I am looking for a 1.7 – 2 ct. round or princess diamond to go with a setting similar to this one:
Blue Nile Hand-Engraved Micropavé Diamond Engagement Ring
Our budget is up to 13k for the diamond but would love to go closer to 10k.
Based on your articles, I’m looking for an excellent/ideal cut, s12 or higher, and near colorless. Any recommendations?
Thanks so much!
I looked around and I like these options for you:
Blue Nile LD09130211
Blue Nile LD09206463 (I just recommend asking for its picture to make sure it’s eye-clean)
Blue Nile LD08620480
Blue Nile LD09563009
Blue Nile LD09788835
I searched in the SI+ range and the diamonds above happened to be the best choices despite their higher clarity grades. They are well cut, eye-clean and all of them will be very brilliant.
What do you think?
Thank you for your help!
Do you have any recommendations from the James Allen site? Or any recommendations for round diamonds? I had not considered a “very good cut” before but it looks like you think that is good enough?
Thank you again!
……
What do you think of this one from James Allen?
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/2.01-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-sku-3588091?a_aid=dmnd1357
Keep in mind that GIA gives cut grades only to rounds. If you see a cut grade to any other shape, it’s just a mark of that jeweler (diamond company) and it’s completely subjective. We use our own parameters for princess cuts to maximize brilliance.
The newest diamond you sent me is beautiful, I like it a lot!
That’s helpful, thank you!
Which of these do you think is the best quality? And just in case one sells out before we buy (maybe today or tomorrow) are there any that are no good?
5) 1.90ct Blue Nile LD09563009
And I saw on your site that you have a coupon code for Blue Nile? Could I have one of those? And do you have one for James Allen?
Thanks so much! I’m finally feeling excited and not overwhelmed with stress!
You’re welcome. Here’s a $50 coupon code for Blue Nile: [contact us for your own unique coupon code].
We don’t have any coupons for JA at the moment.
sku-3588091 – this one is perfect, I still like it
sku-2081692 – the table% is too high, the diamond will be less brilliant. Try keeping the table % below 75 (ideally, under 74%).
sku-3617482 – it looks great
sku-938339 – this one is nice, but I don’t like how ‘flat’ it is. It’s better to pick a diamond with a higher crown, it’ll be more brilliant.
LD09563009 – it’s nice
We decided to purchase the setting at Blue Nile (James Allen doesn’t have it) so it makes sense that we find a diamond there as well. Do you mind looking at one more round of diamonds? Last ones 🙂
1) 2.01ct Blue Nile LD05217360
2) 1.90ct Blue Nile LD09563009
3) 1.80ct Blue Nile LD09826164
4) 1.84ct Blue Nile LD08620480 – there’s no picture but it seems good on the GIA report?
5) 1.90ct Blue Nile LD09805229 – will the inclusion on the side be visible?
Thank you again – I really appreciate your help!!
Thanks for the update.
LD05217360, LD09563009 – beautiful
LD09826164 – nicely cut, but strong fluorescence might make it look hazy, I’d rather avoid it
LD08620480 – this one is a bit deeper, but it’s still within the parameters we recommend
LD09805229 – this one is nice, but the feather on the table looks a bit harsh. It might be visible (especially given the size of the stone).
We were in the process of buying the diamond then had problems with the wire transfer and lost the diamond. So now we are looking again.
I’ve done some reading that suggests that a J color might be OK if there is a fluorescence. What do you think? Is it best to stick with an I color? I don’t want it to look yellow but do like the warm look rather than pure white like a D-E.
This is the setting I want in either white color or platinum:
Blue Nile Hand-Engraved Micropavé Diamond Engagement Ring
I’ve narrowed it down to 9 diamonds based on your suggestions from before. What do you think of these? Or am I missing any??
1) 1.80ct I VS1 strong – Blue Nile LD09826164
2) 1.81ct I SI1 strong – Blue Nile LD00015526
3) 1.84ct I VVS2 none – Blue Nile LD08620480
4) 1.90ct I VS1 faint – Blue Nile LD09894008
5) 1.91ct I VS1 none – Blue Nile LD07768043
6) 1.92ct J VVS2 faint – Blue Nile LD00041264
7) 1.94ct I VS1 none – Blue Nile LD09562988
8) 2.00ct J VS2 faint – Blue Nile LD09832354
9) 2.03ct I VS1 medium – Blue Nile LD09922813
Once again, thank you for your help. I am desperately hoping to buy the ring and diamond soon!
Princess cut diamonds don’t refract light just as well as round diamonds and thus tend to show their true color more. You should stick with an I+ color.
As for the diamonds you sent me, I have to exclude the I-color ones with strong fluorescence. They will most likely look hazy/milky.
As for the other ones, I love LD08620480, LD09894008 and LD09562988. They have great specs.
Thank you! I appreciate your help!!
I’m wondering about the LD08620480 (1.84). I like the price but I remember before that you said it is deeper than others so it will appear smaller. When I entered the dimensions into your site’s Ring Comparison, it looks like it will appear closer to a 1.7 (1.84 carat Princess 6.65×6.38×4.77mm compared to 1.7 carat Princess 6.58×6.58×4.74mm, 2% difference).
I also compared it to the biggest one you suggested (LD09562988 1.94) and it looks like there’s a 20% difference which seems significant and noticeable in the side-by-side comparison. (1.84 carat Princess 6.65×6.38×4.77mm compared to 1.94 carat Princess 7.17×7.12×4.93mm, 20% difference).
I’m wondering if spending $921 more makes sense to get the extra 20% of view-able size.
What’s your professional opinion?
Thank you!!
I said it’s a bit deeper, but still fits the parameters we use for princess cut diamonds. I just wanted to give you as much information as possible about each diamond from your selection, and I would definitely not exclude that diamond from the list of possible candidates, it’s still a very nice stone.
Looking at the measurements of both aforementioned options, you might see the difference in size if you put them side by side, but I don’t think it would be noticeable in real life.
It’s finally on my finger! The diamond is so much better than I imagined. I’m so happy with it.
Thank you so much for your help and guidance. I don’t think we could have felt this confident with the purchase without your help. We ended up purchasing LD09562988 with Blue Nile.
Thank you again for everything!
Wow, it is stunning! Thank you so much for sharing the picture with me, I love it.
If it’s not too much to ask, do you think you can do me a quick favor and write a small review on www.ivouch.com? If you could, I would be extremely grateful.
I wish you and your partner a life of happiness and fulfillment.
Yes, I’d be happy to do that. I’ll do it now. Thank you so much!
Thank 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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