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Q&A: Help Choosing a 2.75 Ct. Lab-Made Round Diamond With a $15k Budget

By Mike Fried,

Hi there!

My boyfriend and I have been learning a lot reading your excellent articles. We’d love your thoughts and expertise in selecting a diamond.

We’ve narrowed it down to the following three lab-created diamonds on James Allen:

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.83-carat-e-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9085997?a_aid=dmnd1357
For the 3 arrows on the left, I can’t tell if they are pointing to specks of dirt or marks intrinsic to the diamond. They didn’t look exactly like inclusions I had seen from photos of other diamonds.

For the 2 arrows on the right, they are pointing at sample areas (there seem to be many of these) that appear cloudy or streaked for lack of a better word.

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.75-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9085995?a_aid=dmnd1357

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.75-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9085995?a_aid=dmnd1357

Any advice would be much appreciated!

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.83-carat-e-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9085997?a_aid=dmnd1357
This diamond is the best priced of all of them as it has the lowest color grade. It’s absolutely eye-clean, the imperfections you saw would not be noticeable in person. Keep in mind that the videos are magnified and if you zoom closer to x1, you’ll get a better idea of how the diamond would look in real life. I checked the certificate and there are no red flags, the diamond has perfect cut parameters and would look impressive in all light scenarios.

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.75-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9085995?a_aid=dmnd1357
Same here. A gorgeous eye-clean diamond with fantastic overall specs.

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.75-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-9085995?a_aid=dmnd1357
This one is the most expensive due to its highest clarity grade. Again, it’s a fantastic option.

They all are amazing, you can’t go wrong with any of them. You did a great job finding them!

Thanks so much for your reply.

Can I ask what the “streaks” are that are visible in the two larger carat diamonds? Are those from improper cleaning or from intrinsic cloudiness?

I wouldn’t be worried about the “streaks”, that has more to do with the photography than anything within the diamond. The “streaks” are not marked in the clarity plot and both diamonds have Excellent polish grades, so it’s nothing that would be there in real life.

Thanks! By the time we looked again, the 2.83 carat diamond was sold. We went ahead with the 2.75 carat one!

You got yourself a fantastic diamond. I’m sure it will make an amazing ring.

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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