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Q&A: Wasn’t Even Looking for Help, and I Saved Him Cash and Got Him a Better Stone!

By Mike Fried,

No questions, I just wanted to take the time to write to you and let you know that your info is very appreciated. I have been studying up so I can get the best diamond for its value. I came across your site last night and took the knowledge you gave me to downtown LA today and found some great diamonds, started the process on having a ring made, and learned some great new things about the industry. Keep up the good work informing all of us lay people so we can all find that perfect stone! Thanks

My pleasure.  If you want me to help you compare the prices you’ve been getting, just let me know the details.


I was just offered a Princess cut .70, square to the 100th mm, VS1 (searched hard for a flaw, no luck finding one), E color, ext thin – medium girdle, depth – 76.6, table – 83 (a bit large right?) everything else was good or better, GIA…  $2100.00

This diamond was beautiful, I spent the entire day looking at diamonds all over Hill St. and this was by far the nicest that I saw. My ideal size is .73 – .77 but comparing it up against a .75 I saw no difference. The only thing that would keep me from buying this diamond is that fact that the cost of him making me the ring is so much lower than my original quote, I now have $1,400 extra dollars that I can either save or make some changes. I might put it towards better quality side diamonds since I believe this stone is ideal.


Hey B.  I hate to do this to you, but take a look at this:

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1270324.asp

It’s a much better make than the stone you saw and it’s cheaper.  83% table is really big.  James Allen’s top 3 cut grades (internal, not GIA) are Ideal, Premium, and Good.  I’m pretty sure an 83% table doesn’t even qualify as “Good.”  In fact, I just searched their inventory, and teh largest table they have in their entire stock is 80%.  Also, 76.6% depth is also not so great.  76.6% depth alone would knock a stone down to “Good.”

You didn’t tell me the dimensions of your stone, but I’m pretty sure this JA stone has a larger LxW since the depth is so much less.


the dimensions are 4.80×4.79×3.67


That’s because of the extremely thin girdle (which is another strike against that stone. Extremely thin girdles on princess cuts are prone to chipping.)


well again, thanks for the info. I am gong to look further into some more stones. I have requested more info on the stone you recommended. If you come across any other info for .73 – .77 range within the 2000 range I would much appreciative to see that info.


I took your advice after searching numerous diamonds that compare to the one I saw and the one you recommended and I went with your choice. I await the arrival of the stone and look forward to seeing it on the ring.


Great! I can’t wait to hear your report 🙂


It arrived and I like it alot. It was the nicest stone I had seen to date. I had it checked and verified. I was told I got a killer deal on it as well. A local dealer would have charged me $500 more for it. Thanks very much for your help. I should be getting the ring this week, I will take a photo and send it to you.

James Allen James Allen is the leader in online diamond sales. Their imaging technology is the same as inspecting a diamond with a jeweler's loupe. They have the largest exclusive loose diamond inventory online and fantastic prices. They also have the nicest collection of lab-created diamonds online. Get 25% off sitewide at James Allen
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
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Blue Nile Blue Nile is the largest and most well known internet jewelry seller. They have a very large exclusive online inventory. Their high quality images are catching up to James Allens' and their prices are amazing.Save 25% on settings at Blue Nile!

Please enter your email address to receive your 25% off coupon code:

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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