My budget for a diamond ring is up to a maxiumum of 17,500. I was reading your articles and believe that the following attributes would be what I am looking for:
Cut – Round
Carat – 1.2-1.25
Clarity – VS1 and above
Color – F and above
Fluorescence – None
I came up with this diamond:
But in the similar diamonds suggestion, I see much cheaper diamonds such as:
I see the difference is that it has a faint fluorescence and an ideal cut instead of a signature cut – but the cost if $4000 less.
What is your opinion on the differences between the two diamonds?
Thanks!
Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Mike Fried, Ira’s partner. You can read about me on my profile page.
The most important aspect of a diamond is its cut. This is what makes the diamond beautiful and sparkly (fire and brilliance are the terms we use). The more brilliance there is, the more unique the diamond will look. Obviously you see that we like James Allen (they are our most recommended site), but when it comes to their best cuts (they call them the ‘True Hearts’) we find it a bit lacking. And we certainly don’t recommend Blue Nile’s Signature. If you are purchasing from them, you may as well just buy a GIA EX cut and not waste your money on the ‘special’ ones.
I would recommend Brian Gavin’s Signature Signature Hearts and Arrows. Brian Gavin is known as one of the worlds experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds. I can tell you from experience. I worked for one of the largest suppliers of James Allen. I went to Brian Gavin with our 30 best cut diamonds in our inventory (of thousands) and he rejected them all. When he showed me his selections, I was blown away. You are far better off with this diamond:
Thanks for your recommendation – my only concern is the color on the diamond, which is a G. Do you think that the color would be visible for a round diamond and with that cut?
Absolutely not. We generally recommend H+. You wanted a top color, so I went up one grade to alleviate those concerns. I have never had a reader complain about a G color at all. And the improvement of the cut is a huge step up
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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