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Q&A: Choosing a Round Diamond for a Side Stone Setting with Around $7,500 Budget

By Mike Fried, Updated June 29, 2020

Ugh. Ring shopping. Please help.

Thanks!

I’d be happy to make some recommendations for you, but I need a little more info.

What shape diamond are you looking for?

What style setting (solitaire, pave/side stones/halo) and metal (yellow/white gold, platinum) do you want to use? This may affect the colors that I recommend for the center diamond (as we explain in our post on color).

Can you give me your ballpark figure of what you’re planning to spend? Then I’ll be able to help you more.

Thanks for getting back to me. I am going to purchase an engagement ring, white gold setting, round diamond, at least the benchmark of 1 carat but the bigger the better and of course quality is important too.

I like getting a good deal. I have been shopping online for a few months. I like the Blue Nile website. I find both the prices and ability to create/choose online feel way better than the couple of shops I went into.

Sometimes I feel I am finding some “bargains” on diamonds when compared against diamonds of the same or similar classification.

For example, I spied this one today:

Blue Nile LD10200286

Ideal price is between free and $7500.

Thank you for the info.

I looked at the diamond you selected and I wouldn’t recommend it. The table% of 61 is too high and the diamond will be less brilliant. Try to stay between 55-59%.

I’m happy to recommend a better alternative. Can you just tell me if you are using a solitaire setting?

The setting I have mostly decided on over the past 2 weeks is this one:
Heirloom Petite Milgrain Engagement Ring

I have been looking at the IF clarity mostly, but am being too picky? It seems if I go with the VVS1, or maybe even the VVS2, I might get more bang for my buck. Depending on the stone, do you think that a slight reduction in clarity might be worth it?

Definitely.

Buying an IF diamond is a waste of money. A flawless diamond will lose its quality the first time you accidentally knock it on the edge of a table or something. As long as a diamond is eye-clean, there would be no difference between an IF and a, let’s say VS1. That’s great, isn’t it? You can save a lot of money (or get a larger diamond).

Blue Nile LD00002743
Blue Nile LD10164695
Blue Nile LD10240940
They are fantastically cut and all of them will be very brilliant.

What do you think?

I like the 1.16 carat one.

Also, what about this one?

Blue Nile LD10176007

Strong fluorescence might be an issue. It usually causes haziness.

I went with the 1.16-carat diamond you picked out. Just curious, a lot of the stones I looked at were ‘excellent’ cut grade, and I couldn’t really tell the difference. What kind of things do you look at that make a stone separate itself from others?

Thanks.

That’s great news!

I don’t just search for excellent cuts, I further limit the search parameters. The ideal depth% is close to 61.5, for table% it’s between 55-59. Also, different crown/pavilion angles work better with different depth/table combinations.

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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)
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