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Q&A: Looking for a Round or Oval Diamond for a White Gold Halo Setting Within a $2k-$3k Budget

By Mike Fried,

Hello,

A friend of mine who recently used your service loved the diamond you chose for him. I was hoping you could help me out as well.

I am looking to purchase an oval or round diamond from James Allen in the .8 to 1+ carat range. My budget is in the $2000-$3000 range but I would like to be on the lower end. I’d like a diamond that is at least a VS2, H or higher clarity, and a nice it. Basically I want a nice diamond that will sparkle and is clear to the eye in my price range. The ring will be set on a white gold band.

Please let me know if you need any other information. Thanks!

Before I recommend some diamonds to you, I have a quick question: are you going with a plain white gold band or is it something with diamond accents on the band/around the center stone? I want to make sure I recommend the right color grades for it.

The band will have diamonds on it about a quarter of the way down each side and will have diamond accents around the center stone.

Great, that’s all I needed to know. Thanks!

I found the following options:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.75-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-7300877?a_aid=dmnd1357
This one is superbly cut and as you can see, it’s the same size as a 0.80ct stone. It’s an SI, but a perfectly eye-clean one and none of the tiny conclusions would be visible in person.

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-7015750?a_aid=dmnd1357

They look great and either of them will make a beautiful ring.

14K WHITE GOLD CATHEDRAL PAVE CROWN DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING

This is the setting that I decided on. Would you still use this same oval diamond for this setting or would you have a better option?

The oval I recommended would look beautiful in a halo pave setting. H color looks absolutely colorless compared to the smaller diamonds in the halo and all the diamond accents will add much more additional brilliance to the whole ring. It’s a great combo, go for it.

Thanks, I appreciate the help!

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. Get 30% off lab-grown diamonds during a limited time sale.
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
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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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