Zoara

Most pleasant online shopping experience to date!
I was worried about buying such an expensive item as an engagement ring online, mainly because I didn't know anything about jewelry or diamonds, being a guy and all. A buddy of mine recommended Zoara and I decided to check them out.
First, their website is really well designed, with all sorts of cool features like the 3D imaging. All their jewelry was easy to find, and I enjoyed tinkering around the website quite a bit. But I still had no idea what I was doing, so I picked up the phone and called them. They answered right away, and I was assigned a rep who took care of all of my questions, day or night. They must work like crazy over there!
To be honest I wasn't 100% comfortable laying down 10k on a rock that I couldn't see, so my rep, Ben, offered to have a professional photo taken of it, even though he said that the diamond was a great pick. In the photo it looked great, so we went for it.
I wanted it to be a surprise, so Zoara was very discreet and accommodated my unusual shipping requests (if Ben is reading this, he knows what I'm talking about). All in all the ring took a couple days to get to me, and once I got it, it looked great!
I was very pleased with Zoara, and have told my friends at work to only buy their jewelry there!

Nowadays, we're so used to automated phone systems and apathetic, unhelpful service assistants that it's a wonderful refresher to come across a company that has wonderful customer service. Zoara was a gem (no pun intended) throughout the entire engagement process - when my fiance was traveling abroad and needed the ring Fedexed to a tricky location, when I needed my ring re-sized, and when I had a custom-designed wedding ring to match. I ALWAYS managed to reach someone when I called. I ALWAYS experienced courteous, professional, accessible customer service (emails returned within a day, all requests met). And best of all, the ring was absolutely breath-taking, inexpensive, and arrived in less than 2 days. If you are a bride-or-groom-to-be and need one less stressful event in your life, USE ZOARA. Do it. I realize I sound kind of like an infomercial right now, but I honestly cannot staring at my gorgeous rings right now. And as for Zoara, guess we'll see you again at the one-year anniversary! :)

Where do I begin.

I placed my order on June 7th for my fiance's ring, everything went well but then received several calls from unknown numbers a couple of days later and an email stating that I had contacted them when I had not.
When I contacted the company it was just a notice that my ring would be shipped a week from the time that they called. It was nice to hear but weird that you should contact me a week in advance just to tell me that my ring would ship when an email would be suffice and from an unknown number on top of that. Fast forward to today, I receive a sketchy email stating that the billing department has not approved my credit card as a payment method BUT ZOARA ALREADY CHARGED MY CARD AND IT POSTED!
Zoara then sends me an email stating that a wire transfer is what you prefer, how about no. I contacted customer service only to be told that yes this happens, etc, etc, etc. No this happens to you. We've ordered from James Allen previously with no problems.
Since this occurred today, I will wait a day to ensure that my refund has been posted or I will be filing a dispute with my credit card company and will be contacting the BBB to note the shadiness of this company.
The ring was great and I was looking forward to seeing the craftsmanship to determine if I would continue to order additional items but the shadiness of this company is appalling so once this return is finalized, I will never deal with Zoara again.

We spent days short listing diamonds n been emailing and calling for real photos yet no response to any of our emails finally I came down to one diamond that I decided was it, got a call back from zoara after 2 days n was told they will send me the picture. I sent the measurements of the diamond to the jeweler who will custom make me the setting, while waiting for the picture I went on zoaras website to c the diamond again ant it was not there any more so I immediately called them they said it is possible vendor has sold it so I picked another stone n same process again, while waiting for the picture to come and getting the measurements changed for my setting again I checked the website n the diamond was gone! Seems like their stock is not updated n only once a customer asks for a specific diamond that they check the availability with the vendor (overseas, in very different time zones) which takes days. This is my second purchase from them I was very happy with my first purchase but that was 2 years ago. I'm not sure I shud spend more time with them even tho their diamonds r best priced they lack in setting options, when custom making a setting though another jeweler (I'm still waiting for zoara to give me a quotation for them making my setting) one pays a lot more then if one just bought the entire ring from one retailer which takes a lot less time and work without multiple shippings n... So maybe the lesser price of the diamond by zoara does not compensate for much specially if buying one diamond turns into deciding on a different diamond every few days.

I have recently bought a 1.03 carat round diamond ring and I wanna share my experience. My first selected ring is a 1.05 ct, I have asked David if the diamond is stll available before I went bank wire transfer. I went to the bank few hours after i confirmed with David. However, i have been told that the diamond is not available anymore after i deposited. Then I selected 10 diamonds on the database and have lower the colour grade from G to H and there was only 1 diamond available. Therefore, the database is not up to date! Do not waste your time to look at the database because most of them were taken. I have ended up getting a H grade 1.03 diamond. Also, please use the US site as the US site is much more cheaper than the australian site. I lost 6 hundreds dollars while i did wire transfer as to convert AUS to USD. Zoara has no instruction on this at all! Now I have received the ring after a month and only been told that they wouldn't do engraving after they sent out the ring via fedex. They should have mentioned it under the ring setting page if that ring is too narrow to do engrave but not telling the customers after you sent out the ring! I have some money left in the zoara account which i have told the guy called Ben who rang me up on phone. After that, no one would reply or let me know how i could get the money back. Horrible. The whole process is horrible. The ring sizer is not correct, my ring is too loose.

Outstanding experience purchasing an engagement ring. I spent many late nights researching all styles and combinations. I relied heavily on the online chat assistance option. I highly recommend trying it. Your GF will not know what you are doing unlike spending time on a phone.

It was over a couple of weeks that I finally decided what I wanted to order. At each and every stage I needed advice about some of my options. Shawn was very patient as often I felt mesmerized by the choices and needed time to weigh up the differences etc. I must have chatted with Ben and Shawn for several hours over a number of weeks and they were just excellent with their product knowledge and assistance. I never felt the typical 'high pressure' that you can expect at the typical mall jewelry stores (that's one of the main reasons why I went looking online). Ben was very thorough with follow emails on my requests for details etc. I received a couple of calls to confirm details about my order and they were equally helpful.

When I placed my order, I specified to Zoara (Ben and Shawn) that I needed it delivered to me in Portland 1 week later. Again, the purchase arrived exactly as promised. It was delivered in a perfectly presented box. Then, the same night it arrived, I proposed and she said YES!

I have friends who clearly envy our ring and they comment on the quality because it is exceptional. Friends who spent over twice my purchase at the mall stores, now regret they did not purchase something like mine as the quality is just so noticeably better and the options are far superior.

Take my advice, you will be very happy making a purchase online with this company. It is in my opinion, the benchmark of the ideal online experience from beginning to end.

What attracted me to Zoara's website was the huge selection and ability to pick exactly the perfect setting and diamond within your budget. The site is super user-friendly and very informative. But what blew me away was the customer service... at 4am on a Sunday morning they had someone on on-line to handle my questions, and worked very hard to contact the vendors they work with to answer specific questions I had about the diamonds I was interested in. Even after I had placed my order I found another diamond that could have been a contender, and they had no problem with holding my order and contacting that vendor to answer my questions about the eye-cleanness of an SI2 diamond. They were honest in their assessments of their diamonds, said one was eye-clean and one wasn't, so I selected the eye-clean diamond and couldn't be happier with the clarity and sparkle! I've also had a professional look at it and it is exactly what Zoara said it was. I ordered it on Monday, and it arrived on Thursday. It's hard to trust an on-line retailer and buy something sight-unseen for a large amount of money, but I'm so glad I did! You can trust Zoara!

I was very dubious to begin with about buying an engagement ring over the internet but after a lot of research, and reading some news articles found on the guardian newspaper website, I found Zoara.com.

I decided to speak with them to begin with and they were great (both over the phone and on the chat tool). I already knew what type of diamond I wanted so it was just a matter of going through all the diamonds and finding the perfect one for me. The way the website is set up means that it is simple to choose a setting that suites the diamond - they were more than keen to help advise me on this anyway. After asking them to send me a picture of the ring they were able to show me what I was going to get.

There are added charges such as delivery and taxes (it is worthwhile checking this out to begin with) but even so I would advise you to check as much as possible to see how much that ring would cost on other websites or from shops here in the UK. EVERY ring I looked at was over a third more expensive, right up to over double the price.

Before I got the ring I asked for the diamond certificate to be from GIA (they are the most trusted) - this is how you can guarantee what you are buying! If you are worried about sending money before having a ring in your pocket then it is worthwhile remembering that if you pay by credit card you are fully insured too.

When the ring arrived I had two option for getting it insured, either send the receipt for the ring or send it off to get it valued by a trusted jewellers over here. I sent it for valuation and it came back worth nearly twice as much as I paid!

I cannot speak highly enough of this company, and I have went back again to get a set of diamond ear studs for my wife which arrived within a few days and were a perfect present for my wife on the wedding morning! She was over the moon, and once again so much cheaper than anywhere here in the UK!

Hi

I bought a 2ct Princess Diamond ring from Zoara about 6 months back. The online service etc was all good, as you might expect and as the GIA Diamond was GIA certified, it was hard to fault. (You get pretty much what you pay for and should know what to expect given their very good clear description).

Their buid quality however for bespoke rings is shocking.

I provided the design and had the setting made in Platinum. As I had a 2 ct stone, I specifically asked them to ensure that the setting was secure. They sent me pictures in advance and I had some concerns which i voiced. They responded saying that their chief jeweller had inspected it and that it was perfect.

This was either a lie or their standards are well below any regular high street jeweller.

Although my wife loved the ring, we had to take it in locally for immediate repair as the diamond was not only loose but you could hear it move when touched with her finger nail. It was also not true to the size that I had asked for (The same size wedding ring from Cartier seems to fit her just fine but this was far too big)

The platinum band that secured it was not even with the width moving from thick to thin that was visible with the naked eye.

In short, great value diamonds but simply dreadful jewellers. I'm now considering having the setting re made locally.

I didn't return the ring as I don't live in the US and felt that even with insurance this was a significant risk and given their capability, there seemed very little point.

I also struggle with them offering a discount off future purchases in response for saying something nice as feedback on their website. With what I know now, I'd suggest using them for the stone and have the setting done properly with either someone you know and trust or ANYONE else!

Hope this helps

O ordered a diamond and paid with paypal, everything looked good. I got the firs email of purchase confirmation and a second email of payment confirmation the next day. The third day I got an email saying that "the vendor" just informed them that my ston was dark brwon. I chose a. 46 K diamond with very good charactersitics. Im fully aware of the color and contacted them to tell them to go ahead and mail my stone. And then they said they dont buy brown stones (even though they have many other K stones, that even come with a pic, and look totally brown tinted) and they needed authorization from the manager, whom was never there (thursday, friday, saturday...) I was told that if I wanted to proceed with this brown stone I would voiding thr return policy, which I was fine with it.
It really looked like they either didnt have a way to get the stone, or they back out because of the price it was sold was low. The most annoying to me is that they were not completley honest. They also claim they are based in Sioux Falls, and they ship within 3 to 5 days and this is also completley false, they cant since they buy stones from India, Hong Kong and other places.
Now, Im waiting for my refund. Lets see how long it takes. Very bad experience.

"Irish Purchaser"

My experience with Zoara from start to finish was absolutely excellent. I had come across a plethora of diamond/engagement ring websites but Zoara stood out above them all. The look-and-feel of their website is far superior to any other I have come across and the ease with with which I was able to customise my fiancée's engagement ring was fantastic. In addition, the vast selection of diamonds, with detailed information behind them, was second to none.

What really impressed me, and what seems to be a recurring point in several reviews I have read, was the Customer Support I received throughout the process! As I was purchasing from Ireland, I was a bit hesitant about spending a substantial sum of money on an engagement ring I could not see "in the flesh". However, every single question/concern I had was answered thoroughly and put my mind at ease. Unlike other companies who would "force your hand" to make a purchase immediately in order to get your money, Zoara's staff were actually honest and genuine. There was no rushing whatsoever and they always had my best interests in mind! This was nice for a change:)

When I received the ring I was blown away (as was my fiancée); it was absolutely stunning and I was delighted I chose to purchase from Zoara! I would have absolutely no hesitation recommending Zoara, no matter what country you are purchasing from, and I plan on revisiting them in order to purchase our wedding rings in the near future.

I would like to finish by saying a big thank you to Zoara for all of their time, help and guidance throughout the process of purchasing my fiancée's engagement ring.

First of all, it was so much easier to search on the Zoara website, especially when you can see the actual photos or videos of the diamond. I found the perfect oval diamond (0.8 ct, D, VVS1,3X cut,) which cost like around 8-9,000AUD in AU, but on Zoara the price was under 5000AUD! I ordered and had it sent to my friend's place in Texas (Originally she planned to come to Australia at the end of October). When she sent me photos of the ring I was not satisfied with the setting (which I thought I would), I contacted Ben (customer service) straight away ask if it can be changed to the settings I like (it was a picture I found on google), within 1 day I got the reply from the head office says they can change it with no extra cost. So ladies and gentlemen if you have your own idea of the ring settings or other jewelry, remember to ask the Zoara jeweler team, just send a photo to them and they will make it just the way you like! Another drama was My dear friend sent it to the return centre instead of the head office, So I contact Ben again, he noted it and told me not to worry. I received emails about every move of the ring from return centre to head office, the progress of making the new ring, and I also received a photo with the new finished ring to ensure I am happy with it. At the end my friend can not make the trip so I asked them to sent it directly to Newcastle, it only took 3 days to reach me from America. I was so impressed how highly organized and effective they are. When I opened the package, a little spot light shining onto the diamond, the ring was so beautiful and it sparks from every angle. The ring had so many compliment from everyone who saw it, even strangers from shops, no one believes we got it from online. This was the best shopping experience I have had! I would like to thank everyone who involved with my purchase, especially Ben. H from customer service. Thank you for making me feel like I am the most important customer and make me the perfect ring. I will definitely recommend Zoara to everyone I know, also whoever sees this review.

Hi, I placed my order in June 3 2015, according to my order status in zoara's webpage and there says the shipping date 3 - 5 business days, so 6 business days now and my diamond its not ready, im a bit dissapointed because tomorrow its the big day I have everything planned if my ring was supposed to arrive at most 5 days I shouldve had plenty of time, the custiomer service and the pricing are really good, but this issue its really bothering me, in the live chat they told me that they are waiting for the diamond vendor, thats ok but im buying from zoara directly not from their vendor so zoara should be 100% responsable, they have not offered me anything so far because of these delay. Ok im editing this review because I recived news of my order, bad news, my diamond will arrive tomorrow or maybe monday, what about the 3 - 5 days shipping policy?. Im so very dissapointed. Ok im updating these review daily, another day have passed and still the same problem, my ring its not ready, and normally when this happens other companies offer you a small discount or a gift or anything so I can say "they had a problem with the timing but they did something about it"... another day and my ring still not ready I completed my payment june 4 and today is june 15 and nothing, today was diferent because they promised me a small gift to make it up, a sparkle cleanse set, they told me that they will take special attention and talk right away with the vendor to see whats going on and the exact date for my diamond to arrive, lets see what happens.

''''''UK Purchaser'''''''

First things first – Prices - Zoara typically offer diamonds at a much more manageable wholesale price rather than the inflated retail prices you will have seen in your local jewellers and other sites on the internet.

Buying a diamond is a tricky process but the Zoara website has all the information it (as do other sites on the web) to educate you on what to look for and look out for when buying a diamond. Once you have decided on the type of diamond you are after and the budget you are working to the Zoara website makes narrowing your search from thousands to a handful of diamonds really simple. From the diamond search results you immediately see all the critical information pertaining to that diamond and can often view very critical photos of that particular diamond together with the various accredited reports such as GIA certificates which add a lot of confidence when making an eventual purchase. All the while you can discuss the diamonds (and ring settings) with the online customer services representatives such as Sadie, Ben and Dan who, I must say, have the patience of a saint and are very knowledgeable and honest with their descriptions and advice. In fact, if you tell them what you are trying to achieve together with your budget, they will suggest the diamonds and settings to suit.

I purchased a diamond that is exactly what I expected, if not more, and then married it to one of Zoara's platinum settings. I have to say Zoara's jewellers have done an excellent job and the platinum ring is of the highest quality. All received very promptly in a lovely presentation box along with the diamond's GIA certificate.

All in all, buying a diamond, creating an engagement ring, from Zoara has to be the best and most cost effective internet shopping experiences I have had, this despite it also being one of the most important purchases I have ever made.

Seriously, I do not have any qualms about recommending buying from Zoara – you will be pleasantly surprised, just as your partner, fiancée or wife will be when you present them with your gift.

I am currently in the process of a long back and forth interaction with Zoara regarding the customization of my ring. I ordered a solitaire setting and got the ring, but then decided to go with a halo design instead. They offer custom settings/exchanges, and when I called them on May 27th I was told I will get a quote and a sketch within 2 business days and the ring will take approximately two weeks. It has been three weeks since that conversation and I am still waiting for the sketch and getting the run around anytime I call or email them. At this point I have given up and will either return the ring to them or go to a local jeweler to get my setting changed. PLEASE BE CAREFUL as I spoke with about 5 different people over the course of the past three weeks and not a single one would provide me with a date of when I can return the ring by for a full refund (their website states both 45 and 90 days, and the paperwork I got from them states 60 days. Sloppy and inconsistent). They will NOT give you an answer of when you can return by when you are still within the return window, but are very quick to say that it's too late once you've passed the deadline. I emailed them yesterday and vowed to spread the word of their sneaky and incompetent practices all over the internet and social media, and I stand by my word and am posting this review anywhere I can. This has been such a frustrating experience and I would hate for anyone to go through it especially since an engagement is such an exciting and happy time. Mine, unfortunately, has been ruined thanks to Zoara. I have an engagement party in less than three weeks and will likely not have a ring ready by then. I am also in the process of writing a letter to their corporate offices to express my frustration. I urge you to save yourself the stress and headache and go elsewhere. These people simply do not care!