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Hello!
I am planning to propose to my girlfriend very soon and I’ve been doing a lot of research to find the right engagement ring for her. While researching, I stumbled upon your website and have found it incredibly educational about diamonds and engagement rings!
I’ve read over your Diamond Education sections and have found what I believe is a great diamond and setting on James Allen. However, I would love to get your feedback and opinion about the selection:
I took into account the points outlined in the education sections on this website, but following are my personal criteria for picking the diamond and setting:
– Round diamond between 1-1.2 carats (preferably something around 1.15 carats)
– Colorless (completely) to the eye in platinum setting
– No defects visible to the eye
– Little to no fluorescence
Please let me know what you think and if you need any other information from me.
Thank you!
The stone you found is beautiful. Though, as much as we love JA, we don’t really pay attention to their Hearts and Arrows since we don’t find their selection consistently more brilliant:
https://www.diamonds.pro/education/hearts-and-arrows/.
Here’s my suggestion of a stone from JA:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.18-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-249046?a_aid=dmnd1357
If an extraordinary brilliance is what you’re looking for, then I suggest Brian Gavin Signature Hearts and Arrows. That’s exactly what they focus on and you can be sure that you’ll receive the best of diamonds. Not only do these conform to the strictest of cut parameters, but Brian himself selects them for optimal brilliance. Brian Gavin is known as one of the world’s experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds.
Here’s my suggestion from their site:
www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.190-i-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104096323028?a_aid=y
Let me know what you think.
Thanks so much for your reply.
Regarding your recommendations, could you elaborate a bit more on what you said about not paying too much attention to JA’s Hearts and Arrows? Are JA’s True Hearts cuts not consistent? Or do they not necessarily guarantee the best brilliance?
Also, I noticed that the colors for both of the rings you recommended are I. Is this because of the shape of the diamond and the color of its setting? I just want to ensure that there will not be any discoloration of the diamond that will be perceptible to the eye (even upon close inspection).
Thank you!
Hearts and Arrows stones are beautiful and they are going to return light with a lot of brilliance. But there are other stones that are going to look equally as good, they are not marked by JA as H&A and they will also look very brilliant such as the stone from JA I sent.
If you want to spend extra on brilliance, I’d go for the stone from BGD. They focus on extraordinary cuts. And when you compare stones from JA and from BGD, you will notice the difference.
And yes, I color round shape diamonds are going to look colorless in a solitaire style setting (https://www.diamonds.pro/education/color/). That’s why I decided to stick with this color.
I hope it all makes more sense now.
After considering your suggestions and spending a good amount of time investigating diamonds from both JA and Brian Gavin, I’ve decided to purchase the following diamond from JA:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.15-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-3639888?a_aid=dmnd1357
It looks beautiful and it seems to be quite close to a true hearts and arrows diamond with correct proportions. It also is from James Allen, from which I would prefer to purchase because I’ve heard incredible reviews from friends who have purchased from JA before.
If you see any glaring issues with this diamond, please let me know! Otherwise, please let me know how I can ensure you and Diamond Pros get the referral bonus, since you’ve been very helpful in my diamond selection process.
Thank you again!
As I mentioned, we don’t find H&A stones consistently more brilliant than our own selection. This diamond is going to return light with as much brilliance and it’s significantly less expensive:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.15-carat-i-color-if-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2882492?a_aid=dmnd1357
That’s why I’d go for this one. The diamond you picked is also beautiful but I just don’t see a reason for you to pay the extra buck without getting any additional benefit.
We only need to know what email address you use for the purchase in order to get credit. Thank you that you care so much.
Thanks again for your feedback and recommendation to save a bit of money. Since the diamond will be cheaper if we avoid the JA Ideal Hearts branding, I’d like to try and bump the carat size a bit. What do you think about the following diamond:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.20-carat-i-color-if-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3608393?a_aid=dmnd1357
While looking, I also saw another diamond that looks very similar to the above diamond, but it’s nearly one thousand dollars more expensive:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.17-carat-i-color-if-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-718040?a_aid=dmnd1357
Do you know why this is? Is it simply because the two diamonds could be coming from different sources who price their diamonds differently?
Yes, the stone you found is also beautiful. If you like this one, go for it. It’s a fantastic way to go!
As you mentioned, the two stones might be from different sources. I don’t see any other difference and reason for such a jump in price.
Keep me posted, please.
I bought the diamond I mentioned in my previous email, with the tulip platinum solitaire setting – I also got a Cyber Monday deal that got 25% off the setting!
Now I have a mixture of excitement and nervousness as I wait to get the ring and plan the proposal 🙂
Thanks again for all of your help with deciding on the perfect diamond!
That’s fantastic news!
It was my pleasure helping you. Good luck with all the preparations. And please let me know what you think once the ring arrives.
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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