Helzberg Diamonds is one of the first names that come to mind when searching for a diamond engagement ring. Founded in 1915, Helzberg has been in the Diamond industry for over a century and now has over 200 jewelry stores throughout the US.
But is it the best source for diamond engagement rings? How easy is it to find the right diamond that fits your budget on the Helzberg website? What’s their pricing like? Do they deliver on time?
In this Helzberg Diamonds review, you’ll find all your questions answered. So, grab a seat!
What is Helzberg Diamonds?
Helzberg Diamonds is a company that sells a wide range of jewelry, including engagement rings, wedding rings, watches, necklaces, and more.
It was once a family-run business focused on love, which of course, you’re about to celebrate. Now, it’s part of the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, one of America’s largest holding companies, of which Warren Buffet is the chairman and largest shareholder.
This more or less tells you that Helzberg Diamonds is pretty reputable and trustworthy, definitely not a small name in the jewelry market.
But it doesn’t answer the question: Is Helzberg Diamonds the right place to buy your diamond engagement ring?
We’ll get to all of that shortly in this Helzberg Diamonds Review.
History of Helzberg Diamonds
Helzberg Diamonds was founded in 1915 (over a century ago) by Morris Helzberg when he opened the first Helzberg jewelry store in Kansas City. He passed it down to his son, and then his son’s son. And so it ran as a family business until it was put on the market and acquired by Warren Buffet’s company Berkshire Hathaway in 1996.
They launched the Helzberg.com website in 1999, ushering in a new digital era. Today, you don’t have to walk into a Helzberg store in Kansas City in search of a diamond engagement ring. Simply browse the website, and voila!
Since 2009, Beryl Raff, a woman with decades of experience in the diamond and jewelry industry, has been leading the company.
Now, on to the important stuff.
Review of Engagement Rings at Helzberg
Let’s see how Helzberg measures up in terms of pricing, range of options, diamond quality, and more.
Classic Styles and Range of Options
Helzberg Diamonds has a wide variety of diamond engagement rings, and there’s a huge chance you’d find one you’ll like and that works for your budget.
Although the inventory always changes as they buy and sell, they usually have around 500 diamond engagement rings on the website at a time. It’s a pretty huge number and can feel overwhelming, but Helzberg makes things easier by allowing you to “filter” your search.
You can filter by price, type, shape, style, carat weight, etc. to narrow the options down to your desired diamond specs.
Helzberg Diamonds offers primarily solitaire and halo engagement ring styles, which are considered classic and have maintained their popularity over time.
Solitaire settings are generally less expensive and keep the focus on the center stone without distractions, so the ring is plain. On the other hand, halo settings feature a center stone with smaller accent stones throughout the ring. The small diamonds make the ring seem larger and more impressive, usually for an added cost.
You’ll also find vintage, three-stone, and other styles in smaller numbers.
When it comes to the diamond shape, Helzberg does pretty well, as it offers a wide range of beautiful options than many other jewelers. However, they have more of round diamonds than other shapes, but that’s not so much a bad thing. Round diamonds are not only the most popular choice but offer the maximum sparkle.
Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Helzberg has a custom ring builder, allowing you to customize your ring to your desired specifications.
Quality of Diamonds at Helzberg and Clarity Grades
First off, let’s clear the air on the kind of diamonds Helzberg sells. Helzberg sells a lot of lab-grown diamonds. So if you’re searching exclusively for natural diamonds, you have to check if that’s what you’re clicking on. “Lab-grown” will be written in the description under the ring so you can’t miss it.
But in fact, the only difference between natural and lab-grown diamonds is their origin. Lab-grown or lab-created diamonds are chemically manufactured in the lab by simulating the same natural process by which diamonds are created within the earth. But they’re still real diamonds. It just takes a shorter time (weeks) as opposed to billions of years, to create diamonds in the lab.
However, natural diamonds have a finite quantity in existence, which makes them particularly rare, more expensive, and highly-sought.
When we talk about the quality of diamond, we talk about the 4C’s — clarity, cut, color, and carat weight. These diamond grades determine the quality and value of any diamond.
Diamond clarity refers to the amount of flaws visible on the stone. It is graded with “flawless” at one end, and “included” (high visibility of flaws) at the other.
While you can’t filter by clarity on the Helzberg website, you’ll find most diamonds there range from VS2 to SI2 clarity. If you’re buying anything from I1 to I3, expect to see obvious marks and inclusions.
From a distance, it might not matter at all, but up close, the flaw can really detract from the stone’s otherwise perfect gorgeousness. So be sure to check the product details before purchasing if this matters to you.
For a piece of jewelry you’re using to mark the perfection of love, I don’t recommend going for a highly flawed diamond like I1-13. Seek out at least an SI1 clarity.
Selection of Collections and Cuts
Diamond cut is the factor that determines how much the diamond sparkles. In simple terms, it is how well the diamond has formed, whether it’s too shallow or deep.
If the diamond is too deep or shallow, light escapes through it and is not refracted back into your eyes, so it won’t sparkle as much as you’d want. That’s a poor diamond cut quality, and a dull and lifeless gemstone is what you’d have. An ideal cut diamond (neither shallow nor deep) will sparkle radiantly because light is refracted back into your eyes as it enters the diamond.
Sadly, cut is one aspect where Helzberg Diamonds scores pretty low. It doesn’t reveal the “cut” in the product description. So you have to rely on the image to know if it’s too shallow or deep, but that can be deceptive.
Helzberg Masterpiece Diamond Review
The Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece series features “flagship” pieces with “Super-ideal” cut diamonds that are all AGS certified. AGS grading ensures that the diamond meets the high standards set by the American Gem Society for brilliance, cut, and light performance.
But there’s a bit of frustration here. To verify a company’s claim of a diamond being super ideal, you need information like the hearts and arrows cut precision, ASET images to check light performance, and idealscope images to measure the light return properties.
None of those data is provided on Helzberg website, so how can you verify the claim?
Besides, I couldn’t find anything unique or “super” about Helzberg’s super-ideal diamond series. They’re beautiful and have great clarity, but it’s pretty much what you’ll get from other jewelry retailers like James Allen at a lesser price. On quality versus price, the Helzberg Masterpiece Series doesn’t score well.
So it’s better to avoid the pricey “Diamond masterpiece” and stick with a regular Helzberg diamond.
Helzberg Diamond Prices: Comparing Prices with Other Jewelers
The carat size (or weight) of diamond is the biggest determinant of its price. All other things being equal, a 2-carat diamond will cost more than twice the price of 1 carat. And if you’re going for an ideal cut with high clarity diamond ring, expect to spend more.
That said, here’s one thing to know.
Helzberg doesn’t particularly get a thumbs-up for pricing from some review sites.
But here’s the thing. On the Helzberg website, every engagement ring you see with a price tag includes both the ring setting and the loose diamond. So you’re basically buying pre-set jewelry. On some alternative sites like Blue Nile and James Allen, you have to select a setting before choosing the diamond, and then both prices are summed up.
So at first glance at the three websites, it may create the illusion that Helzberg is way pricier even when that’s not the case. Helzberg usually appears pricier because it displays the final cost, unlike the alternatives.
Whatever the case, I recommend you compare prices of the same setting, size, and quality before deciding on where to make your diamond purchase. Also, remember to work within your budget, but you don’t want to go for a cheap diamond, as you may not be happy with the quality in real life.
Benefits of Shopping at Helzberg Diamonds for Engagement Rings
Here are some reasons to consider shopping at Helzberg for your diamond engagement ring:
- Variety and Customization Options Available. There are currently over 500 diamond engagement rings of different styles, shapes, colors, and sizes on the Helzberg website. Plus, you can customize yours if you can’t find the exact diamond you want. When creating your own diamond ring at Helzberg, a good starting point is to go for VS2 clarity, color G, and Ideal cut. You’ll get a white and relatively flawless diamond. But the problem here is that the customization options are more limited than alternative jewelers.
- Expert Advice on Choosing the Perfect Ring. Find insights on choosing the right diamond engagement ring in the “Advice” section on the website. Just go to “engagement ring buying guide” and find out all you need to know to choose the gem your woman will love.
- Exclusive Deals, Promotions, and Financing Programs Available. Diamond rings are expensive, but Helzberg Diamonds makes it easier to acquire your dream ring through financing options and exclusive offers like promo codes. So you can save up to $400 on your purchase for a limited time. So it’s good to start your search early so you can buy when there’s an available promo.
- Free Shipping and Returns. Don’t like your ring? You can return it at no extra cost. Shipping fee is one less thing to worry about when you shop at Helzberg Diamonds.
Pros
- Very large diamond collection
- Finding an engagement ring that meets your taste on Helzberg is easy; filter to narrow down the options
- Free shipping and returns
- Promo and exclusive offers available
- You can pay in bits monthly, reducing the financial strain
- Wide variety of lab-grown diamonds, which are less expensive
- AGS and GIA-graded diamonds
- A+ rating on BBB for responding to customer complaints
- Great buying experience; if you don’t know much about diamonds, you can learn it all on the Helzberg website under the “Advice” section so you can choose an engagement ring that’s right for you and your love.
Cons
- Lags behind in user experience when viewing products.
- No interactive video or 360 view of the diamond to see light performance
- You can’t filter by diamond cut, so you can’t be sure of its sparkle until delivery
- High prices for the premium diamond pieces
Helzberg Diamonds Review: Summary & Recommendations on Shopping for Engagement Rings
Shopping for engagement rings at Helzberg Diamonds is fairly easy, and you can customize yours if you can’t find what satisfies you even after filtering the options. But be aware that most of the rings you’ll get here are lab-created diamonds, which might be a concern if you’re solely out for natural gemstones. In terms of quality and appearance, there’s zero difference though.
If you prefer having a realistic 360 view of your diamond engagement ring before ordering online, you might want to avoid shopping on the Helzberg website.
Notwithstanding, many customers have given positive reviews showing their excitement about the delivery. Of course, there are unsatisfied customers as well. Just be sure to check the details (clarity, carat size, color, etc.) before buying. You can return for free if unsatisfied, so you want to shop long before you intend to propose.
The financing options are also one of my favorite reasons for shopping for engagement rings at Helzberg. It makes the payment less psychologically painful since you can pay in installments over an extended period. And if you find a limited-time promo at your time of shopping, all the better.
Helzberg Review Verdict: Should You Buy from Helzberg Diamonds?
Helzberg Diamonds is a reputable jeweler, and you’re safe buying from them. They sell real diamonds and the quality is high, provided you choose a good clarity (anything from SI1).
Helzberg’s premium diamonds are pricey though, so if you’re looking for the highest quality diamond rings at a more budget-friendly price, you may want to shop elsewhere.
