Hi there,
I’m after an oval solitaire diamond ring with a simple skinny band. Not sure what colour band yet.
My budget is about £5k.
For an oval solitaire ring, I’d recommend either an H color (for a white gold/platinum/rose gold band) or an I color (yellow gold) to make sure there wouldn’t be any yellowness. Clarity grade is not that important, what matters is having an eye-clean diamond. I always search in the SI-IF range and pick the first eye-clean options I find.
Additionally, you should avoid too round or too elongated ovals (the ideal L:W ratio is 1.35 – 1.45) and prominent bow-ties (although every oval will have one). Ovals don’t receive a cut grade, so whether it’s a Very good or Ideal rating is not important as those grades are completely subjective. We like to keep the depth and table % below 74% for optimal brilliance. https://www.diamonds.pro/education/oval-cut/
Do you think you could pick out the band first? This will help me figure out what would be the best center stone to pair it with:
Solitaire Engagement Rings
With the band she wants it skinny. I read around 1.5mm is the go. What are your thoughts on this? I couldn’t find any that skinny on Blue Nile. They were all >1.8mm.
I was hoping to get platinum (I think). Or is white gold better? Platinum looks more.
1.5 and 1.8mm is basically the same. Also, many of our readers find the majority of BN’s settings very skinny, more than they would expect. If you want, you ask their customer service if they’d be able to make a 1.5mm setting for you, they have a fantastic design team and are always very helpful.
For metal, we always recommend white gold over platinum because of the huge disparity in upfront costs: https://www.diamonds.pro/jewelry-precious-metals/. Both metals require upkeep every few years. WG needs to be dipped to retain its color and luster while PT needs to be cleaned and polished because it gets scratched and duller over time. So in the end, platinum costs you more in the beginning and doesn’t end up saving you any money in the long run.
Here’s what I’d recommend for a WG/PT setting.
Blue Nile LD13034498
This diamond has a nice cut, no visible inclusions and a subtle bow-tie.
Wow I love that diamond. Thanks so much for sending it.
Would you be able to recommend a few more please? Maybe one more expensive and one less expensive? Just so I can understand what I’m getting in context of value of other diamonds.
You’re welcome.
Here’s some more options:
Blue Nile LD13014390 (this one’s basically the same size as the previous 1ct)
Blue Nile LD12937525 (and this one is slightly larger)
So this is really annoying cos I really like those diamonds.
They won’t do anything less than 1.9mm.
Is there another site we could use? Really sorry for the stuff around but you are very helpful and I’m keen to get a purchase done asap.
…
There is a 1.5m band I quite like on James Allen if that helps?
James Allen is a great company as well, but keep in mind that they charge tax on UK purchases.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.92-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-6014794?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-4841826?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.00-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-7915986?a_aid=dmnd1357
These diamonds are eye-clean, but you need to request certificates for them as they are not available on the website.
Why would BN not charge tax?
Blue Nile have European operations so they don’t charge any import fees and taxes, just the regular VATs. James Allen have offices only in the US, so buying from them includes import fees and duty (there’s a tax and duty calculator at the bottom of their page where you can calculate the final price for the whole ring).
Do you have any more recommendations from Blue Nile?
Two of the last ones you have send have been sold.
Sure, here you go:
Blue Nile LD12924345
Blue Nile LD12937525
Let me know which one you decide to go with.
Great. I’ll go the second one. Thanks so much for getting back to me!
That’s great news!
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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