So I actually just put in an order for a ring at Diamonds Direct. Afterward, part of me felt I had gotten a not so great deal and after looking online this was confirmed. I purchased a K SI2 Excellent 1.02 carat diamond for 3640. The setting was 960, bringing the total to 4600. After reading some of the stuff on your website and taking a look at Blue Nile, it appears the deal I got was not that great. I wanted to get your opinion on it. I was looking at James Allen setting:
That lines up with what my girlfriend would want. I plan to call back tomorrow and either cancel my order or get them to bring the price even lower. Was curious to hear what you had to say. They claimed they were giving me some phenomenal deal, and it had to do with me being active duty military. However after looking at these other sites it appears they gave me a mediocre deal. I’m open to suggestions at James Allen or any place for diamonds. The setting at Blue Nile that lines up with what my girlfriend would want is this, but with yellow gold:
Blue Nile Truly Zac Posen East-West Solitaire Engagement Ring
My budget is probably 4-5k, and ideally looking for a 1 ct, or somewhere close.
Thanks!
I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. If you can cancel your order and get a refund, it would be great for you.
For the setting your girlfriend likes, K color is too low. It might end up looking yellowish. I’d go with a J to make sure the diamond will still look perfect. I suggest asking Blue Nile about the setting (if it’s possible to make it in yellow gold).
Here is a recommendation I love for you:
Blue Nile LD06903934
Blue Nile LD07190138
These diamonds are well cut and medium/strong fluorescence will help them to look a bit whiter. Either of them will be very brilliant in the setting you picked and will make a beautiful ring.
Whichever you end up choosing, I hope you are going to be much happier with it than with that first diamond you purchased.
What do you think?
Naturally one of the big worries with purchasing online is that you can’t physically see the diamond. I was curious how confident you can be there won’t be any visible (to the eye) inclusions on the diamonds you recommended?
Secondly, I wanted to ask what your honest appraisal is of the price I received for the diamond that I bought initially. The diamond’s GIA number I purchased is 6222260418. The price I am paying for just the diamond is 3640.
I have emailed Blue Nile to inquire about that setting in a yellow gold.
After talking with the store manager at Diamonds Direct, he assured me the deal I was getting was still extremely good. His logic for this was the standard to which they hold the diamonds that come into their store. Basically he was saying that other K SI2’s won’t be as nice to the eye because they aren’t as wide as they should be or they might have those ratings but still have visible inclusions. Because it’s his store, I’m taking everything he’s saying with a grain of salt. At the same time, I have to take what you have to say with a grain of salt because Diamonds Direct isn’t a store you guys get paid from.
Lastly, what’s your opinion about the setting chosen? Is setting quality something to be greatly considered? Diamonds Direct’s setting will be hand made by their in house jeweler. This was his justification for the higher cost in setting. I’d appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
Thanks!
……
Got a contact back from BlueNile a little while ago. They cannot do that setting in yellow gold. Later tonight I plan to look at other settings that would match it.
This is just a supplement to my previous email.
Thanks.
……
After talking with my girlfriend, I really wanna find a setting that has that kind of twist factor and can be done in yellow gold. I found this at Brian Gavin Diamonds.
So if we could find a diamond that fits under about 4500 as total, that would be great. Again, the goal is around 1 carat. I’m willing to come a little closer to 5000 but, I’d appreciate some options to weigh. I’m also active duty military and apparently Brian Gavin offers a discount for that so I emailed them to figure out how much it is because that will factor into what you recommend most likely. I was looking on Brian Gavin and the higher priced collections seemed way out of my price range. But there was a tab called virtual collection that seemed to have reasonably priced ones.
I really appreciate your time, and I apologize for all of the emails in a single day. I just wanted to provide as much info as possible, that way when you do respond, you have as much information as possible.
Thanks!
Thanks for all this info, it does help a lot.
1) I know buying diamonds without seeing them in person is a little stressful, but seeing the clarity plot in the certificate and having a higher clarity grade are the other specs that ensure you that any possible inclusions on the diamond will not be an issue. Furthermore, the prices on Blue Nile have dropped to the point where you can often find a VS diamond that is a better value than an eye-clean SI elsewhere.
2) The price you’ve been asked for the diamond is not that phenomenal (see this diamond with similar specs here (www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.00-carat-k-color-si2-clarity-very-good-cut-sku-1818173?a_aid=dmnd1357). Additionally, for a round brilliant I wouldn’t settle for anything less than an EX (Ideal) cut as the cut is what makes the diamond brilliant and beautiful. The table % of 62 on your diamond is pretty bad and the diamond might appear less brilliant because of it: https://www.diamonds.pro/education/carat-weight/.
If that diamond from DD was a good value, I’d be more than happy to point that out to you and obviate the inconvenience of canceling the order/returning, yet sadly, it’s not. It wouldn’t matter that we don’t get compensated by them.
3) If you go with a yellow gold solitaire setting in the end, stick with the K color. It’ll still look great.
4) Brian Gavin is an excellent choice. He is known as one of the world’s experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds. BGD’s Signature diamonds are truly fantastic. They are all incredibly brilliant. However, we don’t recommend the virtual inventory, because BGD doesn’t have access to those diamonds directly.
If you let me know what discount they are going to provide you, that’d be great. So far, I didn’t find there anything worth mentioning. Another option would be to get the setting from BG and the diamond elsewhere.
Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks so much for your thorough reply. I really love that Brian Gavin setting and I think it’s exactly what my girlfriend is looking for. After getting an email back from them, I will receive a 2% discount on my total purchase.
So assuming BG’s virtual collection isn’t an option, it would appear that BG’s diamonds for my price range and expectations won’t fit (really wanted to snag a 1 carat for about 4600 [4600 = setting + diamond]). The reason I want a diamond that’s at least a carat is because I think, with the setting type picked out, it really makes it a great looking ring when it has a bigger stone. Also, after perusing your website a good bit, it sounds like you guys don’t necessarily think that the brilliant cut diamonds are worth the extra cost. Regardless, it you do have some BG recommendations I will consider them.
So that puts us at buying the setting from BG and getting the stone somewhere else. Is it normal for people to send a setting to Blue Nile for instance and have them set it for you with the stone purchased? Or would I make a purchase on a setting, purchase the loose diamond, and then have it set by some local jeweler? After a quick Google search, it would appear that getting it set locally might be about 80-100.
Lastly, I’m assuming your two diamond recommendations for Blue Nile originally still stand as good choices?
Thanks so much!
……
Just thought of something I didn’t accurately convey previously. When I was mentioning a 1 carat being a good looking diamond for the setting chosen, I really mean that the general width of a 1 carat is what I’m looking for. I was taking a look at your two original suggestions, and they seem fairly close in width, so is it worth it to spend the extra few hundred dollars for the bigger diamond? Just wanted to convey that clearly.
Thanks again for your time!
You’re very welcome.
I didn’t find any suitable options on BG, but I still consider my original selection from BN as good options.
Although I searched some more and I have found another BN diamond that might suit you even better, I believe:
Blue Nile LD07292472
It’s exactly one carat and the specs are great on it. It’ll make a beautiful ring.
If you want to spend extra for a larger diamond, that’s entirely up to you and your budgeting.
As for setting the ring, I’d suggest contacting both of those companies and ask them what their terms would be for setting the ring for you. Whichever of them turn out better (counting the local jeweler price as well), go with them.
Thoughts?
Ended up ordering the 1.13 from Blue Nile and having it sent to Brian Gavin for the setting. Thanks so much for the advice! It was greatly appreciated!
That’s great news! Thank you for the kind words. I hope you love it when you receive it.
If you could let me know how it looks when it arrives, I’d appreciate it.
It looked amazing! The sparkle to the diamond was literally perfect. Everything went well with the engagement. Thanks so much for your help!
I’m happy for you, it’s great that everything went this well! You’re very welcome, it’s been a pleasure helping you.
If it’s not too much to ask, do you think you can do us a quick favor and write us a small review on www.ivouch.com? If you could, we would be extremely grateful. Here is the link:
Also, can you send us a pic of your new diamond? We’d love to inspire other readers with photos in our gallery.
I wish you and your partner a life of happiness and fulfillment.
Took care of the review. Attached is a picture.
Thanks again for all your help!
Thank you very much. The diamond looks fantastic in that setting.
I wish you the best of luck in your life together.
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
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- One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
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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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