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).

What Does a 1.16 Carat, Princess Shape Diamond Look Like on a Hand?

The photo shown on this webpage illustrates the approximate width of a 1.16 carat weight princess shape diamond on the thing that will ultimately be important - a female hand. A princess shape stone with a carat size of 1.16 is typically about 5.8 mm long on a side; this can of course vary depending on cut.

If you have 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 assist you in getting a concrete idea of the diamond size in the picture.

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A good tip to follow is to use pictures like this one to initially narrow down your size range, and then to go into stores and actually try a few different sized princess shape diamond rings on, armed with this prior knowledge.

Consider the ratio between the length and width of a finger - this ratio will affect how big and suitable a diamond looks when it's slipped in a ring onto the hand.

If you're a male trying to work out the right size of diamond to buy for your other half, remember that the stonewill invariably appear much larger on the hands of a woman, which are typically smaller.