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Q&A: Brilliance Overload! Shopping for Diamond Studs, Diamond Pendant, and a Tennis Bracelet on a $7,500 Budget

By Mike Fried,

I want to buy my wife: a diamond set –  studs, tennis bracelet & pendant.

The tennis bracelet will be 2tcw, the pendant will be .70ct and the studs will be 1.40 total (.70 each) to match the pendant. I want shiny dazzling bright sparkling – eye clean.

My question is I decided on excellent cut (unless I am wrong), do I go with an I color or do I need to step up to an H? I will buy from James Allen or Blue Nile. I would prefer to get away with $7,500 instead of $9,500, but I don’t want to make a mistake, it’s a 1 time buy so I want to get it right. Will the difference be greatly noticeable?

I color is perfectly fine for a pendant and earrings. The diamonds in tennis bracelets are pre-set so you don’t have to worry about those.

Are you going with round diamonds? If so, Excellent/Ideal cut is a must. Just let me know and I’ll start searching for some beautiful options.

Yes, round stones.

They are very poorly cut and would lose a lot of their brilliance.

I appreciate your insight. The stones you sent me to look at have so many spots (inclusions) in them, I am not sure why you feel they will be eye clean.

I recommend only eye-clean diamonds. The stones I recommended for earrings would be eye-clean (keep in mind that the videos are extremely magnified) and would have a lot of added brilliance thanks to their absolutely perfect cut (that’s what you are after, right?). You don’t need a high clarity grade when there’s an eye-clean SI-VS stone for less money. High clarity grade wouldn’t ensure that the diamond would be beautiful and brilliant, that’s what cut does.

Ok that makes sense – thank you.

I am going to take your advice and buy the stones you suggested.

I’m glad you liked my recommendations so much!

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. They currently run a 10% discount on selected lab-grown diamonds!
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. Right now, Blue Nile offers up to 50% savings on selected jewelry during a limited-time season sale.
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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