Hi T.A.D. — I am looking to buy a round diamond and have a jeweler set the stone in a Danhov petite solitaire bezel setting (LE100). The general specs I’m looking at are 1.3-1.4 carats, G or maybe even F color, VS1 or maybe even VVS2 clarity, triple Ex cut, no culet, perhaps no or faint fluorescence, and in the $12-13k range for the stone. I’ve looked at a few options in that spec and price range on James Allen and b2cjewels, but it is difficult to decipher the difference between stones with the same specs. Are there certain types of clarity inclusions I should avoid in the VVS2/VS1 range? Is clarity upgrade from VS1 to VVS2 more important than color improvement from G to F? I’m finding brick-and-mortar jewelers aren’t willing to come even remotely close to online prices, so, if online is the way I go, do you like b2cjewels.com in addition to James Allen? Are there any other online retailers you like?
If you check out our posts on color and clarity, you will see that we feel very strongly about not spending money on F VVS diamonds. Additionally, B2C is probably our least favorite site.
FYI, JA is an authorized dealer of Danhov. Wouldn’t it just make sense to get everything from them? Was the jeweler that much cheaper? That doesn’t really make sense to me.
Thanks, Michael. Your advice below is very helpful. In that spirit, what do you think of this diamond at James Allen? With a solitaire bezel setting, are there particular inclusions I should look for or avoid?
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1441352.asp
PS — I checked out your bio. I’m a big traveler too — I visited Prague, Czech Republic a few years back and loved it, and my girlfriend and I went Belgium, Netherlands, and France this summer. The Belgian beer by itself was worth the trip!
I do love that Belgian beer. Czech beer is almost as good, and it’s a third of the price. I was actually in those countries over the summer as well.
I prefer this diamond. They are both nice, so why spend the extra money?
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1517675.asp
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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