Marketing a $30,000 diamond necklace on the Web is different from marketing a $12.95 paperback - or is it?

You might think diamond rings are the last product anyone would buy online. But Mary Lou Kelley, vice president of marketing for luxury goods i.merchant Ashford.com, would tell you that you're wrong.

"Diamonds are one of the perfect items for selling online," she says. "Men buy the engagement rings. And just like men don't like to ask for directions, they don't like going to the jewelry store to ask about the four Cs" - cut, clarity, color, and carat, the four factors that determine the value of a diamond. Men would rather log on to the Web, Kelley argues, and find the answers - along with the ideal ring - for themselves.

And that, in a nutshell, is the philosophy of marketers selling luxury items online. But while people are apparently willing to dole out big bucks for high-end items sight unseen - Jill Vollmer, vice president of brand marketing for online jeweler Mondera, says one customer spent $96,000 on two diamonds - in some way marketing such products isn't as simple as, say, selling books or office supplies online.

"The Internet enables a unique experience," says Adam Rockmore, vice president of strategic consulting for services provider Fry Multimedia. "But whenyou try to take the in-store shopping experience online without compensating for the things you lose, such as the sensory cues, you don't truly capture the luxury experience."