Does size Really Matter? Tips on Choosing a Diamond Engagement Ring.

When it comes to choosing an engagement ring, the options are endless. Many different designs may grab your attention and once you have decided on a design, then the choice of diamond stares you in the face.

There are quite a few specifications to take into account when choosing diamond engagement rings. The 4C’s of diamonds are common knowledge to many but the one C seems to rise above the rest: Carat Weight

Carat Weight is the weight measurement of a diamond and is often the biggest factor in people’s diamond choices.

Here are a few tips on how to choose a diamond and getting the most bang for your buck, and to avoid disappointment:

Carat weight is a weight measurement. Diamonds are cut according to specific dimensions, but there is no law that states a diamond has to be cut perfectly. This means that 2 diamonds of the exact same carat weight could have different diameters measured at the girdle which means one will look larger than the other when looking from the top view

TIP: ask for the diamond dimension and compare those with other diamonds of different price classes. Bigger is not always better in this case. If a diamond is cut too shallow, it can appear to be larger but it will also be dull and not sparkle as much as an ideal cut.

Proportions are important. Any size of diamond can be ‘too big’. This is because people have different finger sizes, ear shapes and size, etc. A very large diamond can easily appear clunky if it is not in the right setting or if it is not in proportion to its placement.

When a personal budget is brought into consideration there are a few tricks that will have a smaller diamond look bigger without having to pay an exponential price difference compared to purchasing a relatively larger diamond.

To illustrate this point, we will select a 0.60ct round cut diamond and have it look like a 1.00ct diamond from a distance. The 0.60ct diamond has a smaller diameter when compared to a 1.00ct diamond when looking at it from the top view. The halo setting can make a 0.60ct diamond appear to look like a 1.00ct diamond seeing that small diamonds such as 0.01ct (1.3mm) are used mostly to create a halo around the main diamond.

Choosing a halo design causes you to see the complete diameter meaning that the halo has now visually added to the diameter of the 0.60ct diamond. It now looks larger when compared to a single diamond setting of the same size.

While referring to the above-mentioned example, it is important to realize that the value of a 1.00ct will always be worth more than a 0.60ct diamond assuming that the colour and clarity remains the same for both diamonds when conducting this experiment. Therefore the 1.00ct diamond will always be the better purchase should your budget allow it.

After considering all the information above, you can now confidently make the right choice to fit your need.