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).
0.98 Carat Diamonds
If the diamond is described as being 0.98 carats in weight, it can also be described as being a 98 point diamond. Diamond carats, points and normal units of milligrams can all be converted between - this 0.98 carat diamond for example weighs 196 mg.
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Because diamonds with the carat weight of one or two carats are very very popular, it's common for shops and online stores to raise the prices. You can save money by looking for diamonds which don't have the sizes.
0.98 carats specifies a certain size of diamond, but what about all the other properties of the diamond? Seasoned diamond buyers make sure to pay attention to all the properties of the diamond when the searching for that perfect stone, in order to make a balanced purchase which isn't just dominated by size considerations. You shouldn't really worry about this, but the average size of a diamond in a diamond engagement ring, at least within the united states, is about half a carat.
Note when looking at total diamond weight, some of the online stores such as blue nile will give a total diamond weight for a pair of stud earrings, but the actual total diamond weight will only approximately be what is specified - check the fine print to avoid being caught out.
Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life. Ralph Emerson .
In terms of diamond properties, the carat weight of the diamond should be considered alongside the many other characteristics of the diamond, in order to find a diamond which is balanced and hence not let down by being of poor quality in one of these departments.