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).

0.51 Carat Princess Shape Diamond Actual Size

The exact size of a 0.51 carat weight princess shape diamond will vary depending on the depth of cut, but will typically be around 4.8 mm along one of the straight edges of the diamond. The illustration in this page shows an L 1/2 ring size, which is typical or perhaps on the small side of typical for a female ring.

Pictures can sometimes be notoriously deceptive - this one is pretty clear cut, but remember seeing the diamond in the flesh will give you a totally different impression of size to examining it on the internet. Think about the ratio between the length and width of a finger - this ratio will affect how massive and suitable a diamond looks when it is slipped in a ring onto the hand.

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Some of my readers are men - if this is you and you're trying to work out the right size of diamond to get your partner, remember that the stonewill usually look much bigger on her smaller, more petite hands.