Selecting an engagement ring setting can be a very exciting process. It can, however, cause some potential issues as well. If you set your budget to a certain amount and then find a setting of your dreams that takes over half of that budget, the diamond hunt can become a bit more difficult.
A similar scenario happened to one of our readers who fell in love with a certain setting and then didn’t have enough money to spend on the diamond they wanted.
Here’s the reader’s original email:
Hi there,
I’m helping my son look for an engagement ring. After reading your information I have only been looking at James Allen. He really likes this setting (https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-sidestones/18k-white-gold-tapered-baguette-diamond-engagement-ring.html)
Because the setting is so expensive, he wants to stay around $4000 for the entire ring, and get a diamond close to 1 carat, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
With the large setting, the bigger diamonds look better in it, but he just can’t afford them – at least the ones we think are quality.
Any ideas for us? He’s at a loss – the right ring but sacrifice diamond quality/size or try to settle on another setting so he has more money to go toward the diamond?
Thanks for your help, I appreciate your forum.
The setting they chose is gorgeous and one of our ultimate favorites. However, the setting price of $2,300 only leaves $1,700 for the diamond which isn’t enough for a full carat. The best scenario here is to get a 3/4 carat diamond and make sure it looks brilliant and is clean to the naked eye.
Stretching to get the largest diamonds possible could lead to a diamond that’s cloudy, heavily included, or badly cut. All that can cause a lack of brilliance and the wow factor that everyone loves about diamonds.
Engagement Ring Style
Choosing the right engagement ring style that you’ll love for the rest of your life can be difficult and often very stressful. Especially since there are so many options to choose from. It’s similar to choosing a wedding dress. Endless options that you can drown in. And then there is the aspect of availability and money. Even if you have an idea of what you like, it doesn’t mean you can find it or have the funds to have it custom-made.
And sometimes, you find THE setting of your dreams and you can’t believe it. But what should you do if the setting you really want costs more than you can afford?
Our reader set their budget for $4,000. And then they found a setting they loved for $2,300 knowing that they always wanted a full carat diamond. That dream quickly became a nightmare for them.
Soution #1 – Smaller Diamond
One of the solutions is to pick a smaller diamond and make peace with the fact that you’ll get the setting style you always wanted, even though the diamond in it is going to be a tad smaller. In this case, they can have a beautiful 0.75-0.80ct diamond that will look big enough in the three-stone setting they chose and will fit their budget perfectly.
Some people would try to go as high in carat weight as possible just to get the full carat, but that’ often leads to problems, such as too many imperfections, not enough brilliance, cloudiness, etc. Ultimately, nobody would be happy with that decision.
Here is an example of a beautiful 0.82ct diamond from James Allen that would fit the bill. I color is exactly what you need and the SI1 clarity, in this case, gives you a nice eye-clean diamond. The fact that is gorgeously cut will add the the overall appearance and make the diamond shine. Not a bad solution, what do you think?
Solution #2 – Different Setting
Another way to change the odds is to pick a different setting style. This might be harder than it sounds as the style is vital to the overall look.
After a few back-and-forth messages with our reader, they mentioned that they found another setting that they decided to go with. This pavé twist contemporary style setting they chose costs significantly less ($960 in white gold as opposed to $2,300 for the original one) and they seemed very happy with it.
That opened a huge door for them as they could get a diamond close to 1ct, or even the full carat they always wanted, such as this 1.01ct H SI2 round cut diamond from James Allen.
Final Thoughts
Setting your budget is equally important as making sure you divide it properly. We get it, ring styles vary a lot and are beautiful to look at. And sometimes our taste doesn’t match our financial options. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get what you want.
Knowing what to change, what diamond quality to choose (we’ve covered this in our 9-step guide to buying a diamond), and what diamond carat weight would be the best can save you a lot of time and stress.
If you get stuck and you don’t know what to do, we’re here to help. One of our experts will happily assist you during the entire process. Just message us and we’ll be right with you.
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free International Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisals
- One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
- Free ring inscriptions
- Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Best-in-class packaging
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisal
- One free resizing within the first year of purchase
- High quality images of about half of their diamonds
- 24/7 Customer Service
- 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
- Best in class fulfillment