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).
1.22 Carat Actual Size (Princess Shape)
The exact size of a 1.22 carat weight princess shape diamond depends on other factors such as cut, but is usually in the ballpark of around 5.9 mm along one of the straight edges of the diamond. Pictures can sometimes be notoriously deceptive - this one is pretty clear cut, but don't forget seeing the stone in person will give you a totally different impression of size to examining it on the internet. The visual size of this 1.22 carat princess diamond will depend not just on the carat weight but as well on the width to length ratio of the ring finger it is placed on.
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There's no need to freak out if diamonds and the dollars involved are making you worry - because the diamond will appear larger on her hand, the diamond size you need may be smaller than you think.
