Help me choose Ritani and James Allen stones please :))

[luvely]

Hi guys, would appreciate your help! Looking to pick a diamond for a Ritani and James Allen, my budget is $3270 and $3760 accordingly.

I'm looking for round diamond with ideal/excellent cut, near colorless family (minimum I) in just under a carat (since price jumps so much at 1 carat) and clarity doesn't need to be flawless (minimum S1?) just long as I cant see any blemishes with my own eyes I'll be fine.

The Ritani setting will be palladium, and James Allen platinum if that makes a difference.

These are the Ritani stones I was looking at:
https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-86-Carat-I-color-GIA-certified/D-69M0JH
https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-90-Carat-I-color-GIA-certified/D-6V2QPJ
https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-92-Carat-I-color-GIA-certified/D-63J9Q5

These are the James Allen stones:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.91-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-504171
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-466919

I'm just a bit concerned because even the S1 diamonds the inclusions look quite noticeable--I know it's a super magnified view but they look quite obvious to me.

Wondering if its worth it to go to 0.75 carat? I want a good quality stone that's not too large (don't want to be targeted for robbing) and I have a size 5 finger.

Thanks so much in advance!!

 

[MarionC]

It may help you to run the numbers through the HCA tool.
The 0.91 scored excellent [1.1] and the 0.90 scored very good [2.1].

Also keep in mind that carat is the weight of the diamond. Look at the mms rather than the carat weight for sizing.
I don't think 0.90 is too large, but a slightly smaller stone of outstanding cut can have more presence.
Somewhere there is a chart that shows your finger size with various size diamonds on it.
Perhaps someone can remember the link...

 

[wizardman123]

It may help you to run the numbers through the HCA tool.
The 0.91 scored excellent [1.1] and the 0.90 scored very good [2.1].

Also keep in mind that carat is the weight of the diamond. Look at the mms rather than the carat weight for sizing.
I don't think 0.90 is too large, but a slightly smaller stone of outstanding cut can have more presence.
Somewhere there is a chart that shows your finger size with various size diamonds on it.
Perhaps someone can remember the link...

http://www.diamdb.com/

Helps you compare 2 stones taking finger size into consideration.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I would only look at Ritani diamonds that have photos, and I think the one that did is a possibility but not the greatest.

Of the two JA stones, the .90 has big black inclusions and I would eliminate it. The .91 is okay, but I can't see where the feather is and the color may be low I. It almost appears to have a greenish yellow tint. Ask for an idealscope or ASET image if you are interested in it.

I would personally go for a great cut .85 unless you can find one better than those.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3372549.htm

 

[luvely]

Thank you guys for the input and tips! I actually ended up checking out jewelry stores in person and I agree 0.8 carats seems to be the sweet spot

I've also decided to purchase in person since I really can't tell about the how the stone would look based on parameters alone, for example I thought I would be fine with near colorless but I was much more drawn to colorless and VS as opposed to S in clarity