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).

1.24 Carat Size on Hand

This page gives an illustrated example presenting the actual size of a 1.24 carat diamond when set in a ring and put on a typical woman's hand. You can use the 7.0 mm average width for this 1.24 carat stone through measuring the size of your finger in order to get an idea at home of how big the diamond would appear. The hand of the woman pictured has long and thin fingers - your fingers may or may not be similar - if your fingers are differently shaped, bear in mind that a diamond engagement ring may look quite different when worn. The ratio of your ring finger's length and its width will play a pivotal role in how the diamond looks, which you should take into consideration.

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Compare the size of the woman's hand and the man's hand in the illustration - you can see that the woman's hand is significantly smaller and more petite (which is typical), so the diamond looks to be larger on her hand than it would obviously on his hand.

Go searching for diamonds this size at James Allen by clicking on the banner below and dragging the carat slider to the appropriate setting:

Actual Diamond Photos from JamesAllen