Hello!
I ran across your website today while researching places to purchase an engagement ring for my girlfriend.
I am looking for an oval shaped diamond because she has mentioned in the past it is what she has always wanted. Outside of that, I am a little lost. As far as budget goes, I would like to end up in the $4k-$8k range but am more concerned with getting a great value than the dollar amount. It seems Blue Nile and James Allen come highly recommended so I think I will start there.
Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you. Make it a great day!
There are two main rules when choosing an oval:
1) The depth shouldn’t exceed 74%.
2) The bowtie should be as minimal as possible.
Picking out a beautiful oval cut is a bit of an art. A smaller table may refract light a bit better, but the difference won’t be noticeable. Unless the depth doesn’t exceed 74%, it’s alright. Regarding the color, we usually recommend H+ color as ovals tend to show their true color more than rounds (https://www.diamonds.pro/education/color/). For J-H color, you can get diamonds with none, faint and medium fluorescence. The medium fluorescence may help the diamond look a tad whiter. In case of G-D stones, it’s better to avoid medium or strong fluorescence as it may cause a hazy/milky look (https://www.diamonds.pro/education/fluorescence/). Ideally, it’s better to avoid extremely thick and extremely thin girdles (if possible). Other thickness is okay and won’t have a significant impact on brilliance. A girdle is an issue that has little to no impact on the visual appearance of a diamond.
Oval cut diamonds don’t have their own official cut scale given by GIA. Some companies use their own internal grades, but we don’t put any stock in those. We just use our own guidelines and strict parameters to find the best stones possible. Therefore, I wouldn’t pay attention to the cut grades you see at all. We suggest purchasing diamonds with GIA/AGS certs only as those two labs are the most reliable and consistent. I also always recommend checking the actual measurements when comparing two or more diamonds, not the carat weight only.
Here are some beautiful diamonds:
Blue Nile LD12325513
That is great and I appreciate the advice. I will certainly help to make sure you get credit. The process has just begun for me but you’ve already been extremely helpful.
Everything you have said makes sense and will help me when searching for the right diamond. What is a girdle? I’m not sure I would know the difference between thin or thick at this point.
I will look at the diamonds you listed below shortly and give you any feedback from there.
One last thing, I am thinking a halo setting. Does this have any impact on the diamond I should choose?
H+ colored diamonds are perfectly okay for halo setting and they look colorless when set. As for the girdle, it’s a perimeter that’s between the crown (top) and the pavilion (bottom).
Let me know what you think of the diamonds whenever you have time to have a look at them.
I have decided to go with James Allen. I like their website a lot.
Here is the setting I believe I am going with.
14K White Gold Classic Engagement Ring by Verragio
I looked at the diamonds you recommended and, of course, they looked amazing. After playing around a little bit I realized I definitely want to keep the diamond cost around $4,000.00. HEre are a few I looked at trying to follow the advice you gave me.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.94-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-7052194?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-7399131?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-7776943?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-6814286?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.07-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-sku-7620924?a_aid=dmnd1357
Please let me know what you think of these or if you have options that would be of better value.
Here are my comments about the diamonds you found:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.94-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-7052194?a_aid=dmnd1357 – Perfect stone.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-7399131?a_aid=dmnd1357 – Nice one but it has just a little bit of a bowtie.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-7776943?a_aid=dmnd1357 – Nice diamond, I don’t see any red flags.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-6814286?a_aid=dmnd1357 – This stone has a bit of a “side” bowtie.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/1.07-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-sku-7620924?a_aid=dmnd1357 – This diamond is not eye-clean because of the feather. Also, there are lots of clouds, it might look a bit cloudy.
The diamonds you found (except the last one) are actually really nice. I just tried to differentiate between them a bit and highlight the ones that are truly perfect.
How about these?
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-f-color-vs2-clarity-sku-7486872?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-f-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-7574836?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-e-color-vs1-clarity-sku-7949757?a_aid=dmnd1357
Those stones have great measurements too.
I really like the second one on your list. I am pretty sure I will go with that one!
Thank you for your help. You really helped me learn about what you look for.
That’s wonderful news! It was my pleasure helping you.
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
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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