Do you want a big 3-carat diamond engagement ring? Maybe you looked at Jared, and saw this ring for $23,999.99. (See it below.) Don’t buy it. You can get a GIA-certified, objectively better quality diamond in a ring from James Allen for $15,845 instead. Or you can get an IGI-certified, even better diamond ring of the same size for only $10,105. (Sounds crazy, I know. But these values are real. I prove it in screen shots below.)
Here’s how I found these incredible values in diamond rings…
If you want me to find a bargain on any size diamond engagement ring, then message me from my Facebook page: (https://www.facebook.com/Howtoshopforadiamond)
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The Jared offer: $23,999.99.
Item number at Jared: 151202708
See it live at Jared (unless it’s been discontinued / gone out of stock).
The James Allen MUCH better prices on a GIA- or IGI-certified, objectively better diamond rings:
Earth-created diamond ring offer at James Allen: $15,845
Lab-created diamond ring offer at James Allen: $10,105
Specs compared directly
Carats
The Jared diamond is 3.0 carats.
The earth created diamond at James Allen is 3.02 carats. And the lab-created diamond at James Allen is 3.02 carats. All three offers are essentially the same size. But the similarities (including similarities in price) end there.
James Allen offers BETTER diamonds for LOWER prices. It’s true, and here comes the proof.
Clarity
Jared diamond in this ring is I2-Clarity:
That’s awful clarity, especially at this very high price point, in my opinion, and as you can see from the chart, the flaws (black marks, specs, clouds, etc.) will be quite obvious in this diamond:
James Allen earth-created diamond example is I1-Clarity:
That’s slightly less bad clarity. But at least you’re not overpaying for it. As always I’ll be completely blunt and straightforward: I don’t recommend buying a diamond with I1 clarity. Even this James Allen one.
I1 Clarity will have very obvious “inclusions” (flaws). These are black specs, streaks, gray clouds, feathers, etc.
You’d be much better off dialing the size down to 2 carats and dialing up the clarity to SI2. (See how to do that below.)
But the main point to note here is this: James Allen offers you a much better price on a better diamond. And as you’ll see in the certification section below, the James Allen earth created offer comes with GIA certification, which is a huge bonus.
James Allen lab-created diamond example is SI2 Clarity:
That’s much better clarity, especially in a Round Brilliant cut. The Round Brilliant cut can overwhelm one’s eye with brilliance, hiding many flaws, in the right light, and iif the cut quality is high, as it is in this one.
Color (Note that the perfectly colorless grade is “D”. There are no grades of A, B, or C.)
Jared diamond color in this ring. The center stone is said to have color “I”:
(A huge drawback, in fact a dealbreaker in my opinion, is that we don’t know who graded it as such. GIA? IGI? AGS? Jared doesn’t seem to say, so far as I have been able to find. And that’s strange, since certifications in high end diamonds are totally expected, necessary, and valuable. People in the know just never buy an expensive diamond without a certificate from a major diamond-grading lab. )
So, we just don’t know who graded it. It could have been someone on the Jared staff.
The James Allen earth-created diamond in this example has a GIA-certified Color F.
That’s enormously better color!
Plus, it’s GIA-certified (unlike the Jared diamond offer which seems to be not certified at all?). It’s a much more trustworthy grade, coming from the GIA. It’s in the colorless part of the scale. It’s frankly awesome color, and will be beautiful at a 3-carat size.
The James Allen lab-created diamond in this example has the color E:
That’s four whole color grades better than the Jared diamond! It’s only one color grade from being PERFECT. (D is the top color grade of a diamond. It’s perfectly colorless. There is no A, B, or C grade on this scale.)
Cut quality
Jared diamond
No cut quality is stated, so far as I have been able to find. That’s a dealbreaker. Cut quality is so important that it’s usually made quite obvious for a significant diamond purchase. The face that Jared seems to overlook it for this $24,000 diamond ring is … a huge red flag! Especially when we have already seen that the color is poor, the clarity is poor, and no certification lab is listed.
James Allen earth-created diamond
The James Allen earth-created diamond in this comparison is of “Excellent” cut quality. That’s from the GIA, too. So it’s a judgment made by a qualified gemologist, working without bias. You can count on it. It’s at the top of the cut quality scale! For thousand of dollars less than the Jared offer!
James Allen lab-created diamond
The James Allen lab-created diamond in this comparison is of “Ideal” cut quality. This is the top of the chart of cut quality for the IGI, so it’s also awesome.
Certification
To restate a point of primary importance: I’m just finding no mention anywhere at Jared of any certification on the diamond ring at Jared. Possibly I’m missing it, but I’m pretty sure I’m not. I have shopped for diamonds for years and I’m used to seeing offers at Jared without certification. Sometimes they have it. More often, they don’t — so far as I can tell.
Why is this a deal breaker? Because we just can’t know for sure anything about the diamond. We just have to trust Jared to grade their own diamonds. And we also have to trust that whoever actually graded the diamond (I mean whichever human individual) was competent.
On the other hand, the two diamonds at James Allen are certified by the GIA (for the earth created one), and by the IGI (for the lab-created one).
So you can trust the color and clarity scores there. That’s real. They were graded by qualified gemologists working for 3rd party labs.
How to get the James Allen deals
At James Allen, you don’t just add a ring to cart. It’s slightly more interesting (and gives you more control and choice). Instead, you do this:
- You choose a setting (the metal ring, which in some cases comes with accent diamonds).
- Then you choose a loose diamond to add to it.
But it’s not as hard as it may seem. In fact it’s easy.
At least, it’s easy if you have someone walking you through it for the first time.
Here’s exactly how to get these deals (or very similar deals) at James Allen:
1. Select this 14K white gold setting. (It’s available on the same page in 14K, 18K as well, also in yellow gold and rose gold, or even in Platinum. Just choose them from the drop down on the setting product page.)
2. For the diamond, go to these pre-set James Allen diamond search results and select a diamond from the first 2 or 3 diamonds in the list.
(James Allen diamonds are unique, so I can’t send you straight to a specific diamond. It would sell out quickly. But there are many many others in the inventory. The price will be close to what you see here.
Also, of course the inventory is always changing, so you may see slightly different prices when you search.)
3. For even greater savings, click the “Lab-Created Diamonds” filter. (Use my pre-set James Allen Lab-Created Diamonds search results.)
Don’t buy that diamond engagement ring at Jared for $23,999.99! Get a GIA-certified, BETTER one at James Allen for about $15,845. Or get an EVEN BETTER diamond, for even less, if you opt for a lab-created diamond: around $10,105.
After going over in detail all the specs, and looking at the HUGE savings … “you’re welcome.” 😉
You’ll save literally up to about $14,000 (in savings!) and get a much better diamond by opting for the search techniques I outline here.
Should you buy a diamond ring from Jared? I don’t think so. And I think my price and quality comparisons in article after article make a pretty good case.
It’s easy to get great deals on better diamond jewelry — for less money! Here’s how:
- Scroll up to the section on “How to Get the James Allen Deals.”
- Follow the easy directions there.
- Feel 100% confident that you bought the best diamond for the money
How to search this site to save up to tens of thousands of dollars at trusted diamond retailers, vs most any Costco, Kay, Jared, or Zales ring you’re considering
Search and save. You could save enough for a new compact car. Or a honeymoon. Or several expensive dinner dates. Or that guitar you’ve been wanting.
Read this very short note on how easy it is.
