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Hi,
I am currently searching for a diamond engagement ring, and I could use some advice. I have read up on the 4 C’s of diamonds, so I feel like I have a solid understanding of what I would like, but I am not sure that easily translates into exactly what I should be looking for. I know one of the big things on diamonds.pro is avoiding spending money on features or aspects you cannot appreciate, so I know that I do not need to find a Flawless, D Color, Excellent/Ideal cut diamond.
I have looked at a lot of the online stores (Blue Nile, Yada, Ritani, James Allen, etc…) and searched through Rare Carat a few times (I don’t really pay attention to the Watson Deal Indicator). On those sites, I tend to search for Excellent cut, VVS1, G-H color, 1.0-1.25 carat, GIA certified diamonds. As someone who is a first time buyer, I am not sure what is a good deal and when a good deal is too good to be true.
I have budget between $5,000 and $7,000. I am looking for a 1+ carat diamond in a six prong setting in white gold or platinum; although, I could be persuaded to go the four prong setting route if there isn’t a significant trade-off. I want to find a diamond that has a lot of fire and brilliance with no visible flaws on the crown. I have spent most of my time searching focusing on the diamond rather than the ring.
Tell me your thoughts. I am on the right track with my Excellent, VVS1, G-H, GIA certified approach, or is that too narrow? Do you have any diamond recommendations? I look forward to your response, and thank you for your time and consideration!
For a simple solitaire setting (no additional diamonds in the band), you can easily drop in color to an I or even a J and it’ll still look beautiful and colorless. Clarity grade is even less important (once the diamond is eye-clean, it’s eye-clean no matter what the grade is).
I looked around and I have several recommendations for you:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.25-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2541572?a_aid=dmnd1357
https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-1-25-Carat-I-color-GIA-certified/D-5M22W9
They are well cut (especially the cut on the JA and BN diamond is fantastic) and any of them will make a beautiful ring.
If you want maximum brilliance and fire possible, I would recommend Brian Gavin’s Signature Signature Hearts and Arrows. Brian Gavin is known as one of the world’s experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds. BGD’s Signature diamonds are incredibly brilliant and truly impressive. This would be my recommendation from their selection:
www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.003-i-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104091843041?a_aid=y
Regarding the setting, I would recommend changing the PT setting to a WG one. The reason is the huge disparity in upfront costs. As our article says, the WG has to be dipped every few years and the platinum needs to be polished as well because it scratches. So ultimately, platinum costs you more in the beginning and doesn’t end up saving you any money in the long run.
What do you think?
Thank you for getting back to me and sharing your recommendations. I really like all of your recommendations, but I would like to make sure I can purchase both the diamond and the solitaire setting ring for around $7,000 (excluding sales tax). With that in mind, I would like to alter the ceiling of my budget for the diamond to about $6,100 or so. After I read your e-mail, I did some searching, and I took your advice about J colored diamonds. Below, I have listed some of the options that I found. I am curious to hear your thoughts on them with regards to the 4 C’s. Do they appear to be eye clean? I am brand new to shopping for diamonds, so I trust your keen eyes to spot something I might not be familiar with.
https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-1-29-Carat-J-color-GIA-certified/D-GMSJYB
https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-1-26-Carat-J-color-GIA-certified/D-M6QJP6
Blue Nile LD07367453
Blue Nile LD07983590
Blue Nile LD08055537
Thank you for your help!
You’re welcome, I’m glad I can help.
Thank you for the update on your budget for the center stone.
Now, on to the diamonds:
Ritani:
D-GMSJYB, D-M6QJP6 – they are eye-clean, but I’m not a huge fan of their cut. The angles are off.
Blue Nile:
LD07367453, LD07983590 – they are eye-clean, but their cut could be better (especially the depth%)
LD08055537 – the angles are off.
James Allen:
sku-2506945 – I love this one. It’s well cut, but you’d be paying a huge premium for a feature you won’t see with the naked eye (flawless diamond).
sku-2409713 – the cut is off on this one.
With all that said, it looks like the 2506945 JA diamond is the winner. What do you think?
Thank you for your insight. It looks like I can recognize eye-clean diamonds, but unfortunately I can’t tell the difference in cut (at least not yet). Based on what I have been focusing on recently in terms of my search lately, I would like to make a final request for your recommendations. I have found a couple of options on Blue Nile and James Allen, but I am curious to hear your recommendations based on the following search parameters:
Cut: Ideal/Excellent
Clarity: VVS2-IF
Carat: 1.3+
Color: I-J
Price: $6500
In addition to your recommendations based on those parameters, I am curious to know what you think about this particular diamond, especially its cut quality:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.31-carat-j-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-1968789?a_aid=dmnd1357
Thank you in advance for all your help. I know I have asked a lot, but I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to make sure I get everything just right.
No worries. I want to make sure you buy a beautiful diamond with confidence.
The most recent diamond you sent me is cut too deep, it will lose a lot of its brilliance. The depth should be close to 61.5% and we don’t recommend going over 62.5%.
I’d go with something like this instead:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.31-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-76310?a_aid=dmnd1357
They are gorgeously cut.
Thoughts?
It looks like the Blue Nile suggestion is just a sample photo. Don’t know if you meant to send that one, or if I am missing something.
Thanks.
It is, they still don’t have the actual pictures of all their diamonds. However, it’s not an issue at all. Having a photo of the diamond is rarely enough to determine its quality anyway. All the important information is in the GIA report.
I wanted to let you know that I have reached to Blue Nile and requested a hold on the LD08219616 diamond you recommended. They are sending a photo of the diamond, too. I’m excited to see it.
Thank you for all your help!
Thank you for letting me know about it. I’m excited, too! If you can share the photo with me once you receive it, I’d love to see it.
The ring arrived, and it looks great. I’ve included a picture of the diamond for you. I took it with a cellphone in poor lighting, so it doesn’t really do it justice, but I am very happy with it. Thank you for all of your help!
Beautiful picture, thank you for sending it over! I’m glad you are happy with the ring. It’s been a pleasure helping you.
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
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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