Hello!
I’m looking for a round, solitaire engagement ring. Ideally, the diamond would be 1-1.5 carats, have a great cut, and good color & clarity. I’m more concerned about the quality of the diamond (I’d prefer a prettier diamond than a larger one) but I’d prefer to stay in the $5.,000-$7,000 range for the diamond. I’m willing to go up to $10,000 if I really, really like the diamond. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!
If you want maximum brilliance and fire possible, I would recommend Brian Gavin’s Signature Signature Hearts and Arrows. Brian Gavin is known as one of the world’s experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds. BGD’s Signature diamonds are incredibly brilliant and truly impressive. This would be my recommendation from their selection:
www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.047-j-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104067957015?a_aid=y
It’s superbly cut and will be extremely brilliant.
What do you think?
Thanks for the help. I was leaning towards James Allen (I haven’t even come across Brian Gavin yet-I’ll have to check them out).
Two questions:
1) I recently visited Helzberg Diamonds and enjoyed the brilliance of their “Radiant” diamonds which apparently has much more facets than most diamonds normally have. Are the diamonds at Brian Gavin similar to these?
2) Do you have a diamond you’d recommend at James Allen?
Thanks for your help.
1) We’re not huge fans of Helzberg diamonds: https://www.diamonds.pro/reviews/helzberg/.
2) Sure, here you go:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.20-carat-j-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3100618?a_aid=dmnd1357
It has great specs.
Thanks.
I know you aren’t fans of Helzberg – I guess my question is are diamonds with over 100 facets better than diamonds with around 50 facets? I’m curious if Brian Gavin or James Allen carry similar diamonds with double the facets.
That James Allen diamond is gorgeous… My concern is the color (slightly yellowish). Do you think it’d be noticeable in a platinum solitaire setting? If so, can you recommend a whiter diamond?
Thanks!
Companies with this “special” cut of more facets claim that their diamonds look significantly more brilliant. However, even Brian Gavin, who is known as one of the world’s experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds, have diamonds with 57 facets. If you want to focus on brilliance, go with BGD. But don’t waste your money on “special” cuts.
Regarding the JA diamond, you should never judge the color from the picture. It can be misleading. GIA’s J color is what we recommend for solitaires and based on our expertise, experiences and most importantly, on the feedback we receive from our readers, it still look perfectly colorless. However, I’m happy to recommend an I-color stone if you like.
Thanks for the valuable info!
If I were to spend an extra $1,000 on a diamond ($6.5K-$7K on the diamond), what would you recommend to change? Increasing the cut, clarity, or color? Do you have a diamond you’d then recommend from JA in that price range?
Thanks so much!
Let’s see. You can either go a little higher in carat weight or in the color grade (if it puts you more at ease):
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.36-carat-j-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3056540?a_aid=dmnd1357
They are fantastically cut.
Thoughts?
Can you make another recommendation for the first James Allen diamond you suggested? The one you originally sent (www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.20-carat-j-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3100618?a_aid=dmnd1357) is no longer available.
Of course, here you go:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.21-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3165527?a_aid=dmnd1357
It has fantastic specs.
Thoughts?
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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