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Q&A: Buying Princess Cut Diamond; James Allen vs. Blue Nile

By Mike Fried, Updated June 29, 2020

Cut-good or above
Color-J-H
Clarity-SI2-VS1
Carat- >1
Princess

I am looking to spend around 4-4.5K on the complete ring so about 3-3.5K on the diamond.

I am looking for a diamond that is good quality and also at least 1 carat. 1.2 would be best but i could be asking for to much.

What do you think about this diamond??
Blue Nile LD01972360

That stone at BN is WAY too deep. An ugly make. Also, a J color is too yellow for a princess unless you’re setting it in yellow gold. This is a much better option:
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1370573.asp

Thanks,

Is there a stone at BN you could recommend?? I like there 6 months interest free financing..

You don’t want to use their “Bill me later” financing. It’s got an insanely high interest rate.

It is interest free if paid off in 6 months. (I will pay it off in 6 months) I have the money to pay for it now but it would be nice to keep in the bank for now. I just graduated college (University of Toledo as a chemical engineer) and I am building a house so I want to make sure I keep a nice nest egg in the bank.

I have been with my GF all through college and it is time to buy her a ring. I have done a lot or research but it is a big investment. I do not want to go to cheap but then I do not want it to cost over 5K. I would like (because I know she would like) if when people looked at it they replied with “wow”.

On another note my GF has short stubby fingers (I think she is a ring size 8.5 or 9). She is not a “big” girl. Do you know what king of ring would look best on her type of finger??

I am sorry for all the questions but like I said before, this is a hard process.

My only issue is that I don’t like picking stones on any site where I can’t see the diamond myself!

What about the report??

GIA inclusion plots are useless when it comes to figuring out if a stone is eye clean or not. They only mark type, location and relative size of inclusions. They don’t indicate color or opaqueness, which are the most important factors.

So for you to recommend a diamond to me I would have to use JAJ?

you think this is my best bet still?

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1370573.asp

are there any other good online dealers that you use??

Well, you could always get a much higher clarity stone that won’t have any risk of being eye visible, but that would be a waste of money.

I should have done this earlier but i took the time to look over you website and I seen the review for JAJ. You seem to be very confident in their products. I will order from them.

Thanks for your help!

I now just have to decide if i want to increase my budget or get a smaller diamond.

Sounds great! Let me know what you decide to go with!

I went with the one you suggested!

Thanks again for the help, I hope the diamond looks good.

Great! Congrats! Please stay in touch and let me know what you think when it arrives!

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. They currently run a 10% discount on selected lab-grown diamonds!
Click to Visit
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. Right now, Blue Nile offers up to 50% savings on selected jewelry during a limited-time season sale.
Click to Visit
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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