Q&A: Help Finding a 2.00-2.50 Ct. Cushion Cut Diamond for a Platinum Solitaire

Hi,

I am in the market for an engagement ring and was hoping you may be able to lend a hand. I’m looking for a beautiful cushion cut diamond that will sit on a platinum solitaire band.

I’m currently thinking about a 2 carat diamond, but can go north if I’m staying within my budget (hard ceiling of $25k all-in including ring/setting, but happy to stay lower). I’m trying to balance high quality, good value, size, and budget while managing the uncertainty of potentially buying online sight unseen.

Any thoughts are greatly welcome, thank you!

Thanks for the reply!

I’m looking for more of a square cushion cut. Happy to answer any more questions, and thanks for your help.

Thanks for the email and the two links. It’s very much appreciated.

When looking at the GIA documents for each, I can’t tell what rating they each have for cut. I can see that the table and depth % for each are under the 70% you recommend, but would love a sense of which is the best cut if neither of them are “ideal/excellent”.

I’m also curious as to whether a little more money ($1-3k) gets a visible increase in the value of the diamond (size, visible improvement from a better cut, etc) or are we at a pretty happy medium with a nice size/value/cost?

Thanks again for your help!

Ah! That would explain why I couldn’t find the info regardless of where I looked! Thank you for the clarification.

Thanks for the info on the diamonds. I will see if BN can send me a picture of the actual diamond, to better help me understand the diamond and maybe see whether any of the inclusions on the report are as visible/prominent as the GIA report indicates.

In terms of a larger diamond, I can probably go up to about $3k, but if its not a noticeable difference then I’m more than happy staying in the range that these two diamonds are in. I may try to purchase this week, as I’m flying out of the country next weekend and may try to travel with the diamond/ring in hand.

Thanks for your help thus far, and any additional thoughts are welcome!

Thanks. I’ve requested images of the original 2.28 carat diamond you recommended via Blue Nile, and have taken a look at the new diamond you just sent me. I’ll likely make a decision on one of the two.

Two final questions:
– On the 2.51 carat diamond, are the specks that are highlighted in the attached pdf part of the diamond or is that an artifact from the photography? If it’s in the diamond, how noticeable would that be in real life or with a loupe?

– Which of these two Blue Nile diamonds would you recommend as the best approach? I can go either way and appreciate your expert opinion. From the specs it seems like the clarity and girdle of the larger diamond is better, but its tough to know whether any of that provides a noticeable difference or if I’m better off saving the $3k!

Thanks again for all your help!

Just a quick follow up to say thanks and to let you know I placed an order for the most recent link you shared. I placed the order in person at the Blue Nile showroom in my area, but that should not affect your affiliate effort as it’s using the same email address.

Thanks again for all the help!