Virtual Purchase: 3-Stone Diamond Ring

What:  For this Virtual Purchase, I am focusing on a ring with 3 round diamonds: a center diamond that is larger, with proportionally smaller round diamonds on the sides, in white gold or platinum in several total weights (adding all the carat weights of the stones together, abbreviated as TW):  1/2 ct TW, 1 ct TW, and 2 ct TW.  I didn’t look at total carat weights less than 1/2 carat–spread across 3 stones, the individual carat weights are just too small, you are better off putting your whole budget into one diamond.

A little background on the design and significance:  3-stone rings have actually been around for a long time, they just didn’t have a name and specific jewelry category until De Beers decided to brand them a few years ago.  Some other jewelry items that people didn’t know they needed before De Beers told them they did are engagement rings (the 1948 campaign “A Diamond Is Forever” that lauched the modern-day concept of a diamond engagement ring), right-hand rings, “Journey” jewelry, anniversary bands.  I do think the 3-stone ring is beautiful and enduring.  The 3 stones represent your past, present, and future.  With this symbolism, a 3-stone could be presented as an engagement ring, or for a significant anniversary. 

Classic 3-Stone Round Diamond Ring from Costco.com

Where:  I looked for 3-stone rings anywhere I could find them at major retailers online:  Blue Nile, Costco.com, Amazon.com, Diamond.com, plus some others in the table below.  I had kind of a hard time finding very many already mounted options in my target quality range of G-H color, SI1-SI2 clarity, especially in 1/2 ct TW.

Here are the results of my research in table format and my picks for best quality/value/style highlighted, with more specific notes down below (if you need a 4 C’s diamond quality refresher, click here).  You can click on the retailer name to go directly to the ring featured:

1/2 carat TW 3-Stone Diamond Ring:
Company:	Mounting Metal:	Min Color:	Min Clarity:	Cut:	Price:	Price after discount:	Comments:
Jewelrycentral.com	14kt w and y	H-I	I1	Not spec	$    595.00		Best value for H/I1 quality, I1 clarity not great
Ice.com	14kt w and y	G	I1	Not spec	$    795.00		I1 clarity not great, there are better quality options
Classicjewelry.com	14kt w and y	H	SI2	Not spec	$ 1,014.00	$    861.90	My pick for H/SI2 quality. Good value with 15% off
Amazon.com	14kt w and y	H	SI2	Very Good	$    999.00	$    699.00	Was $699, best quality, but now not on sale
Blue Nile	18kt w	I	SI2	Not Spec	$ 1,200.00		Beautiful ring, price not great even with 18kt mtg
Diamond.com	14kt w and y	H	I1	Not Spec	$    795.00		Not competitive on price, especially for I1

 

1 ct TW 3-Stone Diamond Ring:
Company:	Mounting Metal:	Min Color:	Min Clarity:	Cut:	Price:	Price after discount:	Comments:
Jewelrycentral.com	18kt w	H-I	SI2	Not spec	$ 2,200.00		Nice design, best everyday price
Mondera	Platinum	G-H	VS1-VS2	Not spec	$ 3,500.00		Nice style, higher quality
Blue Nile	18kt w	H	SI2	Not spec	$ 2,450.00		Beautiful ring, good reviews on site
Amazon.com	14kt w and y	H	SI2	Very Good	$ 2,999.00	$ 1,609.99	Was 30% off of $2299, terrible price w/o sale
Diamond.com	14kt w and y	H	I1	Not Spec	$ 1,995.00		Lowest price option, but I1 lower quality
Costco.com	14kt w	I	VS2	Very Good	$ 2,499.00		Absolutely beautiful mounting, great value
Classicjewelry.com	14kt w and y	H	SI2	Not spec	$ 2,547.00	$ 2,164.95	My pick for H/SI2 quality, good value with 15% off

 

2 ct TW 3-Stone Diamond Ring:
Company:	Mounting Metal:	Min Color:	Min Clarity:	Cut:	Price:	Price after discount:	Comments:
Diamond.com	14kt w and y	H	I1	Not Spec	$ 5,495.00		Low price but it’s lower I1 clarity and 14kt
Costco.com	Platinum	I	VS2	VG	$ 7,499.00		Absolutely gorgeous, great value for quality
Costco.com	Platinum	I	VS2	VG	$ 8,499.99	$ 7,999.99	Good sale offer, fancy vintage-style setting

 

My favorite 1 ct TW 3-Stone Ring from Costco.com

Jewelrycentral.com:  This company comes up high in google search results, so I checked them out.  Prong basket settings for their 3-stone rings.  Not crazy about I1, better quality is out there for good value.  No specifics on the break-down of carat weight.

Ice.com:  Not totally sure about this site, I would have to order something from them to be able to completely endorse.  Ok value on a G/I1 clarity. 

Classicjewelry.com:  New site discovery for me, they say they are a NYC manufacturer in business for 25 years.  They have the usual 30 day return policy and a customer service 877#. They also have live chat and list their address on the site, which is a pretty good sign (some no-name sites you can barely find an “about us”). Can enter email for coupon code for 15% off anything over $500 http://www.classicjewelry.com/diamonds/jewelry/coupon.php . 

Amazon.com:  Sigh.  Amazon jewelry buyers, please read this and listen up: your price messaging is terrible.  This item was 30% off of $999 for Valentine’s Day, but not marked anywhere obvious on the detail page, I had to go through entire check-out to get final price.  The sale prices for the 1/2 ct and 1 ct TW rings were amazing, but the regular prices are NOT competitive, and that is usually where Amazon wins (price).  I like this style, with the square-edge clean band and stylish baskets.  Site navigation for this category is pretty good: from Jewelry category page, 3-stone left nav category takes you to page where the rings are grouped by mounting type/diamond quality and you can choose your carat total weight. 

Blue Nile:  Beautiful ring, probably worth buying if you want the 18kt mounting, but I think their prices should come down a bit in this economy (if they want to survive).  Great site navigation as usual, 3-stone rings have their own category in left nav.  Could build your own from their loose diamond collection if you want.  Carat TWs from .25 ct TW to 3.63 ct TW.  No break-down of carat weights of center vs. sides, which surprised me from this company.

Diamond.com:  Arrgghh!  This is a jewelry-specific site, but navigating is terrible: no 3-stone category and the refinements are not useful (how about refining by carat TW, maybe?).  I had to wade through pages of totally random rings to find the 3-stones.  Also, I don’t like that they don’t offer qualities higher than I1 for mounted rings: at I1 clarity you can see the inclusions, and unless your budget is really tight, SI2 is a better bet. 

Costco.com:  Really lovely mountings, different from the rest of the offerings here.  For someone who wants classic, but with a little twist.  For the higher clarity and relatively large center at .40, I think the 1 carat TW version is an excellent value.

Mondera.com:  I had to look really hard on site to find 3-stones.  Nice style and quality, but could only find a 1 ct TW option.  Not as extensive a selection as I thought this jewelry-specific site would have.

Virtual Purchase: 1/2 Carat TW Round Diamond Stud Earrings

Several times a month, I am going to do a “virtual purchase” of a piece of jewelry.  I will  articulate a jewelry purchase scenario, and go through the decision-making process of what, how and where I choose to “purchase” the item.

What:  This week’s virtual purchase will be a pair of 1/2 carat tw (total weight) round diamond solitaire earrings in simple white gold mountings, with nice sparkle without overpaying for quality you can’t see.  While this is a popular size for diamond earrings, keep in mind that these will be smaller than you think–the 1/2 carat diamond total weight is spread across 2 stones, so each is 1/4 carat and the typical diameter is about 4mm each.  Click here for a neat little graphic from Blue Nile illustrating relative diamond size. 

Where: I am going to shop online at Costo.com, Blue Nile, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Diamond.com, Diamondstudsonly.com, and Union Diamond.  NOTE: unlike loose/solitaire diamonds, earring of this size won’t typically have independent diamond reports/certificates from the major grading labs.  I am only going to sites where I am reasonably confident that I would get the quality that is stated on the website.

Here are the results, click here if you need help on the diamond 4C’s terminology:

Company:	Mounting Metal:	Min Color:	Min Clarity:	Cut:	Price:	Comments
Amazon.com	18 kt	H-I	SI2	VG	$521.99	Excellent value, cryptic price messaging
Diamondstudsonly.com	14 kt	G-I	SI2	VG	$599.00	If they can deliver this quality, it’s a good option
Union Diamond	14 kt	H-I	SI1-SI2	NA	$600.00	If they can deliver this quality, it’s a good option
Blue Nile	18 kt	I	SI2	Good	$700.00	OK value, nice site, consistent quality
Costco.com	14 kt	I	VS2	Good	$799.99	Nice value for higher clarity, probably can’t see difference
Walmart.com	14 kt	I-J	I1-I2	NA	$499.00	Not comp quality, not recommended
Diamond.com	14 kt	H-I	I1	NA	$695.00	Not comp quality, not recommended

Bottom Line:  If I were purchasing for myself, I would purchase the Amazon.com pair.  They have the best quality/value ratio for the $521.99 price.  However, I don’t know how long the “sale” will last, so if they discontinue the sale price, I would recommend either the diamondstudsonly or the Union Diamond pair.  If you are really into higher clarity, the Costco pair might do it for you.  As with all jewelry purchases, it takes some research and legwork to compare, and it can get confusing for the lay person.  Not all diamond earring quality combinations are equal across different companies, as the table above shows.  Below are my notes about the specific details of the merchants and their offerings, and links to the exact pairs reviewed.

Costco.com:  Yes, their site is clunky–the refining browse structure is just awkward.  But their prices are usually very good, they tend to have nicer qualities, and are scrupulous about quality control.  They have a smaller selection than other sites, but they have a nice pair of 1/2 carat tw round diamond earrings set into classic 14kt white gold baskets, I color or better, VS2 clarity or better for $799.99.  I know from industry reputation that their cut quality is pretty good.  That price includes shipping, and the site says you can have them in 2-3 days.

Blue Nile:  Beautiful site, pretty intuitive to browse for earrings.  At Blue Nile, you can build your own pair of earrings by selecting matched pairs of diamonds and a mounting style of your choice, or you can choose from popular sizes/shapes already mounted.  The most likely pair of round diamond studs was 1/2 ct tw, I color or better, SI2 clarity or better, good cut, set into 18 kt white gold screwback settings for $700.  You can get them next day for free if you order by a certain time.  These are slightly lower clarity than the Costco pair, but at SI2 you are unlikely to see any inclusions with the eye, and you get better mountings for almost $100 less than the Costco pair.

Amazon.com:  If you click on Amazon’s Jewelry catagory, they have a “Diamond Stud Earring” heading in the left nav that takes you to this page set up with all of their pre-set diamond earring choices in popular shapes/sizes/qualities.  The round diamond stud earrings in 18k white gold basket settings with a regular friction back are H-I color, SI2 clarity or better, and very good cut (which will give you great sparkle) for $869.99 retail plus shipping, which doesn’t sound competitive with BN or Costco.  BUT, there is a sale of 40% off applied when you actually put the item in your cart and go through the purchase process until the final “submit”.  The final price is $521.99 which is an excellent value.  I don’t think shipping is free unless you are an Amazon.com Prime member.  But I find the whole pricing strategy to be odd.  These earrings have a $2380 retail, which is TOTALLY ridiculous!  Then they have their published discounted price of $869.99, which is high.  The final price of $522 is very good, but it’s not transparent and difficult to get to. 

Walmart.com:  Platinumgirl shops at Walmart for jewelry, you say?  Well, they are the largest retailer of jewelry in the US by volume, and this is a basic item, so I figure I should check it out.  The site is terrible–you can’t sort for size, quality, even shape.  I finally found a pair of 1/2 carat tw round diamonds, H-I color, I1-I2 clarity, in 14k white basket settings for $499.  These are in no way comparable to the other diamond earrings I found at other sites–I just don’t recommend an I2 for anything–and probably not pretty at all.  The Amazon.com pair is light years ahead of these and for not much more ($521 final price).

Diamond.com:  Surprisingly, since they are a jewelry-specific site, I find this site to be challenging.  For all the browse refinements in the left navigation, I still have to wade through a bunch of stuff to find the round solitaire 1/2 tw studs.  The closest I could come to the other contenders was this pair, at H-I color, I1 clarity for $695, in very un-appealing 14k white gold screw back settings.  I would not recommend this pair.  For the same price (or lower, in Amazon’s case), Blue Nile  and Amazon both have finer quality.

Diamondstudsonly.com:  I am giving this site a try, since it comes up at the top of Google search results.  You can sort of “build your own” by selecting diamond shape, mounting style and metal type, and diamond quality ranges.   I selected what we have been comparing: 1/2 ct tw, G-I color, SI2 clarity, very good cut in 14kt white gold basket settings for $599, with free Fed Ex 2 day shipping.  This is a good value.  Only drawback is that I’ve never ordered from them before and don’t know if they are being spot-on with their quality grading.

Union Diamond:  Since I found their selection and pricing very good on my virtual purchase of a 1 carat solitaire, I thought I would check them out for diamond studs, too.  The site is OK.  You can choose from a drop-down menu of mounting options, so I selected their 14kt white gold basket settings.  The detail page says 1/2 ct tw, H-I color, SI1-SI2 clarity for $600.  Free Fed Ex shipping is included.  If the cut is good to very good, this pair is right in the range of Diamondstudsonly.com and Amazon.com for pretty comparable quality.

Virtual Purchase: 1 Carat Round Diamond

Several times a month, I am going to do a “virtual purchase” of a piece of jewelry.  I will  articulate a jewelry purchase scenario, and go through the decision-making process of what, how and where I choose to “purchase” the item.

What:  This week I am looking for a 1.00 carat round diamond, loose.  My “customer” wants the nicest quality he can afford, but won’t go below 1.00 carat weight.  I am only going to look at diamonds with an AGS or GIA certificate so there is some confidence that I will get the diamond quality I’m expecting. 

Where: I am going to shop online at Blue Nile, Amazon.com, Diamond.com, and Union Diamond.

(The Gold Standard) Blue Nile:  I go to Blue Nile first.  I do a search for loose diamonds that can be mounted by a specific date (if you are more flexible on date, there are more results), 0.90 to 1.15 carat, Very Good Cut or better, I Color or better, SI2 Clarity or better.  There are 246 diamonds in my search result.  Now it’s time to refine.   I review this primer on diamond quality 4 Cs, so I know that cut is important.  I sort for that and find that only 2 of the 215 diamonds are Very Good Cut, the rest are Ideal or Signature Ideal.

I know that color is also important, so I sort for that next, high to low.  I decide that a D or E color, while beautiful, are much more expensive than the equally gorgeous F and G color, and that VS2 to SI1 clarity seems like a nice range.  So I check the compare boxes next to a few combinations of F and G color, VS2 and SI1 clarity, Very Good, Ideal and Signature Ideal cut, and hit the ”Compare” button at the top of the column.  It opens a new page with the diamonds listed side-by-side in a neat comparison format. 

I remove 3 diamonds right off the bat, due to medium to strong blue Fluorescence.  It doesn’t really affect beauty that much in faint to medium (and may make the diamond more attractively priced), but while it might actually help me out if I were purchasing an I or J (or lower) color, in a premium color diamond, it’s not that desirable.  The diamonds that are left range from $5300 to $8800–kind of a big price spread.  I rule out the 2 highest priced diamonds (over $8000), mainly because there is nothing significantly better about them than the others.  Wearing my Gemologist hat, I scrutinize the numbers for a while.  I ultimately choose a 1.09 ct F, SI1, Signature Ideal for $6783.  What tips me this direction is that it has a 60% depth percentage with a 56% table, so its diameter is going to appear slightly larger than the other top contender at 62% depth/55% table.  The actual diameter measurement is also slightly larger, but I know I’m not sacrificing beauty for that, because it’s a Signature Ideal cut with the certificates to show for it.  It wasn’t the cheapest, but it was right in the middle of the pack ($5300 low to $7600 high).

(The Mighty) Amazon.com: Now that I have a more precise picture of what I’m looking for, I head to Amazon.com (is there anything they don’t sell now?).  As an Amazon.com insider (see here to read more), I know that Amazon tries to be the lowest price in loose diamonds whenever they can.  At Amazon’s site, you can find their loose diamond/Create Your Own Diamond Ring selection on their Jewelry gateway page, or by clicking here. 

I adjust the sliders to find diamonds in the same quality range I used for Blue Nile, with a price cap of $10,000.  I figure out (through trial and error) that Amazon’s slider is not as sensitive as Blue Nile’s so I have to move the slider up to 1.25 ct in order to get diamonds over 1.00.  I get 631 results.  Their compare feature does not have the same level of detail as BN’s–there are no measurements or girdle thickness, you have to click through to the detail page for each stone to find out those details.

I found a great 1.08 F, SI1 ”Ideal” cut (meaning that the table and depth percentages fit into the Ideal range), that looked like a great value at $5775.  But closer inspection revealed that it said “Very Good” under the Polish and Symmetry comments, so it’s not technically the same as the Signature Cut Ideal from Blue Nile.  But if you weren’t so picky about that, it would be a great value.  Since the G, VS2 combination was $1000 more, I stuck with the F, SI1 quality combination.  The final diamond at Amazon that is most comparable to the BN diamond is a 1.07 ct F, SI1, Ideal cut for $6610.  I like the 55% table/61% depth combination, and it’s diameter is 6.6 mm, similar to the BN diameter of 6.7 mm.  If I wanted about the same factors, but was willing to go down in size slightly to 1.00 ct exactly, Amazon had a nice diamond for $5940, but the diameter is slightly smaller at 6.46 mm.   

(Disappointing) Diamond.com:  I couldn’t find a great comp at Diamond.com.  The closest I could find was a 1.03 ct, F, SI1, Ideal cut for $5908.  It is not as large, and had medium blue Fluorescence, which I rejected at the other companies.  The selection was dismal, maybe 4 diamonds that were even close.

(The Darkhorse Surprise) Union Diamond: Union Diamond seems to come up a lot in search engines, so I checked them out, too.  Closest comparable diamond: a very nice 1.06 ct, F, SI1, AGS-certified Ideal cut for $6435.  If it is as nice as the website says, it’s one of the best values I came across, especially if the company could verify if the AGS certificate identifies the diamond as a “000″ Ideal (Ideal proportions, Polish and Symmetry).  The only drawback is that I’m not as familiar with the company, so I can’t give a full endorsement without ordering something.

Final Diamond Virtual Purchase:the 1.07 ct F, SI1, Ideal from Amazon.com.  While any of my top three diamonds (my top pick from BN, Amazon.com and Union) would have been incredibly brilliant, I like the value proposition of the price in the middle ($6435 from Union Diamond, $6610 from Amazon, $6783 from BN), PLUS the safety/reputation of Amazon.com.  If I get some personal experience with Union, or hear from someone who has, then I might go with that option.

Bottom Line:  With certified diamonds, you can–in theory–easily compare all the factors online and then buy something that should be a beautiful diamond.  The reality is that it’s pretty confusing trying to sort through literally hundreds, even thousands of similar diamonds that all have tiny differences that seem to affect value significantly.  It’s important to remember that although it seems like there are so many details to consider, at some point it’s splitting hairs–if you are staying in a quality range of Very Good Cut, I color, SI2 and better, you will end up with a gem with plenty of sparkle.  I chose an Ideal, F color, SI1 as a gorgeous diamond quality with an excellent value proposition.  A lot of people think that a G, VS2 combination is an ideal engagement ring, but most of those diamonds were $1000 or more for that quality combo, and I prefer the higher color–you can’t see the difference in clarity at all from VS2 to SI1.

Of course, if you go to a reputable jeweler in your area, you could compare several qualities and see for yourself if there is a difference worth paying for.