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Q&A: Looking for an Pear-Shaped Diamond for a White Gold Pave Setting Within a $9k Total Budget

By Mike Fried,

Hello!

I am looking to purchase an engagement ring, from either James Allen (top choice) or Blue Nile (close second choice), and would love some assistance in narrowing down my options.

I’m looking for:
– Pear shape diamond, somewhere between 1.0 and 1.4 carat
– 18k white gold setting, Pave style
– Budget is up to approximately $9,000 total

Please let me know if there are more details that would be helpful!
Thanks for any help you can offer!

I found these three diamonds on JA that look amazing:

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/pear-shaped/1.20-carat-e-color-vs2-clarity-sku-6784355?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/pear-shaped/1.21-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-6720396?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/pear-shaped/1.21-carat-h-color-if-clarity-sku-6811700?a_aid=dmnd1357

I searched for SI+ clarity so the IF diamond is really just a nice coincidence. it was one of the best diamonds without a noticeable bowtie.

Check them out and let me know what you think.

These diamonds look great – I will be looking in a little more detail later this morning (haven’t had a chance to dive in fully since you sent them over). But for now, I was curious what main guidelines/parameters/characteristics you looked for in these diamonds that separated them from others? I’d love to learn more in general about the selection process for narrowing down the options.

Also, would you be able to help with finding a pave setting to go along with it as well? And I assume that with the setting and one of these diamonds, I will still remain within my $9k budget?

What I do is that I set the depth, fluorescence, carat range, certificate, … filters and then I sort the results by price. Then I look for the best-priced ones that are eye-clean and have a minimal bowtie. The bowtie is the biggest problem in pears as small inclusions can hide petty easily int he cut pattern.

As for the setting, I really like these two:

14K WHITE GOLD PETITE TAPERED PAVE ADORNED CROWN ENGAGEMENT RING

18K WHITE GOLD 0.32CT FRENCH CUT PAVE DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING

Do you agree?

So for the setting, I do really like the second one – but I was curious if the prongs on a setting holding a pear shaped diamond will always look like they do on this one? Or if the way the prongs look will vary based on the specific setting/ring itself?

Couple questions about those three diamonds as well:

For the 3rd diamond (the IF one), is there any concern about the color rating being an H as opposed to at least a G?

While each of the L/W ratios are the same, the 2nd diamond stood out as having a smaller depth compared to the other two (and thus a larger length & width) – how will this affect the diamonds “brilliance” and “ideal-ness” of its cut?

Is there anything in the differences of the “girdle” between the three that is noteworthy?

Is the price difference from the IF diamond simply due to the color being a lesser grade than the other two, in spite of the clarity being higher grade?

As for the prongs, you can see that they look different on the two settings you found and on the one I sent you. It depends on the style they use.

Diamond questions:

– We recommend G/H diamonds. There is no visible difference between then in real life and you can save money with an H. We always look for the best-priced options and sometimes that is an E or D color. But we always search for H+.

– All three diamonds are well cut. I wouldn’t recommend anything that wouldn’t be brilliant. The acceptable range is wide but the difference in briliance isn’t noticeable.

– The only girdle that is worth mentioning is the extremely thick one on the IF diamond. But it’s not all around the diamond, it’s just partially there and it doesn’t affect anything. That’s why I didn’t mind recommending it.

– Most probably, yes. But the diamond could also be from a different vendor and therefore the price can be lower. The diamond is amazingly priced.

Like you said, the French pave has larger diamonds, which means it also has a slightly thicker band, and I was leaning toward that one, but my only concern is that the thicker band / larger diamonds in the setting might not highlight the pear diamond, as well as the thinner/smaller setting band, might… do you think that difference would be noticeable?

I don’t think that the 1.20ct would look any worse in the thicker setting. But of course, the thinner the band, the bigger the diamond looks. If you like the French pave more, order that one. Worst case scenario, if you don’t like it, you can send it back and exchange it for the thinner one.

So here’s what I think I’ve decided on:

18K WHITE GOLD 0.32CT FRENCH CUT PAVE DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/pear-shaped/1.21-carat-h-color-if-clarity-sku-6811700?a_aid=dmnd1357

If there’s anything else you see that is worth mentioning that I should consider, please let me know… otherwise, thank you SO much for all the help here! You made the process much less stressful and easier than it otherwise would have been! Really appreciate it!!

Great combination. I can’t find anything better.

I’m glad I could help you with the process. If you could let me know how you like the ring when you receive it, I would appreciate it.

Will do, 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. 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!

Please enter your email address to receive your 25% off coupon code:

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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