Over the years we have had a lot of conversations with readers and one question comes up very often: “Why are you giving out great free advice, what’s the catch?”.

It’s a great question and we always answer it honestly. The service is 100% free for you, but we are compensated for our time and expertise.

Affiliate Marketing

Many of the largest sites on the internet today use something called ‘affiliate marketing‘. Affiliate marketing offers internet publishers a way to generate revenue without bombarding their readers with advertisements. In essence the advertiser pays a commission for every sale coming from the site of the publisher.

Virtually every large merchant on the internet has an affiliate program. Just a few examples: Amazon.com, GoDaddy, Apple and Microsoft all run affiliate programs.

The jewelry industry is no exception. All large (and many small) online jewelry stores offer affiliates a commission for any sales they generate. Blue Nile, James Allen, Kay, Zales all have an affiliate program and we could list dozens more.

If you regularly use the internet you are almost guaranteed to have visited a site that used affiliate marketing. For example every comparison site depends on the income from affiliate marketing. Basically what we are trying to say is that this is a well-known method and the largest and most respected companies in the world use it.

The problem with affiliate marketing is that most publishers just throw up banner ads on their site and do nothing else. They offer little value to you and certainly do not give you well-thought out advice.

Gem Coach’s Difference

We on the other hand think that we work hard for our commission. When you ask us a question we use our expertise to give you the best possible answer. When you ask us to help you find the perfect diamond for your budget we pour through thousands of diamonds and find it for you.

Almost all diamond sites just push you towards the most expensive diamonds and to the site that pays them the most commission.

Not us. Yes, it is true that almost every link to a jewelry store on our site is an affiliate link. However, we will never push you to the most expensive diamonds. We simply find the best diamond for the budget you set. Whenever possible we will even point out a diamond that fits your description but is below your budget.

We are affiliated with almost every large jewelry store on the internet and can offer advice for every one of those sites. However, as you may have noticed from our Ultimate Guide to Buying the Perfect Engagement Ring we almost exclusively link to James Allen.

Now this is not because they offer the most commission, because they don’t. The affiliate programs by Blue Nile and Zales for example offer better terms. No, we simply know that James Allen offers by far the most value for your money.

We are sure that other jewelry stores are also great, but they do not offer high quality photography of their diamonds. This makes it impossible to recommend a lower clarity stone, because we simply cannot know whether it is eye clean or not.

James Allen does make this possible and it has put them head and shoulders above any other store if you are looking to save money without compromising on beauty.

Free Professional Advice

With our years of experience in the gemstone and diamond industry we can offer you free professional advice. Whether you are looking for expert insight into diamonds you picked yourself, or want a hands-off experience, we will help you.

Getting engaged is a big step and we are happy to be a small part of that step, by helping you decide on the perfect diamond.

Please contact us if you want free professional help in finding the right diamond for you. Or if you have any other questions or concerns.