Blue Nile has announced that the latest in the series of “Webrooms” it has been opening across the US is planned to be launched in Seattle by Thanksgiving, which falls on November 24th. The new Webroom – which will be the e-tailers’s fifth -- has been planned for   Bellevue Square, which is only a few miles from the company's Seattle headquarters.

"We're excited to bring the Webroom experience to our hometown at Bellevue Square, which is an ideal place for new and existing customers to see, touch, and feel our engagement rings while still taking advantage of superior online selection and prices," said Blue Nile President, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Harvey Kanter. "At the Webroom, consumers can experience Blue Nile's easy, educational, and pressure-free advice in a physical setting, and the coolest part is that the engagement rings they choose will be handcrafted less than 15 miles away in our fulfilment centre."

A  Webroom is not the same as any other retail store the Company stresses. “Webrooms  are low-overhead installations that create a hybrid online/offline shopping experience and allow shoppers to try on an assortment of engagement rings, view more than 400 pieces of jewellery from every angle, and get pressure-free advice from non-commissioned consultants,” Blue Nile explains. “In addition, shoppers can access an online catalogue of 150,000 independently-graded diamonds from in-store tablets.”

The Company says that their prices are up to 40 per cent lower than those of traditional jewellers.

Though the Webrooms represent a “physical” experience of sorts, all transactions continue to take place online via in-store tablets; or the customer can choose to order at a later time on their own smartphone, PC, or tablet, through Blue Nile's website.

Blue Nile’s currently operational and other four Webrooms are at:  Washington Square mall in Portland, Oregon; Roosevelt Field mall in Long Island, New York; The Westchester mall, in White Plains, New York; and Tysons Corner Center mall in Fairfax County, Virginia.