Hello.
I am looking for an emerald stone for a Emerald Cut Halo Diamond Engagement Ring in 14K White Gold. Budget wise I would not want to go over $6k.
Also I am in a bit of a hurry so I would like a ring that I could have in the next 15-20 days if possible – without compromising on quality or price.
I visited a reputable jewelry. They said that they do not recommend me buying online for 3 reasons:
a) Because the online retailers like Blue Nile and James Allen are sent all the rejected diamonds – eg the ones that reputable jewelers as well as famous brand names, like Tiffany’s go for.
b) Because the return policies of online retailers are very hard to manage – which I also saw mentioned quite a bit online, too (i think it was trustpilot or something like that).
c) Because unless I see the diamond from close I will not be able to spot the inclusions. And the inclusions are pretty often found on the Emerald cut.
It’s up to you how you decide and what you prefer. Most of the emeralds I recommend are VS1+ clarity. It’s very hard to see the inclusions in VS1 diamonds, rarely you can find a VS1 diamond that is not eye-clean. But it’s true emeralds show their inclusions more than other cuts.
Brick and mortar stores can’t compete with online vendors in terms of price. If you buy from a reputable company, it’s not risky at all – some companies even pay for the return shipping. James Allen (www.diamonds.pro/reviews/james-allen/) and Blue Nile (www.diamonds.pro/reviews/blue-nile/) are both reputable companies. Here is our article about this topic: www.diamonds.pro/education/buy-diamonds-online/. Both offer perfect return policies (30 days), free cleaning, resizing, lifetime warranty (www.bluenile.com/services/warranty / www.jamesallen.com/guarantee/lifetime-warranty/). You can read our reviews here: www.diamonds.pro/reviews/. It’s definitely not true that online stores offer rejected diamonds.
It seems the jeweler is playing the oldest sales trick in the book. Online inventories are huge (they offer thousands of diamonds) whereas in a shop, you can mostly check only a few diamonds of each cut. But as I said, the decision is yours.
Thank you for the feedback. I think you are right – seems like a sales trick.
I think it makes sense to keep exploring these 2 websites.
1. Blue Nile LD15382430
2. Blue Nile LD15555270
What are your thoughts on these 2? And do you have other options of diamonds to suggest between $4-5k? (if the total budget is between $6k will be great).
Blue Nile LD15382430 – Part of the feather might be visible under some angles.
Blue Nile LD15555270 – This stone doesn’t have an available cert.
I found these:
Blue Nile LD13619883
Blue Nile LD15276549
Blue Nile LD15505231
Thanks for giving your feedback on my 2 suggestions – great catches btw – and for sharing the 3 options. Do you think that these 3 options are going to look good to the clean eye?
I am asking mainly because I noticed 2 things:
1. In all 3 options the cut is good.
2. I see that 2/3 options have some fluorescence.
For J-H color, you can get diamonds with none, faint and medium fluorescence. The medium fluorescence may help the diamond look a tad whiter. In case of G-D stones, it’s better to avoid medium or strong fluorescence as it may cause a hazy/milky look (www.diamonds.pro/education/fluorescence/). Emeralds don’t have their own official cut scale given by GIA. Some companies use their own internal grades, but we don’t put any stock in those. We just use our own guidelines and strict parameters to find the best stones possible. Therefore, I wouldn’t pay attention to the cut grades you see at all. All the diamonds I suggested are, in my opinion, eye-clean and will look perfect when set.
Good news! I ordered the Blue Nile LD15505231.
I appreciate your assistance!
I’m glad I could help you find the perfect diamond.
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
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