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).
2.24 Carat Princess Shape Diamond Actual Size
This article includes a handy illustration that gives you the apparent size of a 2.24 carat size princess shape stone, when viewed in place on the hand of a woman. Carat weight isn't the be all and end all - the depth of the diamond's cut will also play a role in the apparent size of the rock - for a 2.24 carat princess like this one, the size would be around 8.0 mm .
If you've got a ring in your possession and you know what it's size is, you can compare it to the US size 6 ring shown in the image on this page - this will assist you in getting a better 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; then you can go into stores and actually try a few different sized princess shape diamond rings on, armed with this prior knowledge. If you're a male trying to calculate the right size of diamond to get your other half, remember that the stonewill usually appear a lot larger on her smaller, more petite hands.
