Bizrate.com — "Circle of Excellence Platinum Award," 2002-2007

"Smart retailers have long figured-out that good service equals sales. If it were not for the exceptional quality of service these retailers have provided consumers, online spending would not have flourished to the extent it has over the last 10 years of ecommerce," said Chuck Davis, Chairman of Shopzilla. "The BizRate Research Circle of Excellence Awards serve to acknowledge those industry-leading retailers who make their customers a priority and raise the industry bar at the same time."

BusinessWeek — Blue Nile ranks 10th on list of 100 Fastest Growing Companies, June 2006

"Blue Nile is now the largest seller of engagement rings in the U.S. Zale replaced its CEO amid 25% profit declines. The key is Blue Nile's hyper-low operating costs: the company's single warehouse sells as much jewelry as nearly 200 stores would combined. That means prices are often 35% less than competitors' and operating margins are still better."

Kiplinger's — Best E-Tailer, February 2006

"Our overall bling-buying pick is Blue Nile. It can tap a pool of 60,000 diamonds and scores of settings, and the store lets you return an item 30 days from the day it ships. Most calls are answered within ten seconds by an employee in Seattle. And its prices are among the lowest."

Forbes — "Forbes Favorite" online jeweler, 2000-2006

"Search by product, including anniversary rings, pendants and earrings, or by material, such as platinum or pearl. But the real draw here is the site's enormous selection of diamonds. Choose from hundreds of pre-set pieces or select a loose stone. The site now offers more than 60,000 stones in a variety of shapes, including asscher- and cushion-cut. A search for a princess-cut diamond yielded more than 11,000 choices alone. Narrow your search by criteria such as price range, carat range and color. Offers an excellent learning guide on the four C's (cut, clarity, color, carat weight). Each attribute includes helpful diagrams, and terms are linked to the site's glossary.”

Smart Money — The Virtual Mall, June 2005

"At Blue Nile, an education section covers the gamut, illustrating the difference between how a half-carat and a 0.75-carat diamond will look on the average finger, for example, and what cut grades give the most bang for the buck. From there, shoppers can search through an inventory of 60,000 loose diamonds, sort them by characteristic and select a custom setting."

Money Magazine — "Best Deal," September 2004

"Buying jewelry is already fraught with anxiety … Blue Nile tries hard to reassure with copious consumer education, on-call phone consultants and designs you can customize. As for price, one-carat (total weight) colorless diamond solitaire stud earrings go for $3,204 vs. $3,999 at zales.com."

Real Simple — "Best Web site for Jewelry," March 2004

"Plenty of classic pieces at affordable rates, from silver hoops ($35) to diamond studs (starting at $215) to, yes, engagement rings."

Wall Street Journal — March 22, 2004

"Although this site offers all kinds of jewelry, it really comes into its own in the diamond section. You can search thousands of diamonds by cut, color, clarity, carat weight and price, and the page instantly shows you how many diamonds fall in the range you've set. Individual diamonds are described in even more intricate detail, including depth, table, symmetry, polish, girdle, culet and fluorescence. And the site even explains what all these things mean."

USA Weekend — June 13-15, 2003

"Mark Vadon founded BlueNile.com after he suffered through the ordeal of choosing an engagement ring. Those who can't distinguish a carat from a carrot should head to 'Education' to learn why platinum is a better diamond setting than gold. The 4-year old site is so detailed, it even shows drawings of bracelet, necklace and watch clasps, with directions for opening them. Shopping on the site is easy, too, with links such as 'Build Your Own Engagement Ring' and searches by budget and material."

TIME — "Best Indulgence," November 4, 2002

"Elegant sterling-silver gifts for special clients. Blue Nile specializes in the luxe life, but there are plenty of items under $100 too."

Read our customer letters for more reviews on Blue Nile.