ODBA Recommends 1.52ct H VS1 From James Allen

Q:

Hello Liz,

I am in the process of buying an engagement ring for my girlfriend. I came across ODBA, and have found it very helpful.

We looked at engagement rings recently at Shane Co. (and a few others) to get a sense of her preferences. More than likely, though, I plan to buy from James Allen since online prices sees to be the better value.

In terms of setting, she’s looking for a Halo setting, and I think I’ll likely go with a platinum setting given it’s durability. Something similar to the following:

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-petite-diamond-halo-engagement-ring-item-41150
https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-embellished-gallery-pave-diamond-halo-engagement-ring-item-53019

For the diamond, I’m looking for a round brilliant. What matters most to her is 1) sparkle and then 2) size. My budget for the loose diamond is about $13K with a total budget of $15K. What’s most important is the sparkle, but I’d also like to get as close to 1.5 carats as possible.

I’ve been using the following general criteria to guide my search:
Carat: 1.3 – 1.5
Color: G or above
Clarity: VS2 or above
Cut: Excellent
Polish: Excellent

In general, how much does color actually matter in terms of the brilliance and sparkle of the ring? I’ve read that it doesn’t matter as much. In addition, how much does fluorescence matter? Do you have any recommendations or tips?

Thanks,

Jacob

A:

Hi Jacob,

In terms of brilliance, color saturation makes no significant difference. In other words, you can have a gorgeously brilliant ‘M’ colored diamond.

Color is more of an aesthetic characteristic and the industry prices diamonds based on this because diamonds that are colorless (translucent; D, E, or F) are rare. Thus, the appeal from a marketing perspective.

1.52ct H VS1 diamond from James Allen

Diamond fluorescence is a natural characteristic in about a third of all diamonds. Fluorescence is usually blue and ranges from negligible to very strong. The only time diamond fluorescence poses an issue with transparency is when the diamond has very strong blue fluorescence which can sometimes make the diamond appear opaque. However, not all very strong blue fluorescent diamonds have this issue, thus each diamond must be evaluated individually.

Based on your preferences I recommend this 1.52ct H VS1: https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.52-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3828128

The cut is beautiful and the diamond will show nice bright white brilliance and scintillation.

Another option is this 1.51ct H VS1: https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.51-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3323471

Let me know if you have any further questions!

Kind Regards,

Liz

Q:

Hi Liz,

Thank you so much for the quick response! I really appreciate the input. I’ll likely go with the 1.52ct H VS1 (which is where I was leaning).

Thanks!

Jacob