Help me build my engagement ring =)

[beaubeee]

Hi All,

I could use some help putting together my engagement ring (I have it narrowed to six diamonds and three settings). I know it may seem odd that I am building and buying my own ring, but I've been with my boyfriend for a very, very long time and we both are cool with this. He does plan on buying something that 'represents us' but it may not be a ring. If it matters, I am 30, live in the Midwest, am an engineer, and have neutral to warm undertones. My ring size is a 6 and I have long, slender fingers. I plan on going with yellow gold, with platinum prongs. I have a love of gems and have gone mining in North Carolina a few times with my dad.

What I am looking for in a diamond:
Cut is most important to me, as I want a diamond with a lot of sparkle. I also want a 'clear' looking diamond, it is okay if it is a J as they usually appear clear in color to me, but I do not want a cloudy, milky, or dim diamond (who does?). I have a few friends who have diamonds that look white or milky and I do not care for this look personally.

.80 or larger carat
5.95-6.00 or larger diameter if it is .80
Eye clean (VVS2 or higher but an eye clean that is lower is good too)
$2700 or less (I can go 3K or higher for the 'right' diamond as I have a very good salary, but prefer to stay lower and upgrade in the future or put the money toward an experience or other jewelry)
Ideal cut or better
Faint to no fluorescence
Medium or better girdle
No culet
Excellent polish and symmetry
J or better color

Here are some diamonds I am looking at on Blue Nile, I am open to other suggestions or retailers, but Blue also had settings I like so I figured I'd shop there:
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09288786
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09343784
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09538941
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09611903
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09611904
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09149148

The .80 carat here is what I mean by a 'clear' and sparkly diamond:
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...d-presentation-solitaire-six-prong-item-41247

I am leaning heavily towards the first diamond in the list (LD09288786). The problem is these all seem so similar that I am not sure why there is price differences or what the quality difference is.

The setting:
My boyfriend really liked yellow gold when I tried it on in store and I did too, so I think I am going with yellow gold even though I like rose gold as well (any thoughts on yellow vs. rose?). Yellow gold also reminds me of my grandma and mother, as they both had/have yellow gold rings. I have two rose gold diamond bracelets right now that I wear daily but am not opposed to mixing metals. I really love a classic Tiffany setting. I am unsure if I should do four prongs, six prongs, and if I should do Cathedral? Should I get low dome comfort? Does the petite 1.5mm really matter over the regular 2mm band? Here are the three I like:

https://www.bluenile.com/build-your...4k-yellow-gold_60429?elem=title&track=product
https://www.bluenile.com/build-your...ow-gold_9?elem=img&track=product&vtype=sample
https://www.bluenile.com/build-your...8k-yellow-gold_44709?elem=title&track=product

If you stuck with me through this whole thing, thank you. I really appreciate any input

 

[ringo865]

Whiteflash and high performance diamonds have excellent stones and very generous upgrade policies (just spend as much as your trade in diamond). Blue Nike (I believe) and James Allen require you to spend double on an upgrade, so your $3k diamond requires $6k+ to upgrade)

Can't look on my phone right now but check out whiteflash or HPD. I'm sure other will chime in with feedback on your choices and/or other awesome options.

 

[lalala]

Here are some diamonds I am looking at on Blue Nile, I am open to other suggestions or retailers, but Blue also had settings I like so I figured I'd shop there:
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09288786 NO
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09343784 NO
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09538941 MAYBE *
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09611903 MAYBE
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09611904 MAYBE
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09149148 MAYBE (small crown angle)

I'm not the best at looking at BN images. They always throw me off because of their lighting so my comments above are strictly based on numbers.

As for upgrade policies - I'd go with WF or HPD as ringo mentioned. You will probably need to look below .80 ct to start.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3876779.htm

I quickly looked at James Allen and the ones that I'm finding all have small crown angles.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3628930

I'm not really sure if small crown angles are much of an issue because they seem to work with those pavilion angles. I just know they are not in the preferred ideal range.

I'm sure some experts will chime in!

 

[beaubeee]

Thank you so much ringo865! I will look into Whiteflash. I thought about it and I think i I were to ever upgrade, I would probably end up keeping the diamond and turning it into a pendant and replacing it all together. So maybe the upgrade isn't as much of a factor as I thought. That is really good to know about the policies.

 

[beaubeee]

I'm not the best at looking at BN images. They always throw me off because of their lighting so my comments above are strictly based on numbers.

As for upgrade policies - I'd go with WF or HPD as ringo mentioned. You will probably need to look below .80 ct to start.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3876779.htm

I quickly looked at James Allen and the ones that I'm finding all have small crown angles.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3628930

I'm not really sure if small crown angles are much of an issue because they seem to work with those pavilion angles. I just know they are not in the preferred ideal range.

I'm sure some experts will chime in!

I do like James Allen too. I think I was leaning towards JA or BN because their website was more user friendly (for me at least). I haven't heard of HPD either so I will check them out. BN responded to me immediately when I asked for help picking a diamond, but they sent me one that was already pending

I am also okay dipping below .80 if the diameter is good. I have such a narrow finger that I feel like the .75-.80 range can still look quite large on me.

That whiteflash diamond you linked is gorgeous!!! the rainbow and clearness is what I am going for...now wishing for similar that is a bit bigger and a little cheaper, but this could be the one!

 

[rockysalamander]

My caution with BN is that they have been unwilling to give out ASET or IS for rounds. There are too many iffy cuts out there (precision of faceting and how similar in angles are to each other within the same facet round).
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09538941 {great numbers and nice and clean. very safe. }
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09611903 {good numbers, but I'm not a fan of a table of 58%. Will need to be examined by BN gemologits due to feather and etch channel -- but at VVS likely a non-issue}
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09611904 {great numbers and nice and clean. very safe. Still not a huge fan of the 58% table}
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09149148 {small table, wish the CA was a bit taller, but of these BN options, this is my favorite)

I'm going to look over at JA just because I like their video setup and they give IS images. Also, I bumped the budget to $3000 just to show a range of options.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3647687 {chubby arrows, lovely clarity, great numbers. nice spread at 6.03 mm)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3628376 {nice angle, small table. good spread 5.92 mm)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3628376 {good number. Nice clarity. 5.92 mm)

Setting from JA (25% off until 12/5). You can click on the pictures to see diamonds of similar size in each setting.
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...olitaire-engagement-ring-six-prong-item-41527
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...gold-sleek-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49635
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...e-flower-solitaire-engagement-ring-item-50203 {my personal fav, just get them to make the prongs more delicate}

Just a thought...have you see old cut diamonds? {click on the videos}. They throw of rainbow flashes of lovely goodness. Just confirm with Grace that these are ok to set in a solitiare as sometimes they have a more fragile girdle.
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/85ct-old-european-cut-diamond-gia-j-vs2 {5.8 mm)
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/83ct-oecut-diamond-gia-i-vs2 (5.71 mm)
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/81-old-european-cut-gia-i-vs2 {5.86 mm)

 

[AdaBeta27]

color: If you can find an I diamond with blue fluorescence, it should face up plenty white in most circumstances and you'd only notice a slight creaminess (pale ivory white) from the side view, if you are color sensitive. J is definitely in the "warm" range and will have a slight yellow tint to it from the profile (side) view. Or at least that's what I see in all correctly graded Js I have seen. It's true that all excellent-cut modern RB diamonds wash tint to an impressive degree. But you are setting yours in a solitaire and there will be no escaping the side or profile view.

Vendor: I have bought from Good Old Gold, twice. Both were their signature RB H&A stones. I have no complaints whatsoever with the diamonds, and both were very accurately advertised on their site. GOG has the instruments to test diamonds and provide ASETs, videos, etc. They are full-service but their prices are higher than, say, B2C Jewels or I.D. Jewelry. Since you are not very interested in having a trade-in option, perhaps you should contact I.D. Jewelry or B2C because both are known here for finding people some lovely diamonds that are great bang for the buck. They have access to many of the stones that James Allen or Blue Nile have, because many of those stones are held by the cutters and can be sold by any vendor.

Clarity: Clarity is the least important thing to me. I'd rather have cut and size and color, and I can stand to see a discrete dark speck as long as it hides very well and doesn't call attention to itself. Most people other than you will only see your diamond at arm's length or farther away. A diamond that has just one very discrete dark spec can be a stellar performer and will cost about half the price of the same specs except VS1 clarity. Diamonds never stay perfectly clean when worn as a ring. I don't fret about a tiny inclusion that is real hard to see and will go unnoticed. True, what's seen cannot be unseen by the ring wearer. But seeing an inclusion and being repulsed by it can ve two different things. You decide what's more important. It can take a while to find the "perfect" imperfect diamond, but you might really be able to push the size up by lowering your clarity requirement. There are people on here who got I1 or Si2 for their e-rings. My GOG diamonds are both SI2. The larger one is not totally eye-clean.

 

[beaubeee]

My caution with BN is that they have been unwilling to give out ASET or IS for rounds. There are too many iffy cuts out there (precision of faceting and how similar in angles are to each other within the same facet round).
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09538941 {great numbers and nice and clean. very safe. }
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09611903 {good numbers, but I'm not a fan of a table of 58%. Will need to be examined by BN gemologits due to feather and etch channel -- but at VVS likely a non-issue}
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09611904 {great numbers and nice and clean. very safe. Still not a huge fan of the 58% table}
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09149148 {small table, wish the CA was a bit taller, but of these BN options, this is my favorite)

I'm going to look over at JA just because I like their video setup and they give IS images. Also, I bumped the budget to $3000 just to show a range of options.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3647687 {chubby arrows, lovely clarity, great numbers. nice spread at 6.03 mm)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3628376 {nice angle, small table. good spread 5.92 mm)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3628376 {good number. Nice clarity. 5.92 mm)

Setting from JA (25% off until 12/5). You can click on the pictures to see diamonds of similar size in each setting.
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...olitaire-engagement-ring-six-prong-item-41527
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...gold-sleek-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49635
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...e-flower-solitaire-engagement-ring-item-50203 {my personal fav, just get them to make the prongs more delicate}

Just a thought...have you see old cut diamonds? {click on the videos}. They throw of rainbow flashes of lovely goodness. Just confirm with Grace that these are ok to set in a solitiare as sometimes they have a more fragile girdle.
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/85ct-old-european-cut-diamond-gia-j-vs2 {5.8 mm)
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/83ct-oecut-diamond-gia-i-vs2 (5.71 mm)
http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/81-old-european-cut-gia-i-vs2 {5.86 mm)

Thank you for suggesting jewels by grace! I actually found a ring on there I LOVE even though it is not quite a Tiffany setting. I asked her for the GIA report and told her you referred me

Thank you also for taking the time to 'hunt' for me on james allen. i think I am writing off Blue Nile based on the comments about the company. James Allen has some great diamonds too so I a going to check out what you sent and see what looks good

 

[beaubeee]

color: If you can find an I diamond with blue fluorescence, it should face up plenty white in most circumstances and you'd only notice a slight creaminess (pale ivory white) from the side view, if you are color sensitive. J is definitely in the "warm" range and will have a slight yellow tint to it from the profile (side) view. Or at least that's what I see in all correctly graded Js I have seen. It's true that all excellent-cut modern RB diamonds wash tint to an impressive degree. But you are setting yours in a solitaire and there will be no escaping the side or profile view.

Vendor: I have bought from Good Old Gold, twice. Both were their signature RB H&A stones. I have no complaints whatsoever with the diamonds, and both were very accurately advertised on their site. GOG has the instruments to test diamonds and provide ASETs, videos, etc. They are full-service but their prices are higher than, say, B2C Jewels or I.D. Jewelry. Since you are not very interested in having a trade-in option, perhaps you should contact I.D. Jewelry or B2C because both are known here for finding people some lovely diamonds that are great bang for the buck. They have access to many of the stones that James Allen or Blue Nile have, because many of those stones are held by the cutters and can be sold by any vendor.

Clarity: Clarity is the least important thing to me. I'd rather have cut and size and color, and I can stand to see a discrete dark speck as long as it hides very well and doesn't call attention to itself. Most people other than you will only see your diamond at arm's length or farther away. A diamond that has just one very discrete dark spec can be a stellar performer and will cost about half the price of the same specs except VS1 clarity. Diamonds never stay perfectly clean when worn as a ring. I don't fret about a tiny inclusion that is real hard to see and will go unnoticed. True, what's seen cannot be unseen by the ring wearer. But seeing an inclusion and being repulsed by it can ve two different things. You decide what's more important. It can take a while to find the "perfect" imperfect diamond, but you might really be able to push the size up by lowering your clarity requirement. There are people on here who got I1 or Si2 for their e-rings. My GOG diamonds are both SI2. The larger one is not totally eye-clean.

I have been watching the good old gold videos on youtube, I think they are the same place!

I've thought a lot about the clarity and realized when i want a 'clear and sparkly ring' I really want a good color and cut. I am going to go down on my clarity. One of the things I loved most about gems I found mining was the inclusions in the gems. I don't mind a dark spot in my diamond, but am not a fan of the 'bubble' looking inclusions i've seen. I'm also okay with a dark spot that is hidden well or only I can see, I like the character it adds as strange as that sounds.

i am going to check out the ID jewelry and B2C you recommended and go lower on my clarity.

 

[HappyNewLife]

I'd get one of these (since you said you could go up to $3k):

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3925335.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3925334.htm

Both are J, VS2, ideal cut and >6mm

They have an amazing upgrade policy and with ACA's you won't notice the tint as much as you would with a non-superideal (IMO- I have an I and can not tell)