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).
1.78 Carat Diamonds
A diamond that is sized at 1.78 carats is usually roughly 7.93 mm in the width dimension.
Sponsored Links
Be careful of assigning too much importance to the carat weight of the diamond while neglecting other properties such as the girdle thickness, which is to wide can make the diamond appear smaller than other diamonds of the same carat weight. If you're willing to try a few things to get a bargain, one thing you can try is searching for a diamond which has a strange carat weight, such as 0.96 carats. Often diamonds with these strange carat weights can be picked up for a bargain because they are not as sought-after even though they are practically the same size as the more popular 1.00 carat diamonds.
Diamonds with a size of 1.78 carats are aplenty, but diamonds with a size of 1.78 carats and all the other desirable properties of the diamond are not so common - so don't forget to think about these other properties.
A half carat diamond is a typical size for the average diamond engagement ring, but of course sizes can vary hugely between couples, depending on economic status and personal preference. Sometimes diamond searchers will switch to coloured diamonds in a quest to perhaps get a slightly larger stone, although coloured diamonds are not always cheaper than white diamonds. Huge coloured diamonds do exist, such as the red cross diamond, a 205 carat yellow diamond.
The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear. Daniel Defoe .
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. People say the four cs for a reason - diamond carat size is just one of the four cs and the others are arguably just as important in determining how 'attractive' and 'good' a diamond is.