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Q&A: Help Finding a Marquise Diamond for Around $1,500 Budget

By Mike Fried,

Hi, I was hoping you could help me decide between 2 diamonds. The first one is:

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.52-carat-g-color-if-clarity-sku-4143588?a_aid=dmnd1357

And the second is:

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.50-carat-e-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-6972202?a_aid=dmnd1357

I am looking for the best marquise diamond I can get for around $1,500 and both of these seem pretty good. Thank you!

(GIA certificates are attached below).

I’m not a huge fan of the E VVS1. It has a very pronounced bow-tie. The G IF looks great, it will make a beautiful ring.

Alternatively, here’s a diamond that’s going to look identical to the G one and it’s a much better value:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.50-carat-h-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-6624600?a_aid=dmnd1357

Personally, I love this one the most as it has the least obvious bow-tie of them all. But it’s up to you, you can’t go wring with either of them (G vs. H).

Thank you for the suggestion! The reason I was looking at the E VVS1 was because I liked the way it was longer than wide and I was also worried about going to low on the color because I’ve read that marquise will naturally look more yellow. Since all of the diamonds in stores around be are graded as I, I am not sure how big of a difference there actually is.

Another one I found is Blue Nile LD11274693 which is about the same price as the one you suggested. What do you think about that one?

Sorry for all the questions, I am really just learning about all of this.

It’s true that marquise diamonds show their color more, but that applies to the ones with lower color grades such as I and lower. H color looks absolutely colorless in most settings. https://www.diamonds.pro/education/shapes/#diamond-marquise

Blue Nile LD11274693
This one is not a great choice. Medium fluorescence can cause a hazy/milky look on DEFG diamonds. For diamonds with high color grades (G+) you should get only none or faint fluorescence. https://www.diamonds.pro/education/fluorescence/

Okay, thank you so much! I think you saved me from buying something is be disappointed with. Are there any others that you would recommend for my price range of $1,500? If not the H one you suggested looks like it would be my best option 🙂

That’s why I’m here:)

I didn’t find a better (and better-priced) option than the H VVS1. That one’s a surefire winner, it has fantastic specs and a great price.

Perfect! Thank you so much! You’ve really helped a lot

I’m happy to hear that.

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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