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 Size of 0.63 Carat Princess Shape Diamond

Carat weight isn't the be all and end all - the type of cut will also affect the apparent size of the rock - for a 0.63 carat princess like this one, the size would be around 5.1 mm . Pictures can sometimes be a little dependent on the viewer - this one is pretty clear cut, but remember seeing the diamond in the flesh will give you a very different impression of size to examining it on the internet.

Think about the ratio between the length and width of a finger - this ratio can play an important role in how massive and suitable a diamond looks when it is slipped in a ring onto the hand.

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Diamonds are often magically "bigger" when you move them onto a woman's hand; because of this fact, make sure you ask a woman in the shop to put one on rather than putting it on your hand, which is probably much larger.