Need assistance picking engagement ring

[sfp233]

My girlfriend and I are looking at engagement rings. We went to a few local mall shops (not my idea and no intention of buying). I've started looking online and I've found a few settings on JA that she would like. Would anyone advise buying the stone online and setting locally as opposed to both online? Below are a few that I've picked out based on some of the research that I've been doing. I included my search criteria link of JA at the bottom of the post, but I've been sticking to the following minimum criteria: ideal cut, J color, SI2, excellent polish and symmetry.

Budget: $5-6k

Diamond:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.10-carat-j-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-603029
-or-
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.10-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-595531 ($400 cheaper, should I be concerned about clouds?)

Ring:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/14k-white-gold-cushion-outline-pave-engagement-ring-item-49493
-or-
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/james-allen-exclusive-engagement-ring-item-49519

She is a fan of the halos, but to me it seems to take away from the center stone a bit. Am I wrong in thinking this? It looks so busy to me with all of the smaller diamonds around it that I don't know if I could tell the difference of 1ct vs 1.2ct. For that reason, I was going to see if she liked something along the lines of the second ring if we were going to go above 1ct. I'm not saying that 1.1ct is a huge diamond, but if I'm going to fork the money out for it, then it seems like it would be nice if you could actually distinguish it from the rest of the ring. If I went with the halo, then I could probably do a 0.98ct, save a ton of money, and I'd be surprised if anyone could tell the difference.

Final questions:
- Do I go for more inclusions and a bigger size? She seems more interested in the size of the ring, but she didn't seem unhappy with the 1ct we saw in the store.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/?CaratFrom=1.10&CaratTo=1.24&Color=J,I,H,G,F,E,D&Clarity=SI2,SI1,VS2,VS1,VVS2,VVS1,IF&Cut=Ideal,Excellent,TrueHearts&PriceFrom=&PriceTo=&ViewsOptions=Images&advancedParameter=CaratSliderBottom&showAdvanced=show&Polish=EX,ID&Symmetry=EX,ID&Lab=&Flour=&DepthFrom=58.00&DepthTo=62.00&TableFrom=53.00&TableTo=59.00

 

[sfp233]

I can't seem to edit my last post unfortunately. We talked more and a lot changed. The pave style is out. Likewise, I think she has decided on a cushion halo with cushion cut diamond. This throws everything that I previously looked at out the window. It appears that recommendations online say go with H or better color for cushion. This seems to limit the search more and increase the price. I'll take a look around to see what I can find at WF as well.

 

[tyty333]

I typed up a whole post and dont know what happened to it.

You should read this thread. You can skip the info on halo (for now) but read the info on the different type of cushion cuts. Figure
out which one appeals to you the most.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/[/URL]

I recommend using James Allen, Good Old Gold or Brilliantly Engaged for cushions (some are better than others for specific
types of cushions but until we know what you are looking for cant recommend just one).

Whiteflash wont work for cushion cuts. They are all virtual selections with no pictures.