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).
0.38 Carat Diamonds
If the diamond is described as being 0.38 carats in weight, it can also be described as being a 38 point diamond.
Sponsored Links
0.38 carats doesn't always get you a diamond which is precisely 4.71 mm in width - because the diamond could have been cut in different ways, it may have a different width. The cost per carat value is a numerical number that provides you with a sense of how much the diamond is worth compared to other diamonds of similar properties.
Discerning purchasers of diamonds consider other characteristics of the diamond apart from carat size such as girdle thickness - how big the girdle is can impact on the diameter of a diamond of a certain carat weight.
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.
No gold-digging for me... I take diamonds! We may be off the gold standard someday. Mae West .
