Kay offers this 1-3/8-carat total weight 14K White Gold Emerald-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring for $4,875. It’s marked down from $6,500. Great deal, right? Well, not really. You can get a ring that looks almost identical, with a larger-carat center stone, for $3,122.
You can even get one with a much better and larger center stone for as low as $2,352. You just have to know … how to shop for a diamond. I’ll show you how to get those deals right here.
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Kay Jewelers’ offer: $4,875
This ring is Kay Jewelers item number 993161809.
You can see it live at Kay, until or unless it sells out.
James Allen offers a ring with the same or better diamond specs for $3,122 (earth-mined) or $2,352 (lab-created)
Earth-mined for $3,122:
Lab-created for $2,352:
Yet again, James Allen has the better deal. You’ll save at least $1,753. And up to $2,523.
What the … what’s the catch? Is there a catch?
When you see the enormous savings I’m pointing out here, you may wonder what’s up. “There must be some catch. Some reason.”
There’s not. You get better diamonds, for lower prices, and better customer experience. (For example, you can inspect any diamond with super zoom and from every angle before you buy it.)
People understand that they’re paying a huge premium (i.e. overpaying) when it comes to Tiffany diamonds, for example. But the same is true of even a jeweler such as Kay Jewelers.
- You’re paying for the name.
- You’re paying for the real estate of their brick and mortar stores.
At James Allen, their expenses are just way lower. It’s very similar to how Amazon can give everyone a better customer experience and still thoroughly beat the prices of brick and mortar mall stores.
How to get the James Allen deals
At James allen, you select a ring, which comes with accent diamonds in this case. Then you select a center diamond. It’s easier than it seems.
At least, it’s easy if you know how or have someone walking you through it for the first time. Here’s how to get these deals (or very similar deals) at James Allen:
1. Select this 14K white gold setting for $1,490.
2. For an earth-mined diamond matching the Kay offer, go to my 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 of course send you straight to a specific diamond. It would sell out quickly.
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 Lab-Created Diamonds search results.)
The specs on the diamonds in this price compare, quickly explained
Diamond Certificate
I do wish Kay would say what lab certified which diamonds on their site. But they don’t. That means … well that it’s better than nothing. It’s “certified.” But without knowing which lab (or if it’s just “in-house” certification in any given diamond’s case), we can’t attach too much importance to them just saying it’s certified.
It’s like a graduate saying they have a degree, but not telling you what institution issued the degree. Is it from a degree mill? Or from a real institution with standards?
The two James Allen diamonds in this example are certified by the GIA in one case, and by the IGI in the other. Both are perfectly respectable and widely relied on.
Shape
All three diamond rings in this contest have emerald shaped diamonds. This cut does not sparkle like a brilliant cut (for example round brilliant). But they have a different kind of beauty. Transparence. Depth. It’s a matter of taste. I happen to love emerald-cut and asscher-cut diamonds (asscher cut is just a square emerald cut). And of course many people do.
Clarity is more important in an emerald-cut. And where the inclusions (flaws) are located. They’ll show up more easily than in a brilliant cut, which can overwhelm some inclusions (flaws) with all the sparkle.
Carats
The Kay diamond has a center stone of 0.75 carats, and a total carat weight including all the diamonds on the ring of 1.375 carats (1 and 3/8 carats.)
The earth-created James Allen diamond in this example has a center stone of 0.89 and a total carat weight including the accent diamonds of 1.13. (That’s slightly smaller overall total carat weight. But the center stone is significantly larger, so this ring will look more impressive.)
The lab-created James Allen diamond in this comparison has a center stone of 0.90 and a total carat weight including the accent diamonds of 1.14.
Clarity
The Kay Jewelers diamond is of SI2-Clarity.
SI2-Clarity is very questionable, especially in an emerald-cut diamond. Remember, emerald-cut diamonds have less sparkle, by design. That means they have more transparency and depth.
And that means any inclusions (flaws) will be much more easily visible within the diamond.
It also depends on where the inclusions (flaws) are within the diamond. I recommend not buying an SI2 diamond unless you can visually inspect it first. You want to check to see if any inclusions (flaws) are located in a highly visible place.
Sadly, you can’t inspect a Kay diamond before you buy it.
However, you can visually inspect any James Allen diamond at any time, right there on the page. They make specific 3D imaging available for every single diamond.
Both of the James Allen diamonds I chose to compare with have VS2-Clarity. That’s two whole grades up. And again, that’s especially important in an emerald-cut diamond.
Again, a priceless advantage for James Allen, is that you can inspect the very diamonds you’re shopping for at James Allen. You can see them via 3D imaging.
Which means you can know that you’re not choosing a diamond that has its appearance ruined by a very unlucky location of an inclusion (flaw). (Always inspect a diamond before you buy it. Especially an Emerald Cut or Asscher Cut.)
At Kay, you’re buying blind. But not at James Allen.
Color
The color of both the Kay diamond and of the James Allen earth-created diamond in this comparison is I-Color. That’s probably ok. But it’s slightly questionable, with an Emerald Cut. You’ll be able to see deeply into the diamond. Which means the color will be much more apparent than if you were looking at a Round Brilliant, which sends back so many sparks you can easily miss seeing a bit of yellow.
The color of the lab-created James Allen diamond is E-Color. Which is truly good! Especially for an Emerald Cut!
Cut Quality
Kay says nothing about cut quality.
Neither does James Allen, on these two diamonds. That’s because there is no objective, scientific standard to judge the cut quality of Emerald Cut diamonds.
With Round Brilliant, there is.
But not with Emerald Cut.
However, you can judge it for yourself. It’s artistic, not scientific. At James Allen, you can look at the symmetry, proportion, how this specific diamond looks, to your eye. You do this with James Allen’s 3D imaging. You see the exact diamond which will end up on your ring. It’s awesome.
Again, with Kay, you can’t do that. You can’t see the diamond before you buy it.
So, advantage goes to James Allen there, for sure.
Conclusion: This Kay Jewelers diamond is not a great deal. Which of the two James Allen diamonds is the best diamond? The best deal?
That’s my opinion. But it’s backed up by hard numbers.
The James Allen offers win again. And there’s no doubt the best diamond in this comparison, by far, is the lab-created one from James Allen. It’s color is E!! That’s 1 step away from D, which is the best (most transparent, colorless) color possible.
(There are no A, B, or C color grades in diamonds. D is the perfect grade.)
That’s ironic, because it’s the least expensive. Is there something wrong with lab-created diamonds? Not at all. They are 100% authentic, 100% the same chemically and physically and in every way, as earth-created diamonds.
The only difference is that they were formed not in the earth, but in a lab, using very high temperatures and pressures. They’re even graded right alongside earth-created diamonds by major diamond-grading labs such as the IGI.
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.
