Wallace Bishop Jewellery: Are they legit?

The Wallace Bishop stores are very similar to the physical retailers in 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 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 knows something about diamonds to be helped out by a salesperson in a Wallace Bishop store.

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 of a diamond not bought on the day and offering a one-day-only discount on a specific diamond or ring. A diamond is not bought on a whim, and time and consideration are needed before making a purchase, so forcing a customer into a sale is 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 is confidence. There is diamond education on their site where customers can learn more about the diamond they want.

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 no way this could be justified. Even if you are given a discount, the diamond will still be considerably higher than you could purchase at James Allen.

Wallace Bishop does not offer exclusive custom design options. Still, some allow customers to make a ring more personal, such as engraving their initials or adding one or two stones for a unique touch.

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 prompted to search by discount, not the most elegant touch.

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

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 seven 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 five- or 10-year packages, allowing customers to choose the best that suits them.

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

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

The premiums on the diamonds and engagement ring at Wallace Bishop may be unjustified. They are higher than almost all other retailers in Australia, both online and physical, and are almost on par with luxury jewelry brands without offering the same quality. 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.