Wallace Bishop Jewellery – A Review

Our Rating 3.5 out of 5.

Compare Wallace Bishop Jewellery with James Allen.

Wallace Bishop has no qualities which should pull a customer in to make a purchase. If you are not interested in shopping online at James Allen or  Blue Nile, where you will be able to get a  fantastic diamond engagement ring for a very good price, you should consider Cerrone Jewelers in Australia.

You will not be able to make the most of your budget shopping at Wallace Bishop, and you will be left with a sour taste in your mouth thanks to the underwhelming customer service, and a diamond that will not be worth the money you have spent.

A Brief History

Wallace Bishop has been in operation and owned by the same family for over 100 years, being founded in 1917.

Stuart Bishop and his father Mr. Bishop are both fully qualified and skilled jewelers. As Mr. Bishop completed his watchmaking traineeship back in 1950, he would complete all diamond buying and valuations within the company himself. Now, Stuart Bishop is the current CEO and has been awarded the prestigious award from  DeBeers for jewelry design.

What Wallace Bishop Offer

The Wallace Bishop stores are very similar to the physical retailers you would find within the United States. The stores are bright, airy and modern, and the showcases are spread out nicely around the store. There is a decent amount of jewelry choices on show, with the engagement rings only forming a small part of the collection.

However, as nice as the store is, the salespeople do not hold anywhere close to enough knowledge when it comes to diamonds to be able to proficiently help a customer decide, or even find something close to what they walk in wanting.

It is not expected for each retailer to have salespeople who are complete experts in their field, but it would be nice for them to have some sort of competency to fill in the blanks for customers, and to help them find the ring that suits them. Unfortunately, the salespeople at Wallace Bishop fall very short, and it is almost frustrating for a person who does know a thing or two about diamonds to be helped out by a salesperson in a Wallace Bishop store.

What Makes Wallace Bishop Stand Out?

Stores – To their credit, the Wallace Bishop stores are light and airy, which offers up the perfect conditions to shop for sparkly diamonds and engagement rings.

Salespeople – Unfortunately, the salespeople at Wallace Bishop do not make the store stand out for the right reasons. The salespeople employ heavy sales-tactics, such as threatening to raise the price if a diamond is not bought on the day, and offering a one-day-only discount on a specific diamond or ring. A diamond is not something that is bought on a whim, and time and consideration are needed before making a purchase, so forcing a customer into a sale is just not okay.

The 5 C’s – Wallace Bishop uses the 5 C’s to help their customers make a purchasing decision, this includes the usual 4 C’s, cut, color, clarity and carat, and the fifth being confidence. There is diamond education on their site where customers can go and find out more about the diamond they are wanting to purchase.

Wallace Bishop Pricing

The pricing at Wallace Bishop is just completely unjustified. Not only do you not get a certification straight away for the diamond, which should raise a red flag, but the diamonds do not always compare well to those you can find at  James Allen or Blue Nile.

Comparing a similar diamond from Wallace Bishop to James Allen, the diamond at Wallace Bishop can cost up to 70% more. There is absolutely no way this could be justified. Even if you are given a discount, the diamond will still be considerably higher than that which you could purchase at James Allen.

Custom Orders

Wallace Bishop does not offer exclusive custom design options, but there are some which allow customers to make a ring more personal, such as engraving their initials onto the ring or having one or two stones added for a unique touch.

Website Ease of Use

The Wallace Bishop website is fairly simple and full of sales banners and advertisements, which is very in line with the hard sales tactics they use in-store. Instead of searching by collections or categories on the front page, you are instead prompted to search by discount, not the most elegant touch.

There is only one image available per ring, but there is a decent amount of information offered regarding the details, description, and reviews. Once again, you are slightly swamped with sales offers and discounts when viewing a ring, which really does take away from the experience overall.

Customer Service

There is not much to be said about the customer service at Wallace Bishop, but the aftersales services do uplift the experience slightly.

Returns – Any items purchased from Wallace Bishop can be returned within 7 days of purchase for the exchange of the item, or a Wallace Bishop gift card.

Shipping – Shipping is free for all orders over $50.

Jewelry Care Plan – The Jewelry Care Plan is available in either 5 or 10-year packages, allowing customers the chance to choose the one which suits them best.

Wallace Bishop Financing Options

Wallace Bishop offers customers flexible payment options, both in-store and online. Customers can choose to use Afterpay, Zip or Humm. All three of these payment options have unique plans that cater to different needs and budgets.

Why You Should Choose Wallace Bishop

• 100-year-old family-run business
• Jewelry Care Plan available for customers

Wallace Bishop – Not Worth Your Money

The premiums set on the diamonds and engagement rings at Wallace Bishop are completely unjustified. They are higher than almost all of the other retailers in Australia, both online and physical, and are almost on par with luxury jewelry brands, without offering the same quality. The customer service and the ambiance do not make up for the high prices.

Take your money online to James Allen or Blue Nile, or any other physical retailer for that matter, to ensure you get good value for your money.

Here is the Official Website:  https://wallacebishop.com.au/