Q&A: Choosing the Best Cushion or Princess Cut Diamond With $5-6k Budget

Hi, first thank you for your help. As I was reading through the info admittedly it became somewhat overwhelming. You mentioned somewhere on the page that you could recommend some diamonds based on a few things. My budget I’m looking at $5-6000, possibly more. My girlfriend has mentioned liking cushion cut and princess diamond cut stones. I have been looking at stones around 1 carat and as low as .75 carat. Her hands are rather small and she has mentioned not wanting the ring to look oversized. I am at the start of looking, hoping to possibly purchase in the near future. Also, what are you recommendations for financing the ring/stone? If you’re able to suggest some stones that you would approve of and how they fit into a setting and what type of setting they would look best in. Also, she has mentioned liking white gold and bands with pave stones. Thank you again for your help!

Sorry for the late reply. The holidays kept me pretty busy with a lot of things. Both diamonds look really great! I guess I have a few more questions, like I said I’m right at the beginning of this whole thing. I guess I’m curious what differences there are between these stones and ones that are more expensive (say in the 6 grand range) or ones less expensive, more towards 2 – 3 grand. I’m trying to get the best stone I can without breaking my bank if that makes sense. Also, I can buy the diamond from Blue Nile and then take it to a local jeweler for a setting? And last two questions, your thoughts on James Allen, and also your website mentioned the GIA certification, are these diamonds within that certification and conflict free?

Thanks again for your feedback! I really appreciate it! I looked at the diamonds you selected and they are all great from what I can tell. I am still doing research, and trying to see what my girlfriend’s exact preferences are. As I said she doesn’t have the biggest hands, so I’m also looking to see what you would recommend within the .7 – .85 range if carat size. Would I get a better, more quality stone in that size range? Since the size may not be a huge factor would be that be one way to get a better diamond than say a larger one that may not have the same quality? I think once I have a good idea of the range I’m looking for with size and what I can afford I can probably figure out what to get, and start figuring out the setting. I just want to get as much of a great stone as I can while not breaking my bank essentially. Thanks so much for your help and suggestions!!

Hello again. I’m about to start looking very seriously for an engagement ring. After making a stop at a jewelry store (Jared’s) my girlfriend narrowed down the type of stone shape and size she likes so I wanted to get some help selecting a stone and finding a ring.

She like’s cushion cuts, more square than rectangle, and I don’t want to go lower than .75 carat. She said size isn’t a big deal but wouldn’t mind if it was larger. My budget for the ring is between 3,000 – 5,000 dollars. I would really like to get the highest quality I can get, that has the most brilliance/sparkle as my girlfriend puts it. Her ring size is 3.5 so like I said the stone doesn’t have to be huge. Any recommendations would be great! Thanks!!

I like both of these, definitely two that I would consider. I’ve been pairing them with settings she likes so I’m definitely thinking about these two. Do you have any suggestions for diamonds that have specifications really close to these two, but possibly with a higher color rating AND a little smaller carat? Maybe somewhere in the .80 – .90 range? I’m just thinking that may bring the cost down a little bit. I am going to think hard about one of these two but wouldn’t mind seeing if there is something with these other two factors also there. Thank you so much for your help!!!!

Sorry for the late response! Anyways, I really like the second one you sent. Could you tell me more about that diamond? I am thinking of going with that one and then a setting from james allen as well.

Thanks, just to satisfy my own curiosity, what is fluorescence? Will it look good in a white gold setting?

So in the time it took me to get around to buying the ring, the diamond was purchased by someone else. I am really sorry, I had put it off due to other things and went to buy it yesterday and it was unavailable. I really liked every thing about the one I settled on, is there any other ones that would be really close to that on James Allen that is around the same price?

Thanks again for the help, so the difference between the first and last one I was curious about. Why is the one with F color more expensive that the one with E? And the VS1 is better than VS2 correct?

Ok, makes sense. So would the more square one look better or have the more brilliant look? Out of curiosity which of these three would you prefer?

So I went again to buy that diamond and t was gone. The other two are still there. Of those two which do you prefer? Or is there another one close to what we’ve been looking at that would be better? I have a local jeweler looking as well but I would really like to order the ring tonight or tomorrow at the latest. Sorry for all of the back and forth. I just found out I got a new job and am moving to Texas so it’s been a whirlwind for me lately. Trying to accomplish a lot of things all at once! Thanks again so much for your help!!

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I just wanted to check in. Sorry again for this craziness. I got a call today from a friend’s guy in town here and offered a GIA Diamond, Cushion cut, VS2 with a D color for $2898. He also said it was fairly square 5.27 x 5.21 or something like that. Do you think this is a good option? His financing is a little more strict so it would be hard for me to swing his terms compared with James Allen. Just curious your opinion. I want to wrap this up today or tomorrow. Sorry for this!

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Here is the report on the diamond from a guy here in New York. I am so sorry about the barrage of emails. I’m frustrated that I waited too long again. I’m looking on James Allen again, and want to have something ordered tonight if possible.

Thanks for getting back to me. I thought that diamond might have been cut too deep. I bought the one below. I really hope I picked well. I kind of went on and filtered out through what you had said on other stones. I ended up spending a little more than the previous ones. I’m a little nervous that I didn’t pick a good one so I’ll be curious your thoughts. It seemed similar to others you suggested.

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.90-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-sku-2118851?a_aid=dmnd1357

Thanks again!

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The ring came in today. Thanks for all of your help! I wanted to know about your opinion in the one I went with. I have time to exchange it if you think one of the others is a better stone. Thanks again for all of your help!!

Thanks so much for the feedback! It made me feel A LOT better about the stone I went with. I went through our emails and figured out a way to narrow down the search. I liked the last stone that someone beat me to that I wanted to find something close to it. I’m really pleased with the diamond. The ring came in and I actually got engaged yesterday! My fiancé loves it and it really turned out great! Thank you SO MUCH for all of the help. I’m really pleased with the ring and she loves it as well! Thanks again!

I honestly really appreciated your help through this whole process and I was really very pleased with what I ended up with! Let me know if there is anything else I can do!