Q&A: Choosing the Right Round Diamond for a 6-Prong Setting for $8,500 Budget

Hi, I’m looking for a replica of the classic Tiffany Style setting and was going to go with Blue Nile’s Petite Nouveau 6 Prong in Platinum b/c their diamond prices were great vs. the brick and mortar jewelers my boyfriend and I spoke to, but then we stumbled across your site and now seem unsure about Blue Nile. I went to James Allen based on your recommendation and their prices seemed pretty good and they do seem to have the setting I’m looking for, although they don’t have as many pictures from different angles so hard to be sure (theirs is called Six Prong Knife Edged Solitaire Engagement Ring (Handmade) / SKU: 17192P: https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/platinum-six-prong-knife-edged-solitaire-engagement-ring-handmade-item-2426?a_aid=dmnd1357).

I want to make sure we get the best deal on a stone, but unfortunately I’m kind of picky and am particular about the settings which is impacting who we buy the stone from (Blue Nile will only sell that setting if you buy the stone from them). I looked into a D.Vatche Tiffany replica that looks nice, but is about $1,000 more expensive than the Blue Nile version which would leave us less money to spend on a stone. The James Allen setting seems pretty close and is only about $300 more than Blue Nile’s version.

We are looking to spend $8,500 for the stone and setting (JA’s setting price is $1,175). I’d like a round diamond and am willing to compromise on color (down to I, or maybe even J if you think that would be ok) and clarity (as long as its eye clean) to get a bigger carat size. I will not compromise on Cut, that must be Excellent or Ideal (which I think is the same thing?). I’d love a 1.5 ct stone, but I don’t see that happening in our budget. I’d be very happy with 1.3 – 1.49 ct. We’ll get either an 18k White Gold or Platinum setting. Can you recommend any stones from JA? Also, I know your speciality is diamonds, but have you had any experience or seen the JA Tiffany replica setting that I linked to above?

Thank you so much for your help! 

 Thanks so much for getting back to me! This whole process is so overwhelming so it’s nice to get some trusted/unbiased advice.

I really like the hearts/arrows look of the first stone you sent but was wondering how important that is? I saw the stone below which is a little larger but doesn’t have that hearts/arrow look. Would that make a big difference? Is it better to get smaller carats with the clear hearts/arrows or would it be ok to go a little larger without that clear hearts/arrows? Or am I thinking too much about this.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.40-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-sku-217032?a_aid=dmnd1357

Also, would the inclusions on this one be visibile to the human eye? I’m thinking to get closer to 1.4 and to stay in our budget we could get white gold instead of platinum band. But would it be better/safer to just go with a smaller stone that had hearts/arrows and no inclusions? I’m comfortable staying around 1.25 if it’s going to look like a much better quality diamond, but of course would love the get the biggest stone we can in the budget. Would there even be a big difference in size between a 1.28 and 1.4?