James Allen is one of the largest online diamond vendors.
In addition to their vast selection of diamonds and jewelry, they also allow you to custom design your own ring, and even let you submit your own design.
James Allen has one of the largest inventories of rings and loose diamonds of any online vendor.
Because of their inventory size, they are able to quickly process customization requests and send most rings out within a week, making them one of the best places to build a custom ring in a hurry.
If you need even more customization, James Allen lets you submit your own design with specifications for your ring. Their design team will review your order and come up with a 3D rendering of your ring.
Here, we’ll discuss how you can build a ring with James Allen, as well as the overall experience of customers using the service.
How Does It Work With James Allen?
James Allen has a number of different ways of building custom rings, depending on the level of customization you want.
One of the easiest is to use their built in ring builder on the website. This allows you to play around with different features to build a ring that’s right for you.
You start by picking a setting, such as solitaire, halo, or three-stone. You can also choose from their designer collection, where you’ll find a variety of more specialized designs. You then move on to the diamond, where you can choose the color as well as the quality of the stone.
The process is simple, and takes just a few minutes once you know what kind of design you have in mind. If you’re having trouble with your design, you can use their Inspiration Gallery. It has thousands of the company’s rings that you can use as a model for your own ring. Once you’ve found the right base, you can customize your ring using theirs as a template.
James Allen even allows you a free ring engraving, and no worries if you need to return it; they accept returns for engraved rings.
If you want an even more customized ring, James Allen will let you build your own completely from scratch with your own design. When you open the custom ring page on their website, they’ll ask for more information on the type of ring you’re interested in.
If you’ve created your own design, you can submit it along with the other information so that the company’s designers can create a model of the ring. Once you’ve submitted all of the design information for your ring, James Allen will review the request and give you a quote.
If you accept the quote and want to move forward with the design of your ring, the James Allen design team will create a 3D rendering of a design based on the specifications you gave. They will show you the design, and you can request modifications if need be. Once you’re happy with the ring, they’ll begin the production process. Once the piece is complete, they’ll set your diamond and send you the ring.
Does James Allen Charge Extra To Build Your Own Ring?
If you choose to use the ring builder feature on their website, James Allen will not charge any extra fee. They simply charge you based on the setting that you choose, as well as the diamond that you pick for the ring. The shipping is the same as with
However, if you want to build one from scratch, you may end up paying a bit more money. James Allend doesn’t charge a fee directly, but they quote you for your design. The price for these quotes can vary significantly depending on what you ask for. Because the rings are custom built, the prices can’t be compared directly to the inventory rings James Allen has on offer.
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The return policies do vary depending on the type of custom ring that you have built. If you use the James Allen design feature on their website, the ring is fully guaranteed by their 100% money back guarantee.
However, if you submit a design and have your own ring built entirely from scratch, the warranty is different. You are still protected from any manufacturing defects, and can request a refund if the finished ring clearly does not match the 3D rendering you were shown.
But if the ring has no flaws, you will be unable to return in for a full refund, as James Allen can’t restock custom built rings. Therefore, you’re taking a bit more of a risk by building a ring entirely from scratch.
How Long Will It Take To Make?
The time it will take to make a ring varies widely depending on the style and the type of diamond.
The usual time for a ring built with the company’s ring builder feature is usually a few weeks. Times depend based on the features you add to the ring, and may take additional time if you need specific colors.
If you send in your own design to have a ring built from scratch, the process will be even longer.
The process varies widely depending on the type of design that you request. If it’s fairly basic, they may be able to accommodate you within a few weeks. However, if you request a ring with an intricate design, it may take James Allen a few months to make your ring.
On their website, James Allen say that these built from scratch rings are often ready in under 30 days. Based on customer records, this is generally true, although some orders have taken significantly longer.
Once your ring is ready, they’ll notify you and give you a tracking number for the shipment. They use FedEx Priority, so you should get your ring within a few days after they ship it.
How Is The Quality?
When you build your own ring, you naturally want full control of the process. James Allen does a good job of allowing you to customize various features so that you can get the right look. Fortunately, the build quality on the rings is also great.
Reports on custom rings from the company are generally positive, with most customers happy with the product they received. However, there have been some complaints of errors in the order, or of lower diamond quality than what was promised. That said, the general impression is that the rings are of a high quality, and that the diamonds are the grade that was requested.
Should You Trust James Allen To Build Your Ring?
Buying a diamond online is a big commitment, and requires a lot of trust in a vendor. Building your own ring online is an even greater leap of faith, so you need to know that a company is reputable before you commit.
James Allen have a good reputation when it comes to accommodating custom ring requests. They process orders quickly, and may be able to get custom rings shipped within a week. With rings designed from scratch, they usually finish the design within 30 days, which is impressive given the amount of work required.
Although they do a good job with custom rings, they’re far from perfect. Returns can be complicated, with some customers claiming they had to send a ring back multiple times in order to get it fixed. Others have said that the company did not fully honor their refund request, leaving them stuck with a ring that did not meet their specifications.
Those complaints aside, James Allen is as good a place as any to design your own ring. You have a vast selection of settings to choose from, as well as an impressive mix of diamonds. If you need special treatment, their design team can build you a ring based on your exact specifications and get it to you in under a month.