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).
Actual Diamond Size of a 1.25 Carat Princess Shape Diamond
This page gives you an idea of how big a 1.25 carat size princess shape diamond will appear when seen on a typical hand of a woman. If you search around on the web to find the actual size of a 1.25 carat weight princess shape diamond, you may pick up that the numbers are slightly different across different sites - this is due to the fact that the size (6.0 mm for this 1.25 carat diamond) depends on things like cut as well.
If you have got a ring in your possession and you know what it's size is, you can compare it to the US size six ring shown in the image on this page - this will assist you in getting a better idea of the diamond size shown in the photo. The size of a woman's hand can vary hugely - being in public is evidence enough - so this picture can only show the apparent diamond size for one particular ring size.
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Some of my readers are men - if this is you and you're trying to calculate the right diamond size to buy for your partner, remember that the diamond will usually look a lot larger on her smaller, more petite hands.
