Q&A: Help Choosing a Round Diamond for a Rose Gold Solitaire With a $10,000 Budget

Good evening,

Please let me start off by sincerely thanking you for the wealth of information that you have eloquently provided and compiled on your website. Thank you.

I will soon be purchasing an engagement ring for my girlfriend, and the setting will be in the style of one of the following examples. A rose gold, classic Tiffany setting:
www.tiffany.com/engagement/rings/the-tiffany-setting-18k-rose-gold

Or this rose gold solitaire offered by De Beers:
www.debeers.com/db-classic-pink-gold-solitaire-ring-j1ex01bk

As you might have deduced, it will definitely be a rose gold solitaire of some sort; we are both comfortable with dropping down in color because of the setting; and from the examples we’ve had on her try on, it appears that 1.2-1.3ct is an ideal size for her finger. My primary concern at this point will be cut quality. I have tried to narrow down the field into super ideal cut dimensions.

I would be forever grateful for some input/guidance with the following diamonds:
1) www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.30-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-2519529?a_aid=dmnd1357
Requested Idealscope Image found here: http://imgur.com/5nROYI5
The idealscope image shows a little bit of light loss, but I feel like it looks good overall. My primary concern comes from the rotating video, to my very untrained eye, I can’t tell if the slight cloudiness is a result of the polish or is it the medium fluorescence? Shopping around in the lower colors, I was actually hoping for a a little fluorescence to offset, but not at the cost of clarity.

2) www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.53-carat-k-color-vs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-2291624?a_aid=dmnd1357
Requested idealscope image found here: http://imgur.com/Cqw0GZl
From the women I’ve talked to, I have noted that many ultimately wish they had gone a little bigger… Which is why a 1.53 is on the list. My primary concern is whether the quality of the stone also warrants breaking into the 1.50+ pricing bracket. Particularly confusing to this diamond is the ASET image provided on the GIA certificate. When looking at the other images on the website, the diamond looks ideal, but then when you look at he GIA certificate, the light performance is a bit of a mess. Additionally, this is the only diamond that has up to a “slightly thick” girdle.

The next four examples come from retailers in my area (Texas). I am currently in the process of setting appointments to see the diamonds in person.

3) www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.267-k-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104067957028?a_aid=y
4) www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.398-k-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104081043030?a_aid=y
While we are both ultimately primarily concerned with the diamond being eye-clean, the idea of having black inclusions close to the center is definitely off-putting.

5) https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3273929.htm
6) https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3568734.htm
Again, there appears to be inclusions close to the centers.

Overall, I am curious as to whether or not Brian Gavin’s and Whiteflash’s “Hearts and Arrows” diamonds are the superior cuts as advertised and warrant the slight premium in price. If not, are either of the selections from James Allen a wise choice? After considering the various settings, all of my options place my total costs close to USD 10,000. However, there is more room in my budget if the increase in quality warrants it. At the end of the day, I also want to know that I’m getting the most bang out of my (thousands) of buck(s).

Many thanks for your time/response.

It definitely is disheartening to hear about the poor history with Whiteflash… I am currently setting up in-person appointments with both them and Brian Gavin Diamonds tomorrow. Obviously, I’ll try to be open and use my own personal judgement, but I’ll definitely keep your warning in the back of my mind. To be honest, they have offered me better service thus far in terms of responsiveness.

For James Allen: I have read the cautions about the unfounded hype around hearts and arrows diamonds offered by various vendors. However, when I did filter the diamonds on JA to ideal ratios that I found online, I still ended up with selections from their hearts and arrows line. Do you mind sharing what parameters that you use to limit the search? Also, do you have any thoughts on the specific diamonds that I linked?

For Brian Gavin: I really am hoping to see a noticeable difference when viewing his diamond selection in-person tomorrow. I will be honest and say that my girlfriend and I may have been the least enamored by their setting selection though… and I just learned that the one that she would be the most interested in seeing from them isn’t available in-person. My girlfriend is the type that must try things on because she has difficulty envisioning items on herself.

As for the Diamond you linked – the inclusions are definitely less noticeable, and I will likely ask to see it during our appointment tomorrow. My only reservation is the size… I guess I am leaning more towards 1.3 or 1.4 ct now.

Thanks again.

Our meeting with Mr. Brian Gavin was very informative, and went well overall.

Could you be so kind as to please give me your impressions of the following James Allen stone:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.42-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-2641317?a_aid=dmnd1357

All of the dimensions fall within the super-ideal cut parameters that I have found online; there isn’t an inclusion in the table; the idealscope image looks good; and the hearts image looks just as symmetrical as the Brian Gavin and Whiteflash options. My only concern is the “thin to slightly thick” girdle. Should this be a cause for concern? Is there anything else that might jump out at you?

For your ready reference, a Brian Gavin Diamond that I am comparing it against is:
www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.398-k-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104081043030?a_aid=y

But as stated earlier, I believe Brian Gavin has fallen out of the races due to their response time and lack of settings that appealed to my girlfriend. I’ve narrowed it down to either my selection at Whiteflash (which I know you won’t comment on) and the above-linked stone from James Allen.

Finally, I recall reading on the website that your partnership sometimes affords coupon codes with James Allen. Are there any currently available?

Thanks again.

Thanks for all the responses.

I didn’t realize that James Allen no longer publicly displays the price once a stone is on hold. (They placed it on hold for 48 hrs for me.) After a $100 registration discount, the price of the 1.42 J-VS1 is $8,100.