Your site has been very helpful in terms of understanding all the terminology around loose diamonds!!!
My husband is replacing my wedding set, and I have fallen in love with this set: http://www.diamond-me.com/rings/gemstones-rings/1-carat-blue-sapphire-diamond-wedding-rings-set-in-14k-white-gold-746.html
With this set, I have the ability to upgrade from a 1/3 carat center diamond. The jeweler recommended only going to a maximum of a 3/4 carat diamond to maintain teh integrity of the ring.
The other diamonds in the ring are color G-H.
I am looking for the best Princess cut diamond for my budget of $1000. And like everyone, spending less for something beautiful will certainly work.
I would like to have a great cut (seen ideal, signature, excllent) to get the most sparkle. I would like to stay in at least the G-H color range, or go higher (D-F) to be consistent with the other stones in teh set. I don’t want anything that is yellow… colorless or near colorless.
I have read about many questionable certifications, so I want a diamond that is certified by GIA. Very good polish, L/W ratio under 1.05. And for the diamond to be at least eye clean.
I am not tied to a true carat size, but am more interested in having a Length/ Width of at least 4.5mm x 4.5mm. I have seen some in the 0.5 carat range that fit this, but then others at 0.65 that also do, but are deeper. Lots of variation.
Any help that you can provide would be fantastic.
I would love a diamond like this for that set.
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1506639.asp
It’s bright, eye-clean and a great value. The medium blue will be a nice bonus (it will look great with the sapphires).
Thank you so much Michael!
I hadn’t had a chance to look at the James Allen site too much, but I like the idea of the virtual loop.
I had seen this diamond, for a little bit more, as it’s a little bit bigger. What do you think of this one? http://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/H-VS1-Affinity-Cut-Princess-Diamond/D15502816
Is there a big difference between the G and H color? Especially with the blue sapphires around the stone?
Thanks so much!!
We aren’t huge fans of Adiamor. We don’t have that much personal experience with Adiamor (we only recommend sites that have photos). That diamond at least looks ok to me.
Thanks Mike!
I’m going to go with the one that you recommended! Thanks so much for all your help!
Sounds good. Let me know how things work out.
Thanks. I did get looking again… and I saw these other 2 as well. They are a little more expensive, but larger (and have the GIA # inscribed in them). What do you think of these?
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VVS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1478782.asp
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1510470.asp
On the one that you recommended, it has a GIA certificate, but it doesn’t actually have the GIA # inscribed onto the diamond (https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1506639.asp). Others seem to have both the # on the diamond, and one of the gemologists at James Allen said that for insurance purposes, it is better to have the GIA certificate and diamond both show the # on them.
Just wondering your thoughts.
They are not larger at all. If you read our post on diamond weight, you will see that the face (the dimensions) of the diamond are far more important. If you look at the Length and Width of the diamond I recommended, it will actually look bigger than the 0.58 and about the same (about 1.5% different) than the 0.59.
As for the laser inscription, I hate to call out the JA gemologist, but that was flat out wrong.
GIA offers two reports: A full report that offers a plot of the inclusions, and a dossier report that is cheaper but doesn’t offer the plot. Because there is no plot of inclusions on the cheaper cert it is more difficult for an appraiser to write the appraisal, as they need to make sure that the diamond matches the certificate. To fix that, GIA laser inscribes the number on the diamonds.
The dossier report is cheaper, and much more popular for smaller diamonds (where the price difference is more noticeable). But NO GIA diamond over 1ct has the dossier certificate (which means no diamond over 1ct is laser inscribed). If the diamond has a full certificate however, its better than a dossier with a laser inscription.
I don’t know why the vendor got a full certificate on this diamond. If I had to guess it was an accident. But that is no issue at all for the diamond or for insurance purposes.
If you want to spend more, go with the 0.59. Personally though, I still think the 0.54 is the best value.
You are the absolute BEST!!! I appreciate all the information and help that you have given me here, and yep, 100% I am going to go with your original suggestion on a great diamond at a great value.
I didn’t realize there was a difference with the GIA reports, though I did notice the diagrams on some, and not on others.
Thank you so much for your help…
My pleasure. Let me know what you do in the end.
Oddly enough, I didn’t get the stone you recommended. I was just about too, and called the jeweler where the rings were one last time to confirm the address and who’s attention to send it too… and the owner happened to answer and he was very displeased that the sales support steered me away from getting a diamond with them. Anyway, this conversation turned into a discussion on what I was looking for and he checked his inventory and I got a ¾ carat diamond at cost, and he threw in a second band for the set too! All so I would do it all through him and to try to get some good reviews for this new set they are offering.
So for about $300 more, I was able to get a ¾ carat diamond instead of ½ and also got a second band too! It’s tough to tell from the pictures (attached), but it’s super sparkly and totally eye clean (G, SI1, and ¾ carat weight).
Thanks again for all your help, because knowing what I was looking for allowed me to end up with a great deal!
Have a great day
I hope the diamond had a legitimate certificate (GIA or AGS). If so, and you are happy with it, the convenience of getting everything together probably makes it worth the $300.
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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