What Is Blue Nile and What Can You Buy on bluenile.com?

Updated

Blue Nile is an online diamond and fine jewelry retailer, best known for engagement rings and wedding rings. On bluenile.com you can buy loose diamonds, build a ring from a diamond plus a setting, and shop finished jewelry such as stud earrings, pendants, tennis bracelets, and men's bands. It suits buyers who want to compare diamonds and settings online by shape, metal, and style, and who may also want educational guidance or an in-store or virtual appointment before deciding.

What Blue Nile sells

The site organizes its catalog around a few main areas:

  • Diamonds — loose stones in natural, colored, and lab-grown categories, filterable by shape (round, princess, cushion, emerald, pear, oval, radiant, Asscher, marquise, heart).
  • Engagement rings — design-your-own (start with a diamond or a setting), plus shop-by-style options like solitaire, halo, vintage, sidestone, three-stone, gemstone, and men's engagement rings.
  • Wedding rings — women's wedding rings and men's wedding bands in tungsten, titanium, tantalum, platinum, yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold.
  • Jewelry — bracelets, earrings, rings, and necklaces across gemstone, diamond, pearl, and metal categories, including diamond essentials like stud earrings, hoops, pendants, and tennis necklaces/bracelets.
  • Collections — featured lines such as SIX By Royal Asscher and other named collections.

How the design-your-own flow works

The core purchase path is modular: you choose a diamond and a setting, and the site combines them into a finished piece. The same pattern applies to rings, earrings, and pendants.

  1. Pick a starting point — start with a diamond or start with a setting.
  2. Filter the diamond — narrow by shape, and by natural, colored, or lab-grown category.
  3. Choose the setting — browse by style (solitaire, halo, three-stone, etc.) and by metal (yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, platinum).
  4. Review the combination — the expected result is a configured piece you can evaluate before purchase.

A practical example: if you want an oval lab-grown diamond on a platinum solitaire band, you would filter diamonds to oval and lab-grown, then filter settings to solitaire and platinum, rather than browsing finished rings one by one.

Ways to get help before buying

The site lists several support options alongside the catalog:

  • Diamond Guide and buying guides — educational content on diamonds and engagement rings, plus a ring-size finder.
  • Virtual appointments — scheduled consultations if you want guidance without visiting.
  • In-store visits — a "Visit us in store" entry point for seeing items in person.
  • Phone support — a listed customer service number for questions.

These are useful when you are deciding between shapes or settings and want confirmation before committing, especially for a high-consideration purchase like an engagement ring.

Current promotions and shipping terms

The homepage advertises a seasonal promotion ("The Fall Edit: Up to 30% Off Select Jewelry") and a free gift with purchases over $1,500, both marked with asterisks indicating select items and conditions. The site also states free shipping and free returns. Treat discount percentages as applying to select jewelry only, and confirm eligibility on the specific product page rather than assuming a sitewide discount.

Is it the right place to shop?

Blue Nile fits you if you are comfortable comparing diamonds and settings online using filters for shape, metal, and style, and you value guide content and appointment options to support the decision. If you prefer to handle and compare finished pieces in person first, use the in-store visit or virtual appointment routes before buying. For budget planning, check the current promotion terms on each item, since the advertised discounts are limited to select jewelry.