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).
0.34 Carat Princess Shape Size on Hand
This article gives you some concept of how large a 0.34 carat size princess shape stone will look when viewed on a typical hand of a woman. When searching on the web for princess shape diamond sizes, you may notice the numbers will vary slightly - this is because the size (4.2 mm for this particular diamond) depends on things like cut as well.
While this picture will give you some concept of how large a diamond will seem when viewed on the hand, remember that the size of the ring you pick or need may be significantly larger or smaller than the size 6 in the picture.
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Photos can sometimes be notoriously deceptive - this one is pretty clear cut, but remember viewing the stone in the flesh will give you a totally different judgement of size to viewing it on the internet.
The apparent size for this 0.34 carat weight princess-shaped diamond will depend not just on the carat weight but also on the width to length ratio of the ring finger the diamond ends up on.
Some of my readers are men - if this is you and you're trying to work out the appropriate diamond size to buy for your partner, remember that the diamond will invariably appear a lot larger on the hands of a woman, which are typically smaller.
