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).
1.74 Carat Diamonds
In looking at the 7.87 mm width of a 1.74 carat diamond, remember that this width can vary quite a bit depending on the depth of the diamond. 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.
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My crown is in my heart, not in my head, Nor decked with diamonds and Indian stones, Nor to be seen; my crown is called contentment; A crown it is, that seldom kings enjoy. William Shakespeare .
If you're considering a number of gemstones, not just diamonds, bear in mind that different types of stone have different densities, so a one carat diamond may appear quite different in size to a one carat emerald.
In the quest for finding the largest diamond possible within a budget, it can be fun to consider famous large diamonds like ashberg diamond, which had a huge weight of 102 carats - about 200 times the mass of a diamond used in a typical engagement ring. Five small diamonds that add up to one carat are generally not as valuable as a single diamond that weighs one carat, so be short not to compare a single diamond of carat weight 1.74 with a ring which has a total diamond weight of 1.74.
Don't forget to think about other diamond characteristics such as diamond cut, which plays a critical role in determining the amount of light that gets into the diamond and the degree to which the diamond sparkles in light.