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 Princess Shape Diamond Sizes on Hand of a 2.04 Carat Diamond
Size doesn't mean much until you see it in context - this page provides a human hand as "context" to simulate the apparent size of a 2.04 carat weight diamond of princess shape. A princess shape stone with a carat weight of 2.04 is usually about 7.8 mm long on the side, although this can depend on the depth of the cut. The picture in this page shows an L 1/2 ring size; this is around the average size for a female.
Pictures can sometimes be notoriously deceptive - I've tried to make this one as clear as possible, but remember viewing the stone in person may give you a totally different judgement of size to viewing it on the internet.
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Consider the ratio between the width and length of your finger - this ratio will affect how massive and appropriate a diamond appears when it is finally placed on the finger.
Some of my readers are men - if this is you and you're trying to work out the right size of diamond to buy for your partner, don't forget that the diamond will usually look much larger on her smaller, more petite hands.
