Hello!
My girlfriend and I have been together for 5 years now since my senior year of high school. I know I will be popping the question here shortly and have found the ring setting and the diamond shape that I know she will love. However, I am struggling to find a diamond with certainty that it is a good value or that the blemishes on it won’t be seen without magnification.
I am buying her ring from James Allen and am looking for a marquise diamond on their site that is at least a 0.7 carat. I looked at your marquise diamond buying guide and know you recommend an H or better color and an SI or better clarity. I just don’t know when looking at them what inclusions could be seen more than others.
I was wondering if you could help search for some diamonds that you know would look great on any ring. I am trying to keep the diamond itself around 2000 dollars but that value has a little flexibility whether higher or lower.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a significant shortage of marquise cut diamonds on JA website. I didn’t find any recommendable options for around 2k, not even when I altered the filters and searched in the 0.50ct+ range. Would you be interested in seeing diamonds from other retailers?
So I have been on James Allen the past few days looking at 0.7 carat diamond around that price range. When you say they don’t have any you would recommend is that because of visible flaws? I personally would like to stick with James Allen because the setting I’ve chosen is perfect for my girlfriends taste.
What I meant is that there were no diamonds around that carat weight/price range in their inventory. Marquise cut is one of the rarest diamond cuts and it’s possible their suppliers didn’t deliver enough diamonds for JA to sell. We can wait a week or two and see if they add any new options to their inventory then.
Oh okay I understand now. The carat doesn’t have to be 0.7 exactly. I have found some others that are slightly bigger that are around that price range. The few I have found though I am just not sure what makes them a good option or not. I know that I want to avoid a bow tie look and also know that it is easier to hide flaws at the edge of the diamond instead of the center but am worried about deciding on a diamond and it having a noticeable flaw.
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Here are some diamonds I was looking at. I’m not entirely sure what to look for but all have a color of at least an H and a clarity of at least SI as mentioned on your website! Thank you I really appreciate your help!
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.74-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-sku-6280149?a_aid=dmnd1357
The etch channel inclusion on this one is not good, it might negatively affect the diamond’s integrity.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.70-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-2685464?a_aid=dmnd1357
This one is not the worst, but I’m not a huge fan of its slightly stronger bow-tie and extremely thick girdle.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.72-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-6045319?a_aid=dmnd1357
Strong fluorescence is an issue on I+ diamonds. It usually causes haziness. For DEFG diamonds you should get only none or faint fluorescence.
Fortunately, there seem to be a lot of new additions to their inventory. I found these two great options:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/marquise-cut/0.71-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-4972733?a_aid=dmnd1357
What do you think?
Thank you for the feedback. Those are things I definitely would not have looked for on my own. The two you sent are both very nice looking diamonds. I think I’m leaning towards the slightly bigger one. I know it is SI and the inclusions are visible in the super zoom up of the JA website but they would still be practically invisible to the naked eye correct?
We recommend only eye-clean diamonds. None of the inclusions on my previous suggestions will be visible to the naked eye.
So I am pretty certain that I’m going to go with the 0.71 carat diamond that you recommended in the last email. However, the ring setting that I chose is 0.27 carat. James Allen has 6 marquise diamonds that are 0.73 carats between 2000 and 2500 dollars. To me, it only looked like one would have good potential but would there be any of the 6 you recommend? It would just put the ring as a whole to a full carat. Not a very big deal though. If not, I’m going to be going with the 0.71 carat you recommended and will let you know the email used when I purchase it!
I found only one more option that I liked and it’s basically the same size (if not slightly smaller) than the 0.71ct you have your mind set on.
Thank you! I will definitely be choosing either that 0.75 or the 0.71 that you recommended earlier. I will let you know upon purchase which email was used to buy. Thank you again!
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I wanted to let you know that I just submitted my order and payment for the engagement ring from James Allen! I went with the 0.75 carat stone that you recommended.
That’s fantastic news! I’m glad I could help you decide on the diamond.
If you could let me know how you like the ring when it arrives, I’d appreciate it.
Sorry for a pretty delayed response but I just wanted to let you know that the ring from James Allen and the diamond you helped me pick are absolutely beautiful and my fiancee loves her ring. James Allen did a wonderful job and she specifically loves the center marquise diamond! It shines, is clear, and completes a gorgeous ring!
Thank you so much again for all of the help. If I know someone who will be looking into engagement or other diamond purchases, I will be sure to point them to your team!
Thank you so much for updating me, I’m glad you were happy with JA’s service and your fiancee loves her new ring! It was my pleasure helping you 🙂
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, we would be extremely grateful. Here is the link:
[LINK TO REVIEW ON IVOUCH]
I wish you and your partner a life of happiness and fulfillment.
I submitted a review using your link!
Thanks, I really appreciate it.
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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