cushion from James Allen

[mellon]

Hi everyone! First time poster here! My boyfriend and i have been looking at diamonds for a couple weeks and narrowed down to James Allen and a couple diamonds there. I like the Tiffany Novo but don't want to pay the mark up Tiffany price. James Allen have a similar setting as the Tiffany Novo and their diamonds are a lot cheaper too. I want 1 carat, D color, Excellent/ideal cut, as for clarity, i'm okay with VS2 or above and a squarish shape rather than the rectangular shape. His budget is $5000 - $10000. Out of all these diamonds, which do you guys think is the best? I don't care for the flawless diamond, that was in there for us to compare prices. I'm leaning towards the .98 or the 1.27 one. And also do you have any other suggestion as to what other stores we should look at.

Another thing, we're from Toronto, Canada...does anyone know if you buy something online do you have pay duty? if so, how much? I thought that it's 13% duty/tax but I also heard it's a lot more. If in the case of James Allen, would it be better if we pick it up from their NY office and make a trip out of it with the tax/duty saving?

1) .98 Carat, D color, Excellent Cut, VS2 $4730
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1452663.asp

2) 1.03 Carat, D color, Excellent Cut, VS1 $6460
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1465392.asp

3) 1.01 Carat, D color, Excellent Cut, IF $9990
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-IF-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1468434.asp

4) 1.27 Carat, D color, Excellent Cut, VS2 $7950
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/D-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1356163.asp

Thank you so much!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have to be honest and tell you that I don't really like any of those! There are two places that carry superior cushion diamonds, and they are Good Old Gold and Engagement Rings Direct, both in NY. They may not have exactly what you want on their sites, but they can probably call in stones for you to look at.

 

[Christina...]

Hi mellon! Each of the stones that you listed have very different faceting structures. Do you have a preference for one above another? Do you like the look of big chunky facets, this will have big bold flashes of color. Or do you think that you would prefer a stone with more of a crushed ice look, giving you lots of tiny pin like flashes of white and colored light? I see you want a colorless stone and a more square shape as opposed to rectangular. I also wanted to say that when you ring is set and well...unset probably too, you will not be able to differentiate between a D E and F colored stone. I'd hate to see you pass up a really wonderful diamond with superior optics because it wasn't graded a D even though you wouldn't be able to see the difference.

 

[mellon]

I'm so glad I came on here and posted this. I prefer a more crush ice look. When I was on James Allen, with a max budget of $10000 i can get the best color, best cut, 1 carat or better and okay clarity so I went with that. I didn't look into the type of facet, what light it gives as we are still very very new at this. I guess, for me, I want a lot of brilliance. I hear that if the diamond is cut right it can "look" bigger than what it really is, if we can find something like that, i would be so happy! We basically just want the best bang for our buck. Thank you so much for your help so far

By the way, engagement ring direct has a cut beyond for cushion! that is very very attractive to me. I don't see many selection as to what i'm looking for on the site, I suppose I can give them a call and see what else they can offer.

 

[webdiva]

I'm so glad I came on here and posted this. I prefer a more crush ice look. When I was on James Allen, with a max budget of $10000 i can get the best color, best cut, 1 carat or better and okay clarity so I went with that. I didn't look into the type of facet, what light it gives as we are still very very new at this. I guess, for me, I want a lot of brilliance. I hear that if the diamond is cut right it can "look" bigger than what it really is, if we can find something like that, i would be so happy!

From someone that had a crushed ice cushion and then sent it back, definitely make sure you see a crushed ice in ALL lighting situations. It looked INCREDIBLE in jewelry store lighting (I had a top LA jeweler tell me I should start buying stones for her when she saw it) and in direct sunlight, but the tiny sparkles weren't enough in other lighting (like at home in the evening, when I actually have time to stare at my ring...). I got my Princess of Hearts from GOG and am raving about the stone, setting and service! It may make sense to take a trip into NY and visit with some of the PS preferred vendors and ask to see various square stones outside, hallway, bathroom, etc to see it away from the crazy lights. I'm originally from Toronto too and you'll need to leave Canada to see some of the best stones. Good luck - how exciting!

 

[cavluv]

By the way, engagement ring direct has a cut beyond for cushion! that is very very attractive to me. I don't see many selection as to what i'm looking for on the site, I suppose I can give them a call and see what else they can offer.

This is a great idea! Call and speak with Mark and you will learn all about facet structure and how it affects performance. If brilliance is your top priority, I strongly encourage you to call Mark @ Engagement Rings Direct! I have heard many, many wonderful things about Jonathan @ Good Old Gold as well. I think you will find there is a significant comparison to be made between the cushions you linked to on James Allen and those offered by these gentlemen. At the very least, you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for moving forward. I also agree to modifying your color specs to include E & F.

Can't speak to the customs issues, but I know many have gone that route successfully! Good luck and happy hunting!!