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PLEASE HELP ME PICKING A PERFECT ENGAGEMENT RING (BUDGET $3000)

Kiet Hua

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 20, 2017
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First of all, I want to start off by saying that I know nothing about diamond nor engagement ring in generally so any valuable input will be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to pick out a perfect engagement ring for my long term girlfriend (we've been dating for almost 6 years) and I'm thinking this is the perfect timing to ask her to marry me. With that being said, I've secretly mentioned about the engagement ring to collect some ideas about her perfect ring. She doesn't like anything too big because she got relatively small hands (typical Asian girls I guess lol), she also likes the the Round Brilliant shape and her ideal setting must be something simple like a solitaire ring setting. I've been digging around internet in the past 2 days to learn as much as possible about diamond in general to find a perfect stone for my engagement ring and I've decided to go with online route. Blue Nile and James Allen are both reputable vendors with competitive prices so I have no problem buying from either of these. I want to maximize my budget on the diamond since my ring's setting will be relatively cheap (around $600). So there's roughly $2400 left for the diamond. Within my research, I'm opted to the Ideal Cut diamond with at least VS2 in clarity. I want the Color to be as much colorless as possible (is it a smart choice)? Within this price range, I've found a couple diamond range from 0.70 to 0.75 ct so I think I'll stick with these figures to make it easier to pick out my perfect ring.
So is there any recommendation that could help me out for picking my ring set up?
Anyway, i picked one of the diamonds from Blue Nile, here's the link:
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD08997311
Everything seems to be so perfect until I saw the Fluorescence which is very strong blue. This kinda scare me off a little bit since I've read so argument that the strong or very strong fluorescence can create a milky and hazy look for the diamond, ain't that true?
My last question would be what should I pick between 14k white gold and 18k white gold for the ring setting? I know this sounds ridiculous but my friend told me I should pick the 14k white gold because it contains less gold and more metals than it should be much more durable than the 18k white gold. I'm still debating whether to trust him or not lol.
Finally, I want to say thank you all for taking your time to go through my post since this is my first post and if I'm not that desperate I would never have a courage to ask for but since this is the biggest decision in my life so I want to carefully review my options and getting all the helps I can to pick out the perfect ring for the love of my life. Thank you everyone again!
 
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@Kiet Hua Since you're entire budget is ~$3000, I LOVE the JA stone posted above. They're running 25% off on their settings right now, which I encourage you to take advantage of so you can get it all done in the same place.

You didn't say if she liked 4 prong or 6 prong but these are both nice:
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...gold-sleek-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49507
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...-six-prong-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49506
 
Other nice options that will save you a little money. It's rare that fluorescence has a detrimental effect (lower clarity and certain inclusions can also play a role in that) but it doesn't hurt to ask JA to make sure the stones are not milky/hazy.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2670092
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...e-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3233185
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...d-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3233372
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3233454
 
thank you all for your suggestions, I really appreciate that.
@Dizzie I know it's a beautiful stone thats been listed at great price but I truly don't want to buy a used diamond. I don't mind it being used but since this is my first diamond buying experience I want to get it from reputable vendor so I can avoid any possible risks of buying diamond online. But thank you so much for your recommendation, I truly appreciate that.
@hifihua428 and @ac117 those stones you guys suggest both look exceptional. I'll look into them and other options to see which one that I like better. For the setting, I know it sounds silly but what do you think that I should get? 14k white, 18k white or even platinum? I know they both have their pros and cons but since I never own any of these metals I don't know which one to pick for a perfect ring set up.
 
thank you all for your suggestions, I really appreciate that.
@Dizzie I know it's a beautiful stone thats been listed at great price but I truly don't want to buy a used diamond. I don't mind it being used but since this is my first diamond buying experience I want to get it from reputable vendor so I can avoid any possible risks of buying diamond online. But thank you so much for your recommendation, I truly appreciate that.
@hifihua428 and @ac117 those stones you guys suggest both look exceptional. I'll look into them and other options to see which one that I like better. For the setting, I know it sounds silly but what do you think that I should get? 14k white, 18k white or even platinum? I know they both have their pros and cons but since I never own any of these metals I don't know which one to pick for a perfect ring set up.

My personal preference would be to put as much of your budget into the main diamond. A setting can always be upgraded later. Both 14k and 18k will need to be rhodium plated with normal wear. Any ring/prong can be mangled or damaged with enough force.

However, some of the diamonds I listed would work even if you got this setting in platinum: https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...inum-sleek-diamond-engagement-ring-item-50012
 
@ac117 To be honest with you, my budget is not set but I've been looking around in the past few days and I got an idea of how much that my ideal stone would cost so thats why I throw out $3000 as my budget so it could be easier for you guys to help me picking up a perfect stone. I know that a 0.7 to 0.75 ct diamond is relatively small since their diameters are ranging from 5.6 to 5.9 mm. I want to pick the metal and prong setting that really help enhance the true beauty of the diamond so I don't mind paying extras for platinum if its right for my diamond.
 
If you decide to go with white gold, I would do 14K. The reason is that as the rhodium plating wears off of 14K, it will be less noticeable than with 18K (since it has more gold, it will appear "dingy" when rhodium wears). If you could swing it, I'd do platinum for the heft and no having to plate it.
 
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