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).
2.73 Carat Diamonds
What many people don't realise is that a 9.16 mm wide diamond can be a range of weights, not just exactly 5 carats, because the diamond can vary in depth.
Sponsored Links
Some online retailers provide, amongst other diamond properties, a property called the cost per carat, which gives consumers another way of thinking about the value of a diamond. The apparent size of a diamond does not increase at the same rate as the diamond's carat size, leading to confusion quite often in stores.
Wit must be foiled by wit, cut a diamond with a diamond. William Congreve .
One thing to consider that may stop you overspending on a diamond is how large the diamond will appear when it is finally placed on the woman's hand. Often the buyer of the diamond is happily surprised by how large the diamond appears when it is finally placed on the hand. There are two tricks to avoid when comparing total diamond weight with the weight of an individual diamond - individual smaller diamonds are cheaper even if they add up to the same total weight as the single diamond, and smaller diamonds are often of poorer quality.
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.