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Q&A: Cushion Cut Diamond for $3K Budget

By Mike Fried,

Your site has been extremely helpful and educational. My boyfriend and I have been shopping for engagement rings for about a month. We have decided to purchase from James Allen. We have a budget of $3,000 for the diamond. I like a more square cut diamond and have been looking at cushion cut diamonds. I like the antique look of a cushion cut. I am hoping to get a 1 carat diamond, eye clean. We are trying to get the best diamond for our money. The diamond will be set in white gold. Below are some of the diamonds we are looking at.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds-search/diamonds/G-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-953065.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds-search/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1276042.asp

Are we on the right track?

Thank You

Thanks for writing and thanks for the kind words about the site. I took a look at the two stones you linked to, but I think I like this one better:

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1345283.asp

It has a significantly nicer cut with a significantly larger spread. It’s about a 6mm square, which is a lot bigger than the other two.

Let me know what you think!

Thank you, I thought the diamond would work well. I e-mailed James Allen on Monday for the GIA, because it wasn’t posted. James Allen was looking into it, and found the diamond isn’t available. I started looking again and found 3 that may work. What do you think of these? These are a little smaller, but I thought the cut on these were better than what is currently available in a 1 carat. I started looking at radiant cut also.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds-search/diamonds/F-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-869628.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds-search/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1298981.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds-search/diamonds/H-VVS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1345217.asp

Thanks

Those three look really really nice. If I had to pick, I think I’d go for this one:

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds-search/diamonds/F-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-869628.asp

Simply because it’s the largest in terms of LxW and it’s the best color. Higher clarity would never be noticeable since they’re all eye clean, but the higher color would be noticeable.

Thank you for all of your help! We ordered last night. Your website was extremely educational, and helped us to feel more empowered when purchasing the diamond. This has been quite the learning process, but well worth the time for the savings.

Great! Thanks so much for letting me know! Please stay in touch – I definitely want to hear your thoughts when the stone arrives!

James Allen James Allen is the leader in online diamond sales. Their imaging technology is the same as inspecting a diamond with a jeweler's loupe. They have the largest exclusive loose diamond inventory online and fantastic prices. They also have the nicest collection of lab-created diamonds online.
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
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Blue Nile Blue Nile is the largest and most well-known internet jewelry seller. They have a very large exclusive online inventory. Their high-quality images are catching up to James Allens' and their prices are amazing. Save 25% on settings at Blue Nile!

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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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