Q&A: Looking for a Round Diamond for a Solitaire Setting With a $1,250 Total Budget

Hi, I’m looking to buy a diamond engagement ring. I see you folks recommend Blue Nile, are there any other good online retailers you could recommend for UK buyers for comparison?

I probably only have up to around £1,250 for diamond and ring, the best deal I could find to balance price, size and quality seemed to be around .47 carat, very good quality and compromising on colour and clarity – about £770 for the diamond. Is there anything else I should be thinking of? Any help would be much appreciated – thank you in advance.

I’ve had look on your website which is very helpful. In terms of what I’m looking for, it’s a diamond for an engagement ring. I think my preference would be a round diamond and a solitaire ring, for quite a small finger!

I’m ultimately constrained by budget, I can probably go to about £850 for the diamond.

Of course, I’d like it to be as big as possible, but it sounds like size should come lower down the pecking order than cut, then clarity and finally colour – the latter getting further leeway depending on setting colour.

It looks as though I can get something around .46 to .49 carat, and up to around 4.9mm diameter which seems a nice size.

There seems to be much more choice and options under £700 if I drop down to J colour and SI1 clarity, though I’d probably pay more like my maximum if it would make the stone that much better looking to the naked eye – there are two options on Blue Nile at around my max, but .46, ideal, I, VS2.

Would these be noticeably more impressive than something £100 cheaper at the same size but I and SI1?

Thanks for taking a look, the second one at .49 looks great, much clearer than the one I’d found.

Do you think it gets much better at this price, given the different variables?

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For your info, I have gone ahead and ordered the £800 diamond along with a ring, so it has a home.

Thank you again for your help, I very much appreciate it.