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Q&A: $2500 Budget for Round 3/4 Carat Diamond

By Mike Fried,

The first thing I would like to do is thank you for what is a truly excellent website. I’ve been apprehensive over this whole process, but your website has been so informative and helpful. You do a great service for all of us guys (and gals!) who are pretty clueless about all this stuff. Thank you.

That said, I’ve been dating a certain lady for coming up on four years this summer, and the hints are getting so loud that even I can hear them now. It’s time to take the plunge.

After doing some research with my budget, I think I’ve settled on a 3/4 carat stone or so (approx), and the budget for the diamond itself is about $2500. I can go a couple of hundred higher for the right stone, but much beyond that would push my budget too far. All I’d care about for clarity is that it’s eye clean, and has lots of sparkle. For color I’m not too picky, from what I’ve read an I to J rating would be fine (the setting I’ve picked out at James Allen is white gold if that helps).

After looking at what seems like hundreds of diamonds on James Allen, I keep coming back to this one –

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1464803.asp

Is this a good stone? I’m no judge on whether or not something is eye clean, so I can’t tell if those flaws are something she’d see or not. If it’s not the best stone for me to go with, are there others that you would recommend for that budget and criteria which I’d be better off going with?

I’m hoping you can help me make this decision a little easier.

Is the setting a solitaire or does it have pave/sidestones?

Thank you for the quick response. I was looking at a solitaire style ring. This one (18k White Gold 3.8mm Rounded Cathedral Diamond Solitaire Setting) from James Allen has caught my eye.

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/solitaire-diamond-rings.html

Honestly, I don’t think the True Hearts are worth that much more than a typical XXX diamond. This diamond is a better value:

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Very%20Good-Cut-Round-Diamond-1498720.asp

Thanks for the quick response Mike. That one you found looks really nice (to my admittedly very untrained

eye!). Certainly my wallet would appreciate a diamond almost $500 dollars cheaper.

Just to play devil’s advocate though, if I were to go spending up to the $2500 I budgeted for a diamond, would I get any really noticeable improvement anywhere if I were to change one of my 4C’s to a higher level, such as bumping up the colour to an I? Or is it a case of really paying extra for something that you cannot really appreciate once it’s set in a ring and on her finger at that point?

Bumping up to an I can have a noticeable affect, but its hit or miss.

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1496193.asp

90% of the time, J color exhibits zero yellow in a white gold/platinum setting. So bumping up to I color doesn’t give you a noticeable improvement except in those rare occasions where the J color is a little dark. Thats up to you.

Thinking on it, I think I’ll go with the original diamond which you suggested. I see James Allen has a full exchange policy if I decide it’s not up to par colour wise once I get it in hand, which should be enough security if it’s deemed “too yellow” by the female eye. I don’t think it would be an issue at all though.

Is there any sort of code or other method I need to enter at James Allen to make sure they credit you guys with the recommendation and know it came from you?

Thanks so much for thinking of us. If you can just let me know your order number after you place the order, we can double check that it tracks to us.

Please let me know how it looks when it arrives.

The order has been placed, payment done, and everything has gone off without a hitch. So far, James Allen have been tremendous to deal with. The order number for my order was #83690, if you want to check from your end. Now I just need to wait and see it.

Thank you so much for all your help in what felt a daunting prospect.

Sounds great. Keep me posted.

James Allen James Allen is the leader in online diamond sales. Their imaging technology is the same as inspecting a diamond with a jeweler's loupe. They have the largest exclusive loose diamond inventory online and fantastic prices. They also have the nicest collection of lab-created diamonds online. Get 30% off lab-grown diamonds during a limited time sale.
What we love about them:
  • No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Free International Shipping
  • Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
  • Provide insurance appraisals
  • One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
  • Free ring inscriptions
  • Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • Best-in-class packaging
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Blue Nile Blue Nile is the largest and most well-known internet jewelry seller. They have a very large exclusive online inventory. Their high-quality images are catching up to James Allens' and their prices are amazing. Save 25% on settings at Blue Nile!

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What we love about them:
  • No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Free Shipping
  • Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
  • Provide insurance appraisal
  • One free resizing within the first year of purchase
  • High quality images of about half of their diamonds
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
  • Best in class fulfillment
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