The Best Places to Buy Eternity Rings (Expert’s Advice)

Last Updated on May 22, 2023 by Juli "Jewels" Church

Looking for the perfect place to eternity rings online?

You're in the right place! 

In this guide I'll get into the history of this gorgeous ring style, its variations, and answer common questions like:

eternity rings - featured image
  • What should you look for when buying eternity rings online?
  • Are eternity rings good for an engagement ring?
  • How do you know you’re getting a good deal?
  • What are the red flags to watch out for when buying?

Top 2 Best Places to Buy Eternity Rings Online

If you need the list quick, here are my top picks for finding eternity rings from reputable online dealers. Keep reading for more information about each of these shops. 

#1 Buying Eternity Rings At James Allen

jamesallendiamonds

If you're shopping for eternity rings at James Allen, you've got excellent options. They make it really easy for you to pick out on suited to your taste and have added benefits that make them our number one pick. 

You can find their selection of eternity bands two ways. You can go to the dropdown menu and choose Eternity Rings. There you'll be be taken to a page featuring standard eternity bands with different diamond shapes. Most place only offer eternity rings in round or princess cut diamonds

Additionally, James Allen offers you them in emerald cut, Asscher cut, radiant, and oval diamond shapes. You can easily swap out the white gold for yellow gold and rose gold simply by clicking as well as choosing carat weights all the way up to 7 carats (for some diamond shapes).

You also have the choice of choosing HI color and SI clarity, or you can choose FG color with VS clarity. 

Each of the shapes have their own setting that James Allen judged best for that shape and they can't be changed. If you're looking for more unique eternity ring styles, you might be better checking under the Diamond Rings section. 

There's no real way to sort out the eternity rings from the traditional women's diamond rings, but you can eyeball them without clicking into it as see. You can find a pretty good selection under their "stackable" filter. Many of the popular infinity ring styles are under this category. 

I like that you have a lot of options with James Allen and I like their pricing of their eternity rings. But other than having high quality diamond jewelry, they also give you a free lifetime warranty with it too. This warranty is awesome because it'll cover rhodium plating for those of you who like white gold and it also covers retipping prongs and stone tightening. That's essential with eternity rings since they are so delicate. 

Read also>> Where to buy white gold jewelry?

Pros

  • Good pricing
  • Free lifetime warranty
  • Unique diamond shape options
  • Clear 360 view

Cons

  • needs better filter when searching through diamond rings

#2 Buying Eternity Rings At Blue Nile

blue nile homepage

Blue Nile is a great choice to buy your eternity ring. They've got a strong reputation as the first online retailer to sell loose diamonds. They are constantly praised for their reliability and popularity as an online diamond retailer, which automatically puts new customers at ease. 

All of Blue Nile's eternity rings are put into one place, under the dropdown menu of their Wedding Ring section. They have around 180 options to choose from in various styles and precious metals. 

I really like the ring styles they offer at Blue Nile. They have a lot of unique eternity rings like this floating diamond ring below or this bezel cut eternity ring, which would excellent for those who are rougher on their hands. 

floating diamond eternity ring from blue nile

Now...

Since the eternity rings can't be sized, you have 30 days to return your ring just in case it doesn't fit, so make sure you're choosing the right one. Blue Nile offers a sizing guide as well in their education section. 

While diamond trade up programs are limited to center stones on engagement rings, Blue Nile offers you a different way to trade in your diamond jewelry. They partnered up with Circa, which you can sell not only Blue Nile jewelry, but other fine jewelry and diamonds too. 

They'll give you a quote and if you like it, you can choose to either have cash back, or you can get 110% of the quote as a Blue Nile Gift card to buy the eternity ring you love. 

What I don't like about buying Blue Nile eternity rings is that they don't offer any kind of maintenance for your ring. You get a free manufacturer's warranty, but don't be fooled by retailers offering you these. They only cover design flaws and defects, not stone tightening or rhodium. 

Pros

  • Lifetime warranty
  • Free sizing for a year
  • 180 styles
  • Sell your ring later with Circa

Cons

  • no maintenance warranty

Red Flags When Buying Eternity Rings

Here are the things to keep in mind when buying and wearing eternity rings. 

Active Lifestyles 

For diamond engagement rings, you usually hear of people with active lifestyles needing ring styles that are set lower, such as a bezel setting or flush setting. Some people, like athletes or nurses opt for a wedding band instead. 

Even though an eternity ring is a type of wedding ring, I don't recommend wearing them for active lifestyles. Since the gemstones go all the way around the band, the stones on the bottom of your ring are getting knocked around when worn every day. 

Even if you are gentle on your hands and don't do physical labor for your job, most of us still get the bottoms of our wedding rings scratched up. They're natural materials, not made to last forever. 

And while a diamond itself can't be scratched like the gold it's set in, the gold does weaken. With an eternity ring on, those small prongs that are holding up your diamonds down there are getting bumped around on counters, refrigerators, and desks throughout the day. The weakened metal causes your diamonds to become loose, or worse, lost altogether. So just imagine if you're using your hands even more than that. 

If you have to have an eternity band, I'd recommend choosing one that is channel set instead of prong set. Channel set wedding bands offer better security since the diamonds are set into the band rather than just held up by small prongs. Problem is, most eternity bands are prong set so make sure you're checking for loose stones if you're wearing it everyday. 

I'd also consider what type of precious metal you want your ring in. The average eternity band is usually 14K white gold or 18K white gold. The more gold in it, the softer and less durable it is. If you are planning to wear your eternity ring every day and want to care for it as little as possible, I'd recommend sticking to gold rings, not sterling silver. 

Read Also: How to Clean Your Sterling Silver Jewelry

Platinum on the other hand, is a much stronger metal. Many people choose platinum because it has high durability, scratch resistance, and it doesn't need rhodium plating like white gold wedding rings do. Keep in mind that platinum is a much heavier metal than gold, so it might not be comfortable on the ring finger for someone who isn't used to wearing jewelry often. 

Ring Resizing

Eternity rings have an undeniable beauty, but are also impractical when it comes to ring sizing. Since the stones go all the way around the band, there's no way for a jeweler to resize it. 

Some retailers offer free sizing, but exclude eternity bands because of this reason. Always make sure to read the exceptions when it comes to warranties and ring sizing before you purchase from any retailer. 

That being said, it's important to get the right ring size. You have the option of going to a physical jewelry store to try their ring sizers. Most jewelry stores keep a "womens" and "mens" set of ring sizers, but you should choose to size your finger based on the width of the band. If the band is wider, it's going to fit tighter. 

If you have multiple stackable eternity rings, they'll also fit tighter. The "mens" sizer will have the wider bands and the other will be thinner. 

If leaving your house doesn't sound fun, you have the option visiting Blue Nile's website and can grab a free printable ring sizer. You can even have them mail you a plastic sizer for free- 12.95 if you want it expedited. 

How to Get the Best Deal When Buying Eternity Rings Online

I've touched on a number of different ways and benefits that will help you when buying radiant cut diamonds online. Here's a quick recap of Eternity Bands 101. 

  • Choose a protective setting if you live an active lifestyle.
  • Make sure to check your ring for loose stones
  • Lower set eternity bands tend to be more comfortable
  • Choose a retailer with a warranty that covers routine maintenance like retipping prongs or rhodium plating. 
  • Choose a retailer with a good return policy and easy process

Eternity Rings FAQs

Here's a list of some of the most popular questions asked about eternity rings. 

Is It Cheaper To Buy Eternity Rings Online?

The cost of eternity rings online will differ based on number one stones, type of gemstone, precious metal, brand, and of course diamond grades. This includes the 4Cs of diamond quality: cut, clarity, color, and carat. But is it cheaper than the big guys at Kay or Zales? Let's see. 

Say your wedding anniversary is coming up and you've got your eye on this 2 carat diamond anniversary ring from Kay Jewelers. 

diamond eternity ring 2 ct Round-cut 14k White Gold

It's going to cost you $3999 plus tax and the warranty will cost $349.99. This ring is made up of diamonds with I1 clarity and I color grades. The quantity and carat each of the stones is unclear by description online as well as the carat weight of them, but I'm sure a store associate will tell you. 

Here's a 2-carat diamond eternity band from James Allen, our top pick. This ring features 19 round diamonds with H-I color grades and SI clarity. The ring is $3430 plus tax. James Allen offers you a lifetime warranty that covers sizing and routine maintenance for free. 

14K White Gold Low Dome Basket Diamond eternity Ring

Not only are you saving money on both the ring and the cost of a warranty for your ring, but did you catch that James Allen's eternity band has higher clarity than the one at Kay and is still cheaper? That means you can get a better ring with better diamonds, cheaper price, and a free warranty if you shop at an online retailer than a place like Kay Jewelers. 

Beneath the better clarity option, they offer you the same eternity band in lab grown diamonds for the low price of $1980. Kay doesn't offer you that. 

Are Eternity Rings More Expensive?

The price of an eternity can range based on the gemstones, grades, metal, and of course overall size or carat weight. If it's branded or has extra detailing, it may be more expensive that one that isn't or doesn't. 

That being said, eternity bands cost more than your typical wedding band. The stones on a traditional wedding band are usually smaller and the band is also thinner, especially if it's part of an engagement and wedding ring set. 

A diamond eternity ring will be more expensive than the average diamond wedding band because the diamonds won't go as far down. Some styles of rings with diamonds that go half to 3/4 the day down the shank are called a half eternity ring.  A diamond eternity band has stones all around it so it'll cost more for those extra diamonds. 

A colored gemstone band could be just as expensive, depending on the stone, quality, and size. Moissanite, cubic zirconia, and other diamond simulant eternity rings will be considerably cheaper. You're more likely to find these types of eternity rings on Amazon and Etsy. 

Read also: Cubic Zirconia vs Moissanite: Which is Better?

The main cost of an eternity will be the number of stones, the gemstones chosen, the quality of said gemstones, and the size or carat weight.

Conclusion

If you're in the market for an eternity ring, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, do some research to find a reputable jeweler. Second, be sure to compare prices and styles before making your purchase.

And finally, don't forget to factor in shipping costs when determining where to buy your ring. With a little planning, you can find the perfect eternity ring without breaking the bank.

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