Is this 2.5-carat oval diamond solitaire engagement ring for $14,999.99 from Jared worth it? It’s a I2-Clarity, I-Color diamond on a 14K yellow gold band. (No certification shown.) Instead you should get a quite similar design of ring, with a GIA- or IGI-certified, better diamond, from James Allen for as low as $7,215. Here’s how.
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The Jared offer: $14,999.99.
Item number at Jared: 161395506
See it live at Jared (unless it’s been discontinued / gone out of stock).
Carats
This diamond is 2-1/2-carats (2.5 carats).
Clarity
It has a Clarity score of I2.
You’ll be able to see quite a few inclusions (flaws) in this diamond. Depending on where they are, these flaws could be ruinous. And in any case, they’ll be very visible, especially in such a large diamond. I wouldn’t advise buying any I2-Clarity diamond.
Even worse, there’s no certificate mentioned on this page. Which means there’s almost certainly no certificate available. That means no 3rd-party gemologist graded the Clarity, or anything else. So the Clarity could possibly be even worse than I2.
Color
The color is “I”. That’s not the best, especially for this price. And especially for this size of diamond.
James Allen offers a very similar style ring with the certified same or better diamond specs for $11,505 (earth-mined) or $7,215 (lab-created).
Earth-mined for $11,505:
Lab-created for $7,215:
How to get the James Allen deals
At James Allen, there are a couple of extra steps in buying a diamond ring.
Don’t worry. It means more choice, lower prices, more control, better diamonds.
It’s a two step process, and quite easy:
- 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 gold setting. (It’s available on the same page in 14K Rose Gold and also (for about $100 more) in 18K yellow gold. (14K is the better choice for an engagement ring. 18K is too soft for daily use over decades.)
2. For an earth-mined diamond matching the high-priced Jared offer, go to my pre-set James Allen earth-created 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, 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.)
The specs of the James Allen earth-mined diamond are better than the Jared diamond
To see the differences in specs, look at the images of the complete rings, in the images higher up in this article.
Carats
The JA earth mined diamond in this comparison is 2.5-carat.
Clarity
It has a Clarity score of SI2. (That is 2 grades better than the Jared Clarity score of I2.)
Color
The color is “I”. That’s the same score as the Jared diamond. (But this JA diamond is IGI-certified, so I feel a lot more confident that the color really is I, and not something different.)
The specs of the James Allen lab-created diamond are MUCH better than the Jared diamond
Why are lab-created diamonds less expensive? Is something wrong with them?
Not at all. It’s the market. Many people don’t yet understand that lab-created diamonds are 100% authentic, 100% identical physically, to earth-created, mined diamonds.
So, the amount people are willing to pay is lower for now. That allows first adopters of this technology to get incredible deals, relative to earth-created diamonds.
There’s truly no difference at all, except the origin.
Carats
The diamond is 2.58-carats. So, it is slightly larger.
Clarity
It has a Clarity score of VVS2. (That is 7 grades better than the Jared diamond’s clarity score of I2.)
Color
The color is “H”. That’s a grade better than the Jared diamond.
Conclusion: This 2.5-carat oval diamond solitaire engagement ring from Jared is NOT worth it for $15,000. You can get a certified, much better diamond ring at James Allen for as low as $7,215.
When I first started comparing James Allen specs and prices to the popular diamond retailers such as Jared, I did NOT expect the price differences to be so vast.
But they just are.
There’s no way to fake this. There’s no catch. IGI-certification, in this case, proves that the data is real.
In fact, if anything, I would tend to feel skeptical about Jared’s stated specs of color and clarity. Why? Because we don’t know who graded it.
These are real and true deals. Really they’re just everyday business at James Allen. No special sales really ever happen with quality diamonds. But James Allen is totally cleaning Jared’s clock in these comparisons.
Congratulations, you just saved $7,000 or so. You’re welcome. 😉
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.
