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Hi.
I am looking to get a round 1 carat diamond from Blue Nile UK. My budget is £3,000-3,500 for the diamond. I have done lots of research so looking for a minimum of I colour with Ideal Cut.
The options appear vast and I am really struggling to decide on which diamond due to the incredible amount of different options. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
May I ask what style setting you want to use? I want to make sure I recommend the right color grade for it.
My preferred setting is either a classic four or six prong in platinum. I am open to whatever recommendation you can offer but would like a round diamond set in this sort of way.
As far as a solitaire setting goes, you can go with a J color with no problems at all.
I found this absolutely stunning J VS1 that would have a lot of added brilliance thanks to its perfect cut:
Blue Nile LD13994033
Looking at the clarity plot, there are no worrisome inclusions and the diamond would be eye-clean. I really like it.
That diamond looks very nice and appears free from any inclusions. My only reservation is the colour. I have received lots of advice so far and was advised against going below I colour. Obviously I respect your opinion so would definitely consider.
The photos do not show the diamond as well as other diamonds and I was wondering why this is as I cannot rotate 360? Do you have any other options that fit the criteria?
I understand that J color might seem a bit low, but it’s what we usually recommend for solitaires. There are no additional diamonds to make a color difference.
Unless you are a) extremely color sensitive, or b) planning to have a diamond wedding band, I wouldn’t worry about any yellowness. Of course, I’m happy to send you options with higher grades as well, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Moreover, Blue Nile have a great return policy so you can always send the diamond back and choose a different one, hassle-free and no questions asked.
The one I sent you doesn’t have a picture available (you can request it through the customer service), but that’s not a problem on a VS1 stone over 1ct. The clarity plot in the GIA report tells you whether there are any inclusions and if so, where they are located. That diamond is absolutely clean, that’s why I sent it to you even without the imagery (and seeing a diamond/its picture is not enough to determine its value anyway).
Here’s some more options:
Blue Nile LD07393683
Blue Nile LD13401762
I didn’t find another decent 1ct diamond, but these two are very close in size.
Thank you for the clear explanation. I really do appreciate it. Can you tell me if I was to increase my budget by £500 would this make a significant difference to the diamond you could find?
For the additional $$, I found this one: Blue Nile LD13904678. It’s beautiful as well and slightly larger (about 0.2mm). To be absolutely honest, my favorite is still option #1 (LD13994033) because of its absolutely perfect cut and medium fluorescence (it would help the stone look a tad whiter), but this newest stone would be impressive and brilliant as well.
Thanks for all the help. I will go ahead and make the purchase.
That’s fantastic news! I’m glad you decided to go with that diamond, it was a superb option.
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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