views on a diamond from James Allen

[nappes]

Hi all

I'm after some advice on this diamond from James Allen
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.28-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-645113

It seems pretty decent to me, the HCA tool is excellent but I'm not very good at reading the idealscope images. I know its also higher clarity and maybe color than many people here say you need but JA didnt have a lot of options around that size and I'm probably willing to pay a little bit more for "mind clean"

I'm probably going to pair it with this
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-falling-edge-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49997

I've been flipping from getting a small halo like Cartier Destinee in ~0.7c for ~12k (probably worse cut, color, etc....but a very nice cartier box) to a larger halo from an online vendor in the 1.3-1.6C size.

Ben

 

[miraj]

That diamond looks amazing. Nearly Tolkowsky-perfect proportions. 0.7 HCA with excellent spread, which is unusual. Idealscope looks excellent - you can see the table shows a slightly different red than the rest but I wouldn't worry about it when it comes to real-world effect, as it doesn't indicate a lot of leakage. H&A shows a few minor imperfections, but nothing that you would detect in the real world.

Just be aware that you are paying a premium for that diamond. You can run a search on pricescope to see similar diamonds. Yours is $7468/carat but almost all of the other ideal H/VVS2 diamonds below 1.3ct are below $7000/carat.

That premium may be worth it to you (and others) because it has so many wonderful characteristics.

 

[ecf8503]

Looks beautiful! Now put it on hold ASAP before a lurker swipes it!

 

[nappes]

Thanks guys, I snapped it up. Now I have to find a nice halo to put it in.

I'm not sure I love the JA halos so I'll have a look around. I think A.Jaffe makes some pretty impressive ones
eg this http://www.ajaffe.com/engagement-rings/quilted-round-halo-engagement-ring

I'll keep looking

Thanks again

 

[tyty333]

Thanks guys, I snapped it up. Now I have to find a nice halo to put it in.

I'm not sure I love the JA halos so I'll have a look around. I think A.Jaffe makes some pretty impressive ones
eg this http://www.ajaffe.com/engagement-rings/quilted-round-halo-engagement-ring

I'll keep looking

Thanks again

Thats a pretty setting but it looks to sit very high off the finger...just thought I'd point that out in case you haven't noticed.

 

[Vizsla Girl]

I haven't posted about this yet but saw your reference to the JA falling edge halo and I just recently had a not so wonderful experience with this setting. I pirchased a 2ct cushion stoke and they told me after the fact that they were going to have to create a new setting to match the stones dimensions... After a two week wait I got this...

 

[nappes]

Hi sorry, thats pretty shitty

Yeah, I'm a bit confused about what to do. The james allen diamonds seem good value but the settings..evidently not so much. What are they saying about this? Are they helping you fix it

ben

 

[Vizsla Girl]

I called the day I got it and they were very apologetic and said it never should've passed QC. I am of course going to get my money back and not keep the setting but I am trying to decide on the stone. I got a quote from Canera for my 'dream' setting which is similar but split shank and they want $6500... Which is a ton more than JA! I know, hand forged and all but yikes! I'm Kindof not sure what to do. Here is the piece from the top and side in case you're interested...

 

[nappes]

That looks pretty good even if its a bit uneven. Still worth getting fixed

I decided to reserve a bigger but slightly worse color and clarity stone as well
So 1.6C, Vs1 and I
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3400965.htm
Versus
1.3C, slightly better cut, VVS2 and H
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.28-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-645113

Decisions decisions

 

[Vizsla Girl]

My quest for a new diamond started because I lost my H VS1 Tiffany solitaire. I had it almost 10 years and there was an incident where it was left on an airplane in July. Anyway... The cushion stone I picked is a J and I honestly and truly rarely notice the warmth (even after owning and wearing an H for a log time - was 1.43 ct) and when I do notice it it's subtle. I would feel comfortable going to an I stone if you prefer the other things about that option. Just my 2 cents!