James Allen diamond upgrades

[mpark46]

Has anyone ever taken advantage of James Allen''s upgrade policy? It states that "Any loose diamond purchased from jamesallen.com can be exchanged at 100% credit for any replacement diamond of at least 2x or greater in value. The diamond being upgraded must be in original condition and accompanied by original laboratory grading document."

I guess this means that you couldn''t trade up for a bit more size and clarity?

 

[mrssalvo]

sure you could as long as it double the amount of your original purchase. for example, if you go from a J SI2 to an E VS1 and increase the size, you could easily double the amount. of course it's not like some trade up policy's that make you spend only $1 more or $500 more than the original purchase price.

 

[Lynn B]

Interesting thread... I didn''t realize that JA''s upgrade policy had that "2 x the original amount" stipulation. Hmmmm. Not my favorite upgrade policy out there, that''s for sure!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think that must be a relatively new policy, and as far as I would personally be concerned, it is about like not having one at all!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 1/23/2008 8:57:48 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I think that must be a relatively new policy, and as far as I would personally be concerned, it is about like not having one at all!

Yeah, ditto here. Reminds me of T&Co''s "policy"... isn''t theirs "double the amount" AND only one trade-up per lifetime allowed?!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, I believe so. Most of us aren''t quite in a position to do a double priced upgrade!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 1/23/2008 9:14:17 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Yes, I believe so. Most of us aren''t quite in a position to do a double priced upgrade!

maybe if you started out with a 2K ring or something?? I agree, most pricescopers wouldn''t like the policy but outside of PS land, most people don''t even upgrade so i''m not sure they would care??

 

[elmo]

I think that the 2x upgrade policy isn't so bad in practical terms.

Assuming you bought a good stone to begin with, if you're not significantly changing size I don't think an upgrade is worth the hassle. Sortof like DiamanteBlu quoting Graff as saying that weight needs to double for a significant visual difference. Even if you go from say a carat to >1.5 (fairly visible) price will double. That's in today's dollars and stone pricing i.e. not factoring in price increases over a multi-year period.

In a way it's like insurance - not for someone who just wants a different diamond each year, but helpful with major events. If they're still in business years later.

And unlike some policies it apparently covers every stone they sell.

If you're giving this as a gift or engagement and the recipient wants "a bit more size and clarity", this is what the 30-day return/exchange policies are for.