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).
Actual Princess Shape Diamond Sizes on Hand of a 0.20 Carat Diamond
This article provides you with an idea of how large a 0.20 carat size princess shape stone will appear when viewed on the hand of a woman. The precise size of a 0.20 carat weight princess shape diamond depends on other factors such as cut, but will typically be around 3.4 mm along one of the straight edges of the diamond. The picture in this page has a ring of L 1/2 ring size; this is around the average size for a female.
Some advice for how to use the information on this page is to initially narrow down your size range; then you can go into stores and try diamonds out in person, armed with this prior knowledge. Think about the ratio between the width and length of your finger - this ratio will affect how massive and appropriate a diamond appears when it is finally placed on the finger.
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If you're a male trying to calculate the right size of diamond to get your other half, remember that the stonewill usually appear much larger on the hands of a woman, which are typically smaller.
