If you are looking for a modern round brilliant cut . . .
You've only mentioned size and color.
Cut is more important to the beauty of a diamond's light performance than color or clarity.
Yet cut is the least-understood and most complex characteristic of diamonds.
If you're looking for a round it's the easiest of all shapes when it comes to finding a well cut diamond.
Experts may be able to find a few that are well cut which would be rejected by the following process, but you and I are not experts and there are PLENTY of diamonds that pass this process.
From the lab report get these for numbers and plug them into the HCA:
Depth %
Table %
Crown Angle in degrees
Pavilion Angle in degrees
It will give you a score.
Reject diamonds that score over 2.0 and get and Idealscope pic on those that score under 2.0.
The reason for this second step, the Idealscope, is the Crown and Pavilion angles you entered into the HCA are averages.
A round diamond is not perfectly round, it has 8 sides so it has 8 crown angles and 8 pavilion angles.
The angles on the lab report are the AVERAGE of those 8 angles.
They could all be the same, which is good.
Or some could be very high and some very low but average out to a nice number, which is bad.
The Idealscope picture would reveal this.
Next only consider diamonds graded by AGS or GIA.
Other labs lie.
Shocking but true.
Sellers know this so they (seem to) price EGL stones cheaper than GIA stones.
But you are not comparing apples to apples.
You are not really getting a F VS1 like EGL reports the grades; GIA would grade the same diamond H, SI1 or worse - maybe 3 grades worse, maybe 4 maybe more, nobody knows.
GIA and AGS-graded diamonds are not more expensive; it's just that you are not buying grades that are probably lies.
Think of buying a Lexus but finding out it's really a Toyota with a Lexus badge.
Such is the fraud that is astonishingly allowed to be perpetrated on the diamond buying public by these labs and their vendors.
They justify it by saying grading is subjective and done by humans.
Well, GIA and AGS use humans too.
Since color and clarity dramatically affect the price, I recommend you go out and see 3 ct diamonds of all colors and clarities in person to discover your comfort zone.
What the majority prefer may not be what you prefer.
Note you will see MORE body color in a 3 ct F than a 0.5 ct F, so be sure to view 2.5 to 3 ct stones.
Here is the only one that came up in the search at the top of the page. It's F color and below the 100k mark.
I wouldn't hesitate though to call some of the trusted PS vendors to tell them what you are looking for. I'm sure they can source other stones for your consideration as well!