Q&A: Shopping from the UK, Looking for a Round Diamond With Up to $3,000 Budget

Hello,

First of all thank you for offering this service, I think it is amazing that you are helping those of us who are completely lost! I have actually sent a short email earlier but after going through the website I feel a lot more educated and know what specific questions to ask!

I am looking for a stone priced under 2500 pounds or 3000 USD, which is to be set on a solitaire ring. I was hoping for an excellent cut as you had suggested but am willing to compromise on colour and clarity as long as diamond is eye clean (but am not so sure how to evaluate this), carat would probably be about 0.7 I guess based on my budget?

I am based in UK so have been looking at 77diamonds.com which I don’t think your website has featured, they appear to have large variety of stones, however no actual pictures and there is a lot of price variation even with the same stats.

I am particularly in love with the allure setting:
Classic Solitaire Engagement Rings

Would you recommend this or any other UK website? I am also happy to consider a US based website as I have a family member who works there and could potentially buy it for me. I have seem a couple of nice stones on jamesallen but although do not particularly fancy the settings there.

Would you be able to recommend a few stones based on my requirements?

Would be ever so grateful for your advice. Thank you very much

Thank you for your reply.

I plan to get it mounted on a platinum solitaire ring.

I am not particularly fussed about where I get the ring from however I like 77diamonds as they have a setting (delicacy 6 claw) which I really like with a gorgeous crown and tapered ends), also they have quite a large selection but not all has pictures.

I wouldn’t mind Blue Nile particularly if their prices are competitive. I will have a look at their settings. Mainly looking for tapered ends to accentuate the stone.

My budget is less than 2500 pounds for the stone and ideally less than 3000 for the whole ring. I am hoping to maximise the carat and cut but happy for you to work with a reasonable colour or clarity.

Thank you for your recommendation.

From reading the site I know that you picked a J colour but with a blue fluorescence which probably maximized the carat. Would I be able to differentiate this with from a say, G or H cut with low fluorescence?

Also would you be able to recommend a few options with slightly lower carat 0.7 or so but with a better colour and similar clarify?

Also which of above would you advice I go for?

Also I noticed that the diamond you recommended did not have an actual image, should I go ahead with the purchase without ever seeing the images?

Thank you very much!

……

Also to note. I saw that there are a couple of .8 to .82 ones with J colour and medium fluorescence which are cheaper/similarly priced, is there specific reason for the one you picked? Thank you

Thank you for your lovely recommendations, I will have a think about the options you have suggested.

I have a few final questions I hope you don’t mind!

If I lock the first diamond which is the 0.83 and I choose to change the setting to a pave, or I wear it with a channel wedding band, would this affect my choice?

Lastly, I have a friend who is in America now who has offered me to bring my purchase back if I am ordering it from the USA. Pricing wise, would it be cheaper to buy it from there as compared to here? (Similar stats as before). Would you be able to recommend me a few similar options if this is the case?

Thank you very much for your patience.

……

I had a look at a couple before I make the final decision. Here is one I found on the James Allen website which I like, there is some money savings here which would be good too.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2484532?a_aid=dmnd1357

Also, if I eventually purchase from 77diamond, these are slightly out of budget but close, how do you think these to compares visually to the first one you suggested?
www.77diamonds.com/Certification.aspx?code=RBCPA6MEUV5S

www.77diamonds.com/Certification.aspx?code=RBCPGUG3XWUH

Thank you again.

I have decided that I will purchase from James Allen in the end, it seems that their choices and prices are a lot better, and I am more reassured by seeing the diamond itself. I am planning to get it purchased by this weekend so please let me know what I have to do so that your team will get the credit.

Would you please be able to recommend me some diamond choices which is of a slightly higher colour grade? Similarly rough around 2800-3000 USD and most importantly has a lot of sparkle and is eye clean. Carat will probably be as price allows but probably around 0.8? Perhaps something like this?
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2511473?a_aid=dmnd1357

The reason is I am planning to get a diamond band too such as:
www.jamesallen.com/wedding-rings/womens-eternity/14k-white-gold-ladies-050ctw-angled-common-prong-diamond-eternity-ring-item-56290?a_aid=dmnd1357

I am worried that the bright colour might make my main stone just look a bit warm tinted. I have recently been showed a couple of stones on the JA website in which I can just spot a little yellow.

Again would be grateful for recommendations.

……

I have gone through the website and found a couple which I thought looked pretty good as well, do let me know if you would pick any of these or if you have other better recommendations.
1) www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2346768?a_aid=dmnd1357

2) www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2502280?a_aid=dmnd1357

3) www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.79-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2539343?a_aid=dmnd1357

4) www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.82-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2457983?a_aid=dmnd1357

5) www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.83-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2338931?a_aid=dmnd1357

I have ended up purchasing this diamond and have used this email address. It took some time for me to get it back from the USA and set into a ring but I’ve finally got it and it’s gorgeous. Thank you for your help in picking it!