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).
0.21 Carat Diamonds
A diamond with a weight of 0.21 carats is equivalent to a 21 point diamond.
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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.
Although it would seem so, the carat weight of a diamond and the diameter of a diamond have an interesting relationship - as the carat weight of the diamond increases, the diameter of the diamond grows at a much slower speed. Something that can catch out men searching for a diamond for an engagement ring is forgetting to take into account where the diamond will eventually be displayed - on a woman's hand, which is usually quite a bit smaller than a man's hand.
He who finds diamonds must grapple in mud and mire because diamonds are not found in polished stones. They are made. Henry B. Wilson .
In the quest for finding the largest diamond possible within a budget, it can be fun to consider famous large diamonds like ashberg diamond, which had a huge weight of 102 carats - about 200 times the mass of a diamond used in a typical engagement ring. If you're in a store and you've found a ring which you're interested in, but only the total diamond weight is marked, don't hesitate to ask a shop assistant. They should give you the individual diamond weights, and if they don't just walk away - it's not worth your time dealing with unscrupulous sellers.
Don't forget to think about other diamond characteristics such as diamond cut, which plays a critical role in determining the amount of light that gets into the diamond and the degree to which the diamond sparkles in light.