Q&A: Looking for an Extremely Brilliant Round Diamond With a $3,500 Total Budget

Hi,

I have been looking at your site and your articles and they were of great help.
I am looking for a round diamond between 0.4 to 0.5 carats.
Nothing too big but with a great sparkle.
I have read that cut is very important but I’m confused about the best table and depth %.

I have been looking at this diamond:
Blue Nile LD09725880

Could you please help me with the decision.

That diamond is beautifully cut, but buying a D-FL diamond is a waste of money. It’s a terrible value. The difference in colors isn’t usually recognizable from anything above an H grade (especially on a diamond that size).
https://www.diamonds.pro/education/color/
https://www.diamonds.pro/education/clarity/

Something like this is going to look exactly the same to the naked eye:
Blue Nile LD09490179

It has great specs.

Or, if you want something extraordinary, get a Brian Gavin diamond: https://www.diamonds.pro/reviews/brian-gavin/
He is known as one of the world’s experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds. BGD’s Signature diamonds are truly fantastic. They are all incredibly brilliant.

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.418-h-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104094526008a_aid=y
This diamond is superbly cut and will be extremely brilliant.

What do you think?

I do agree color D and clarity F is not a great value item but the idea behind it was that it is something so rare and special. I wanted to be able to tell my future to be fiance that is a very nice diamond.

I really want it to have a nice brilliance though so I am interested in the Brian Gavin diamond.

But the link you gave me seems is broken and couldn’t see it. Can you please send it again?

Maybe I should have mentioned it my budget for the ring (setting and diamond) is $2,500 to $3,500.

I also care about the quality of the setting and the workmanship. In your experience how good is Blue Nile when it comes to buying an entire ring.
I just want a simple setting but I do care about the quality of the platinum and how it looks at the end. Also is it safe to buy from them, are their diamonds original and is the store trustworthy?

I hope it works now:
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.418-h-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104094526008?a_aid=y

If you want to go with a D/FL diamond, that’s fine, I just wanted to give you some input and explain that human eye can’t really see a difference between a D and an H color (especially in a simple solitaire setting).
You can have a beautiful diamond even without overpaying for these unnecessary features.
You can, however, see a difference in brilliance and that’s why I thought you might find Brian Gavin diamonds interesting as they are the best you can get in terms of quality and brilliance. In their case, you’d pay the premium for something you can actually see.

Regarding Blue Nile and their settings, we (and our readers) have had great experiences with them. Their company is established and reputable and we receive a great feedback on them.

Thank you for your help. I did think about the advice you provided me and after doing more research I think choosing a D/FL diamond might not be a good investment due to the reason you just told me. I do want to spend some money on the quality of the cut of the diamonds and did check out Brian Gavin diamonds and they look amazing and they provide an AGSL certificate.

I wanted to know which certification might be better AGSL or GIA, I know those are the biggest ones currently.

I might actually shop on Brian Gavin now.

Great, I’m glad we are on the same page.

When it comes to the grading companies, both GIA and AGS are the most accurate labs. Brian Gavin, like every other company that focuses on perfectly cut diamonds, uses the AGS certificate due to the light performance chart. James Allen uses them as well for their “True Hearts.”

Thank you for your help. I will go with Brian Gavin most likely.

…

I have one question about the Brian Gavin Diamonds. They have the Signature series and the Black series. Is the Black worth it? They seem a bit more expensive but seem really nice.

We find all of their diamonds to be equally brilliant. If you want something that looks exceptional on paper, go with a diamond from the Black line, but in reality, there’s no visual difference between this and the “regular” line. All of the BGD diamonds come with their premium cut.

These are the diamonds I am interested. They all provide good ASET pictures and have a nice cut

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.731-g-vs2-round-diamond-bkags-104094817009?a_aid=y
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.803-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104097387028?a_aid=y
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.743-h-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104092974034?a_aid=y

Which in your opinion would be superior and would be a better buy?

I’d go with this one:
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.743-h-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104092974034?a_aid=y
It is a stunning diamond and the difference in size between this one and the 0.8ct is negligible (i.e. there’s no point in paying more for something identical).

I have been looking at more diamonds since I’m almost ready to buy. I just needed some advice on which of these 3 to pick.

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.700-g-vs1-round-diamond-bkags-104094817006?a_aid=y
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.718-h-vvs2-round-diamond-ags-104094817048?a_aid=y
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.743-h-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104092974034?a_aid=y

I’d go with either the H-VVS2 or the H-VS1.

Thanks!

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. They currently run a 10% discount on selected lab-grown diamonds!

Click to Visit

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

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. Right now, Blue Nile offers up to 50% savings on selected jewelry during a limited-time season sale.

Click to Visit

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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Q&A: Looking for an Extremely Brilliant Round Diamond With a $3,500 Total Budget

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