Q&A: Help Finding a Fantastically Cut Round Diamond For a White Gold Setting With Up to $20k Total Budget

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).

It is, thank you for the info.

For metal, we always recommend white gold over platinum because of the huge disparity in upfront costs: https://www.diamonds.pro/education/platinum-vs-gold/.

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. And I’d recommend 14k white gold. It’s cheaper and more durable than 18k.

I looked around and I like these options for you:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.50-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4473077?a_aid=dmnd1357
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.01-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4202249?a_aid=dmnd1357
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.24-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4268904?a_aid=dmnd1357
They are well cut, eye-clean and all of them will be very brilliant.

Or, if you want maximum brilliance and fire possible, I would recommend Brian Gavin’s Signature Hearts and Arrows. Brian Gavin is known as one of the world’s experts when it comes to perfectly cut diamonds. BGD’s Signature diamonds are incredibly brilliant and truly impressive. These would be my recommendations from their selection:
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.240-i-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104097954041?a_aid=y
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.555-i-vvs1-round-diamond-ags-104097954048?a_aid=y
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.751-h-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104098251014?a_aid=y
They are superbly cut and will be extremely brilliant.

You can choose the setting here: https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave or here https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/side-stones/.

What do you think?

Those were the largest recommendable diamonds for 20k. Here’s the cheapest 3ct diamond I found:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/3.01-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4329122?a_aid=dmnd1357
I’m not entirely happy with its cut, but if size is your priority, it would work.

What do you think?

It’s stunning. Normally, we don’t recommend J color for pave settings, but with Brian Gavin, you can go with a lower color as those diamonds will always be absolutely gorgeous.

These two look fairly similar to me:
Chaya
Bead Set Cathedral