Sam’s Club Jewelry Review | Are their diamonds worth it?

Today we’re reviewing Sam’s Club, although popularly known for selling household supplies, not so much when it comes to selling diamond jewelry. It’s important for consumers to understand what they’re getting before making such a significant purchase. 

The History of Sam’s Club

Sam’s Club has been a prominent member-only retailer since the early 1980s, when Walmart acquired a few small chains in the big-box wholesaler market. Nowadays, Sam’s Club operates close to 600 stores in the US and last year generated around $57 billion in sales. 

Our Sam’s Club Jewelry Experience

When we visited the Sam’s Club in Pineville, North Carolina we were very surprised to experience how friendly their employees were towards us – as most Sam’s Club experiences from a customer service point of view they certainly hit it out of the park.

Unfortunately, that level of service doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to selling diamond engagement rings. We believe you need more than just someone who can point you in the right direction; you need gemological knowledge, experience, and real industry professionals who can guide you through a ‘big-ticket’ purchase.

Sadly, this is where Sam’s Club falls short as they are not a jewelry company and thus haven’t taken the liberty to hire certified jewelers for their jewelry department. 

What Jewelry Experience Were We Hoping to Receive? 

• Consumer expectations when visiting the jewelry department should include knowledgeable jewelry sales staff. Meaning they should be able to provide information on their selection of diamond engagement rings such as cut, clarity, color, and carat weight.
• Consumers should expect experienced staff who can guide them through the purchase process with ease.
• Consumers should be given an assurance of quality through certifications such as GIA (Gemological Institute of America) or AGS (American Gem Society).

Diamond Jewelry at Sam’s Club

When shopping at Sam’s Club for diamond jewelry you will be limited on selection as they don’t have many variations compared to other jewelers who usually offer a wide range of setting styles with different diamond combinations of cut, carat weight, color, and clarity which create endless possibilities when it comes to jewelry design and price. 

In fact, according to JCK there have been issues with Sam’s Club unauthorizedly selling collections from famous designer David Yurman. In fact, David Yurman sued warehouse giant Sam’s Club for allegedly selling its jewelry without authorization. Read more on the lawsuit here. 

Although we weren’t able to find David Yurman on display at the Sam’s Club in Pineville– we did find a decent looking 1.32-carat E-color VS2-clarity emerald cut diamond engagement ring set in an 18K white gold solitaire setting at a price of $9,968; unfortunately there was also an extremely poor quality 1.01-carat I-color I1-clarity round diamond set in 14K white gold priced at $3,988 which was poorly cut with visible noticeable inclusions – definitely not worth any price but assisted our investigation! 

The Value 

Going back to the 1.32-carat E-color VS2-clarity emerald cut diamond mentioned above from Sam’s Club; while they did indeed offer something nice, it didn’t come with great value. A virtually identical natural diamond engagement ring from Adiamor would cost you about 40% less ($6,287 Source: Adiamor 1.21-carat F-color VS2-clarity) with a 14K white gold setting, meaning that even the best option offered by Sam’s Club wasn’t worth what they asked for!