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Hello,
I am trying to find the best engagement ring for a budget maximum of $5,500. These are the specs that I am interested in:
– oval or tear shape (oval-preferred)
– with a halo
– at least 1 carat center stone
– white gold setting
– as clear as possible with the minimal inclusions
Any other recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you!
Let’s start with the setting. Can you browse these links and tell me whether there’s something that’s caught your eye?
James Allen Halo Engagement Rings
Blue Nile Halo Engagement Rings
Then we can search for a beautiful center stone to pair it with.
Below are some of the settings that catch my eye. I wanted to start broad and then with your feedback, narrow it down to the best one. Looking forward to working with you!
Thank you very much!
14K White Gold Falling Edge Pave Diamond Engagement Ring
14K White Gold Pave Halo Diamond Engagement Ring (Oval Center)
14K White Gold Pave Halo And Shank Diamond Engagement Ring (Pear Center)
Thank you for the links. But keep in mind that choosing the right setting is a matter of personal preference. Different people have different tastes and styles. So I’m happy to tell you which design I like the most, but you should go with the one you love.
I really like these three:
14K White Gold Falling Edge Pave Diamond Engagement Ring
14K White Gold Pave Halo And Shank Diamond Engagement Ring (Pear Center)
Oval Halo Diamond Engagement Ring
But again, it’s up to you. I’m not saying the other settings are not pretty.
Ok I think I have the top two in oval and pear. Overall, I think the oval James Allen is the top contender. Can we move to the next step now? Selecting a diamond?
Great, thank you for the update.
Let’s start searching for the perfect center stone.
I found the following options:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-9062294?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/pear-shaped/1.00-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-9322271?a_aid=dmnd1357
Blue Nile LD13993009
Blue Nile LD13602767
These are the largest eye-clean options I found for ~$3.5k. They are nicely cut and have a minimal bow-tie.
I think this stone is the best:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/oval-cut/0.90-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-9062294?a_aid=dmnd1357
And I think now oval finally wins over pear-shape. So if we pair the above diamond with this setting: 14K White Gold Falling Edge Pave Diamond Engagement Ring it seems there may be an extra couple hundred dollars in the budget (final budget goal $5,500). That being said, would a bigger or more colorless stone be recommended? Any changes to the setting? Let me know if there are any tweaks or suggestions to improve that pairing.
I’m glad you like it, it’s an excellent choice!
I didn’t find a significantly better/larger diamond for the extra $$$. 1ct options would start at ~$4.5k. I wouldn’t go with a higher color grade because it would look identical, G color is already going to look colorless in that halo setting. So you saved yourself a few hundred bucks 🙂
I wouldn’t change anything about the pairing, the falling halo and the oval center stone make a wonderful combo.
I made the purchase!
Thank you so much for your assistance!
My pleasure!
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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