Need Help Choosing Diamond for Engagement Ring

[KimPossible87]

My partner and I have chosen a setting from James Allen and are trying to choose one of their diamonds to go with it. Because we are customizing the setting we were told that we have to choose a diamond from James Allen. We are also on a time crunch so it's easier for us to just deal with one vendor. We are diamond newbies but have read a lot of the information here on PS and have tried our best to narrow it down to a few stones. Although we've been running into an issue where every time we find a stone we like through the PS search it's listed as "Not Available" on the JA website.

We will definitely ask for idealscope images for those James Allen provides them for (only the diamonds in their NY office), but are there any here that stand out to you just based on the numbers? Or any you can exclude right away? Are there any stones we should be looking at that we're missing?

0.9 H VS1
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-508250

.91 G VS1
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.91-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-515097

We were originally looking for G/H VS2/SI1, but they are suddenly all coming up "Not Available". So we've expanded our search to I/J colors.

1.02 I SI1
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.02-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-478608

1.08 J VS2 with Strong Blue Fluorescence
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.08-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-485601

My partner is an engineer so he has concerns about certain things like fluorescence or feathers, especially when we can't see the plot of the inclusions. But we're not experts so we don't know how much we should be concerned. We're also trying to combine the expectations of our two cultures. His country favors smaller diamonds with very high color and clarity and I'm a New Englander where engagement rings tend to be larger. Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[JDDN]

The 0.91 G VS1 is gorgeous and the numbers look great. It's nice and white and looks really clean. Personally if you're having problems with inventory I'd put that one on hold! The 0.90 looks good too, both score below 2 on the HCA.

The 1.02 I SI1 has promise, although I would confirm with JA that is definitely eye clean. It has a bit of warmth to my eyes.

The 1.08 J VS2 is too warm for me personally and again, personally I would not go lower than an I. The strong blue fluorescence is something to consider. It can either negatively affect the appearance of your stone or not. Again, I would consult with JA on that as it's stone specific.

As far as feathers, I have read that with VS2 and above they shouldn't pose a durability risk. A large feather could theoretically grow with wear and tear and if it was near the surface or girdle it could crack. Also, putting a prong over a large feather to hide it could put pressure on it over time and potentially worsen the inclusion. Now, this is what I have read only, not what I have experienced and certainly a professional on this forum could say otherwise.

All the picks score below a 2 on the HCA. I think you've chosen some really beautiful contenders.

 

[tyty333]

Wow, I have to say that J got my attention more so than the other stones, but you would have to know that you were sacrificing
color for size and be able to check out some GIA/AGS Js (well cut) at a local store to know that you're ok with with slight tint.

Have you asked JA for idealscopes on them and which ones they can provide? You may also ask if JA can do a comparison of the
ones that are in their shop (or close by) and see what they have to say.

Wondering what setting you selected?

 

[KimPossible87]

We've probably asked JA for IS images on about five stones and they weren't able to provide them for any. At this point we're both feeling frustrated with the whole process. We'd like to stay around $5500 for a stone close to a carat, although realistically it would probably be just under.

This is the setting we've chosen, and we've asked them to add milgrain around the side stones. I don't think the stone is set quite as high as it is in the photo.

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/platinum-double-claw-prong-0.18ct-pave-set-surprise-diamond-engagement-ring-item-177