Carat, Carat, Carat!

Touche!
My ideal size before was around a 1ct. diamond. I am petite and have smallish hands and slendor fingers so a 1 ct. looks pretty substantial on my hand. Now I want a 1.5 ct. and I hate to say it, but I would be a little disappointed if I got something much smaller. There are other reasons why I feel this way than PS (family, various circumstances, etc.) that I don't want to get into on this thread. I've just come to expect about a 1.5 ct, even 1.25 would be ok. I promise I'm not a brat and I know I sound like such a snot saying that. And for you Mashira???

Well, I never really went diamond shopping before, so I had no real idea how large a 1 ct... 1.5 ct.. 2ct would be IRL and on my hand. BUT in my mind, I always felt that a 1ct stone would be the size. Im in the NYC metro area and people tend to have pretty blingy engagment rings, so im my mind, 1 ct is standard...

I did search online databases and when I saw how expensive a 1 ct of colorless range and excellent cut could be, I felt like it was right where my FI budget would be (we bought a house a year ago and will have to pay for at least half of a weddding plus the honeymoon...)
I received a 1.55 D RB stone and am sooo pleased.... but of course PS has messed with my mind and I could totally envision myself with a 2 ct... but that isn't financially in the cards.

The FI looked at a 1.85 and 1.95 stone with a "good" cut, and lower color (I-J) and he felt it sparkled soo much less than the stone he picked for me, so I feel he did the right thing. I wouldn't want a 1.95 dull looking diamond just for the few extra mm in size. how about you Mashira??

Personally, I think 1 carat is perfect! When I first started to look at rings, I really didn't know what size I wanted. I am not a flashy person, so I did not want anything particularly HUGE! When I was looking at rings by myself, I tried on all sizes that looked good with my hand size. I found that a half carat was too small, a 1.5 carat was too big, and the 1 carat was just right, so we went on that when we went looking together. In my area, 1 carat is actually more than what most are buying. The jeweler stated that most people are buying 3/4 carat or even just a 1/2 carat, and that's perfectly fine. I just wanted the one carat. It was a sparkler, and it fit right with my hand and I know that it would not be too big to have on my hand in my area. I come from an area infested with senior citizens and college undergrads. Not that it's bad, but its the truth. haha..

I ended up picking out a 1.2 carat and I loooove it!

Oh I so agree being on PS has totally warped my sense of carat size.

My hubby gave me 0.25ct (great stats) which is considered totally normal where I come from.

My sister has a 1.0ct halo cushion and people literally stop and stare! She gets asked if her hubby is some sort of famous person or millionare... (He's not - just very generous)

BUT since I spend so much time on here I can easily envision up to 2.0ct on my teeny size 4 hands

Obviously finances would never permit that for us so instead I look for larger gemstone rings instead to furfil my secret desires for bling!

This is very interesting!!

For me, I never payed too much attention to carat size. I focused more on the diamonds spread, or 'finger coverage'. I wanted a princess with a spread of about 5mm which in a princess cut would be around 0.75ct. I have a 4.75 (4 3/4) size finger. Then I joined PS!

I fell in love with the idea of a 7mm spread. Princess cut with a 7mm spread = about 2ct! This was within the budget (if we went with 1.8ct, just under the 'magic' number), but the higher end of it. I decided on smaller because even though FF had the funds, I just could NOT justify that much money on a ring. We found the perfect ring which is a 6mm spread (right in the middle!) and it is a 1.30ct princess.

In my area there is LOT of variation. Right where I live you will see anywhere between 0.30ct and 1ct, then you drive about fifteen minutes north from where I am and you shoot up to an average between 0.75 and 2ct! FF and I actually intend on buying a home about fifteen minutes north of where I am now, so I guess my ring is fitting!

Oh! PTFM, no worries you're just being honest. If I am entirely honest with myself, I know I would be just a tad bit less enthused (though I would never show it) with a diamond under 0.80ct just because the princess shape faces up so small!

I think its a great realization as well..

Although I will say in the area that I live in 2.0 carats is pretty normal.

However, the size I wanted was around 1 carat. That being said, I also wouldn't have minded having a bigger carat but I also didn't want anything under 1 because of personal preferences and anything smaller then 1 carat just looked small on my hand.

This is gonna sound insane...but PS HAS distorted my perception a bit. Even my 2.5 stone feels small when I look at other girls 2.5's on their tiny fingers. Don't know if that made sense but yeah...

My current center stone is tiny by PS standards. It is .53. I am pretty content with it but yes, I would not snub my nose at a .75 or 1 ct. center stone. I think a 1 ct. center stone would be the biggest size I would want but my tastes continue to change especially enjoying pictures of all the beauties posted here.

I haven't been on pricescope for too too long but it hasn't really changed my idea of what I wanted. My mother has her original center stone (she reset it awhile ago) and it's a 2.03ish ct pear. That's pretty standard for my parents group of friends. Some of the older women have much bigger stones than that. But I think ever since I was little my moms ring has been what I based my standard on. I actually initially wanted at least a 2 carat stone but when we started looking at prices I realized it was too much for right now. So instead of 2 ct center, we went with a 1.57 ct center with 1.21 ct side stones (about .6 ct each). So the ring ended up being a 3 stone 2.78 ctw with more finger converage (i assume, i dont have the ring yet) and ended up costing much less than trying to get a 2 ct solitaire. I also didn't want a solitaire so what we got Made sense and I know I'm going to love it!

Australians tend to be more casual I think, so there aren't a lot of big rings here.
In fact, anything over 1ct would probably be considered big.

When I started looking, I thought 1ct would be great, but realistically, with diamond prices here, would have been happy with .75 or .8 in no lower than a G colour (keeping in mind my size 4.25ish fingers).
Once I found PS though, I did get to thinking bigger... have ended up with a 1.28 J, cos I found I liked the lower colours.

strictly diamond speaking...I always wanted a 1 ct and we got a 1.108...I am very happy with this size and feel I will not need to 'upgrade' (though I could get a pendant, earrings...)

looking on PS I wonder if we should have gone lower color/bigger but I think this is a good size for every day, not too big, but not too small...I can't wait to see it though! (not implying that other sizes are too big/too small, but I think this is a great size for me)

of course the more important thing is that I found my dream man

For me I always thought that 1 carat was huge. I have small fingers as well and the main thing that came to mind when someone said diamond was a 1 carat RB. I knew there were other shapes, but I was only familiar with princess and rounds. In my area, between .8-1.2 is common. Within my family, I have one of the bigger diamonds for our age group, but of course the older generations' rings are much more substantial than mine.

When I finally saw the ring I fell for, it had a cushion diamond set in the ring instead of the RB. My FI got me the best cushion he could and he still hit my magic number of 1 carat. My ring has a halo and everyone thinks it's much bigger than what it is. I feel that because of PS, I would be comfortable with something bigger like 1.5-2 carats if I was ever to upgrade, but overall it would depend on the finger coverage without a halo.

.75

p.s. how do I get a picture in my avatar?? sorry for going off topic...

Amy, Look at the top of the page > click 'My Pages' tab > click 'My Account' tab > click 'Edit' tab > click 'User Profile' > scroll down and upload in the box!

haha - before i found pricescope i wanted .98 of a carat - or rather just under 1... now im thinking 1.75 or so... definitely some DSS going on there

Yes it has gone up at first I was ok with 0.80-0.90 then it went up to a 1.00. Now it's up to 1.25 because it gives me 30% finger coverage thanks to the chart I found on here. My ideal size would be 1.40 or 1.50 but I've been lusting over this 2.23 old european cut diamond I saw on JBEG for sale N/O in color but faces up like a K. Pricescope isn't helping my SO pocket when it's time to buy the ring. He told his budget was 6k and I was like oh mine was 8K so it's only two grand difference. I hope he goes up the extra two thousand so I can get a bigger old european cut diamond e-ring.

Ducklovingvegan, I read through your post and thought, "Well, that makes sense!"

... and then I took a minute and realized that I am now in the boat of PS'ers that would say something like 'It's only two grand'
I think it's perfectly reasonable for a diamond, especially if it's in your finances, so please don't take me the wrong way. I just found it amusing!

I'll just say that PS had the oppositve effect on me as everyone else. I thought I wanted one size, but PS made me realize there would be some stigma/jealousy tied to that size and I wasn't really up for dealing with that. Maybe one day when I am older and hopefully even more awesome I will get my 3ct pink diamond and laugh at all the haters, but for now I am content with what I chose .

In my area, a half to one carat is the norm. My ideal size personally is 1-1.5ct.

Hm... Before I started lurking on PS, my ideal size would have been 1.5 for a round. When my SO and I looked at diamonds, we both really liked the size. Most of my friends (24-25) have between 1-2 carat diamonds, but the older women have HUGE rings.

Now, I would really like at least a 2 carat AVC, although right now I have
my eye on that 3.07 AVC and am trying to justify the price I promise I'll never upgrade...

Yes, I'm crazy.

The diamond sizes that I commonly see are very varied, but that's because I know people who are living in all different areas.

I live in a very rural area, where smaller diamonds (.25 to maybe .75, but probably a bit more in the lower end of that range) are most common, but I have friends who I went to school with (some who live in this area and some who don't) who have about 1 carat center stones, and maybe a couple of 1.5 carat solitaires. Of course, I have only seen most of them on facebook, so I have no idea how well cut they are, or what the color and clarity specs are.

When my boyfriend and I started looking, we were thinking that 1 carat would be our ideal size. I hadn't even discovered pricescope yet, but it seemed like the more we looked, the bigger we wanted. We ended up finding a beautiful 1.5 carat princess cut solitaire. My ring size is about a 4.5, but I guess I like the bigger look . Also, I guess since we went to so many different places, I experienced the 'diamond shrinkage' phenomenon early, and decided on larger than what we originally thought.

Our diamond has 'F' color, and I could have gotten a 2 carat with 'I' color (with all other specs being equal) for just a little bit more money, but I was afraid that the yellow would show in the corners of the stone, and I really like the whiter look. Also, I was afraid that if I went any larger, people around here would probably just think it was fake. The one that we picked is perfect for what we both want.

I am very happy with our purchase, but I think I am spoiled now!

I used to think 1 carat was as big as I would need to go. Then I found pricescope Actually, I think I was more influenced by seeing the ring I want with a 1.5 carat diamond in the setting. I know I won't be getting a 1.5, but seeing how great it looks in that setting definitely makes me want something a little more than 1 carat.

Mashirraaa!!! PS has totally warped my brain with carat size!!

When I see a 5 carat stone on here I feel like WOW , can I have some of that!!

Before PS I would have been happy with a 1ct. I do have tiny hands (Size 4) and I figured it would suit me. Then I started looking on here and saw so many different shapes and sizes (mostly HUGE). I also started noticing peoples rings IRL around me and saw that many were over 1ct. After that I didn't want to go below a 1.5ct, but really couldnt justify spending any more than that for a diamond. Luckily it was within our range and so we got a 1.5 but since its a cushion it does face up smaller anyway.

I still hope for a 2.50ct AVC someday (I would never go bigger bc IMHO I think it would look super silly on my tiny self) ::::siggggghhh:::: THANKS PS for making me dream of a bigger ring when I didnt get my first one yet!!

Dawnaaa! LOL I know exactly how you feel
I would have loved the 2ct princess (similar situation, princesses face up small). However, when I think about it my 1.3 still blows me away! Like Shihtzulover said, if I had gotten the 2ct I would honestly be afraid that it would appear 'fake' or people would think it a was a CZ. I know that shouldn't matter, but I also know that it would make me feel bad, so I'm content with my 1.3!

i want a well cut G SI1 2.5ct RB.

I always wanted a 1 carat ring. It's considered to be "big" in real life I guess. Therefore, when we were looking at diamonds, we only look at 1+ carat. (of course my bf tried to get me to try some less than 1 carat diamonds) I did fall in love with some 1.10ish diamonds and decided that it would be nice to have a 1.10ish carat diamond. I tried on some 1.20 carat. It looks too big on my 4.25 finger. Since my setting is high, I don't want something TOO stand out. We looked at many different one and decided that I really want a H&A G VS2 diamond (thanks to PS). We wanted to get something in the SI range to save money and get a bigger size. However, we are very sensitive to the inclusions. Eventually I ended up with a 1.007 carat. As soon as I saw that diamond in person, I fell in love with it. Maybe it is meant to be mine. Even though it would be nice to get something bigger, I don't regret getting this diamond. I have to admit sometimes I wish I can get a bigger one, (thanks to PS. ) but my bf would probably kill me. j/k

The other day I was telling my bf that I will post pictures of my ring on PS once I'm engaged, and he was like

BF: you have to show off your BIG diamond to your online friends?
ME: you are WRONG, on PS, the average diamond is around 1.5-2ish carat diamond. 1 carat is considered to be "small." (I'm not saying anything less than 1 carat is small... I'm just teasing him.)
BF: *shock* Oh really?
ME: *wink wink*
BF: ....

That shut him up!

A few years ago, I really wanted a 1 carat. I had a 1/2 carat at our wedding, and it was pretty, but wished for a bigger stone. After a few years the 1 carat was looking a little small, and so I got a 1.5 carat.

I do love looking at all the bling on PS, and really enjoy looking at the pics and hand shots, but the current ring with the 1.51 center I think is as big as I could go. I found PS after getting my newest setting, and really am happy with the size. Oddly enough the ring doesnt look too big any more ( when i first got it I thought it was TOO big ) and I think I am settling into a good groove with it. I am sure DH will be pleased if it is the last upgrade I do!

I think all the big carat weight stones acutally helped tame that "this is too big look" for my mind! so PS has been a good thing

I always thought a 1 carat diamond would be perfect for an engagement ring so that's what I wanted. But, with diamond prices here in South Africa being so ridiculous, I was expecting more like a .75 or .8 carat. Then I found PS and everything changed!

Now I can easily see myself with something a lot bigger. I have small hands, a size H (I think that's a size 3.75 - 4.00 in USA), so everyone I know thinks I'm mad to even want a 1 carat. Around here most people only buy about .5 or maybe a little bigger but you hardly see anything close to 1 carat IRL. Even the people who can afford it (like my parents) don't get them because of the crime here.

But since PS has made me crazy I didn't care about any of those issues and we went completely over budget and ended up getting a 1.20 carat pear that we're even getting set with a halo! My BF really wishes I had never found PS, he says it's ruining his life.

My very first engagement ring from my first marriage was .18ct, G, VS2 - and all my friends thought that was huge!

Where I live, it is more common to have tiny chips set in yg bands.

When I discovered PS, I knew I wanted ideal cut more than anything else. Our budget could have bought .75ct+ in a so-so cut, but I wanted sparkle! So I'm getting .51 H&A rb and couldn't be happier.

One day, when I'm all grown up, I want a 2.5ct AVC set by Leon and a 5ct+ Lemony just like Amethyste's.

So yes, PS has definitely affected my wants!

Pre-pricescope I wanted a 0.30ct princess.

Shortly after joining PS we got a 0.73ct pear three stone 1.09ctw (I think).

......Now I kinda want a 1.20ct pear in a three stone or a 1.20ct+ cushion or oval, but SHHHHHH, don't tell BF I'm already planning my upgrade.