Blue Nile is adding some bricks to its clicks.

The e-tailer, which up until now has been strictly an e-tailer in the United States, is showcasing its product in a brick-and-mortar store for the first time. 

The Nordstrom flagship in downtown Seattle now features more than 150 Blue Nile engagement and wedding rings in a showcase at its Wedding Suite. Blue Nile is also based in Seattle.

The rings cannot be purchased directly from Nordstrom, but “a Blue Nile representative will be available at the counter to answer questions and place orders online,” according to a Nordstrom blog post.

Neither Nordstrom nor Blue Nile could be reached by JCK at press time. But an article in The Seattle Times called the venture  “a six-month experiment” that may be extended to Nordstrom’s 17 other Wedding Suites. It did not disclose how the arrangement works from a business standpoint.

The newspaper quoted Blue Nile chief merchandising officer Julie Yoakum as saying that the e-tailer recognizes “some customers want to get up close and personal with jewelry before buying.”

“This is about seeing it, trying it on, and generating interest for future purchases,” she added.

This isn’t the only unusual partnership Blue Nile is experimenting with this season: It recently announced a new joint venture with ring trade-in site I Do Now I Don’t.

Rob Bates

JCK News Director