Q&A: Looking for Round Cut for $3K Budget

My budget is ~$3000. I’m leaning towards a princess cut. I’m going cross-eyed looking at some of these diamond photos. Some flaws are quite obvious, but some others, I’m not so sure. Any help would be appreciated.

Things changed a bit since I’ve written to you. So, a little more background… my girlfriend had always maintained that she didn’t want a solitaire and that the channel set or pave diamond wedding bands were more suited to her. So, a couple days ago I took her out to try some on and…. she hated them..

So I got her to try on a few solitaires and she liked them… just the ones that were very simple and thin. So, I found a setting that I think meets that criteria. Here it is

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/18k-white-gold-double-claw-prong-engagement-ring-item-5816?a_aid=dmnd1357
With this style, I think a round diamond looks much better than the princess cut. So, please go for the rounds.

The next criteria was that she did not like the diamond too big. The first one that caught her attention was a 0.5ctw. She thought 0.75ct was getting to the too big territory. 1.00ct was out of the question. The 1.00ct looked out of proportion on her finger too. She’s a size 5.5 for a thin band.

So, here’s the final criteria:
Diamond: Round cut – 0.6 to 0.75ct
Ring will be white gold or platinum for sure with no sidepavechannel set stones.
Budget: $2500-$3500 total

Thanks.

For the diamond you chose, the report indicated there’s some clouding. I can’t tell from the photos, myself. How much of this clouding affects the reflectivity? I’d like the diamond to “burn a hole” in the viewer’s eyes, so to speak 🙂

This one has been drawing my eye, it’s not that much more. But then again, it’s probably not worth the few hundred more if it’s gonna look the same as the one you chose: https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.62-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-185362?a_aid=dmnd1357

Your thoughts?

Thanks.

Ok, thanks for all your help. I have ordered the diamond you originally recommended.

I’ll send you a photo when I receive it.

Thanks again, your advice was much appreciated. The diamond looks amazing.