Q&A: Choosing a Round Diamond for a Yellow Gold Solitaire Setting Within a $3k Budget

My intention is to get a round cut diamond between 0.9 and 1 carat and set it in a yellow gold solitaire setting.

My questions are
1) is there any reason not to go with good old fashioned prongs,
2) for a diamond of the size I’m going with, would you recommend 4 prongs or 6,
3) on the James Allen site, for example, there’s a 2 or 3 fold difference in price between settings with no apparent difference to me between them except subtle design differences – what would I be paying for in choosing a more expensive setting if everything I’m looking at is 14k yellow gold with prongs?

Thank you for your help, will likely be back for guidance on diamonds!

Thanks for the advice.

Some more questions for you:

I’m thinking of going with a yellow gold 1.5mm band and making a custom request for platinum prongs (going with 4 prongs). My concern is that I’ve heard that bands this small are more susceptible to bending out of shape or even breaking. Do you think this is a legitimate concern?

Second, on to diamonds. I’m shooting for a budget around $3000 (including stone AND setting), with a setting that doesn’t cost much more than $400. The diamond I’m looking for is round, ~0.9 carat, ~K, ~VS2, excellent. Round shape and excellent cut are the only two non-negotiables there. I’m considering this:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.91-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4046330?a_aid=dmnd1357

What are your thoughts and do you have other recommendations?

Good to know about the IGI cert.

I really like the first option that you sent along (0.8 K VS1). I think that should be a good proportion against a size 5.5 ring that is 1.5mm wide.

I’m going to go with that one!

Sounds good, will do!

…

It arrived! Looks great. Pic attached. Thanks again!