Can you trust Medium.com’s Ultimate Guide on buying a diamond? Yes but don’t make the ONE big mistake it recommends. I’ll prove it in this short article. Then I’ll show you a selection of diamonds that are the best value for your engagement ring purchase.

Just want the executive summary? Then look in the table of contents and go straight to the head-to-head comparisons labeled 1.a., 1.b., 2.a., 2.b., etc. All specs are GIA-graded. Each comparison is strictly GIA apples to apples.

First, review the Medium.com article again

The Ultimate Guide to Getting the Best Deal on a Diamond Engagement Ring is an excellent article. There’s just one huge mistake it recommends, that you must avoid.

This is what you can trust in the Medium.com article

Don’t Compromise on Cut:

Choose “Excellent” or “Ideal”. (The Medium.com article mentions only “Ideal.” The more accurate term is “Excellent” from the GIA. But as long as you have a diamond grading report from the GIA, IGI, or AGS stating that the cut is “Ideal” or “Excellent,” you’re all good. Don’t take a retailer’s word for it. Lay eyes on the diamond grading report, a.k.a. diamond certificate, and make sure it’s from the GIA, IGI or AGS.)

Diamond Color: H or I is a good choice for value

As the Medium article recommends, H and I are the best two colors for finding value. Anything lower (J, K, L) will be pretty darn yellow. Higher grades will increase the price.

Carats:

As the Medium article says, never compromise on Cut quality in order to get a bigger diamond. Cut determines how much a diamond sparkles. A big diamond that doesn’t sparkle, or that looks whomperjawed ill proportioned, is not a good value.

And just for grins and giggles, check out this video to get an idea of how big a diamond will look compared to a finger it is on. Whatever you do, don’t get focused on size enough to compromise on cut. This vid is just to give you some immediate comparisons of what different size diamonds look like mounted on a ring and worn on a finger.

Clarity:

Look for “Eye clean” diamonds in VS1, VS2, SI1 or (very hard to find) SI2. Remember that “eye clean” is a judgment. It’s not an official grade of any lab. Eye clean just means: a diamond whose flaws are invisible when it’s mounted on a ring and viewed on a hand at arm’s length.

Avoid Costco for buying diamonds.

Totally agree with the Medium.com writer. My regularly updated Costco diamond price comparisons prove this to my satisfaction beyond all doubt.

Here’s what you must NOT trust in the Medium.com article, in my opinion (and I’m sure I’m right)

Don’t take the Medium.com article’s suggestion to mess around with fluorescence.

The Medium.com article suggests pairing a slightly yellow diamond with some fluorescence. The idea (which is not at all advisable in my opinion) is to balance out a less-expensive “yellow” diamond with some “blue” fluorescence, so that the diamond looks colorless.

Remember, “color” in a “white” diamond is always yellow. It’s the tinge that a less expensive diamond has. (For example, an I or J or even worse a K color graded diamond).

Hmmmm, you can just mix a little blue with a little yellow, and make it look pretty colorless?

Ehh. Nope.

It’s not only risky. It just doesn’t work well in reality. It would depend on the color of the fluorescence (not all fluorescence is blue perfectly balanced with whatever yellow happens to be in the diamond). Remember how hard it was to mix colors when fingerpainting in primary school, to get a perfect blend? Yeah. Now imagine taking your chances with random diamond gemstones created billions of years ago.

The perfect mix of yellow with fluorescence, to make a “color-canceled out white diamond” is not … going … to happen … very often … at all. Sorry.

It also depends, crucially, on whether the diamond is in sunlight or not. And the strength of the sunlight! The medium.com writer didn’t emphasize this crucial fact, seems to me.

You see, often your diamond will be in light, but not sunlight.

For diamonds cursed with fluorescence, that makes for a huge difference in the fluorescence, from moment to moment, depending on whether it’s in sunlight, or under light bulbs in a ballroom or wherever. It could look very blue in direct sun. But could make a very weak blue color under the picnic pavilion.

Or in a ballroom.

(Ballroom!? Ok, keeping it real, a dining room or whatever. Light bulbs don’t make a diamond glow blue, unless they’re in a tanning bed.)

The exception to my advice to avoid fluorescence

Yes, if you want to accept some fluorescence as a way to chip the price down… that is not a bad decision. You’ve decided to just take a little hit on the chin from fluorescence. Straight up.

That makes sense. After all, usually you’ll view the diamond in artificial light, not sunlight.

So you won’t see the fluorescence in most cases.

And if the fluorescence is weak, then you won’t see it much even in sunlight.

So I get that way of trimming costs with fluorescence in diamonds. But don’t suppose you’re going to be able to accurately cancel out any yellow by cleverly looking for a diamond that also glows blue. You’ll just have a J-Color, K-Color or L-Color diamond that glows blue in various situations, but is mostly just yellow in most situations. Like Milk, it’s not a good choice.

Do NOT take the Medium article’s suggestion that Blue Nile is always the best value

I prove in article after article that Blue Nile is not necessarily the best value for buying a diamond.

I prove with screen shots that James Allen often has better prices on diamonds with the same specs from the same grading labs.

For example, I only compare GIA-graded diamonds to GIA-graded diamonds with the same grades for Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carats … and Fluorescence. (And yep I go with zero fluorescence, as should you in my opinion.)

Look in my Jewelry Recommendations to see head to head comparisons of many stores. Almost always, James Allen wins out… or just scroll down on this very page to see a nice array of great buys for diamonds, always updated.

(While it’s true that I’m a James Allen affiliate, I’m also a publisher who proves every price compare with screenshots. And these aren’t cherry picked. Blue Nile wins some. But James Allen wins most.)

See some head to head comparisons proving this

You’ll see that you can’t 100% trust that medium.com article, because they recommended only Blue Nile, and didn’t even mention James Allen. (Or other stores besides the eminently beatable Costco.)

Bookmark this constantly updated list of diamonds that follow the Medium.com article’s recipe for great value

(Needless to say, I use only the Medium.com diamond-shopping recipe which does not include the FAIL of attempting fluorescence tricks).

1. I start with Cut quality of Excellent or Ideal (see my note above on these two slightly different terms)
2. I find diamonds in the sweet spot of H/I color.
3. I choose Clarity searches where I can find what I call “eye clean” diamonds. (This isn’t an official term for describing diamonds. It simply means: diamonds whose flaws aren’t visible when the gem is mounted on a ring and held at arm’s length. Obviously judgments may differ. I think every diamond I picture here is eye clean. You’ll have to judge for yourself, in the end.)
4. I avoid all fluorescence in diamonds.
5. I show you the best price I could find.
6. I link you to the exact search URL I used to find it. (Just in case the one I pictured in any given example has already been snapped up.) James Allen allows the use of URL-embedded search terms, so all you have to do is click! Blue Nile doesn’t seem to allow URL-embedded search terms. But you can still adjust your search filters at Blue Nile. Just adjust your filters at Blue Nile with the settings I show you in each example below.)

The Comparisons: The big price differences between Medium article’s methods vs my methods.

1.a. GIA 1-Carat based on the Medium article’s methods

1.b. GIA 1-Carat based on MY better methods. All the same specs for much less.

You may be wondering if I cherry picked these two diamonds (and all the others on this page) in my head to head price comparisons.

I did not cherry pick. I used exactly the same specs / filters to search on Blue Nile and James Allen. I used only GIA-graded diamonds in head to head comparisons on price.

I show you the least expensive diamond in the search, for each store.

These are apples to apples comparisons. I used only GIA-certified/graded diamonds. I screened for fluorescence, too. (I allowed only No Fluorescence diamonds in these comparisons. See the section above on Fluorescence to know why.)

1. Get your one-click search for an array of current diamonds using these specs. Boom, done!
2. Then add a setting, and you’re (no pun intended) all set.

2.a. GIA 1.25-Carat based on the Medium article’s methods

2.b. GIA 1.25-Carat based on MY better methods. All the same specs for much less.

1. Get your one-click search for an array of current diamonds using these specs. Done!
2. Then add a setting, and you’re all set.

3.a. GIA 1.5-Carat based on the Medium article’s methods

At this size, 1.5-carat, the savings really kick in, using my method instead of the Medium.com recommendations. Pics or it didn’t happen. But you can see these results live, search after search, using my methods. (And if you find a way to beat the prices I find, while using GIA-certified apples-to-apples comparisons, please let me know.)

3.b. GIA 1.50-Carat based on MY better methods. All the same specs for much less.

1. Get your one-click search for an array of current diamonds using these specs.
2. Then add a setting, and you’ll have a complete ring, ready for checkout.

4.a. GIA 1.75-Carat based on the Medium article’s methods

4.b. GIA 1.75-Carat based on my better methods. All the same specs for much less.

1. Get your one-click search for an array of current diamonds using these specs.
2. Then add a setting, and you’ll have a complete ring, ready for checkout.

5.a. GIA 2.00-Carat based on the Medium article’s methods

5.b. GIA 1.92-Carat based on my better methods. Virtually the same specs for much less.

1. Get your one-click search for an array of current diamonds using these specs.
2. Then add a setting, and you’ll have a complete ring, ready for checkout.