Hello everyone. I've been spending most of the last couple of months trying to find the perfect engagement ring. I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by all of the tradeoffs that can be made, so I like to humbly ask for your opinions. 
My girlfriend has offered surprisingly few opinions on the subject, except her love of round cut diamonds that have amazing fire to them.
Easy enough: Round with an ideal cut.
And that's when it stops becoming easy. At least, for the unexperienced such as myself...
Size: She seems to want a size large enough to be impressive, but not obnoxious. I settled on the 1.7-2.0 range, although not sure if these are still too big to work from.
Color: One website commented that anything better than an H is wasted on a round stone once its in the setting. Other threads here have expressed some concern about the color that is still evident at that level. I'm curious if anyone has thoughts about I-J diamonds in this size given the vast difference in price. Looking at the inventory on JamesAllen, the colors seem evident side by side, but, again, thats without a setting.
Clarity: VS2 or better.
Price: Just for the diamond, $17.5 - $25k.
Thanks in advance everyone. I can't say enough about how helpful this forum has been.
My girlfriend has offered surprisingly few opinions on the subject, except her love of round cut diamonds that have amazing fire to them.
Easy enough: Round with an ideal cut.
And that's when it stops becoming easy. At least, for the unexperienced such as myself...
Size: She seems to want a size large enough to be impressive, but not obnoxious. I settled on the 1.7-2.0 range, although not sure if these are still too big to work from.
Color: One website commented that anything better than an H is wasted on a round stone once its in the setting. Other threads here have expressed some concern about the color that is still evident at that level. I'm curious if anyone has thoughts about I-J diamonds in this size given the vast difference in price. Looking at the inventory on JamesAllen, the colors seem evident side by side, but, again, thats without a setting.
Clarity: VS2 or better.
Price: Just for the diamond, $17.5 - $25k.
Thanks in advance everyone. I can't say enough about how helpful this forum has been.