Hi there, I came across your site via one of your reviews of an online store recently so was hoping for some help.
Since looking at your site, I’ve seen Blue Nile seems much better value than what I’ve found on the high street with what I have priced up so far. So would be grateful for some advice/direction and perhaps careful selection from you!
Many thanks in advance for your time!
I’d be happy to make some recommendations for you, but I need a little more info.
What shape diamond are you looking for?
What style setting (solitaire, pave/side stones/halo) and metal (yellow/white gold, platinum) do you want to use? This may affect the colors that I recommend for the center diamond (as we explain in our post on color).
Can you give me your ballpark figure of what you’re planning to spend? Then I’ll be able to help you more.
I’ve taken a look through a few, both in high street jewellers and online (Blue Nile). I think what I’m looking for (and what my partner would really like) is a round, solitaire diamond on a platinum ring. As it’s just the single diamond I’d like it to be quite prominent, so over a carat.
Some of the ones I’ve looked at on Blue Nile are:
Round
minimum Ideal cut
1.2+ carat
Colour H-D
Clarity VS2+
Thank you for the info.
For a simple solitaire setting, you can go as low as an I color and it is still going to look colorless. I like these options for you:
Blue Nile LD06647258
Blue Nile LD09995733
They are fantastically cut and either of them will be very brilliant.
What do you think?
The details look great for these, although there’s no pics (just the sample photo) so is there any way to get from them some pics?
Also, as I don’t know much about diamonds, can you talk me through why you picked these over any other options?
Sure, you can request the photos, just contact their customer service directly, they’ll take it from there.
When we search for diamonds, we’re looking for the best balance of the overall specifications (carat weight, color – colorless look, clarity – eye-cleanliness, fluorescence, depth and table %, cut – brilliance). And we search for the best stone that’s currently available for your buck.
In your case, I searched for the best priced 1.2+ options with a great cut and those two happened to be the best ones.
Great, that all makes sense, thanks. The slightly more expensive one you chose has already been purchased, would you mind taking a look for an alternative(s) in that price or slightly more please? One last question (I think!!) is there a big size difference between 1.2-1.3 carat or would I need to go bigger for it to be noticeable?
It depends on how each diamond is cut, but generally, the difference between a 1.2 and a 1.3 is not that noticeable.
Thanks for the other links. Ok, so I like both the 1.2ct one you sent in the original finds and the 1.31 in the last email. From the details, it looks like the 1.2 has great clarity and is pretty much the same as the 1.31 regarding colour, depth, table, symmetry etc. So just wondering whether you think it’s realistically worth another £1k for 0.2mm more in size which is the only difference in the measurements? 6.8mm seems like a good size to me.
Aside from that, I was thinking on a platinum band, quite simple, maybe the petite solitaire on their site? Or would you recommend another?
Finally, from your perspective, with the options I’ve chosen do you think that’s a good choice!? Clearly not something you do every day, or something I’ve ever bought before!!
Personally, I love the 1.2ct the most. Its cut is stunning and there will be a lot of added brilliance.
Regarding the setting, I’d go with a WG one. As our article says, the WG has to be dipped every few years and the platinum needs to be polished as well because it scratches. So ultimately, platinum costs you more in the beginning and doesn’t end up saving you any money in the long run. The rest (style, prongs) is up to you.
I did go ahead and purchased the 1.31ct one you sent early on.
Many thanks for all your help, much appreciated!!
That’s great news! Thanks for letting me know, I 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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