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Q&A: Looking for a D Flawless Anniversary Diamond Within a $7k-$8k Budget

By Mike Fried,

I am looking to buy a diamond for my wife. It will be a gift for our anniversary. I would like to get it about a week in advance so if she doesn’t like it we can exchange it. She may want a bigger diamond for the same money. I am leaning towards a D / Flawless round diamond with great eye appeal. I am thinking around 3/4 carat.

My idea is to get a custom setting made locally with the diamond I got her when we were married 15 years ago along with this new purchase. The older diamond is about .4 carats and average quality.

I know I can get something bigger for the same price, or less expensive for the same size but the grades are symbolic.

Wanted to get your thoughts and advice. I bought the original diamond from Blue Nile, so I would not mind going with them again.

I was going to point out that D IF is a lot more than necessary to get a beautiful ring, but if the grades are symbolic to you, let’s stick to them 🙂

May I ask what is your ballpark budget for the diamond?

Budget $8000.

I found a bunch of fantastic D FL options for up to $8k:

Blue Nile LD12839688

Blue Nile LD13328881

Blue Nile LD13307530

They have a gorgeous cut and will look absolutely stunning in person.

I noticed a substantial price difference. The diamonds are pretty close to the same size. What is driving this difference? I really want to stick to a price between $7,000 and $8,000. I am not opposed to saving money but this is also symbolic. The most expensive option is where I am leaning but if there are others a bit larger I would be open to those as well.

I know, the price difference is rather significant. If it was me, I’d be deciding between the first and the second option (0.74×0.80ct). The second and third options are basically the same size (check out the real measurements) so I don’t think it makes sense to pay $1.5k more for something identical.

The difference in prices is caused by various factors, one of them being different sellers who price their diamonds differently. I haven’t found any larger options for around 8k, the next recommendable option I found was for ~11k.

I think I will go with option 2.

Sounds great!

Done.

Thanks for the help!

You’re welcome.

I’d love to know how you like the ring when it arrives!

She loves it! We went to see a custom ring designer today and he was quite taken with the diamond.

Thanks again for your help.

Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback, I’m happy your wife loves her new ring.

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.
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!

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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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