Q&A: In Search of 1 Carat Princess Cut Diamond for $4K Budget

I know almost nothing about diamonds or diamond rings. I have heard that the best way to get value for money is to buy a diamond separately, and then get a ring designed at a jeweler, often copying a ”branded” (i.e. Tiffany’s , etc) ring for a fraction of the price.

I have heard that princess cut is a good place to start, but don’t know much about color, clarity, or anything else. I will be in the states at my home in Boston from 12/25/2010 to 1/02/2011, so if I were to purchase a diamond online or at a store that might be the best window to do it. Or alternatively, if you can just point me in a good direction, I have some of my own contacts in China in the Israeli diamond importing industry who might be able to help me buy something good.

I’m not really sure what my price range is, but I would like a 1-carat diamond if possible. I’m also only in my mid-20s, if that is helpful in determining my likely spending power.

Looking forward to your sage advice, thank you so much! I can also send you my phone number, but as I am in China the time zones may be difficult. Let me know.

Thank you very much for your quick reply. All of your suggestions make a lot of sense, and I think the price of $3K – $4K will be fine for my budget.

I have a few more questions: what is the difference, in terms of what a lay-person like my girlfriend can perceive, from a 90 pt stone and a nicer stone? If it is a noticeable difference then I think it would be likely worth the extra investment, but if only an expert with a jeweler’s loupe can perceive the changes then I’d probably just save the money.

Also, from my limited conversation with my girlfriend about this, I think she might prefer something slightly non-traditional, meaning that perhaps the very standard solitaire set might be a little too plain. Are there “cooler” options to explore? Perhaps something with a little bit more personality and style? Hopefully you can translate the what I’m saying into a style of engagement ring, I’m sorry I can’t use more expert terms.

As you have graciously offered, please send me a few options from JamesAllen.com that meet my criteria. I would love to see perhaps 3-4 different options ranging from maybe $3K-$5K at the absolute maximum, with a range of ring styles, diamond cuts, and diamond qualities/characteristics. That way I can get a feel for what my choices will be at different price points, and make a good decision.

Thank you very much for your time and expert advice. Just to confirm, this consulting service of yours is free of charge? Please let me know, thanks again.

Just to give you an update, I’m leaning towards this kind of setting https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/18k-White-Gold-2-5mm-Knife-Edge-Solitaire.html , just something simple that features the diamond. I think a larger and higher quality diamond will be more important to her than a fancy ring.

Also, in terms of the diamond itself, I think she might like a princess cut instead of round. Also, bigger is probably better for her, so depending on pricing I may not have an objection to going larger than 1 ct if the diamond is a good value for money and it makes sense. I’m not really sure the trade off/price difference between getting a 1 ct , D, IF diamond versus a 1.5 ct , H, VS1 diamond for example.

Looking forward to your thoughts, thanks.

Let’s stick to the budget that I mentioned before if possible which is the 4-5,000 for the entire ring.

That being said, I’d like to get at least a 1 CT diamond of good quality, so let me know if that isn’t possible in that budget.

…….

I actually did some discussion with my girlfriend and specific searching ( I know, maybe ruin the surprise, but now I’m assured of getting something she’ll love!) and I have some more information for you.

We would like to get this setting: https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/channelset-rings/Princess-Cut-Channel-set-Ring.html It is $1,260, so more expensive than we were thinking originally, but I think it will look very nice with a princess cut diamond.

So I’d like to pair an approximately 1 ct princess cut diamond with the above ring. Here is a picture of a recent ring sold on James Allen that is almost exactly what I’m looking for https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/settings-with-sidestones/1372/Engagement-Rings-Side-Stones.html It has the above setting (18k White Gold .60ct Channel Set Princess Cut Engagement Ring) plus 1.02 G VVS2 Ideal Cut diamond.

I will of course defer to your expertise, but in terms of characteristics I think my girlfriend would prioritize color less (so going with the minimum recommendation on your website of H for princess cut diamonds would probably be fine) but would be more interested in a higher clarity. I’m still not entirely sure the difference between Ideal/Premium etc cut, so again I will defer to you.

I hope this information is helpful, I’m really looking forward to seeing some of your selections! Thanks again so much for all of your help, you are a life saver!

I just wanted to let you know that I took your advice below, and purchased the H – VS1 ideal cut diamond that you suggested below. We both just liked the look of it compared to the other one. The ring and the setting I chose are already in the mail hopefully on the way.

Will do, thanks again!