How to Maximize Your Budget: Round Diamonds for $10K

Welcome to The Clear Cut Classroom where we take deep dives into all things diamonds (and jewelry)! Shopping for a diamond and working with a budget? We've got you covered.This week we're continuing our How to Maximize Your Budget series with round brilliant diamonds for $10k.* Which option would you choose?

*Disclaimer: Diamond prices mentioned are based on date posted and are subject to change.

For a round brilliant diamond, it's important that the diamond is triple excellent cut, meaning that the cut, polish, and symmetry are all graded 'excellent' by the GIA. This mainly applies to round brilliants because of their standard cut. 

Within that range, we can choose to maximize for color or clarity. For color, we recommend to stay within the colorless to near colorless range. Round brilliants are able to mask color really well, so they will look a lot whiter than other stones. They also cover up inclusions well, so we recommend anything from VS2 and up. 

The first diamond to consider within our $10K budget is a 1.30 carat E color SI1 diamond. This diamond maximizes for color, but compromises a bit on carat size. 

Our second option is a 1.40 carat H color VS2 - this hits the middle spot of all areas. The carat weight is just below 1.5, the color is in the middle of the near colorless range, and the VS2 is a pretty safe clarity option. 

Option third option maximizes for size: a 1.70 carat J color VS2. Although the J color on a round diamond will still face up on the bright side, it depends how sensitive you are to warmth.

Which option would you choose if you were shopping for a round brilliant in a $10K budget?

*Disclaimer: Diamond prices mentioned are based on date posted and are subject to change.

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