Looking for advice, lower budget

[newco]

I would like to propose to my girlfriend. I have a budget of $3000 for a diamond and a setting. I was wondering if this would be a good diamond. She is not a flashy person and would like a gold band.

0.70 Carat round diamond

This 0.7 carat round diamond G color vvs2 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from IGI

www.jamesallen.com

 

[Tourmaline]

Yes, it’s a lovely diamond.

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

You might be able to drop to a VS clarity and get a slightly bigger diamond, if that's important to you and your SO!

 

[newco]

She really doesn't wear any jewelry, so I'm not sure if bigger is better. I think she would appreciate something that looks clean. That is more her personality

 

[daisygrl]

She really doesn't wear any jewelry, so I'm not sure if bigger is better. I think she would appreciate something that looks clean. That is more her personality

I would be more concerned about the IGI report. IGI is known to inflate quality of their grading and, personally, I would not purchase anything graded by IGI. I do not believe they hold the grading standards that other diamond labs hold (GIA, AGS). Stone looks darker/yellower than a G and we can only guess the clarity, just like IGI does when they do their grading.

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

She really doesn't wear any jewelry, so I'm not sure if bigger is better. I think she would appreciate something that looks clean. That is more her personality

Totally get it! I'm the same way. I don't really wear jewelery either. Colorless and clarity are important to me, but carat size is a balancing act with budget! For me, the only material thing/jewelry I really care about is my engagement ring and at some level and point, most people get DSS (diamond shrinkage syndrome). I think as long as the diamond is eye clean, that is sufficient. Many VS and even some SI1 are eye clean. Just my 2 cents!

 

[tyty333]

We recommend to stick with GIA/AGS lab graded stones to eliminate overgrading as described by @daisygrl .

For any stone you are interested in, you need to request the report from JA and post it here so we can see how
well the stone is cut.

You might check the following out...ask for GIA report and post so we can see if interested

0.70 Carat round diamond

This 0.7 carat round diamond G color vvs2 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

 

[yssie]

Does the 3k budget include the plain gold band?

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

Checkout Whiteflash too, you'll sacrifice a tiny bit of carat weight and clarity, but the cut quality is the best and they have a generous upgrade policy!

 

[anon34985]

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...NDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&catalogView=true this has an HCA score of 1.3 maybe someone with more expertise than me could chime in?

https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...NDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&catalogView=true this one scored 1.2

Blue Nile also has a few nice plain gold settings!

 

[newco]

@yssie I would be willing to go a little bit above that to include the gold band. It will be plain as she is not flashy at all

 

[lovedogs]

We recommend to stick with GIA/AGS lab graded stones to eliminate overgrading as described by @daisygrl .

For any stone you are interested in, you need to request the report from JA and post it here so we can see how
well the stone is cut.

You might check the following out...ask for GIA report and post so we can see if interested

0.70 Carat round diamond

This 0.7 carat round diamond G color vvs2 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

This one looks very good IMHO

 

[amzjoey]

if you are getting a gold band anyways then why not colour H ?

something like that?

0.82 Carat H VS2 Round Brilliant Natural Diamond GIA Certified 5393540426 Affinity Cut - D47707103

www.adiamor.com

HCA Scores is 0.6 and

 

[theshirlgirlNS]

Keep in mind that I’m biased towards the higher color grades in super ideals as I’m not color sensitive. WF has three 0.7 I VS1/2 stones within your budget that may show up whiter due to their cut. They are great to work with and could pull all three for a comparison and give you photos to help you choose the whitest. With the yellow setting you have some wiggle room.

Just another option…

 

[DejaWiz]

Here are some AGS Triple Zero diamonds (tighter criteria than GIA 3X). Ask JA for the grading reports, post them, and we'll let you know what we think in order to help you get the best of the best.

0.70 Carat round diamond

This 0.7 carat round diamond E color vs1 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

0.63 Carat round diamond

This 0.63 carat round diamond F color vs2 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

0.70 Carat round diamond

This 0.7 carat round diamond F color vs1 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

0.70 Carat round diamond

This 0.7 carat round diamond E color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

0.74 Carat round diamond

This 0.74 carat round diamond D color si1 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

 

[lovedogs]

Keep in mind that I’m biased towards the higher color grades in super ideals as I’m not color sensitive. WF has three 0.7 I VS1/2 stones within your budget that may show up whiter due to their cut. They are great to work with and could pull all three for a comparison and give you photos to help you choose the whitest. With the yellow setting you have some wiggle room.

Just another option…

I think this is a good idea if OP and his intended are ok with I color. I think in a sub 1ct size and yellow setting, it wont be noticable at all (to me, but of course color sensitivity differs between people!

 

[JMK]

I'm not sure if this would be an option for you, but when my now-husband knew he wanted to propose a few years ago, he told me: "I want to get you a ring, and I want to get something you will want to wear. I have a budget of $2000 - would you send me a few options you like, and I'll choose one?"

Elements of the proposal were still a surprise, and he chose a pre-loved vintage ring that was among the selections I sent him.

 

[lovedogs]

I'm not sure if this would be an option for you, but when my now-husband knew he wanted to propose a few years ago, he told me: "I want to get you a ring, and I want to get something you will want to wear. I have a budget of $2000 - would you send me a few options you like, and I'll choose one?"

Elements of the proposal were still a surprise, and he chose a pre-loved vintage ring that was among the selections I sent him.

My DH and I went to choose rings together. That way he knew I loved the ring, but kept the proposal itself a surprise (when, where, etc).

 

[newco]

I've jokingly told her that it would be much easier if she picked out the ring and I just paid for it. But I appreciate these suggestions. This seems to be a process.

 

[newco]

Here are some AGS Triple Zero diamonds (tighter criteria than GIA 3X). Ask JA for the grading reports, post them, and we'll let you know what we think in order to help you get the best of the best.

0.70 Carat round diamond

This 0.7 carat round diamond E color vs1 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

0.63 Carat round diamond

This 0.63 carat round diamond F color vs2 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

0.70 Carat round diamond

This 0.7 carat round diamond F color vs1 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

0.70 Carat round diamond

This 0.7 carat round diamond E color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

0.74 Carat round diamond

This 0.74 carat round diamond D color si1 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

When you say ask JA for the grading reports, how does one go about doing that? Email their customer service team?

 

[DejaWiz]

When you say ask JA for the grading reports, how does one go about doing that? Email their customer service team?

Correct. Give them the SKUs and they will email you the reports. You can also initiate a chat window and give them all the SKUs.

 

[lovedogs]

When you say ask JA for the grading reports, how does one go about doing that? Email their customer service team?

it's faster to use their "chat" function vs emailing

 

[musicloveranthony]

Great choice and a really great price