Q&A: Looking for Emerald Cut Diamonds for 3 Stone Setting

I’ve been having great lunchtime fun internet-browsing for a replacement wedding ring which I lost earlier this year. I stumbled onto your website a couple of months ago & I’m hooked! It’s so informative & I love reading the stories of how you help folks find their perfect diamond… except that all the recent stories have been for RB stones.

My heart is set on a 1-ct(+) emerald-cut diamond with the best cut. I haven’t picked a setting yet, but I really like yellow gold with side diamonds (but no halo). I’d like to stay under $5k, but I may stretch to $6k for a really great stone. I also like a ratio around 1.4 (1.33-1.44 are fine).

I found 3 ideal ECs on James Allen (6 if I stretch to $6k), but I’m curious about stones I see on other websites such as Adiamor, B2C, Brilliance & Diamonds on Web. Even when I restrict my search to GIA, ideal cut with VVS2 or better clarity, H or better color, & 68% max depth & table, I still find lots of stones that cost less than JA’s.

Although I can’t see actual pics on these websites, couldn’t their stones be ‘trusted’ to be great cuts if all the above parameters are met?

Really looking forward to your answer & your help in finding my perfect EC diamond!

I was afraid you’d say that about the other websites, but it does make sense to actually see the diamond in order to judge the way it’s cut. I did find a few other websites that also have actual diamond pictures: Jared (which is a laugh because they just copcat JA’s pics and jack up the price… more than double in some cases!), Good Old Gold (I got their name from one of the videos from your website), and Robert Irwin (they don’t have the loop on their pics, but if you zoom your monitor up to 400% you can get almost the same effect). But JA’s prices are definitely the best out of these websites.

I’d like to hit or get pretty close to 7mm on length, and then stay around1.35 for the ratio (down to 1.3 might be ok). I found the following on JA’s site… what do you think?

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1515605.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1304146.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1502377.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI2-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1535948.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-SI2-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1510092.asp

I know all but the first one above are SI2’s, but can you tell if they would be eye clean or not? Would you recommend one of the above or can you find a better one?

Thanks again for your help.

Not sure I understand about the ‘long edges’…. are you referring to the length between the step cuts? Doesn’t really matter though…. I’ll trust your experienced wisdom over my complete ignorance any day! 🙂

Gosh, the one you found is really pretty…. but would you mind giving me your opinion on these? They’re a bit less in the L:W ratio and a little less expensive…. but if you think the 1.13-carat is a still a better cut, then I’ll go for that one. And I think I’d better move pretty quick…. looks like the first one in my original list (1515605) is already snapped up!

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-IF-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1424508.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS2-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1545200.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1506000.asp

Thanks as always for your help!

…….

Apparently I’m too slow…. it looks like the 1.13-carat is now gone as well. 🙁 If you could let know about the 3 new ones (or any others?) that’d be great, and I’ll try to be quicker!

I was hoping to make a purchase before the end of the year, but I got your vacation notice when I sent my email below. If you can find time to reply, then you’re just wonderful…. but if not, then I completely understand. And I wish you and yours the very happiest of holidays! Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

I finally decided on a setting: https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/18k-Yellow-Gold-3-stone-Ring.html …except the side stones in most of the recently-purchased ring photos looked really small compared to the center stone (for example: https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/settings-with-sidestones/5081/Diamond-Rings-With-Side-Stones.html). I’d like a ring that looks more like the 3HD pics, so I’m thinking about buying the 2 side stones separately from the setting… so now I’m hoping for your help in finding not one, but three EC diamonds!

I had a chat with the JA rep and someone will contact me next week regarding what the purchase price will be for the setting without the 2 side stones. I told her I was hoping to keep the total ring price under (or around) $8000, and thinking of the following approx dimensions for the stones: 7×5 for the center, 5.5×4 for the sides.

It turns out that the 1.13-carat diamond you recommended (https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1490914.asp) is now available again, but I’m curious what you think about this one?

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-IF-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1463066.asp

And are these a close enough match for the side stones? Very different prices, but I was trying to keep color and dimensions as close as possible.

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VVS1-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1521868.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-IF-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1522174.asp

I’m so sorry to hear of your illness… what a rotten time for the flu to strike! And I did get your vacation notice, so I wasn’t actually expecting to hear back from you until after Jan. 1… but I went ahead and sent you some emails anyway, just for your reading pleasure! 🙂

Anyway YES, I would most definitely LOVE your help on choosing diamonds for the 3-stone setting I mentioned in my last email below… however, now I’m going to be out of town for a couple of days. So I may not be able to respond back until Tuesday.

As I mention below, I really like the proportions of the EC diamonds in the 3HD pics of the setting, but most of the side stones in the photos of the recently-purchased rings looked really small next to the center stone. I know the stones in the 3HD pics are larger than what I can afford, but I’d still like to get similar dimensions if possible. I thought the proportions of the stones in this particular ring looked much better: https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/settings-with-sidestones/3818/Side-Stone-Engagement-Rings.html, but I’d like to get slightly larger diamonds if possible.

Could you let me know what you think of the diamond links in my email below, or if you would recommend any others?

Thanks so much, and I hope you’re feeling better soon!

I think I’d be happy with any of the following 3 for the center stone… with maybe a slight preference for one of the latter 2 just because they’re slightly larger. Which would you recommend?

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-IF-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1424508.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-IF-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1463066.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1490914.asp

Also I tried taking a stab at finding some matches for the side stones, and I found the following 2 pairs… but I’m clueless as to how well they’d match up in reality:

Pair 1: https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VVS1-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1521868.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-IF-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1522174.asp

Pair 2: https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-IF-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1547960.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS1-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1480196.asp

I’m guessing JA has more diamonds in their inventory than what they show online? Would it be better to just let JA find the side stones? …as long as they know that I want to keep the final proportions similar to the 3 stones in their 3HD pics?

I’m so sorry to bombard you with all these questions… especially if you’re not feeling well. I just want you to know how much I really appreciate your responses and your help. All of you folks are just wonderful!

Hope you’re all recovered from the flu. Just wanted to let you know that I ordered JA’s 3-stone ring last week with the following 3 diamonds:

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-IF-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1424508.asp
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-IF-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1526111.asp
https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VVS1-Very-Good-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1521868.asp

So I should be receiving the ring next Friday hopefully… I’m having a hard time waiting! I’ll send you a picture once I receive it.
Thanks again for your help… even when you weren’t feeling well!

I’ve been living with my ring for about 2 weeks now and I just love it! The EC diamonds are so clear and beautiful, and boy do they sparkle and flash under my bathroom lights! In fact, the whole ring just dazzles under any focused and direct lighting (my son’s LED fish tank lights… WOW!) And I really like the symbolism of the 3-stones… I know it’s called a ‘past-present-future’ ring, but I also named my diamonds Peter, Chris and Michael… after my wonderful husband, and my two tall strong sons!

I’ve been trying to take some decent pictures of it… I can’t believe how hard it is to get a good clear photo of it (the lens seems to focus on everything but the EC diamonds!), but I attached two of the somewhat better shots. What do you think?

Thank you so much again for your help in selecting my diamonds. I ended up spending more than I intended, but that was at my husband’s encouragement more than anything… and now I have my perfect ring with my perfect diamonds!