Q&A: Looking for a Round or Cushion Cut Diamond for a Yellow Gold Solitaire or Pave Setting With a $3,200 Budget
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Hi there,
I have been using the info on your website and the diamond selection tool on your site and I am running myself around in circles and was looking for some advice.
I’m in the market for either a round or cushion cut diamond (would prefer round cut but if going cushion cut gets something better then I would consider) to be set in a on a yellow gold band solitaire style.
I was looking for something between 0.75-1ct ideally on the larger end but I want the quality to be the best so am willing to sacrifice. Clean to the eye, catches and reflects light the best etc.
My budget for the diamond is about $3,200 dollars Canadian.
Any advice would really help in this minefield.
For a yellow gold solitaire setting, you can go with either a J-color round diamond or an I-color cushion cut. This way you can spend more on the diamond itself while maintaining the colorless impression.
Here’s my recommendation:
Blue Nile LD12302458
Blue Nile LD12343030
They are beautifully cut and either of them will look great in a yellow gold ring.
I love the look of the round diamond.
Couple questions, first being, the table is 58% and I thought I read somewhere that the optimum number is around 70% how does this number affect the light the diamond reflects?
Second question is 4 vs 6 prong setting on a ring. I am aware of the pros and cons but am curious 6 prongs on a 0.80 carat diamond, is that going to be blocking off a lot of the diamond, would 6 be better for something bigger than a carat?
My final question is if I were to go for a pave style band instead would I need to up the colour quality as the gold band wouldn’t be as prominent through the diamond?
I’m glad you like my suggestions.
I think you mixed up the two shapes. 70% or lower is the table parameter used for cushion cuts. The optimal table % for round diamonds is 55-58.
The number of prongs is an aesthetic choice, whatever look you prefer. But for a ~.8 ct diamond, a 6-prong setting is not necessary in my opinion and it’d also block the incoming light.
If you were to go with a pave, you’d have to go up one color grade for both cuts as the diamond accents would make a color difference.
Thanks.
Do you have a recommendation for a round diamond up one colour for a pave setting?
So I’ve decided on either the first you suggested or possibly this one. Is it as good as the first and is the extra $200 worth it? Unless you can come up with anything else out there I think I might be ready to commit 🙂
The one you found (Blue Nile LD12320830) is cut way too deep and will lose a lot of its brilliance because of it. I would definitely skip it.
I just went to purchase your recommendation and unfortunately it has been sold, I should have committed sooner. Is there something similar that you rate?
I found diamonds on Blue Nile:
LD12001290 and LD11913760
They both are excellent options with proper cut parameters. Well done! Personally, I like the cut on the LD12001290 a tad better, but you can’t go wrong with either of them. It’s up to you now.
I ended up going with the LD12001290 🙂 I had 3 or 4 I was happy with but ended up choosing this one.
Thank you for the help.
That’s great news! That diamond was an excellent choice.
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