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Hello Diamond Pros! As with everyone else, I need help with picking and purchasing an engagement ring. I’ve been trying to educate myself with your articles to understand some concepts but making the commitment of picking the right diamond and setting is tough!
My girlfriend likes the popular style going around with radiant cut diamond with a thin pave setting/band. Indecisive between halo or no halo.
Brilliance/Fire is the most important here but want the perfect balance of size and fire.
I thought this diamond seemed pretty good with its excellent ratings and color/clarity.
Now for the ring setting. I do know that I want a thin band (petite) with pave. I’m not sure about a halo or not. Her example pictures both had no halo and halo.
Will the halo “hide” any beauty from the diamond? Geometrically the ring will seem bigger but will the halo ‘visually decrease’ the size or fire of the main diamond? I’m not entirely sold on getting a pave halo setting. If you could provide pro’s and con’s or your expert opinion, that would be fantastic.
Also, what kind of prong style should I get? It seems as if some sort of block off the diamond, thats no good.
Difference between a white gold and platinum band? What do you recommend?
I would like to buy off of James Allen.
Total budget of roughly 10-11k CAD/7,500-8,500k USD.
As for the diamond you found, it’s a beautiful option with a proper cut and a nice shape. You did a great job finding it!
Regarding your question about the pros and cons of a halo setting, this is hard to answer as it’s entirely subjective. Some people like that the halo visually enhances the size of the center stone, others might think that the main diamond would “disappear” in it. It depends on your personal taste and style. The prongs are there to hold and secure the diamond. I know they might look very prominent in the video, but in real life, they’d be subtle and wouldn’t negatively affect the diamond’s beauty.
For metal, we always recommend white gold over platinum because of the huge disparity in upfront costs: https://www.diamonds.pro/jewelry-precious-metals/. Both metals require upkeep every few years. WG needs to be dipped to retain its color and luster while PT needs to be cleaned and polished because it gets scratched and duller over time. So in the end, platinum costs you more in the beginning and doesn’t end up saving you any money in the long run.
Thank you for your response, your answers were helpful!
When the time comes, I will pick a white gold ring over platinum. I will play around with halo/no halo once the main diamond is decided.
Can you give me 2-3 diamonds you’d recommend please?
Here’s a couple of gorgeous options that would look amazing in a white gold setting of any kind:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.20-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-8422312?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.20-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-8729293?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.50-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-sku-8787747?a_aid=dmnd1357 (this one is significantly larger than the other ones).
They have fantastic overall specs and all of them would be very bright and brilliant in real life.
I really like the 1.5 carat diamond. I noticed the polish & symmetry are rated “very good” instead of “excellent”. Not sure on how you can quantify it but how much of a difference in bright/brilliance am I losing for “very good” vs “excellent”?
For the other 2 options with 1.2 carat; I feel like we can add a few thousand to the price and get a better diamond.
With your 1.5 carat explanation, can you please please please show me a few more examples of radiant diamonds. Around the same price point & carat if possible as the 1.5 carat example.
Also, I believe I will go with a halo setting with this option:
18K White Gold Pave Halo Diamond Engagement Ring (Radiant)
I would also assume I should select 18k WG over 14k WG?
The 1.5ct radiant diamond is perfectly fine, there wouldn’t be any loss of brilliance. Very good polish and symmetry grades are still within the quality we recommend, neither of them would negatively affect the light refraction and the overall appearance of the stone. You can read more about it here: https://www.diamonds.pro/education/polish/ , https://www.diamonds.pro/education/symmetry/. Brilliance is our #1 priority when we search for diamonds so I wouldn’t recommend something that wouldn’t be impressive for the sake of the extra size.
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.20-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-8422312?a_aid=dmnd1357&chan=je?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.20-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-8729293?a_aid=dmnd1357&chan=je?a_aid=dmnd1357
Is there anything in particular that you don’t like about these two? They both are beautifully cut options and would look fantastic in the halo setting you’ve chosen. Sure, you can get a more expensive diamond, but it wouldn’t neccsesarily mean it would be significantly better in terms of quality or appearance. The prices always depend on the sellers who own the diamond and different sellers price their diamonds differently. That’s why you can find two very similar diamonds with a big price gap.
Regarding the setting, I’d recommend 14k white gold. It’s cheaper and more durable than 18k.
Here’s a few more options:
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.52-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-sku-7380499?a_aid=dmnd1357
www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.51-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-6696100?a_aid=dmnd1357
These two diamonds are the cheapest radiant cuts I found in the 1.5ct range. They are significantly more expensive than my 1.5ct recommendation which makes it an amazing value.
Honestly the difference between the 1.2ct and 1.5ct is probably the size difference, plus it really is a beautiful diamond. I was 90% set on buying the original 1.5ct you showed but just wanted to see your opinion/reply. I have come to the conclusion that I will purchase this particular stone especially after the pricing difference of the other 2 1.5ct+ you just showed me. It really does seem like great value! I will also go with the 14k WG setting.
For the 20th time, thank you so much for your help! You made this process a lot easier.
I double and triple-checked the original 1.5ct (just to be 200% sure) and it is indeed a wonderful option. The table % is a little higher than on the other diamonds, but it’s still perfectly within the parameters we recommend so it’s a bit of a bonus as it would make the diamond face up bigger. The stone is eye-clean and will be absolutely colorless.
To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of “great deals” as 99% of them are usually scams or overlooked red flags, but I’m really happy I found the 1.5 radiant cut as it truly is a fantastic diamond. I would love to know how you like it once it’s in your hands.
I finally received the ring today (early, which was fantastic). The ring is absolutely beautiful and shines like no other under my lights.
I’m loving the size and the look of the ring! It’s really beautiful.
Thanks!
I’m glad that the ring met your expectations and that the diamond has so much brilliance.
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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