Whether you plan on buying an engagement ring online or in-store, James Allen offers a seamless and enjoyable experience for both. While majority of the business runs online, you can still find in-person showrooms to visit and explore your engagement ring options! In this article, we’ll dive deep into where you can find James Allen store locations and what you can expect to see in the stores.
| Short Answer |
|---|
| James Allen currently has two physical locations: one in New York City (book an appointment ahead of time) and the other in Washington D.C. |
Related: The Truth Behind James Allen: Are They Trustworthy?
Bestseller
James Allen
- Affordable prices
- Large selection of diamonds
- High range of customizability
- Diamond Display Technology
- 40x magnification on images
- 24/7 customer support
- Free shipping worldwide
- 1 year free resizing
- Lifetime upgrade
| Table of Contents |
|---|
| James Allen Store Locations What Services You Can Expect in their Showrooms Shopping Online vs In-Store Expert Tips for Shopping for an Engagement Ring Frequently Asked Questions |
James Allen Store Locations
James Allen currently has two physical locations. One in Washington D.C. and the other in New York City.
James Allen NYC
According to their website, the James Allen store NYC recommends scheduling an appointment beforehand.
This is a great location if you’re looking for a more personal experience with an expert jeweller.
We also appreciate that James Allen has included some popular proposal locations under their New York City page on their website — places ranging from the top of the Empire State Building, all the way to the Met Cloisters.
Read also: Swarovski Engagement Ring Review
Altogether this is an amazing idea: You can purchase a diamond engagement ring or consult with an expert at the New York City showroom, and then find a great location to propose in the same city — all on the same James Allen website.
James Allen Washington D.C.
The James Allen showroom in Washington D.C. has a different vibe.
Here, you can expect a more open and ‘exploring’ experience which we’ll talk about in the next section.
And similar to their NYC section on their website, James Allen showcases a good amount of locations for people to propose to their loved ones in Washington D.C. – places including the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Smithsonian Castle to name a few – D.C. has it all!
What Services You Can Expect in their Showrooms
New York City
We found the New York city showroom to be a lot more personal as compared to their Washington D.C. location.
The main services offered at this showroom are one-on-one expert consultations and diamond ring prep.
For the expert consultation, their team of friendly, certified diamond specialists are there to discuss every aspect of your engagement ring. You can design your own engagement ring and they’ll walk you through everything ranging from the exact specifications, all the way to financing and insurance options.
Ever came across an engagement ring online that you absolutely love, but you’re not quite sure how it looks in-person? This is where the ring prep feature comes in handy.
This is a great feature for online shoppers that want to check out an engagement ring in-person. Be sure to let their team of friendly staff members know beforehand so they can prepare the diamond engagement ring for you.
Although the New York City location sounds great, we prefer the Washington D.C. location…
Washington D.C.
As we’ve mentioned in the previous paragraphs, Washington has a more open and ‘exploring’ type of experience.
For starters, they offer an open product display where shoppers can come in and try on various diamond engagement rings without any assistance.
Visitors can also try on various engagement rings and explore loose diamonds in virtual reality with their ‘3D experience’.
Are your eyes hurting too much from the VR goggles? Not to worry, the James Allen Washington D.C. location also has an ambient coffee bar for you to sit down and take a well-deserved break.
Want to get a second opinion on your diamond engagement rings from friends and family? They also offer a photo booth where you can take professional pictures with beautiful lighting of your James Allen rings to share with others. You can even add GIFs and other effects!
James Allen makes the shopping experience very seamless to their online store. If you have a specific engagement ring or fine jewelry you saw on their website that you want to see in person, let their staff know ahead of time and they’ll have it waiting for you to check out in person when you get there.
And finally, similar to the James Allen NYC showroom, you’ll have access to expert consultations and personalized diamond ring services from their friendly team.
Shopping Online vs In-Store
If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll know that we’re big fans of shopping online. Here’s a quick comparison between shopping online vs shopping in-person:
| Online | In-Store |
| Can try on rings from anywhere in the world at any time | Have to travel to physical location (can take a while) |
| Browse multiple rings without worrying about inventory | Limited selection in-store |
| Do at your own time, on demand | Make an appointment with a jeweller |
| No pressure from any salespeople | Get pressured from salespeople |
| Compare and revisit your favorite rings as often as you’d like | Might forget which ring you liked best when you leave |
In fact, some jewelry retail stores adjust the lighting to make the engagement rings look nicer than they actually are. Especially once you leave the store, your dream ring may not look the same as you thought it would.
Thankfully, James Allen’s Virtual Ring Try-On feature addresses this common issue and makes it easy to bring their showroom experience to your comfort.
You can try on their wide selection of engagement rings and play around with different settings to see how it would look on your finger.
Expert Tips for Shopping for an Engagement Ring
There are three main tips we recommend for anyone looking to buy an engagement ring:
Shop online
Look for GIA certified diamonds
Shop smart
Shop online
When it comes to buying affordable engagement rings, we always recommend you purchase them online. As we’ve mentioned in other posts, brick and mortar stores will always have a higher markup since they need to factor in the cost of rent, electricity, utilities, payroll, etc.
We’ve been to many diamond retailers all over the world where markup was as high as 100% and yet online shops have always carried inexpensive engagement rings for the same exact diamond.
Look for GIA certified diamonds
We advise purchasing from GIA or IGI certified vendors. These grading organizations are the most trustworthy in the jewelry industry.
Related: GIA vs IGI: What’s the difference?
Their certificates are reliable sources of information regarding a diamond’s cut, clarity, color, quality, and various other attributes.
Avoid other certifications you find from other diamond vendors and physical stores. From our experience, they tend to over-exaggerate their “superior” grading in comparison to what the GIA and IGI would assign them.
Shop smart
Shopping smart in our opinion means being budget-friendly.
Our cost-effective method to buying diamonds on a budget is to always keep an eye out for sales.
Related: Best engagement rings for couples on a budget – under $2500
But keep in mind that some online diamond engagement ring retailers like Clean Origin don’t ever go on sale because they already offer some of the lowest prices you can find for a diamond.
Related: James Allen vs Clean Origin: Head-to-head comparison
Bestseller
James Allen
- Affordable prices
- Large selection of diamonds
- High range of customizability
- Diamond Display Technology
- 40x magnification on images
- 24/7 customer support
- Free shipping worldwide
- 1 year free resizing
- Lifetime upgrade
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no James Allen showroom in Dallas.
There is no James Allen showroom in Los Angeles.
There is no James Allen showroom in Atlanta.
According to their website, you can bring as many you’d like.
The James Allen collection is extensive and plentiful. As a result, they can only display so many engagement rings. If you’re looking for a larger selection, we recommend viewing their engagement rings online. And if you have your eye set on a specific ring you saw on their website, you can have it arranged to view it in-person when you visit their showroom.
