I’ve been enjoying reading your site. I am in the market for a 2.0-2.5 carat round diamond. My max budget is $27k. I want to prioritize brilliance/cut, but want something that is eye clean. I have been eyeing f-h, VS1-SI1 ideal/excellent cut diamonds. I’ve been looking on James Allen and am having a tough time determining what is eye clean. I obviously see all of the inclusions at 20x.
I’d be happy to make some recommendations and guide you through the process. What type of setting are you considering? Yellow gold or white gold/platinum? Will it be a solitaire or does it have sidestones/pave? This may affect the colors that I recommend for the center diamond (as we explain in our post on color).
The most important aspect of a diamond is its cut. This is what makes the diamond beautiful and sparkly (fire and brilliance are the terms we use). The more brilliance there is, the more unique the diamond will look. Obviously you see that we like James Allen (they are our most recommended site), but when it comes to their best cuts (they call them the ‘True Hearts’) we find it a bit lacking. If you are purchasing from them, you may as well just buy a GIA EX cut and not waste your money on the ‘special’ ones.
I would recommend Brian Gavin’s Signature Signature Hearts and Arrows. Brian Gavin is known as one of the worlds experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds. I can tell you from experience. I worked for one of the largest suppliers of James Allen. I went to Brian Gavin with our 30 best cut diamonds in our inventory (of thousands) and he rejected them all. When he showed me his selections, I was blown away.
Let me know what type of setting, and I’ll make some specific recommendations.
Thanks. I am looking for a platinum setting with pave halo diamonds.
I love this diamond for you:
The cut is absolutely superb, its super bright and its eye-clean. What do you think?
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
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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