Brownlee Jewelers – A Review

Our Rating 3.5 out of 5.

Compare Brownlee Jewelers with James Allen.

Unfortunately, the bottom-line recommendation would be to stay away from Brownlee Jewelers. While they claim to have built trust through their 3-generation history, there is no reason one should visit the store for an engagement ring or jewelry shopping. Instead, you would be better off visiting James Allen or Blue Nile to ensure that you are given amazing customer service, beautiful products, and the best value for your money around.

A Brief History

Brownlee Jewelers are one of the oldest jewelers in the United States. The company's history starts over 80 years ago, founded in 1936 in the Carolinas.

Since then, they have grown to include eight stores across South and North Carolina. Brownlee Jewelers is still family-run, with the third generation leading the company now.

What Brownlee Jewelers Offer

The Brownlee Jewelers stores do not offer much in the way of experience. The stores do not hold up to the luxury experience you should expect when purchasing a high-value piece. Instead, they seem to rely only on boards and advertisements, which dulls the experience exponentially.

The staff in-store is friendly, and though it is always a feature to look for in a store, they do not offer enough diamond education and assistance to their customers when deciding on a diamond or setting.

Diamonds sold at Brownlee Jewelers are sold with EGL certificates, which do not cement the stones' actual qualities. The EGL does not hold strict to the grading of diamond properties, but it still is better than nothing.

The quality of the diamonds, store settings, and lack of information offered by sales staff do not suffice to draw customers back.

What Makes Brownlee Jewelers Stand Out?

History: What Brownlee Jewelers do have going for them is that they have remained a family-owned business for over 80 years. Each one of their eight stores is locally owned and operated, building trust within the local community.

Settings: Putting the diamonds aside, the settings sold at Brownlee Jewelers are nice. They have all the standard shapes and styles available, all crafted beautifully.

Sales: Many retailers do not offer substantial sales on their jewelry, but Brownlee Jewelers do. Their online site always shows the current sales, and you can often pick up 50% off on an engagement ring setting of your choice.

Kimberley Process: Brownlee Jewelers adhere to the Kimberley Process to ensure that their diamonds are conflict-free and ethically sourced, which is a huge selling point for many customers.

Brownlee Jewelers Pricing

There is no way around the fact that the diamonds at Brownlee Jewelers are overpriced. What makes matters worse for them is that the diamonds are not of good quality. Hence, you may easily find a better diamond for the same, or lower, price at James Allen.

The diamonds at Brownlee Jewelers can cost up to 40% more than their counterparts at James Allen. Ironically, the high price increase is not justified given, as contended before, their diamonds' quality. This implies that you will not be getting anything special for the extra money spent.

Some stores offer a unique experience, or brand name, to justify their diamond prices, but Brownlee Jewelers do not. Their service is possibly lower than other retailers, and the diamond quality is another story unto itself.

Custom Orders

Brownlee Jewelers offer customers the chance to design their engagement ring or jewelry piece from scratch. The custom design department works closely with the clients to create a unique piece using CAD/CAM. A team of designers works to perfect the initial idea, while the craftsmen work to build up the engagement ring to these specifications.

Website Ease of Use

Brownlee Jewelers do excel when it comes to their online site. It is clean and pleasant and full of simple yet effective coloring and imaging.

Unlike many other physical retailers, the online store has been built to suit the needs of online clients. The filtering options for searching engagement rings are beneficial, with many filtering options to narrow down your search.

There are great photos of the ring you choose to view and quite a vast amount of information to digest to help you decide. The ring will also show the EGL grading card to help understand the qualities and values better.

The purchasing process on the site is easy enough. Besides, there is a pop-up chat button to have easy access to customer care should you need it.

Customer Service

Brownlee Jewelers do claim to offer superb customer service. However, this may not be observed in-store, not necessarily due to the enthusiasm of the sales assistant lacking but to the information and education offered to clients. Online, it is a reasonably different story, where there are many resources available to help the client along the purchasing process.

Returns: If a customer needs to return their purchase, they can do so in 30 days for a full refund, exchange, or in-store credit.

Shipping: Free shipping is offered for purchases over $250, with priority shipping offered to purchases exceeding $1000.

Free Nationwide Warranty: The Free Nationwide Warranty covers retipping prongs, inspections of channels and settings, re-sizing, tightening stones, refinishing, and polishing.

Brownlee Jewelers Financing Options

There is an option of financing the purchase through the Synchrony Financial Luxury Card at Brownlee Jewelers, which features a simple credit application process, low monthly payments, and special financing. Moreover, the card does not tie up other credit lines.

It also allows customers to purchase their dream items, with financing options suited to their needs and budget.

Why You Should Choose Brownlee Jewelers

• Beautiful settings
• Adherence to the Kimberley Process
• Family run business for over 80 Years

Brownlee Jewelers - Save Your Money Online

Nobody should feel the need to purchase their engagement ring from Brownlee Jewelers. The customer service is not exceptional, and the experience offered in-store is not unique. You will find much better diamonds at a lower price online at James Allen or Blue Nile.

Some physical retailers retain their customers through higher prices with a personalized, luxury experience, but Brownlee Jewelers do not. Therefore, you must take your budget online to extend it further and get value for your money and time.

Here is the official website: https://www.brownleejewelers.com/