http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-diamond-ring?offer_id=12959&forceStep=STYLE_STEP

Any comments or concerns you have about the ring would be greatly appreciated. We didn’t know if these stones were significant enough in size that we have to worry about color matching to the center stone. Also was wondering how much we should be worried if the side diamonds are eye clean. I had a diamond previously that did have black inclusions (2 fairly small but visible) and it was always disappointing. Even though otherwise it was a beautiful diamond, those black dots always bothered me.

As for the center stone the most important thing to us is that it’s brilliant, white and sparkly. We are looking for a round cut, eye clean and somewhere between 1-1.35 ct. We don’t want to have to pay for something unneccessary, but would like a big wow factor. We realize that there is a lot left open on options for size, but we’re more concerned with the other factors that fit within these size parameters.

Also, I know you often suggest diamonds from james allen just because you can actually see what you are buying before you buy it. If that is the case would we be able to take the setting purchased from Blue Nile and separate center stone to a local jeweler to be set or do you have another suggestion?

Thanks for your site and all your help! It’s much appreciated.

A: That is a beautiful ring indeed! Lets move forward like this – your best bet in this situation would be to have JA match the setting from BN for you. I’ve helped many people in the past accomplish this and they’ve always left very satisfied.

Btw, these side stones aren’t small at all (as far as sidestones go), so you do need to be concerned about color. If JA can make the ring with G/Hs, then it should be perfectly fine to stay in the H/I range for the center stone.

I’m CCing to this email Mr. Jim Schultz from JA who will hopefully respond to us both positively or negatively re: their ability to match this setting for you. Keep in mind also that when JA matches a ring, it is not simply pressed out of a mold, but is rather hand made and considered to be of higher quality.

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend!

Response from James Allen:
Ira/xxxxx,

Thank you for the email. We can reproduce the setting in the link below for $3,000. Production time is approximately two weeks. As a custom design, however, the ring would be subject to a 15% restocking fee if returned.

I want to quickly also point out that we offer a similar setting that is substantially less expensive and also has a matching wedding band. Our item number is 11009p and a link to the design can be found here:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-1935.asp

To give you some sense of how this diamond looks with a 1.00ct center diamond, you can view this photograph from our Recently Sold Collection:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/settings-with-sidestones/1502/Engagement-Rings-Side-Stones.html

The 11009p features slightly smaller side diamonds that the other design, but they are still large enough to make a really “pop” next to the center diamond. By reducing the size of those side diamonds by just a few tenth of a millimeters, you can still get a fantastic look, but free up almost $1,300 that can then be applied towards the center diamond.

Hope this helps!

Q: Thanks for the suggestion of having JA custom match the setting. We looked at the setting Jim suggested from JA and have one concern when compared to the one we had picked out from BN. The setting from BN (to us) looks like the first diamond off the center stone on either side is farther to the side, allowing it to be seen better. It seems to us that the first stone on either side of the center stone on JA setting is 1/2 hidden by the center stone. We had actually seen that one and ruled it out previously because of that. Do you think that is a non issue or valid concern? We have discussed possibly going with the JA setting and if we are not satified with the look of it we could return it and have them custom match the other setting at that point. Do you know, if we went ahead with having them custom make the ring would we be able to pick out the side stones or would they just do that as they do with their settings? Thanks for all of your help with this!

Also, we see the clarity rating of the diamonds in the JA is slightly less… any way we could make sure they would be eyeclean?
…….
After doing a little more talking and window shopping at local jewerly stores this weekend we’ve decided we are going to have James Allen match the setting from BN. We are also looking for a center stone between 1.25-1.5. We did some searching through JA site and picked out a few that we thought might be possibilities but wanted your opinion on which are the best/cleanest and best value. Also, if you have any other suggestions, we’d love to look at them!

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Premium-Cut-Round-Diamond-1280700.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1344860.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Premium-Cut-Round-Diamond-1347641.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1353926.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VVS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1360339.asp
We haven’t asked Jim yet if the quote he gave for matching the setting was with diamonds in the G/H range or the F that BN had on their site. We’re going to have it made with G/H diamonds though.

Hope you had a great weekend.

A: I think that’s a great choice! I don’t know if the price of the ring will be any cheaper for G/H color side stones, but I’m sure they can definitely accomodate that request!

Can I assume that 12,000 is your max budget? I think the stones you picked, for the most part, are really nice. My only suggestion would be to allow some lower clarity stones in the mix. I can help you find ones that will be clean to the naked eye. For example:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1192013.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1333866.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1360374.asp

Let me know what you think of those!

Q: Wow! There sure is a lot to get excited about when looking at diamonds. The 3 you sent us were beautiful. Yes, max budget for the diamond is 12,000. Of course if we can get a great looking diamond for less that’s even better. After we sent off that email last night we did find one more that was a lower clarity and wanted to have you look to see if it would be eye clean.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1306843.asp

I guess the question now is where do we go from here. Which of the ones we sent you would you stay away from? Any suggestions as to how to make a decision from the choices we have or should we do more searching for a lower clarity diamond? You have been so extremely helpful in this process!

A: All that’s really left to do is make a decision! You can definitely save a lot of money going with a 1.2ct stone like the one you linked to (which is really nice btw). But going up to a 1.50ct stone will definitely be a noticeable jump in size. It’s about 0.5mm which is very easily noticeable.

Maybe pick your favorite 3 and have JA do a side by side comparison for you?

Q: Wanted to let you know we made a decision. We split the difference on the diamond size. We purchased the 1.36 diamond you had offered as a suggestion.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1360374.asp

The customs setting has been ordered and will take a couple of weeks for production. Thanks for all your help, we’ll let you know what we think when we receive the ring!

A: Great! I can’t wait to hear your reaction!!

Here are the details:

- Is your goal cheapest price for given parameters, or best diamond for fixed budget?
No, it is not. Quality is very important.

- Shape
Princess shape.

- Desired Color Range
I, H, G

- Desired Clarity
VS2 – VVS2

- Desired Cut
Very Good – Ideal

- Desired Size
1.70 – 1.90

- Budget
8,000 – 12,000

Thank you.

A: Here are some very fine options. Each is eye clean of course, and each has a near-perfect cut:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1314714.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1280747.asp

Q: I had actually picked the first one – 1.77, so this reassures my decision. Thank you for your help. Would you recommend buying off of James Allen?

…….

Can you please provide me with your opinion of this diamond versus the other ones that you sent. It seems to be priced well:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1243862.asp

A: Most definitely I recommend them. I’ve had a ton of experience over the past year and a half since I started the site sending people to JA – I’ve never heard any complaints. Everyone’s extremely pleased with them.

As for the I VS2 you linked to, the cut isn’t QUITE as nice as the H VS1, but you know what, for that much of a difference in price, you might be better off with the one you picked! If you’re setting it in a solitaire setting, then for sure go with the I VS2. Otherwise, you might need to stick with H or better in color to match the side stones.

Q: Thank you for your help. It is very much appreciated. I am looking at this setting with a single diamond.
Selected Setting:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/1-carat-solitaire-engagement-ring.html

Here are the 5 diamonds I have narrowed it down to:

I VS1 – $9520
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1318388.asp

I VS2 – $9780
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1243862.asp

G VS2 – $12170
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1280747.asp

H VS1 – $11050
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1314714.asp

I VS2 – $9270
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1339636.asp

I am having trouble deciding if I should spend the extra 2000-3000 dollars on the G and H. I guess I just don’t have the experience to determine the exact difference in the diamonds.
I am trying to keep the diamond at around $10000 since the setting is around $1500.
Which one would you recommend? Also do you think the setting I selected will look fine with the selected diamonds?

Thank you!

A: That ring will look fantastic with any of these stones. Since you’re setting it in a solitaire, I really think your best bet is to go with an I color. There’s almost no visual difference between an I and H face-up mounted in a ring. So $1500 is a lot of money to pay for such an extremely minor effect.

Let me know what you decide in the end!

Q: That helps me narrow it down. Now to choose which I color one i want.
When I make my final decision I will be sure to let you know.

…….

Does a “thick” girdle matter? Do you think I should not consider diamonds with thick girdles.

…….

I think I have picked this one. I am not 100% certain yet, but I am leaning towards this one. It seems to be the best value for the largest size, and overall it seems to be a clean diamond.
What do you think?
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1249096.asp

Thanks.

A: Thick is Ok. Just stay away from “extremely thick” or “extremely thin”

…….

That’s a fantastic stone with an amazing value at 1.91cts. These are very very rare, so you should snap it up before someone else does!

Q: That’s great news. I was reading information online that said you don’t want a diamond in the 1.5-2.0 range that has a “I color” since you will really notice it. I guess that is not the case?

A: nope. Complete nonsense!

Q: Excellent, I will order it as soon as I can. Thank you for all of your help.

A: My pleasure! Please stay in touch and let me know how it goes and what you think of it when it arrives!

Q: I really appreciate your help and expertise. I ordered the ring tonight. I am anxious to see what it looks like.
Is there anything I can do to put a review on your website or help you out in any way?

A: Thanks for letting me know! Lets make a deal – wait until you get the ring. If you love it, then I’ll hit you up for a review

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Click on image to view enlarged photo.

Shape: Round Brilliant

Carats: 1.71

Diamond Cut: Excellent

Diamond Color: J

Diamond Clarity: SI1

Measurements: 7.70*7.74*4.67

Depth: 60.5%

Table: 59%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

Diamond Price: $12,070

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 2.01

Diamond Color: I

Diamond Clarity: VS1

Measurements: 7.12*6.93*4.94

Length/Width Ratio: 1.03

Depth: 71.3%

Table: 70%

Diamond Polish: Very Good

Diamond Symmetry: Very Good

Diamond Fluorescence: Faint

Diamond Price: $12,120

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TAD0611 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

A:  Hi. I just tried calling you, but as the voicemail answered, I noticed that you asked me to call only after 6pm. I won’t be able to because in Israel where I live, we’re (now for the time being until we change our clocks too) 6 hours ahead of you.

First of all, thanks for writing! And thanks for the kind words about the site.

I do think you can get what you’re looking for with your budget, but it depends on a few things.

1) What shape are you looking for?

2) How intricate of a setting and wedding band are you looking to get? Could you send me a link to a style you like?

3) Yes, if you use the TAD0611 coupon code, you will get 10% off the setting (not the diamond) and wedding band.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Q: Hi Ira- I didn’t know you were in Israel, but now I understand there is a time difference.

As for the shape, she’s pretty insistent on a round diamond with a platinum band.

For the band, I really like this one.

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-261.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

Not to ‘metal-ly’ and I think the smaller diamonds on the sides make the center diamond look bigger. I also like others that have 6 or 8 side stones.

Right now, finding the perfect center diamond is really the key.

I’ll also be available by phone in 30 minutes if you are still around.

A: Thanks for the quick reply. Just one thing – you said your budget of 10-12 included the wedding band. How plain/ornate of a band do you plan on buying? I’m trying to narrow down what my exact budget for the diamond is.

Q: I’m pretty set on this setting, which is $1640 before discount:

http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/ring/item_58-261.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

For the band, I was thinking something that would be about the same price. Maybe something like this one.

http://www.jamesallen.com/wedding-and-anniversary/womens-wedding-rings/ring/item_63-263.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357

A: Ok, so I’m figuring about a 9300 budget max for the center stone. Lets get started!

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1254384.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357 – AGS triple zero. Only concern here is the stone has clouds. This can either mean that it’s basically clean and will have no visual affects, or it can mean it looks like frozen spit. It’s hard to tell based on the picture, so I’d recommend having JA pull the stone to give you their opinion. If it’s good, the stone is a great value.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1289817.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357 – GIA triple zero. It’s an awful picture with terrible lighting. But the stone looks definitely clean to the naked eye.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1288634.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357 – GIA excellent cut. Another awful picture which distorts the stone’s color, but the stone looks clean to the naked eye.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1278164.asp?a_aid=dmnd1357 – GIA Excellent cut. Also eye clean.

Have a look at these suggestions and let me know what you think!

Q:  The first diamond is no longer available. I liked the other three but have the same 2 concerns with each: 1) The clarity is SI2. I understand that may not mean anything to the naked eye but just want to make sure. On the 3 diamonds you recommend, can you tell if the inclusions are near the perimeter? Also, can you tell if the inclusions are translucent? 2) The girdle size is thick for these, I’d been previously advised to look for a thin or medium girdle. Does this matter?

A: Have a look at my article about diamond clarity here:

http://www.truthaboutdiamonds.com/truth-about/diamond-clarity/

It looks like the last stone in my list was sold already as well. As far as the remaining two stones in the middle are concerned – yes, both diamonds’ inclusions are translucent and near the perimeter.

Slightly thick and thick girdles are not a problem at all. I also don’t really mind Very THick girdles. I usually just tell people to stay away from Extremely Thick girdles.

Q: Thanks so much for your help, Ira. I took a deep breath and bought the second diamond on your list (the 1.7 carat stone).

Here goes. Thanks again.

A: Congrats! PLEASE let me know what you think when it arrives!

……….

Hey. I know it’s been a while. I just wanted to follow up with you to see how you liked the ring. I’d love to hear!

Q:  Hi Ira- Got the ring last Thursday and love it. It appraised over 15K and I paid 10K for it, so I am happy.

Thanks so much for your help.

A: Hey! What great news!! I really appreciate you getting back to me and letting me know. I’m very happy you’re pleased with the ring. I was wondering if you could do me a small favor if you have the time. Do you think you might be able to leave me feedback on ivouch?

The website is still quite new – I only launched in the summer. These reviews really help me build credibility. YOu can access it here directly here:

(LINK REMOVED)

I wish you and your fiance a long life together filled with health, happiness, and love!

(You can read this users review here on ivouch.com)

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the AGS Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 1.26

Diamond Color: G

Diamond Clarity: VVS2

Diamond Cut: Ideal

Measurements: 6.96*6.99*4.28

Depth: 61.3%

Table: 55.0%

Crown Angle: 34.3°

Crown %: 15.4%

Pavilion Angle: 40.9°

Pavilion %: 43.1%

Diamond Polish: Ideal

Diamond Symmetry: Ideal

Diamond Fluorescence: None

James Allen Engagement Ring

Diamond Price: $12,060

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TAD0611 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

One style that is very popular nowadays is the “halo” style.  The halo style is basically when you have a diamond pave-set frame around the edge of the face of the diamond set in the engagement ring.  This is popular for a number of reasons.  Firstly, all pave styles in general are very popular now and have been for a number of years now.  But additionally, halo styles are popular because they give the diamond the appearance of being larger than it actually is.

James Allen offers several different “halo” style engagement rings.  Many are a part of their designer “Meno MicroPave Collection.”  But these rings are expensive, due to their brand name.  But JA offers many similar styles in their regular engagement ring selection that are equally as beautiful.

One such example of a beautiful halo-style engagement ring in their regular ring inventory is their 18k White Gold Split Shank Pave Halo Diamond Engagement Ring.

What I like about this setting is that the split shank widens the footprint of the ring on the finger, yet it’s not big and bulky.  So this ring will look great on fingers of all sizes, yet doesn’t look overly heavy with gold or platinum.

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 2.05

Diamond Color: I

Diamond Clarity: VS2

Measurements: 8.13*6.96*4.49

Length/Width Ratio: 1.17

Depth: 64.5%

Table: 65%

Diamond Polish: Very Good

Diamond Symmetry: Very Good

Diamond Fluorescence: None

James Allen Engagement Ring

Diamond Price: $12,410

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TAD0611 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

James Allen also has a large variety of engagement rings to choose from to pair with today’s daily diamond selection.  The most classic (and most often requested) engagement ring style is the “Tiffany” style solitaire engagement ring.  What makes the Tiffany style look unique is the “knife-edge” look around the shank.  The shank, instead of being rounded, comes to an edge all the way around.  With a diamond this substantial in size, it would be best to have a shank width of at least 2.5 mm such as with James Allen’s 18k White Gold Pave Set 4 Prong Diamond Engagement Ring.

Today’s daily diamond selection will of course be clean to the naked eye (as are all of our daily diamond selections).  The only thing to be of concern with today’s selection would be that some people might not like their cushion cut to be quite as rectangular as today’s.  Most cushions have Length-to-Width ratios of about 1.10.  Today’s stone’s ratio is 1.17, so it’s slightly more elongated.

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 1.70

Diamond Color: G

Diamond Clarity: VS1

Measurements: 6.92*6.53*4.66

Length/Width Ratio: 1.06

Depth: 71.4%

Table: 64%

Diamond Polish: Good

Diamond Symmetry: Good

Diamond Fluorescence: None

James Allen Engagement Ring

Diamond Price: $12,290

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TAD0611 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

James Allen also has a great selection of engagement rings to choose from to match with this diamond.  If your fiance to be is the kind of woman that needs a splash of color in everything, then James Allen’s Platinum 3-Stone Trillion Cut Blue Sapphire Engagement Ring might be the perfect setting for you.  The triangle shaped trillions are a great accent to a square princess cut center stone.

As with all of my princess cut daily diamond recommendations, the cut quality on today’s diamond is superb.  If you have a preference for small tables, then today’s diamond in particular might be perfect for you.  A table this small (64%) is truly difficult to find on most modern cut princess cuts.  The only caveat with today’s diamond is that the Length to Width ratio is a tiny bit too large.  GIA defines square as 1.00:1.00 to 1.05:1.00.  So today’s 1.06 is just outside of that range.  If you are very sensitive to squareness, then today’s diamond might not be right for you.

Click here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen

Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 2.51

Diamond Color: I

Diamond Clarity: I1

Diamond Cut: Excellent Cut

Measurements: 8.64*8.69*5.41

Depth: 62.4%

Table: 58%

Diamond Polish: Very Good

Diamond Symmetry: Excellent

Diamond Fluorescence: None

James Allen Engagement Ring

Diamond Price: $11,880

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TAD0611 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

Same stone as above, but closer to actual size

James Allen also has a great selection of engagement rings to choose from to match with this diamond.  I love the look of a nice big round diamond matched with an engagement ring with a think band set with small side stones.  I think James Allen’s 18k White Gold 2.0mm Art-Nouveau Pave Set Diamond Engagement Ring is a great option to match with this stone.

If you don’t believe me that this stone is clean to the naked eye, take a look at the picture above. Can you see the inlcusion now? That’s much closer to life-size.

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Here’s the Stats (Or Click Here for a Copy of the GIA Certificate):

Diamond Magnified 20x - Click to Enlarge

Carats: 1.81

Diamond Color: H

Diamond Clarity: VVS2

Measurements: 7.24*6.75*4.60

Length/Width Ratio: 1.07

Depth: 68.1%

Table: 63%

Diamond Polish: Excellent

Diamond Symmetry: Very Good

Diamond Fluorescence: Faint

James Allen Pave Engagement Ring

Diamond Price: $11,990

Don’t forget to use our exclusive coupon code TAD0611 with James Allen for 10% off Engagement Ring Settings!

James Allen also has a great selection of engagement rings to choose from to match with this diamond. I personally think James Allen’s 18k White Gold 2.6mm Six Prong Pave Set Engagement Ring would look fantastic with this diamond.

Click Here to be Brought to the Diamond on James Allen