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).
1.18 Carat Weight Princess Diamond Shown on a Hand
If you search around on the web to find the actual size of a 1.18 carat weight princess shape diamond, you may notice the numbers will vary slightly - this is because the size (5.8 mm for this particular diamond) can depend on the cut, not just the carat weight. A good tip to follow is to use pictures like this one to initially narrow down your size range; then you can go into stores and try diamonds out in person, armed with this prior knowledge. The apparent size for this 1.18 carat weight princess diamond will be affected not only by the carat weight but as well on the length to width ratio of the ring finger it is placed on.
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If you're a male trying to calculate the right size of diamond to get your partner, don't forget that the diamond will invariably appear a lot larger on the hands of a woman, which are typically smaller.
