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Q&A: Upgrading Diamond Studs on an 8k Budget

By Mike Fried,

Hello, you helped me purchase some diamond earrings from James Allen a couple years ago and I will be exchanging them there for a larger / better pair.

I am told in order to swap up, I need to spend double the value of first purchase which was $3750 for two stones about .70 carats, I think. Based on $7500.00 budget, round stones, what size should I be looking at?

I would rather have better quality but bigger would not be bad either, like maybe a carat each. Is that possible and would you be able to help select two?

1ct diamonds won’t be possible to get for $7,500 total. The largest I could find were around 0.85ct. Would you be willing to spend a little more?

Hi, I think my current earrings are around .75 so how is it possible that twice as much money wont cover .25 carat? Is it the bigger stone? What are the clarity and imperfection scale? I really don’t want to go over that so I guess my question is is it a lower quality? If I said $8000, would that be possible?

There are big differences in the price coming up in carat weight.

I found these two diamonds that are 0.90ct each and are the largest ones I found for $7,500 (this pair together costs exactly $7,500 which is a nice coincidence):

www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-h-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-6754358?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-6174260?a_aid=dmnd1357

Thank you, I will look at those in a minute. If I did go to 8000.00 was there any pair that looked better to you?

Even if I increase the price to 8k, I still can’t find anything else, not with a proper cut anyways.

The two I sent you aren’t bad. They will look gorgeous in earrings.

I guess I’m just not sure it will even be noticeable. Its not much bigger than my current pair. What would a 1 ct pair be?

They are beautiful. I know this probably can’t be answered but if these were for you, would you be happy with them? It seems like alot of $ but they would last forever. What setting? I think my last was Martini.

If they were for me, I’d love them. I wouldn’t recommend something that wouldn’t look good.

If you like the Martini style then keep it. It’s a personal choice.

OK, I’ll give it a shot.

Thank you!

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.
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!

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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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