Hey Joe,
Found your site through reddit and I love it. I’ve been able to eliminate quite a few options just by my own research. I’m down to where I want the opinion of someone who does this more often than I.
I am doing a 3 stone engagement ring….with 3 smaller diamonds going down the side. Because of heirloom jewelry, I already have the smaller diamonds for the side, and then the two diamonds for the outside (of the three stone center piece), so I need to purchase the middle stone. The two diamonds on the outside are over 60 years old, and the jeweler estimates them to be between .21-.28 CT, and would fall in color G-I.
My budget…for the loose stone..the most I want to spend is $2,000. I have a budget of $1,000 for the setting in 14K white gold.
That being said, just because the stone budget is $2,000, I do not want to spend that and my future wife does not want me to spend that (unless it makes sense).
I want to buy from James Allen so I can view it up close.
So I was thinking between the .44-.68 CT size would look good with the two outside stones being between .21-.28.
That being said, I was pretty pleased when I saw some stones I liked as they really fit into my budget…I wanted to get your opinion on them, and if I am getting the best deal, or thinking about this in the best approach. I see where if I go up to .6 CT or higher, I loose a bunch of options with the clarity….which is noticeable on james allen.
The two side stones….are my grandmothers engagement diamond and my moms…so those sitting on the side represent past (grandmom), present (mom – had me), and future (new stone – my partner)…for when we have children, she can pass it along. She does not wear a ton of jewelry, does not like the halo look, however did want the small stones on the band…and wants white gold. So since it has some family heirlooms, I do not want it to be super flashy, or super showy…another reason I am keeping the CT level under 1…as I know there are few settings that would look good with .25 CT flanked with 1 CT.
All that being said…these are the three stones I was looking at…I am glad to take any other suggestions you can find.
Honestly…I like the cheapest stone out of all of these when viewed under the super zoom…than the .42 (middle priced)…however I want someone elses opinion 🙂
Thank you for your time, it is greatly appreciated.
Diamond links:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.46-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4462567
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.42-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4510324
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.46-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4387164
Hi Travis, of these options I like the 0.42 H VS2 the most. The 0.46 I SI1 seems milky with a pervasive cloud. The 0.46 H VS2 has a brownish gray tint and visible graining lines. The 0.42 H VS2 still looks slightly cloudy to me, so while it might be the best of your choices, I think you could do better.
You might consider the options below. They’re roughly the same price points as your choices, but I think they are much clearer. They all have optimal proportions.
I’m always a fan of financial discipline, so I support your choice of not maxing your budget.
Diamond List - Generated by https://www.diamondscreener.com/diamond-prices/ Shape,Carat,Color,Clarity,Cut,Price (USD),Link Round,0.44,G,SI1,Excellent,1130,https://www.diamondscreener.com/ja/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.44-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4210071 Round,0.44,H,VVS1,Excellent,1050,https://www.diamondscreener.com/ja/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.44-carat-h-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3686698 Round,0.44,I,VS2,Excellent,980,https://www.diamondscreener.com/ja/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.44-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4307458
Clarity and cut are evaluated separately. For the 0.46 I SI1, it’s a pervasive cloud that gives the diamond a slightly milky appearance. It should be crystal clear. Yes, the 0.46 I SI1 has proportions that are theoretically more optimal than the other choices since it’s towards the center of the contour map. However, all of these diamonds have optimal proportions, so there will be none/negligible difference in practical, observable light performance. The milkiness of the 0.46 I SI1 will have a much greater impact on light performance than any difference in angles. I don’t think you need to bump up the price – I think the options I recommended would be just as good as a True Hearts without paying $500 for that branding.
Awesome! Thank you for following up! I was not saying I was going against your recommendations and I wanted my original choice at all, I just wanted to understand how I can see the difference a little better….and the clarification you provided regarding the cut estimator, makes perfect sense…after I went back and re-read the page on it….as mentioned, they are both optimal…so where one falls in the closest to 100% optimal range…doesn’t matter as much as the milky cloud, which makes perfect sense! Thank you for clarifying and following up, it is greatly appreciated, youre the man!
Awesome…Thank you Joe! Just for clarification and for my own education…..I’m looking at what you recommended and compared to what I had originally posted… for the .46 I that you stated looked milky with the cloud….can I ask a noob question and say where you are looking for to see this? Or is this just from your expertise :)? I thought when I entered the data points into the cut estimator….the plotted results for the .46 and .42 that I got were closer to your guidelines than the ones you recommended? (I may be reading the guidelines incorrectly)..but the point that falls in the middle of both of the grading scales is considered the most ideal? I do like the .42 more from my initial selection than the other 2, I just want to make sure I know what I’m looking for more based on your recommendations! Would you recommend….staying around the same size (.44-.48)…and bumping the price point a little bit to go after a better color or clarity grade? I was considering going with the true hearts cut…that seems to increase the price point by about $500…and there is not as many options online, however, those cuts are really beautiful!