Hi there,
Thanks to your invaluable guides and articles I have been able to put together a very nice engagement ring on James Allen. The setting I decided on is this one:
PLATINUM PAVE ACCENTED DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING
Even though I found a center stone that I believe was a bargain (round, 0.8ct, eye clean SI2, excellent cut, color H) at $1920 (www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-8032291?a_aid=dmnd1357), the sales representatives at James Allen told me online that this stone would be hazy and that it had inconsistent, white arrows. They would not recommend it and instead pointed me to another round, 0.83 ct, eye clean SI1, excellent cut, color G stone priced at $3330 (www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.83-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-7983739?a_aid=dmnd1357).
Could you please have a look and tell me your honest opinion? I want to get the best value possible at a good quality (i.e. I am not looking to cheap out on things, I like quality, but I also do not want to overpay for a quality increase that is negligible).
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-8032291?a_aid=dmnd1357
They were right that this stone would end up hazy. It is very cloudy.
However, the alternative they recommended is not eye-clean so I wouldn’t go with it either:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.83-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-7983739?a_aid=dmnd1357
The problem isn’t that the diamond they recommended was too expensive, it’s the other way around: the one you found was very cheap due to the problematic clarity characteristics. That’s what decreased the price. The price for a decent 0.8ct H-color diamond would be more in the 2-3k area rather than in the 1-2k.
The best priced eye-clean diamonds I found were these two. The first one is the same size as your original 0.8ct and the other one is slightly larger. The high clarity grades are just a coincidence, there was nothing lower that would look good:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.76-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-7495515?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-8034182?a_aid=dmnd1357
What is the best way for me to spot cloudiness? What should I look out for?
I can see a clear yellow tint in stones you mentioned. They are H grade after all. Can you confirm that these will not look yellowish in my setting, in particular when compared to the F-G stones in the halo and the pavé? The halo stones are between 1.5 and 2mm in diameter, so I believe they might be big enough that a color discrepancy needs to be considered.
Would you mind looking at these as well, as an alternative to the two you suggested:
Clouds are mentioned in the GIA certificate. Unfortunately, JA don’t have them publicly available, but you can request it through their customer service. We do have access to the certs, but are not allowed to share it with other people. Your H SI2 diamond had a”clarity grade based on clouds not shown.” note in the clarity characteristics. This means there is a very large cloud that covers a large percentage of the diamond and saps the brilliance from it. You should never buy a diamond with this note.
Regarding the color, you don’t base the color choice on the pictures on the website, there’re various factors that can affect how the diamond looks (especially the lightning in the room where the video was recorded). All you need is the cert (GIA or AGS only). H color looks absolutely colorless in most settings, the F/G melee diamonds are too small to make a color difference. I wouldn’t recommend a diamond that would look yellow when it shouldn’t.
On to the ones you sent me now:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.76-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-8052223?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.82-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-7557593?a_aid=dmnd1357
Medium and strong fluorescence is a kiss of death on G+ colors. It would make them look hazy/milky.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.77-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-7986618?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.76-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-7468466?a_aid=dmnd1357
These two are very nice.
Would you agree then that http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.76-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-7468466?a_aid=dmnd1357 at $2700 is the best value of all the stones we looked at together?
The runner up would be your 0.8ct H color at $3090 (https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-8034182?a_aid=dmnd1357) I believe.
If you tell me those two are really one and the same when looked at by eye, I will go with the $2700.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.76-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-7468466?a_aid=dmnd1357
This one is indeed the best value of all the stones we’ve discussed and it’s going to look beautiful in a halo setting. Go for it.
I placed the order. Many thanks for your help!
You’re very welcome.
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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