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Hi,
Firstly, thank you for the incredible depth you provide. This is the first and only time I plan on buying an engagement ring.
Given the wealth of information I have taken from you site, I have managed to form a very tight diamond brief:
$15k budget
Round stone
Pave setting
Minimum VS1 clarity
Minimum I colour, aim for G
Excellent or Ideal cut
So here are my questions if you are able to help:
1) Is this brief too tight i.e. am I restricting my searches? Should I be more flexible on colour or clarity?
2) Given the budget, what spend ratio am I considering for setting : diamond? I feel strongly about maximizing the diamond, but how low does one go on the setting?
1) As far as a pave setting goes, I’d recommend an I color and it’ll look fantastic. If you’re extremely color sensitive, you could consider going up to an H color, but I wouldn’t go higher than that as it would look identical. Clarity grade is not so important, what matters is having an eye-clean diamond. I usually search in the SI-IF range and pick the best cut eye-clean option I find. Sometimes it’s an SI, sometimes a VS/VVS is a better value. There is no rule.
2) There is no recommendation/rule for how much the setting should cost. Choose something that goes in line with your taste and style.
Here is the setting that I love: Petite Micropavé Diamond Engagement Ring in Platinum (1/10 ct. tw.)
Here are the types of diamonds that I have landed on:
This one is the greatest clarity – Blue Nile LD15246613
How does it differ from this one? – Blue Nile LD15174530
Or is it worth $1,000 more for the additional 0.01 Carat? – Blue Nile LD14424472
Or, is this bigger diamond (with a K colour rating) better? – Blue Nile LD14928405
The Micropavé setting you picked is beautiful, it’s very popular these days.
As for the diamonds you sent me, I would rule out the ones with strong fluorescence. They might end up being hazy in daylight.
Blue Nile LD14424472
I’m not a huge fan of the cut on this one. The angles are a bit off and the light refraction would not be perfect.
Blue Nile LD14928405
Same issue here, plus the diamond is cut too deep. Also, the K color would have a yellow hue in a pave setting. I’d stick with an I+ color to ensure the colorless impression.
I found this gorgeous option:
Blue Nile LD15288500
It’s superbly cut and would be incredibly bright and brilliant in real life.
Thanks. Great advice.
I really love this one: Blue Nile LD15288500
Is it worth finding a comparable ring on James Allen?
I’m happy to find some comparable options on JA, is there a setting you like from them?
Yes, this one:
14K White Gold Petite Pavé Engagement Ring (Flush Fit)
Here are some JA diamonds I’d love your opinion on please:
Great clarity, less great colour
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.50-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-10808727?a_aid=dmnd1357
Slightly higher carat
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.51-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-10276383?a_aid=dmnd1357
we recommend avoiding the IGI lab: www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.50-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-10808727?a_aid=dmnd1357. Their grading is less reliable than GIA’s.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.51-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-10276383?a_aid=dmnd1357
This diamond is not eye-clean and medium fluorescence might lead to haziness on a G color.
I found this stone with a perfect cut and fantastic overall specs:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.51-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-10673241?a_aid=dmnd1357
Which individual diamond is your preference out of the BN and JA diamonds you’ve recommended?
I really love the BN diamond as its cut is perfect in every single detail. That doesn’t mean the JA stone is bad, not at all, I would give the BN diamond 5 stars and the JA diamond 4,5 stars. The prices for both rings are more or less the same so value-wise, they are pretty equal. Does either of the companies have terms (tax, financing…) that would suit you better than the other one’s?
Confirming I have purchased from Blue Nile.
Thank you again for all of your help and patience!
That’s wonderful news! I’m glad I could help you with this hugely important step in your life.
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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