Q&A: In the UK, budget of 3500 GBP (approximately $5700 USD), and needs a custom ring with yellow sapphires

I think you can definitely go with the G SI1 (all else being equal) and you would be hard pressed to notice the difference.
As far as the prices are concerned, I think you can do much better.  Take a look at the following stone from James Allen:

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1272207.asp

It’s totally eye clean.  It’s GIA Excellent cut grade.  G SI1.  The price in the USA is $2,030 USD.  If you use James Allen’s currency calculator, the total price for the stone including shipping, customs, etc is 1570 GBP. That’s a very significant savings over the price you received.

let me know what you think.

I checked again for 0.80s, and still I found a great G SI1 for about 2050 GBP delivered.

There’s two options for me to help you.  I sent an inquiry to James Allen to see if they can manage to get a ring like this one:

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-colored-sidestones/Blue-Sapphire-Ring.html or
https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-colored-sidestones/Pear-Shape-Blue-Sapphire-Ring.html

But with yellow sapphires instead.  Hopefully, they’ll be able to get me an answer soon.  If they can, then I think the best thing to do is just order from them.  They wont have a problem getting the ring to you by Christmas.

If they can’t, then I can do everything for you here in Israel.   I can have a ring made exactly as you want it and find the perfect stone at a great price (possibly even better than JA).

Lets see what the people at JA say.

…….

Great news. I just got word back very quickly from my contact at JA.  They can replace blue sapphires with yellow ones for the same price as the blues.

So here’s what i recommend:

Go to this page:

https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/settings-with-colored-sidestones/?whitegold=1

and pick the style you like best.

For the diamond, I looked through a bunch of them, and found this to be my favorite.  GIA triple excellent.  Totally eye clean.

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Premium-Cut-Round-Diamond-1261691.asp

YOu can use coupon code TAD0611 to get 10% off the setting.  So total in USD is 2780 + about 900.  Putting 3680 into the currency converter leaves you with a final price of 2806 GBP total delivered.

Order this one over the phone and ask for Jim.  he’s the one who approved the yellow sapphire.  He’s also the boss (Jim is short for James Allen Shultz).   You can call now.  They have late phone hours.

I’m off to bed now. It’s 12:30am here in Israel. Let me konw how it goes!

I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to respond to this last night, I know you’re working on a tight schedule!

About the advice you received: My philosophy is that if a stone is eye-clean, it doesn’t need to be any cleaner. If you can’t see the inclusions on your SI1, then why should you pay more for a VS2? This is how all the diamond experts that I know feel (if they were to be buying a diamond themselves for their wives). As far as needed a higher clarity for a higher color stone – that’s a complete misunderstanding. Color and clarity are two completely separate descriptors of diamond qualities. There’s no reason to correlate the two at all. I actually wrote an article on this subject. YOu can find it here:

https://www.diamonds.pro/2009/07/20/best-color-and-clarity-combination/

As far as buy online is concerned – the real truth is that it’s a complete win-win situation. It’s cheaper. It’s easier. No haggling. No pushy salespeople. Customer service is amazing. If there’s a problem, you have 30 days to return the ring for a full refund. (Actually, in JA’s case you have more than 30 days since they extended their holiday return period to Jan 15th.) Since starting this website in the summer, I’ve helped over 50 people buy their engagement rings from James Allen. Every single one has been completely pleased with the experience.

Since conflict diamonds and non-conflict diamonds are scientifically indistinguishable from one another, there’s no TRUE way to know with absolute certainty that they have none. That’s the honest answer, and it applies to ANY store selling diamonds. But, there are certain methods the industry has put into place such as the Kimberly Process, that have greatly reduced the trade of conflict diamonds. I know JA only deals with companies with great long term reputations who are fully Kimberly Process compliant. They have a guarantee on their website that all of their diamonds are conflict free.

……

I’d love to hear what you decide in the end – your situation was very unique, so it piqued my interest!  (I’m also proud of myself re: the yellow sapphires 🙂 )

Great news! I’m so happy I was able to help! Please stay in touch. I’d love to hear how the ring looks when it arrives.

Also, if you use facebook, check out the new “page” I set up for the website: https://www.facebook.com/TheDiamondPro/

I plan on setting up a monthly giveaway sometime soon for people who participate (post experiences, proposal ideas, etc). It won’t be a 5 ct diamond, but it will be something significant (stud earrings, a simple stud pendant, etc).