Help me find a diamond on a budget!

[RisingMS89]

Hello all, its my first time posting.

Im looking to find a diamond , ive been looking on Jamesallen since I can see the diamond first and I like one of their ring styles

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-white-gold-thin-french-cut-pave-set-diamond-engagement-ring-item-41569

Now my budget is around $1200(for the diamond) and since the ring is going to be YG im guessing I can go down to a color of J or K for the best value.

Ive chosen Ideal cut so can anyone suggest me a diamond from james allen?

do you think the difference between a 0.49 and a 0.54 carat will be noticeable?

For my budget it seems like id probably be getting a half carat diamond, is there anything I need to avoid? such as a depth, table%?

also last edit, it seems like the diamonds on B2c jewel are considerably cheaper, I can see .66 and .7 carat diamonds with an excellent cut for around $1200, is this place reliable? or is jamesallen just overpriced?

Thank you again

 

[Niel]

I hate to bring this up because I know it'll have an effect on your budget but I think you'll be disappointed with the quality of that setting. The cad photos looks great but the real life photos show mostly metal and very little pave.

Yes, there are things you need to avoid with regards to depth and table %.... Let me look around a bit. See what JA gas and see if maybe a different site has a better option for setting.

 

[RisingMS89]

Thanks for the reply!

Ive never gone shopping for a ring so I wouldn't honestly know what to look for, does this one look like it would look better in person?
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-yellow-gold-petite-diamond-accent-engagement-ring-item-50202

also my gf said she would also be fine with just getting a plain solitaire six prong ring as well
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-presentation-solitaire-six-prong-item-41526

I know if I go with the solitaire 6 prong, I can afford to spend more on the diamond so that's something to think about for me as well..

 

[Niel]

Thanks for the reply!

Ive never gone shopping for a ring so I wouldn't honestly know what to look for, does this one look like it would look better in person?
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/14k-yellow-gold-petite-diamond-accent-engagement-ring-item-50202

also my gf said she would also be fine with just getting a plain solitaire six prong ring as well
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-presentation-solitaire-six-prong-item-41526

I know if I go with the solitaire 6 prong, I can afford to spend more on the diamond so that's something to think about for me as well..

I think a plain solitaire is a great idea. That way, you can get a diamond wedding band and achieve a very similar look for much less.

also, to the pave ring you posted, yes i think thats of better quality than the first one you posted.

also, what are your thoughts on this?

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/14k-white-gold-pave-halo-engagement-ring-round-center-item-50474

 

[Niel]

I quite like this half ct stone. And would leave you money for a nice setting.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.52-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-384966

 

[RisingMS89]

oh wow that is a great diamond for the price, ill definitely look into that one.

Also the gf is not a fan of the halo ring since I asked earlier already.

do you have any experience with b2cjewels.com? it seems like their diamonds are priced a lot lower
for example
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-1-6765603-0.60-carat-Round-diamond-K-color-VS2-clarity.aspx

with this setting
http://www.b2cjewels.com/Diamond-Accent-Settings/Petite-Prong-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring-14K-Yellow-Gold-(1-8-cttw..)-12465-1.aspx

or do you suggest going with jamesallen because I can actually see the diamond beforehand

 

[Niel]

oh wow that is a great diamond for the price, ill definitely look into that one.

Also the gf is not a fan of the halo ring since I asked earlier already.

do you have any experience with b2cjewels.com? it seems like their diamonds are priced a lot lower
for example
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-1-6765603-0.60-carat-Round-diamond-K-color-VS2-clarity.aspx

with this setting
http://www.b2cjewels.com/Diamond-Accent-Settings/Petite-Prong-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring-14K-Yellow-Gold-(1-8-cttw...)-12465-1.aspx

or do you suggest going with jamesallen because I can actually see the diamond beforehand

no they are a nice company, they, from my understanding, will provide you a photo of that stone if you ask. I just didnt look there because i have no experience with their settings, so i dont know the quality.

 

[Niel]

do any of these strike your fancy? They can do them in 14k yellow gold too, so dont worry about the color, also , there are a few vendors here that can, typically, do a little bit better on the price.

https://eshop.gabrielny.com/product/ER11750R4W44JJ

https://eshop.gabrielny.com/product/ER7973W44JJ

https://eshop.gabrielny.com/product/ER11747R4W44JJ

 

[RisingMS89]

I don't know if I feel comfortable buying the diamond and ring separately.

I do really like the diamond u link from james allen. I think I will look around on b2cjewels and maybe just look at the vs2 or vs1 diamonds

 

[Niel]

I don't know if I feel comfortable buying the diamond and ring separately.

I do really like the diamond u link from james allen. I think I will look around on b2cjewels and maybe just look at the vs2 or vs1 diamonds

I wasnt suggesting you do that, i just wasnt going to suggest stones if you didnt like the settings. There are companies that sell that brand and will set the stone for you.


and like i said, B2C will give you photos if you find a stone you like, you dont need to avoid SI1 stones, sense they will tell you if its eye clean

 

[denverappraiser]

I don't know if I feel comfortable buying the diamond and ring separately.

Most jewelers, including both of the ones you listed, sell their diamonds and mountings separately, and that's definitely what you want to do. Perhaps this a question of semantics. There's good reason to buy the diamond, the mounting, and the labor from the same place but be very wary of 'deals' where it's all listed as a bundle and you don't have access to the details.

 

[RisingMS89]

are faint brown diamonds a bad idea in a YG ring?

 

[Niel]

Hey, this will show as reserved now, but shouldn't be in a few days, as I believe the buyer is going with another choice.
http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.66-carat-k-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-435828




I don't know if this setting might appeal to her, but would be in budget, I do believe,after you ask them if they can apply a "James Allen preferred customer discount"

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-cable-solitaire-engagement-ring-item-41536
Here's an example of a similar ring with a diamond wedding band, looks pretty cool, and gives you just a bit more interest than the normal budget solitaire JA sells.

 

[RisingMS89]

Hey, this will show as reserved now, but shouldn't be in a few days, as I believe the buyer is going with another choice.
http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.66-carat-k-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-435828




I don't know if this setting might appeal to her, but would be in budget, I do believe,after you ask them if they can apply a "James Allen preferred customer discount"

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/engagement-rings/solitaire/14k-white-gold-cable-solitaire-engagement-ring-item-41536
Here's an example of a similar ring with a diamond wedding band, looks pretty cool, and gives you just a bit more interest than the normal budget solitaire JA sells.

wow that diamond looks amazing! do you know what the price is on that ? its not showing since it says not avaible.

Also I spoke to one of their reps on chat to see how I would go about asking to apply the James allen preferred customer discount and this was the response I got
"Just to verify I am offering the correct information, what is that discount for, please?"

Is there another way to ask for the discount?

 

[Niel]

The discount varies by diamond so I'd you don't give them the diamond they won't know.

Before the discounr the stone is 1540. The discount is slight,but should put you around the 1700 ish mark you were trying to hit. Weather that's with the basic solitaire or that twisty one.

 

[RisingMS89]

The discount varies by diamond so I'd you don't give them the diamond they won't know.

Before the discounr the stone is 1540. The discount is slight,but should put you around the 1700 ish mark you were trying to hit. Weather that's with the basic solitaire or that twisty one.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.69-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-401090

what do you think about this diamond? I just reserved it for order, its $1540 but they are giving me a $70 discount on it.
It looks good to me and has an HCA score of 2.2 which I think would be good enough. and that with the cable ring puts me at $1750 which is good

 

[Niel]

The discount varies by diamond so I'd you don't give them the diamond they won't know.

Before the discounr the stone is 1540. The discount is slight,but should put you around the 1700 ish mark you were trying to hit. Weather that's with the basic solitaire or that twisty one.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.69-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-401090

what do you think about this diamond? I just reserved it for order, its $1540 but they are giving me a $70 discount on it.
It looks good to me and has an HCA score of 2.2 which I think would be good enough. and that with the cable ring puts me at $1750 which is good

The HCA is just one thing to look at, the idealscope is nice, and the gemologist liked the stone. The only reason the person who reserved it didn't but it is they went with a different one.


Do you think she's like that cable setting or no?

 

[RisingMS89]

Thank you for your help!
I did end up going with this one
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.69-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-401090

with the cable ring you showed me. I showed my gf and she did indeed really like the cable one

placed the order and they said they will hold it for me for 24 hours if I want to change my mind.

 

[Niel]

Thank you for your help!
I did end up going with this one
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.69-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-401090

with the cable ring you showed me. I showed my gf and she did indeed really like the cable one

placed the order and they said they will hold it for me for 24 hours if I want to change my mind.

Is there a reason you didn't go with th .66 ct? My comments I made on that .69 ct stone I thought was about the .66 one I posted. I much prefer that one over the one you reserved.

 

[RisingMS89]

Thanks for your help!
I actually asked for the idealscope image of the diamond and they said they could hold it until I get the image, Im not really too sure what I should be looking for in an idealscope image so can I post it on here when I receive the image?

or is it not that significant? the diamond seems to really sparkle in the 360' view

 

[RisingMS89]

Thank you for your help!
I did end up going with this one
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.69-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-401090

with the cable ring you showed me. I showed my gf and she did indeed really like the cable one

placed the order and they said they will hold it for me for 24 hours if I want to change my mind.

Is there a reason you didn't go with th .66 ct? My comments I made on that .69 ct stone I thought was about the .66 one I posted. I much prefer that one over the one you reserved.

hmm now that I look at it.. the one you posted does seem to look more brighter and alive...

 

[RisingMS89]

Thank you for your help!
I did end up going with this one
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.69-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-401090

with the cable ring you showed me. I showed my gf and she did indeed really like the cable one

placed the order and they said they will hold it for me for 24 hours if I want to change my mind.

Is there a reason you didn't go with th .66 ct? My comments I made on that .69 ct stone I thought was about the .66 one I posted. I much prefer that one over the one you reserved.

Ill have to wait and see if that diamond becomes available again, they said it would take 3-5 days to get the idealscope image so I have that long to wait

 

[Niel]

Thank you for your help!
I did end up going with this one
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.69-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-401090

with the cable ring you showed me. I showed my gf and she did indeed really like the cable one

placed the order and they said they will hold it for me for 24 hours if I want to change my mind.

Is there a reason you didn't go with th .66 ct? My comments I made on that .69 ct stone I thought was about the .66 one I posted. I much prefer that one over the one you reserved.

Ill have to wait and see if that diamond becomes available again, they said it would take 3-5 days to get the idealscope image so I have that long to wait

It was a friend of mine who reserved it. I'm certain its available now. I'd ask a rep to look into it.

 

[RisingMS89]

Thank you for your help!
I did end up going with this one
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.69-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-401090

with the cable ring you showed me. I showed my gf and she did indeed really like the cable one

placed the order and they said they will hold it for me for 24 hours if I want to change my mind.

Is there a reason you didn't go with th .66 ct? My comments I made on that .69 ct stone I thought was about the .66 one I posted. I much prefer that one over the one you reserved.

Ill have to wait and see if that diamond becomes available again, they said it would take 3-5 days to get the idealscope image so I have that long to wait

It was a friend of mine who reserved it. I'm certain its available now. I'd ask a rep to look into it.

Okay thank you ! im talking to a rep currently to check on the diamond you posted, to be honest I saw the bigger carat number and was suckered it

but I trust your expertise! since you do seem to know your diamonds!

if the one you posted is avaible I will go with that one!

 

[RisingMS89]

Ah it looks like the diamond is not on hold but actually completely unavailable which means it was likely sold to someon else
that's what the rep told me

 

[RisingMS89]

actually, now shes saying the hold was released today so its hopefully still there, they will email me once she finds out more details.
now I wait...

the more I look at it, the more I like it! haha

 

[Niel]

actually, now shes saying the hold was released today so its hopefully still there, they will email me once she finds out more details.
now I wait...

the more I look at it, the more I like it! haha

Yeah I'm sure shell email you that Its available, my friend just released it today. He had a very similar budget like you actually lol.

Fingers crossed it works out for you, the cut is much better than the one you selected, and hopefully the same price

 

[mrs-b]

Hi RisingMS89

Here's a stone worth considering:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD05581211

It's a considerably larger ctw and a little whiter, being a J rather than a K. The stats are very good, and I think it would be worth a call to BN to confirm that it's eye clean. They don't do ASETs etc, but their reputation is very good, they're very 'above board' (I've bought dozens of stones from them) and they have an excellent return policy if you don't like it when you see it. If asked, about half the time they'll send you a photo.

Given the wire price ($1313), if it were me looking, I would definitely check this one out.

Good luck!

ETA The diamond I posted got an Excellent and a 1.9 on the HCA.

 

[RisingMS89]

Hi RisingMS89

Here's a stone worth considering:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD05581211

It's a considerably larger ctw and a little whiter, being a J rather than a K. The stats are very good, and I think it would be worth a call to BN to confirm that it's eye clean. They don't do ASETs etc, but their reputation is very good, they're very 'above board' (I've bought dozens of stones from them) and they have an excellent return policy if you don't like it when you see it. If asked, about half the time they'll send you a photo.

Given the wire price ($1313), if it were me looking, I would definitely check this one out.

Good luck!

I will take a look at it, although from my searching, usually when a price seems to good to be true which is the case here, something is usually wrong. I checked it has crystal listed under the clarity so Im guessing there will be a big black mark somewhere on the front. but I emailed them to ask for a picture!

 

[RockyRacoon]

Hi RisingMS89

Here's a stone worth considering:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD05581211

It's a considerably larger ctw and a little whiter, being a J rather than a K. The stats are very good, and I think it would be worth a call to BN to confirm that it's eye clean. They don't do ASETs etc, but their reputation is very good, they're very 'above board' (I've bought dozens of stones from them) and they have an excellent return policy if you don't like it when you see it. If asked, about half the time they'll send you a photo.

Given the wire price ($1313), if it were me looking, I would definitely check this one out.

Good luck!

I will take a look at it, although from my searching, usually when a price seems to good to be true which is the case here, something is usually wrong. I checked it has crystal listed under the clarity so Im guessing there will be a big black mark somewhere on the front. but I emailed them to ask for a picture!

The only way to assess a stone from BN is to buy it.

Aside from some of their Signature stones, they don't give you enough information to make an informed, remote decision. They sometimes give one static picture and can sometimes find notes from the cutter/polisher.

You would have to be comfortable buying the stone and inspecting it in person, then shipping back for setting, to even consider buying from BN.