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 1.86 Carat Diamond

Carat weight doesn't tell the whole story - the type of cut will also affect the apparent size of the rock - for a 1.86 carat princess like this one, the size would be around 7.6 mm . If you've got a ring around the house and you know the size, use it to compare with the US size 6 ring shown in the image on this page - this will help you get a better idea of the diamond size shown in the photo.

Some advice for how to use the information on this page is to initially narrow down your size range, and then to go into stores and try diamonds out in person, armed with this prior knowledge. The apparent size for this 1.86 carat weight princess diamond will depend not just on the carat weight but as well on the width to length ratio of the finger it is placed on.

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Diamonds are often magically "bigger" when you move them onto a woman's hand; because of this fact, make sure you ask a woman in the shop to put one on rather than putting it on your hand, which is probably much larger.