Q&A: Choosing a Pavé Ring with a Round Cut Diamond for Under $4,000 In Total

Hello, I was a hair’s breadth away from purchasing an engagement ring from Ritani until I read your “Ritani Review” article.

I had no idea about the existence of Blue Nile and James Allen, and after spending days creating what I thought was the perfect ring on Ritani, I came upon your article and am now curious if I can find the same or similar ring for a better price through the other two sites.

This is my ring that I almost bought:
https://www.ritani.com/rings/6929313

I love every detail of that setting EXCEPT for it being a bypass ring. But the details of the micropavé diamonds and the almost flowery and bare setting for the stone when viewed from the front profile were so beautiful that I was willing to overlook it being a bypass ring.

My question to you: do James Allen or Blue Nile have the same setting or a similar one that would be a better value overall?

I would like to keep the same details as much as possible with a 0.74ct diamond or higher/bigger. I will try looking myself as well. Your help would be much appreciated.

Thanks so much!

So, I think I’ve decided on this ring setting from James Allen for the engagement ring:
www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-white-gold-bead-set-cathedral-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49520?a_aid=dmnd1357

With this ring setting, I have some thoughts on the diamond’s specifications that I think would be best although I would like to hear your thoughts as a professional:
– I’m kind of set on the idea of an Ideal Cut for the most sparkle.

– I can be flexible on the Color of the diamond for the best look and price. Since the sidestones of this setting range from F-G, I would think the center diamond should be no less in Color quality. Is that correct?

– Since the ring is not tapered, and the setting/claws cover more of the diamond than a typical setting does; I would like the diamond to be around 0.9 carat to highlight its size and bring attention to it as much as possible. I think a diamond bigger than 1.0 Carat would be too large for this ring and for my girlfriend’s finger (as well as for my budget haha). But I would also like to hear your thoughts/recommendations.

– In regards to Clarity, I think this is the detail that I would most need your input as I just want a diamond that will look the best on this ring that fits with the other criteria and within my budget. Initially, I was looking for a grade of SI1 or higher but realized I may have just been TOO selective as the HD pictures of James Allen’s diamonds really magnified the flaws of the diamonds that an untrained eye like mine would not even notice were it not for the extraordinary magnification.

This all comes down to my budget. I would rather spend and invest more on our wedding band/rings as I believe (and she as well) that those would be the rings we would want to last for as long as possible and would consider an actual “investment”, considering its everyday use. With this in mind, I would ideally like to spend no more than $2,500 for the diamond itself.

I would really appreciate your input and your thoughts for the best diamond for this setting for this budget and also for your opinion on my thoughts of the diamonds specifications. Thanks in advance.

I asked JA about the cloud in the GIA of that stone and they were able to point out to me the cloudiness in a certain angle of the diamond and suggested another diamond to me instead that is in the same price range.

She said that it does not have the cloudiness of your suggested diamond, despite its feathers that would be “unnoticed to the naked eye”.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2404781?a_aid=dmnd1357

Could you give me your opinion in comparing this to the diamond that you initially recommended.

Is it really a better diamond? Would its feathers (that I can clearly see due to the magnification) really be indiscernible to the naked eye?

Will do. Thank you so much for your help through all this!

Much appreciated!