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).

Princess Shape, 1.20 Carat Diamond Size on Hand

This article includes a useful illustration that gives you the apparent size of a 1.20 carat size princess shape stone, when viewed in place on the hand of a woman. The dimensions of a female hand vary a lot between women - being in public is evidence enough - so this illustration can only provide the apparent diamond size for a typical size ring. The apparent size of this 1.20 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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