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Q&A: Help Finding a Round Brilliant for a Pavé Setting With a $3,600 to 4,400 Budget

By Mike Fried,

So I’m looking for a ring and I have been visiting your site a lot. You seem to have a ton of great advice! So my girlfriend LOVES solitaires with the sidestone bands. She has tiny hands, I believe she is a size 5. So I don’t think it would be necessary to put a 1ct center stone on her finger to make it look good. What I’m looking for is a white gold setting and .7-.8 ct center stone. It doesn’t have to be a perfect diamond, but it needs to be essentially perfect to the naked eye.

I’ve searched and searched online and I’m not really sure where to go. I’d like to be able to have financing available (for whatever I can cover with cash), a lifetime warranty plan available, and it needs to “pop.”

Any advice would be extremely appreciated. I’m not in any huge hurry to go out and buy a ring, as I will be planning for the next few months on how to pop the question exactly. Thank you in advance and most of all thank you for the amazing articles and keeping me from running to the closest Kay, because that was my initial thought!

Thank you for the kind words. I’m glad you find our website useful. Now, let’s see how I can help you.

I’d be happy to make some recommendations for you, but I need a little more info.

What shape diamond are you looking for? Can you give me your ballpark figure of what you’re planning to spend? Then I’ll be able to help you more.

I would like a round cut diamond and looking to spend about 3600-4400. I’d be willing to go up to 5000. But I would really like to stay under 5k or at least around it. I would really like to get the most bang for my buck. I also would have no issues going to a slightly larger diamond if it within the ballpark. But it needs to be at least a very good cut, VS2 or better, and H or better color (preferably G or better). That’s why I assumed I will be better off with about a .8 carat. Also it will have side stones so I would just like the ctw. to be above 1, so on a .8 that’s completely doable.

Great, thank you for the additional info.

For the type of setting you have in mind, you can easily go with an H color and it’ll look beautiful and colorless. There’s no need to go higher than that as the difference in colors isn’t usually recognizable from anything above an H grade. This way you can make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.
https://www.diamonds.pro/education/color/

I looked around and I have several recommendations for you:
James Allen Thin French-Cut Pave
James Allen Petite Pave Engagement Ring (Flush Fit)
James Allen SKU 2577631
www.jamesallen.com/guarantee/lifetime-warranty/
www.jamesallen.com/financing/

Blue Nile Heirloom Petite Milgrain Engagement Ring
Blue Nile Petite Diamond Engagement Ring
Blue Nile Petite Milgrain Diamond Engagement Ring
Blue Nile LD08140328
www.bluenile.com/services/warranty
www.bluenile.com/services/blue-nile-credit-card

These diamonds are fantastically cut and either of them will be very brilliant.

What do you think?

I looked at the James Allen site yesterday waiting for a reply and found the exact same setting! I actually had the setting saved to my account on there. I love that setting and I love that diamond you found!

Sounds great! Let me know what you decide on in the end.

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. Get 30% off lab-grown diamonds during a limited time sale.
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!

Please enter your email address to receive your 25% off coupon code:

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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