
BUYERS BEWARE!
HARD LESSON LEARNED BY A YOUNG MARINE!
Bill, I’m not trying to pour salt into open wounds nor am I siding them. The return policy from Zales is actually pretty generous as it is a 60 day refund period. If this scenario happened in any other retailer or business, the outcome would likely be the same barring; goodwill from store owners. Once an item is beyond the refund period, the “liability” to take back the product will end.
Price wise, I would agree that Zales is expensive and that’s how things are for most jewelry retailers who are running physical stores. And that’s one of the reasons why I don’t shop in physical brick and mortar stores and avoid big brands who place premiums on their goods.
To address the next part on the missing melee diamond and to be clear, I have no love for the craftsmanship work on their settings. The warranty was stated clearly and if it is voided because you didn’t bring in the jewelry piece for a bi-annual checkup, then they actually have the right to charge you for a repair and not perform it for free. Was this option made to you?
That said, reliable vendors in the business who are in it for the long term will not risk their reputation to handle things in this manner. To begin with, most offer an extended period of warranty coverage and will be able to fix up issues like these easily.
Worst place to order from!! Are zales diamonds certified? They claim it is but the diamonds look very dirty and hazy. Do Not Put Yourself Through this dumb Shit!!!
Hey guys I’ve never had a problem with Zales. They are always friendly and ready to help me with whatever I needed, and far as pricing they are expensive.I had to haggle the price, they were gracious enough to lower the price, not enough I thought. But I still bought the ring because they worked with me. The diamonds are just beautiful! Right now I would not trade with anyone else. Im sorry everyone else had a bad experience.
Thanks for leaving the comment. While I am no fan of Zales, I would say that there are people who are perfectly happy with what they buy from them. Most people who have no issues don’t go around leaving feedback or asking for help. Those that do run into problems tend to voice their concerns more often.