I had a very pleasant experience with Zoara. My one and only purchase was for a loose emerald cut diamond for $6,700 to build an engagement ring with a local jeweler. I had never made an online purchase this big. Usually my online activity is limited to $100.00 and under on Amazon Prime or Ebay.

Like most people, I started out pricing diamonds at retail stores like Zales, Reeds, etc. First of all, none of these retailers carried IF diamond. They would offer to find me one and bring it in but I was looking at about $10k for one carat at this clarity.

Naturally, I thought to myself, what if I just look online for pricing? I actually found Zoara.com by going through Rarecarat.com, which is like Priceline.com for diamonds. Much to my liking, the prices were staggeringly less expensive online. I started finding diamonds for 30-34% less than retail. I realized that effectively, I had found a way to cut out the middle man and get wholesale pricing. Fabulous.

I live in SC, USA so buying a diamond from a company located in the Dakotas/NYC was extremely unnerving, not to mention they source diamonds from all over the world. I had my concerns; Im not going to lie.

Zoara has an online chat feature that is really great. They dont use bots and the folks there really know their stuff. I dealt with Raquel and Ben and they were super-nice.

I shared with them my concerns about putting up that kind of money to an online dealer. I went on to explain to them that I needed several methods of assurance before I would agree to wire the money for the diamond. At this point they gave me their return policy and our conversation moved from online chat to email and telephone. Ill note that I talked to Raquel on the telephone numerous times and that she was very responsive and would call me back in reasonable time.

I asked both Raquel and Ben to email a transcription of our online chats along with a written assurance that the particular diamond I wanted (including its specs, GIA cert, what state the diamond was in, and price) would be available and that there was no chance that it would become unavailable during my payment process. Not knowing them or their company, I was afraid of the ol bait and switch method. That was not the case here. They provided me with all the assurances I asked from them and I proceeded to wire the money.

At the time, the diamond had been moved to California for a tradeshow. That scared me a bit, but within 24 hrs they had the diamond overnighted to NYC to their approval group and they had the diamond on its way to me within another day. It arrived on my doorstep three business days after I purchased it, from California.

It came in the most amazing white case with an LED light up ring box, the original embossed GIA cert (with a purchase receipt), an appraisal, and a ring bag with cleaner. It was really, really nice stuff. I was blown away.

I immediately took the diamond to my jeweler and had it checked out. It was what it said it was and this particular diamond actually had the GIA number laser inscribed on it.

Moral of the story is Zoara is an honest company with honest employees. They are both knowledgeable and responsive. Raquel and Ben were the best. Raquel even called me yesterday to make sure that I got the package and that I was happy.

I recommend you cover your bases when dealing with any large online purchase. Get everything in writing via email. EVERYTHING. Make sure you ask the right questions and dont be scared to point out the what-ifs. With Zoara, I would consider the fact that they source diamonds from dealers all over the world and that they have to put a hold on it for you to buy it. Make sure you get in writing that if it sells before you can finalize payment that you will immediately be refunded, no questions asked.

I hope your online diamond buying experience goes as well as mine. I bought a 1.2 carat loose emerald cut and I saved nearly $3,500 (34%) of retail pricing in my market. I would recommend this company to my family and best friend.

A good ring at a good price, but it took six months to get and they never did actually nail the design...

This is a revision of my earlier review.

My fiancé and I searched online for a simple sturdy ring that would stand up to the abuse of retail shelving, unpacking, etc. We found a ring on Zoara's website that was close, but needed some modification to be what she wanted. I contacted the company to see if they could revise one of their own rings to our specifications. Sure! They said. This was before Christmas of 2015. After many delays, we finally received our ring in June. I asked for a CAD rendering to take the risk out of it. Sure! They said. Then they said it could be months - that their rendering company was "backed up". Really? The only adornment on this ring is already in one of their existing renderings. Most of what they needed to do was just change the band. They never did get that right. We wanted a heavy comfort, oval cross-section band - no flat surface anywhere on the band. I sent well-annotated illustrations of my own. They eventually delivered the ring with a band that has a flat top and flat inside, but at least had a round edge instead of the "pipe cut" they kept trying to foist upon us. If we wanted the pipe cut, we would have just ordered their stock ring - Jeesh. My fiancé finally said "that's close enough, I like it" - so I accepted it - but it wasn't an oval cross-section. At every step of the process, they refused to give me the oval section I wanted. Part of this, I'm sure, is due to the inability to sit across the desk from the designer/CAD drawer - but this was NOT a difficult concept to understand. I dealt with several different customer service reps - about the time I'd get exasperated by one, they'd assign a different one to me. They did promptly answer emails - I'll give them that, but our wedding date could not be set for half a year because we had no idea when we'd get the ring. We, too, heard the "takes two weeks to make, after we agree on design" promise/comment. They just don't mention how they drag their feet for months during the design collaboration. Once I gave up on getting exactly what we consistently asked for from the beginning - and approved the design as repeated offered - then, indeed, we had the ring two weeks later. We already owned the brown/chocolate diamond she wanted set in the ring and the ring was fabricated correctly to set our specified stone into. We had a local jeweler set the stone. I've attached a photo so you can see the simplicity of the ring. Sorry - the stone doesn't show itself off very well in this pic.

Steve
Order ******

Updated on 3/28

I've received my ring finally on 3/23/2016. The ring and box was exactly as I have viewed on the site. I would say I am very please with the ring and the presentation of the box. I upped the rating to 3 stars due to the better then expected quality of the diamond and ring itself.

I would recommend Zoara for a great deal on the diamond and some additional discounts in the form of taxes and wire transfers. Please note that my issue with the wire transfer is it took up to 7 business days to confirm my payment, which pushed out my expected ship date well past the 2-5 days that is stated on Zoaras website. I think Zoara should do a better job at walking people through the wire transfers to avoid the delay in shipping. With the Delay in shipment aside, I am very please with the ring.__________________________________________

I've ordered my ring and diamond on 3/05/2016, which was a Saturday. I decided to do the wire transfer since there was a discount associated with this payment method, and I wish I had not. My bank completed the wire on 3/07/2016, which was end of day Monday.

On Thursday and Friday, I called in and email support to confirm payment since the site shows it as "in process". I got 2 email back saying that they have not received it (even though I have confirmation from my bank) and asked for my transfer receipt. So I sent them the confirmation with a screen shot from my bank.

3 days later, still no updates. Email responses were ignored. I had to call in and ask about the payment on the 3rd day. Customer support said payment was confirmed and the diamond was ordered (website still shows as in process at this point). So I asked for a email validation, something in writing that says they have received it. This took several more emails and a negative feedback on their site to get a response and a written confirmation of payment received.

They then sent me an explanation of why my payment was confirmed until the 15th, said because it came in as an ACHI wire and it had no sender information. However on their wire instruction they did not specific how to do the wire or what type to wire they prefer. Clearly my bank got a confirmation status from their bank.

It is 3/22/2016 as of this review and the Engagement ring have not been shipped. I will not speak to the quality of the ring and this review is strictly on my shopping experience.

I just got my ring. Can't wait to pop the question.
I'll upload pictures. Looks GREAT!

I can only say that I have deep suspicions about the authenticity of the numerous positive reviews for this company. My experience has been frustrating to the limit. Original product ordered was never delivered, and only after I contacted them (NOTE who had to initiate the contact) was I informed that the loose diamond ordered was no longer available. (It took three emails to them over a period of two weeks before they finally responded and relayed that information to me.) An alternative stone was suggested in their email, but I did not think it met the quality as described for the original; I called to discuss the matter and asked for a replacement stone which I had found in their online inventory. The representative agreed to my request, confirming in real time the availability of the replacement. I was assured I would promptly receive my order: Over two weeks have now passed, since my phone call with Zoara's Customer Service, but no delivery and NO COMMUNICATION at all from Zoara. Since my unhappy ordeal began, I have perused more closely the customer reviews for this company. Based upon my experience, I would strongly advise others to discount some of the positive commentaries: I must question if a significant proportion of those reviews are not "plants" or skewed by remuneration offers. Pay particular attention to the reports of those customers who lament their frustration: those reviews ring with genuine pain! Undeniably the prices quoted by Zoara appear attractive... but only so if the item to be purchased can actually be delivered, and only so if the consumer is not stonewalled when trying to communicate with the company.

UPDATE: Having had no delivery of the order and no communication whatsoever from Zoara in response to my several emails, I elected to try a different contact channel and signed in to their Customer Support Chat. This is proving to be a more agreeable experience than other communication options. The Chat representatives have been courteous and attentive. One representative acknowledged that Zoara has been grievously in error in not informing me promptly that the stones ordered and awaited (both the original and the replacement) were not available. A second representative is now trying to rectify the aborted order by searching for an acceptable replacement stone. It's in the midst of the process, but I have a glimmer of hope that I may finally be getting some resolution to this long, exasperating course. The take-away: don't waste your time sending emails to this company; they will just be ignored. If you have a question or an issue, go directly to the Customer Service Chat Room. In any event, be prepared to hear that what you ordered "is no longer available." Zoara's online inventory is not updated in a timely manner and this will result in customers suspecting that they have been pulled into a bait-and-switch scheme. Only Zoara knows if that is the game they are playing.

2ND UPDATE: After weeks of waiting and getting no replies to emails, the Chat Room contact with a Service Representative finally led to the selection of an acceptable replacement stone for the one originally ordered, and I have now received delivery of that replacement stone. Was it worth the hassle? Might I have found comparable value with less aggravation from another source? Hard to say.

Lots of choices, great prices.

Great Experience. Thank you very much!

Amazing diamond, ring, service and prices!
Like most people about to plunk down 10K on a diamond ring on the internet I was a bit hesitant about the whole online deal but I was referred to Zoara by one of my now fiancés girlfriends who got her ring done by Zoara.
Their sales team (Neil, Ben and David) were really attentive and patient even though I asked for additional images of probably 15 diamonds (sorry guys of I drove you crazy). I'm somewhat of a tightwad in making sure everything would be perfect but they were all really understanding and friendly throughout the entire presale process.
The ring itself was their catalog RGSD*****-PL and it took them about 2 weeks to make it since they told me ahead of time that platinum frequently takes a bit longer than gold to make. So if you're in a rush and considering platinum I would make sure that you give a little time to spare. The order came by FedEx overnight and was packaged really well with the ribbon tied just right and the box is really special- it has an LED light that turns on when you open the box. Since my proposal was at night I can't tell you how much this little addition improves the view.
Darcy was awed by the ring and even though she didn't want to, we went to an appraiser who valued it at $16,500 which is far more than we paid for it. The appraiser said that it was a type IIa which made it more valuable than ordinary and given the price that I paid I got a great deal on it.
In short, Zoara gave me an A+ experience. The sales people aren't just interested in closing the sale; they actually care about keeping you happy and are just as helpful after the order is placed. Given the fact that I got a great price for a terrific ring and diamond plus great and efficient service, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Zoara to anybody and I already have begun to spread the word.
Thanks so much Zoara team from Jason and Darcy!

My experience with Zoara was almost flawless. I had quite a lot of correspondence between myself and the representatives at Zoara, in particular I spoke with Ben Harris who was just amazing. He helped me with shipping information, discounts and even calmed me down after I spoke with another representative who was a little less than expected (She was willing to change the delivery address on the order without any confirmation I was who I said I was other than an order number and a first name!). If it wasn't for that experience this would have been a 5 star review, even still Ben was able to provide me with all the information on why this was still secure and that in fact nothing had changed due to payment regulations and the previous customer service rep had simply "Got it wrong".

On to the ring. It's beautiful. The diamond is also (to my eyes) flawless. I went with an Eye Clean, 3X (Excellent Cut, Polish, Symmetry), Hearts and Arrows Diamond that was "G" colour (Very Slight Blue, perfect for my girlfriend, soon to be fiance, as she has light blue eyes) and a VS1 Clarity. This was perfect and looks perfectly clear to the naked eye, and the light shines amazingly through it with the 3X Cut, it's the perfect ring for me.

Moving on to the "Free Engraving", this was free, so I don't have a lot complain about, and it does say exactly what I specified, however it is in hollow block letters which means it has to VERY small to fit in the band, and it's barely readable. I feel that just a simple font without double lines would have made it easier to read and see. However it's definitely there and while small the writing it neat and legible.

Finally, presentation. The Box. Well I almost immediately after purchasing the ring decided to look online for somewhere/one that made ring boxes so I could present the ring in the nice traditional box with no branding emblazoned across the top, like "This proposal was brought to you by our broadcast sponsor!" However upon receiving the ring, there is no branding inside the box and only some gold writing on the top. So it's hardly noticeable in hand once the lid is opened. However what sold it for me was the light. That's right it has it's own little downlight in the box that lights up the ring when the box is opened. It makes the ring sparkle like, well a diamond.

Very pleasurable experience and will definitely be speaking to Ben Harris when I purchase my Wedding Band through Zoara.

I could not be more pleased and impressed with my purchase experience with Zoara and with the engagement ring purchased through them. First, the company's website was very user friendly and I was quite impressed with the selection. After selecting the setting and diamond online (after much research), I made the purchase over the phone (September 2013), with just as much ease. Zoara was able to provide exactly what I had selected. The ring arrived four business days after I called, just in time for my trip to Italy where I was intending to propose. Being in Ontario, Canada, I just had to show some documents to Canadian Customs indicating the purchase value and pay taxes (HST) on that amount in order to clear the good. The ring was gorgeous and my fiancé was ecstatic! The ring I had selected, however, was two sizes too big. Although Zoara offered free resizing, I first showed the ring to a reputed jeweller in my town to enquire about the cost of resizing the ring. The jeweler, who also thought the ring was very beautiful, suggested that such a ring should be replaced for one of the appropriate size rather that resized, because of the five smaller stones on each sides of the center stone. Being still within the 30 days since the purchase, allowing a full refund, I contacted Zoara, who agreed to rebuild a smaller ring. I sent back the ring by FedEx. Given that I had not yet insured the ring, I purchased insurance from FedEx for the shipment and declared its replacement value. Despite a delay of a few days at US Customs because I had not properly described the goods and then filed a specific form declaring the ring as a US good being returned, I received the new ring one day after the first ring cleared US Customs. I was very impressed with that turnaround, especially since my fiancé still did not have a chance to show off her ring! Then, I brought the ring for an appraisal. It was valued (i. E. replacement value) at over $3,000 more than paid. While I understand the appraisal is subjective, the diamond was described as being of lower clarity and color (as in higher number) although the weight was slightly more (at 1.10c vs 1.06c as described on the EGL certificate). My only issue with the whole experience was the cost of insuring the shipment with FedEx when I sent it back for resizing/replacement. The shipment, with insurance cost me almost $400. I could have skipped the insurance but since the ring was not yet insured, I felt obliged… In any event, I am quite confident that I could not have purchased a diamond ring of the same quality for an equivalent price through jewelers at home.