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Q&A: Looking for a Round or Cushion Cut Diamond for a Yellow Gold Solitaire Setting With a £3100 Budget

By Mike Fried,

Hi,

I am hoping to purchase a diamond engagement ring today. I’ve been looking at 0.9 carat round/1 carat cushion diamonds, mainly focusing on Blue Nile due to the import fees when using James Allen (I’m in the UK).

I was hoping you could advise on the best diamond for a yellow gold setting, with a diamond budget of £3100. My main focus is on cut and an ‘eye clean’ look, I am not obsessed with colour particularly due to the setting.

Cushion diamonds are appealing due to the increase in value per carat vs round, but Blue Nile images of cushion diamonds don’t seem to be as clear and I’m less sure what will give me the optimum appearance versus a round cut.

Hoping you can help!

I’m happy to make some recommendations for you. Can you tell me what style setting you’re using? Is it a solitaire, a pave/sidestones or a halo?

I’m planning on a solitaire yellow gold setting.

Great.

As far as a solitaire goes, you can have a J+ color round center stone or an I+ color cushion cut and it’ll look fantastic.

Look at these two:
Blue Nile LD12291917

Blue Nile LD12262275

They are the best priced eye-clean options I found in the $3100 range. They have a great cut and either of them will be incredibly brilliant.

That’s great, I think I’ll go for the first one.

Thanks for your help !

I’m glad you like it, it’s an excellent option.

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
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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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