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).
1.59 Carat Diamonds
Diamond carats, points and normal units of milligrams can all be converted between - this 1.59 carat diamond for example weighs 318 mg. When you see a 1.59 carat diamond, expect to see about 7.63 mm worth of diamond.
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Although there is a strong correlation between the carat weight of a diamond and its width, this does not guarantee that every 1.59 carat diamond is 7.63 mm wide. 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.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without. Chinese Proverb .
Don't be fooled into considering only the carat size, because other factors such as the size of the diamonds girdle can significantly impact on the apparent size of the diamond, which is more important than the carat weight (apart from for bragging rights).
Counter intuitively, a diamond that is twice as heavy as another diamond is a lot less than twice as big in terms of its diameter. Although it is not a problem for most people, it is possible for a diamond to be too large. This is much more likely to happen with women who have particularly petite hands.
You shouldn't really worry about this, but the average size of a diamond in a diamond engagement ring, at least within the united states, is about half a carat.
Five small diamonds that add up to one carat are generally not as valuable as a single diamond that weighs one carat, so be short not to compare a single diamond of carat weight 1.59 with a ring which has a total diamond weight of 1.59. A large diamond which has a huge crack down the middle, or alternatively a big yucky looking inclusion, is not a good look - it looks like someone has gone for size and sacrificed all the other desirable properties of the diamond. Clarity, for example, can be just as important in picking a diamond.