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).
2.40 Carat Diamonds
Each point in a diamond's weight is worth 2 mg, so a 240 points diamond weighs 480 mg. This average width of 8.77 mm for a 2.40 carat diamond only tells some of the story, because this width is variable depending on how deep or shallow the diamond shape is.
Sponsored Links
Odd carat weights are carat weights which don't form round numbers, for example 1.97. Often diamonds with odd carat weights are quite a bit cheaper than diamonds with round number carat weights.
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. A half carat diamond is a typical size for the average diamond engagement ring, but of course sizes can vary hugely between couples, depending on economic status and personal preference.
In the age of acorns, before the times of Ceres, a single barley-corn had been of more value to mankind than all the diamonds of the mines of India. Henry Brooke .
It's interesting to note that while the small carat diamond (by small i mean one or two carats) may have only been discovered relatively recently, many of the spectacular large diamonds were found many hundreds of years ago, such as the regent diamond of france which was used by two of the king louis's, with a mighty size of 140 carats. 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.
In terms of diamond properties, the carat weight of the diamond should be considered alongside the many other characteristics of the diamond, in order to find a diamond which is balanced and hence not let down by being of poor quality in one of these departments.
