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).
2.44 Carat Diamonds
When someone describes a diamond as being 2.44 carats, they mean it is a 244 point diamond. What many people don't realise is that a 8.82 mm wide diamond can be a range of weights, not just exactly 5 carats, because the diamond can vary in depth.
Sponsored Links
I used to dream how good it would be to be Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle. My dreams have died. Even the rotten rings aren't what they're supposed to be. I'll buy my own diamonds. I can afford it now. No one gives you anything, you've got to get it for yourself. Reggie Jackson .
Counter intuitively, a diamond that is twice as heavy as another diamond is a lot less than twice as big in terms of its diameter.
One trick for saving money when buying a diamond is to choose a diamond which has a carat weight just below a popular number, such as buying a 0.98 carat diamond instead of a one carat diamond.
One thing to consider that may stop you overspending on a diamond is how large the diamond will appear when it is finally placed on the woman's hand. Often the buyer of the diamond is happily surprised by how large the diamond appears when it is finally placed on the hand. Although it is of limited usefulness, a lot of people wonder what the average size of a diamond is (about one third of a carat) when they are searching for a diamond themselves.
You can trade carat size for diamond rarity by doing something like choosing a pink diamond. If you do this, perhaps you'd like to consider putting in a bid for the darya-ye noor diamond which is the largest pink diamond the world, or 182 carats of it. To get it, you'd have to go to iran however.. So how good do you think a 10 carat diamond which looks a horrible uneven black colour would appear on an engagement ring? Exactly - diamond buyers need to also consider other properties such as the colour of the stone, which is not picked correctly can negate any attractiveness of having a very large diamond.
