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Archive for 0.50 ct

Q: I love your site! I’m looking for a diamond for an engagement ring.

Here are my parameters:

At least 0.5 carat

At most $1,500 for the diamond

Round shaped

I’m going with either white gold or platinum setting

I like the color to be colorless to the eye

Ideal cut

Also I don’t want any visible flaws in the diamond

I’ve gathered a list that I thought looks good, and would like your opinion on these. Or if you can find something better:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1326118.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1326677.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1332534.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1335219.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1331895.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1331896.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

Thanks!

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Q: Your website has provided me with some valuable advice, I really knew nothing before visiting it. I’m looking to purchase a ring, I’m UK based and have a £1,500 ring budget.

I’ve seen this diamond:

http://www.bluenile.co.uk/build-your-own-diamond-ring forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP&track=tab#diamonds_forceStep=DIAMONDS_STEP|builder=BYOR|pid=LD01195010

which seems to be a good balance of price/carat/cut/colour/clarity. What do you think?

Many thanks

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Q: My fiance and I have set a budget of $2,000 for my loose diamond, my engagement ring, and my wedding band. I am planning on setting the loose diamond in a white gold solitare setting and will have a plain white gold ring for my wedding band.

We are looking for…

A round stone that is a half carat (.45-.50); Color: H (possibly G); Clarity: SI1, SI2, or VS2 (I do not want to purchase a diamond that has visible inclusions to my eye. Also, I am unsure about buying a ring with a feather crack or cloud characteristic). A depth % of 58% to 64%; A table % of 53% to 64%; Florescense: faint or none; Polish: At least good; Symmetry: At least good; Girdle Thickness: thin, medium, slightly thick (I am having a hard time with this as well. I have read diamonds with thin girdles can chip or crack easily. I have also read thick and very thick girdles are not good to purchase either) Culet: none, very small, small

I have looked at Blue Nile as well as James Allen and am feeling overwhelmed and not sure which route to go.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

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Q: I first wanted to say that I love your site and have been using it a lot to help educate myself while looking for a diamond to propose with. I am sold on buying from James Allen and I think I have narrowed it down to two diamonds but would like your opinion on them as well as any other diamond suggests you may have. The two diamonds on James Allen I have picked out are….

Item#: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1326118.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357
Item#: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1275961.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

I would like to have the bigger diamond but the picture almost looks discolored. Maybe you could let me know if that is the actual diamond that is discolored or if its just the lighting in the picture.

My criteria on any other diamonds you may suggest are as follows.

Budget: Nothing higher than $1,200 for just the diamond.
Must be at a minimum of 54ct.
Must be Ideal cut or True Hearts (if that is as good as an Ideal… not sure on that)
Nothing lower than a J on color
Would prefer a VS2 or higher but I am open to your expertise

I can’t thank you enough for your help.

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Q: I am looking for an engagement ring and happened to come across your site. Here is what I’m looking for:

* Is your goal cheapest price for given parameters, or best diamond for fixed budget:

Well, I’m looking for the best diamond that I need without overpaying for things that are not needed.

* Shape:

Round

* Desired Color Range:

F, G, H

* Desired Clarity:

VS1, VVS2

* Budget:

$5000

* Anything else you might feel is relevant:

The above parameters are flexible.

After reading your homepage, it seems like a VS2 will be acceptable if the blemish is not visible. Basically, I’m somewhat fortunate as my girlfriend does not really want a big ring as she doesn’t want it to look too gaudy. She saw a friends ring which was 1.25 carats and thought it looked nice, BUT she said she could never wear a ring like that. (note, it wasn’t round so I don’t know if that made it look bigger than the carat weight) She has relatively small, petite fingers. At a store, she saw 0.5 and 0.75 carats and she said that would be enough (but she didn’t try it on, just looking through the case). However, financially, I can afford a bit more than that. So I’m thinking of about a 0.9 carat ring. The ‘guy’ side of me wants to go even bigger since I can afford it. I don’t want to regret buying a too small ring when I could afford a larger one. Yet, I want to respect her wishes. Anyway, I’m looking for any advice or maybe the best value diamond at around 0.9 carats or something else if you recommend a bigger ring.

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Q: I was recently at a jewelry store that carried the hearts on fire diamond. What are your thoughts on this diamond, and for $2,500 could i get a better deal on a diamond that still had the same sparkle? the largest i can afford of the hearts on fire is a half carat or maybe a 5/8. it would be nice to get a 3/4 carat without sacrificing on the quality of the cut. thanks for your time

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Q: I’ve been researching diamond buying for a while as I’m looking to buy an engagement ring in the next month or so. One of the avenues I’ve been considering is to fly over (from UK) to Dubai and visit the Gold Souk and Gold & Diamond centre.

Having read good and bad things about Dubai (Good: Tax free, can get real bargains…Bad: Can get ripped off, Dubai diamonds inferior quality, Buy diamond in sealed bag with cert, they don’t have good cut), can you please give your thoughts on Dubai for diamond or ring buying.

I have around £2k to spend as a total and want a princess cut, .5 to .75 crt diamond with a Gold ring (not platinum or white gold).

A: Unless you have another reason to be in Dubai, I think the idea is just going to end up costing you more money.  There’s a few reasons:
1) While it’s true, in Dubai, most diamonds are sold sealed — there’s a reason for this.  Nobody trusts anybody else.  That’s fine, but the problem is that only IGI, HRD, and a local lab or two (that nobody really uses) offer the sealing service.  GIA and AGS don’t.  See my article about the different gem labs.  IGI and HRD aren’t very reliable, so that combined with the unscrupulousness of the Dubai market would make me very wary of buying there.
2) if you’re budget is 2000 Sterling, the airfare and hotel is definitely going to be more than any VAT you’ll pay in the UK.
3) While it’s true margins in Dubai are very low due to the fierce competition, they’re not much higher, if at all, on a site like Blue Nile.
4) There is very little princess cut selection in Dubai.  Demand for Princess cuts is much less in Dubai than the UK or the US, so stores stock very little of them.

What I recommend is buying a diamond on Blue Nile UK.  You can have the diamond set in a simple gold setting on the site.  I will go look for a stone that I recommend and send you a link via email.

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