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Hello,
Me and my girlfriend have been together for just over 4 years now and have been talking about getting engaged for a while now. We visited a local retail store and she started getting really excited…so the pressure is on.
The in-store retail prices were definitely high, but of course they were advertising a 25% off sale. Naturally, we went home and started looking at the prices online, which are much more palatable and the pressure is reduced a bit since I dont meed to stress about missing the sale.
My budget for the ring is $12,000 – $13,000 Canadian. Things we have locked down are:
1) Round cut
2) Simple, but elegant solitare setting in 14k white gold or platinum.
3) She really has her heart set on a 2 carat diamond, but my budget really only allows for a 1.5 – 1.7ct stone with J colour, SI2 – VS2 (maybe stretch to VS1) clarity, and Ideal/Excellent cut.
I think we can likely compromise on a 1.7ct diamond as she couldn’t tell much of a difference between that and the 2ct stone in the store in terms of size.
Is a J color stone a bad idea in a white gold or platinum setting?
J color looks beautiful when set as a solitaire. Clarity grade can be basically anything, what matters is having an eye-clean diamond. I always search for SI2+, but sometimes it happens that the best-priced eye-clean diamond has a VS or VVS grade.
Of course, Excellent/Ideal cut is a must. We use very strict filters to find diamonds with maximum brilliance – the ideal depth should be close to 60 and never exceed 62.6% and the table % should stay between 54-58%. For H and lower colors, you can go with medium, faint or none fluorescence. For G+ diamonds, only faint or none fluorescence is acceptable. I would avoid strong fluorescence on J+ stones as it may cause a dead/hazy look in daylight.
Now, on to the diamonds. I looked around and these are the largest eye-clean options I found for ~$13k:
Blue Nile LD14407531
Blue Nile LD14387674
Blue Nile LD14534645
Blue Nile LD14407531
I also found this one. The reason it’s an SI2 is the large feather on its 3 o’clock. However, I don’t think ti would be too noticeable in person and other than that, the stone is perfectly eye-clean and has a beautiful cut (which also helps hide the flaws). The price is fantastic so I feel like it would be worth giving it a try. Worst case scenario, you’d send it back if you weren’t happy with it.
I really love the clarity and quality of the two smaller diamonds (the second and third links). I’m almost certain my girlfriend will want to opt for the larger stone. I dont mind upping the size of the stone since she wants a simple ring/setting, but I feel that 2ct may be too large for her hands.
Dimensionally, I’ve looked, and I think there is a 0.2 or 0.3 mm diameter difference between the 1.7 and 2.0ct diamonds.
I really like the 4th link you sent to me, it actually seems cleaner to my eye. I noticed that one has no fluorescence and the depth is 62.5% and the table is 56%. Would this be a brilliant cut and really sparkle?
I am concerned about yellow tinting from the J color. Just wanted to confirm that this wouldn’t be too much of an issue in white gold or platinum setting.
Do I need to know anything about the culet or girdle?
You right about the difference in sizes being negligible. Also, in reality, nobody usually knows what a 2ct diamond is supposed to look like. And yes, the 4th diamond is very clean (apart from the feather imperfection). The clarity grade is not a good indicator of whether a diamond is eye-clean or not, it always depends on the location of the inclusions. I think that diamond is a fantastic value for the money.
All stones that I sent over are very well cut and would have a lot of brilliance. Cut is always our #1 priority. Culet should always be None/Pointed and the only girdle issue you need to look out for is an Extremely thick/thin girdle.
J color looks absolutely colorless in a solitaire setting of any kind. We don’t base the color on the pictures on the website, there’re various factors that can affect how the diamond looks (especially the lightning in the room where the video was recorded). All you need is the cert (GIA or AGS only).
I am seeing that diamonds move rather quickly on the site. All of the diamonds that you sent me links to were snatched up very quickly!
So because I don’t want to waste your time and energy, I have a few questions to ask and things to verify before you help me with my next diamond search:
1) What is the best way to purchase on the Blue Nile website? I see that they appear to discount some of the prices of settings and diamonds if I request a ‘Bank’ or ‘Wire’ transfer. Do most people do this or just pay via credit card? The points would definitely be nice 🙂
2) Are the rings/settings from Blue Nile of good or decent quality?
3) For the 1.7+ct size diamonds, do you recommend a 4 or 6 prong setting?
4) For the 1.7+ct size diamonds, would you recommend avoiding the ‘petite’ bands?
I’m going to schedule an appointment with them to discuss the best way for me to purchase the ring. Once I have a better idea of that, I will resume my diamond search with you.
1) Most people go with bank wire. There is a slight discount as Blue Nile are not charged the credit card processing fees with those. Discuss the details with the customer service directly, they’ll tell you how exactly to go about it.
2) We’ve tested Blue Nile many times and the quality and craftsmanship were always excellent.
3) It’s true that 6 prongs would add some more security, but it’s more about what you like than anything else. In theory, the less metal is around the diamond, the more diamond can be shown and the more light passes through, i.e. there’s more brilliance. But in reality, the difference is minimal.
4) That’s totally an aesthetic choice. Whatever look you prefer.
I think I have landed on the setting I would like to get (Petite Diamond Engagement Ring in Platinum). The reviewers pictures are very nice and I think it aligns with my girlfriend’s expectations of a clean and simple band, but I think it offers up enough flare that I like too 🙂
I have also ordered a ring sizer. That way, we can order the band in the right size, without having to guess and deal with resizing later.
Once we have that, I will be ready to start looking at diamonds again.
The setting you’ve settled on is a beauty, it’s one of my favorite designs. Quick question: have you considered going with white gold instead of platinum? It’s more than $500 cheaper and there isn’t much of a visual/quality difference between white gold and platinum: https://www.diamonds.pro/education/platinum-vs-gold/
I have definitely considered it. My girlfriend wanted platinum, but would be happy with white gold too.
Quick question about that setting: it states the side diamonds are of average H colour. Would there be much of a noticeable difference between the K coloured center stone?
The ring sizer came early, so I am good to start shopping diamonds again.
If she doesn’t need the ring to be hypoallergenic, then white gold is definitely worth considering.
As for the color of the center stone, K is unfortunately way too low. It would have a strong yellow hue. I wouldn’t go below an I color to ensure the colorless impression.
I’m happy to start a new search, may I ask if your budget is still the same?
That was a typo! I’m sorry about that. I was wondering if there would be a strong difference between the H coloured side stones and the J coloured center stones we’ve been looking at. But I’ll probably be looking at around 1.6ct for an I or H colour diamond. I personally would feel more confident in the beauty of the ring by going from a J to an I or H.
My budget is still the same at approximately $12,000 – $13,000 CDN.
I’d be a bit hesitant to place a J-color diamond of this size next to H-color melee diamonds. I color would be a much safer choice.
Unfortunately, I didn’t find any decent 1.6ct options. The largest diamonds I found that would look good (eye-clean + nicely cut) are these two:
Blue Nile LD14605675
Blue Nile LD14661123
OMG…I pulled the trigger and placed my order!
The first diamond in your link sold this morning, so I proceeded with LD14661123. It looked to be a stunner with a VVS2 clarity and I colour, and within my original budget!
I’m really excited with this! I hope it turns out beautifully and that my girlfriend loves it (despite not being 2 ct).
Thank you so so much with all of your help these past few weeks.
That’s great news! The I VVS2 was a perfect choice, you’re right that it would face up larger thanks to the way it’s cut.
I can’t thank you enough for all of your help these last few weeks!
Now for the hard parts…talking to her parents and planning the proposal.
It was my pleasure helping you.
Good luck with talking to her parents and planning the proposal!
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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