Quick and Easy Buying Guide
Carat weight: 1 carat = 200 milligrams = 6.5 mm diameter. Doubling weight doesn't double diameter.
Diamond clarity: FL/IF/VVS/VS = super expensive, near perfect. SI = best value if you can check a photo for obvious inclusions (defects).
Color: D-G = colorless, expensive, only if you have money to burn. H-J = best value. Can go lower in gold metal settings than white metal.
Cut: Better cut ratings let more light into a diamond, making it sparkle more. Very important property, don't skimp here.
Set a budget and minimum cut (Premium). Go J color for gold and I/H for white metals. Go searching for SI1/SI2 clarity diamonds at James Allen. Pick a diamond with small/no inclusions. Choose a ring setting and buy it risk-free (60-day returns).
0.16 Carat Diamonds
The width of a diamond with a weight of 0.16 carats is about 3.52 mm. Although there is a strong correlation between the carat weight of a diamond and its width, this does not guarantee that every 0.16 carat diamond is 3.52 mm wide.
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Pressure makes diamonds. George S. Patton .
A way of using numbers to help you compare diamonds is to calculate the cost per carat of diamond.
Girdle thickness is a diamond property which many people never even think about, but which can critically affect how big the diamond appears to be.
God forbid that this should be a problem for anyone, but it may be that the diamond, once it actually put on the fiance's hand, may appear to be too big and unwieldy. Make sure to take this into account when you're shopping around.
Ever looked at a similar carat size of diamond and another gemstone and wondered why the stones appeared so different in size? This is undoubtedly because different types of stones have different specific gravity densities, leading to this discrepancy in size. If you're in a diamond store and you see a diamond with its carat weight marked and it looks wrong, don't hesitate to ask, and walk away if they won't give you a straight answer.
First-time diamond buyers who are in a hurry often just focus on the diamond carat size, which is a big mistake - other properties such as the clarity of the diamond are important in getting a diamond which is attractive not just in terms of its size, but also its appearance.