1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Stone?

[iluvdiamonds2]

1. Do you think the ring is the setting or the stone? Do you get a beefier setting for a 1 carat stone?

2. 2 carats are big enough to be solitaires. Do you think 1 carat is now looked at as a budget size?

3. With #1 in mind, does one buy the setting First and then the stone? or vice versa

 

[HopeDream]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

"1. Do you think the ring is the setting or the stone? Do you get a beefier setting for a 1 carat stone?"

The ring is a combination of stone and setting. What kind of setting you get depends on the recipient's taste. If the ring's recipient would prefer lots of pave, or side stones, then get pave or sidestones. If the recipient would prefer a plain setting, get a plain setting. Either style of setting could look fabulous as long as it is in proportion with the center stone.

"2. 2 carats are big enough to be solitaires. Do you think 1 carat is now looked at as a budget size?"

1 carat is larger than 75% of women will ever recieve. Depending on the woman's finger size 1 carat could look quite substantial.
In certain highly affluent social circles where 2ct+ is the norm, and you can easily afford 2ct, then 1ct would be considered a budget size. However, most women who have stones larger than 1ct have upgraded from their original stone.
You will see larger stones on PS (because we love diamonds) but the sizes you see here are definately larger than average. Us average size falls between .30-.50 ct.

"3. With #1 in mind, does one buy the setting First and then the stone? or vice versa"

In my opinion it's best to get the stone first because the setting must be made to accommodate a particular stone size.

Happy hunting!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

1. Do you think the ring is the setting or the stone? Do you get a beefier setting for a 1 carat stone?
I prefer to put all my money to the diamond and have a simple inexpesive setting. I can upgrade the setting later if I want
2. 2 carats are big enough to be solitaires. Do you think 1 carat is now looked at as a budget size?
Only in very wealthy circles The average ct weight in the US is something like .3ct. So in all but the most wealthy circles, 1ct is huge. I do not know anyone in real life except my MIL who has a diamond larger than 1ct.
3. With #1 in mind, does one buy the setting First and then the stone? or vice versa
Stone first then setting

 

[Imdanny]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

I guess that depends on who you ask. There was a survey posted at PS that said that the average US engagement ring is well under a ct.

 

[SB621]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

I guess that depends on who you ask. There was a survey posted at PS that said that the average US engagement ring is well under a ct.

I would love to know the average size for the PS community!

 

[Natylad]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

1. Do you think the ring is the setting or the stone? Do you get a beefier setting for a 1 carat stone?
I prefer to put all my money to the diamond and have a simple inexpesive setting. I can upgrade the setting later if I want
2. 2 carats are big enough to be solitaires. Do you think 1 carat is now looked at as a budget size?
Only in very wealthy circles The average ct weight in the US is something like .3ct. So in all but the most wealthy circles, 1ct is huge. I do not know anyone in real life except my MIL who has a diamond larger than 1ct.
3. With #1 in mind, does one buy the setting First and then the stone? or vice versa
Stone first then setting

+1

 

[clgwli]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

I guess that depends on who you ask. There was a survey posted at PS that said that the average US engagement ring is well under a ct.

Here's an article I've seen posted here and elsewhere that might also put things in perspective for the OP. I am not sure if it was on that survey thread or not, but I know someone did link it here at one point.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Diamond-Engagement-Ring-Size---What-Is-The-Average-Carat-Weight-of-a-Diamond-Engagement-Ring-in-2008&id=1034380

It's a couple years old, but IMO that is accurate for everything I see where I live. Pricescope is wonderful, but here a 1/4-1/2 carat is seen as tiny. In my world 1/4 is on the samller side, but tiny would be about 15 points and below. 1/3 to 1/2 seems to be the most common among my friends and only a handful of my friends have 3/4 or larger and only 1 above 1 carat.

I'd pick your stone first and then the setting. There is nothing wrong with picking a setting that will be customized for your stone first and then deciding on the stone, but I wouldn't purchase it until you find the center stone.

 

[shihtzulover]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

I have never seen anything over about 1.5 carats here, and only a handful of those. The majority of diamonds that I see are definitely under 1 carat. Even the CEO of my company only has about 1 carat.

I think that a lot of this obviously has to do with affordability, but also with the social norms around here. I know several people who could afford larger, more high-quality diamonds, but it's just not something that they really care about.

My SO and I both like larger diamonds, and we decided to go for a 1.5 carat princess cut. We thought about getting a larger diamond, but it would probably just look way too out-of-place.

 

[slg47]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

ditto to what the other posters have said...2 carats is HUGE and 1 carat is a very nice size. 1 carat is definitely big enough to be a solitaire (as is 0.5 carat, 0.25 carat...).

The setting should complement the size and the shape of the center stone. I am not sure what you mean by 'beefier' setting but I think a thinner band for a smaller size could be appropriate-you want the whole ring to look proportioned correctly. Of course this is a matter of personal preference.

Do you know what cut you want? (round, princess, emerald, cushion, asscher, etc...) I would start there and then find a setting that complements your center stone choice. However, if you have found a setting that you absolutely love then maybe you could start there.

 

[HopeDream]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

Some relevant threads

2009 PS average stone size survey results:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/alrighty-folks-pser-stats-results-are-in.142131/

2004 stone size thread:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/survey-ring-size-cut-and-carat.13763/

 

[geckodani]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

1. Do you think the ring is the setting or the stone? Do you get a beefier setting for a 1 carat stone?
I prefer to put all my money to the diamond and have a simple inexpesive setting. I can upgrade the setting later if I want
2. 2 carats are big enough to be solitaires. Do you think 1 carat is now looked at as a budget size?
Only in very wealthy circles The average ct weight in the US is something like .3ct. So in all but the most wealthy circles, 1ct is huge. I do not know anyone in real life except my MIL who has a diamond larger than 1ct.
3. With #1 in mind, does one buy the setting First and then the stone? or vice versa
Stone first then setting

Ditto all this. As usual, Dreamer hit it on the head. my .75 is larger than 90% of the women I know. It really, truly depends on you and your situation as far as what size to go for.

Definitely get the best stone you can. Settings are easier to upgrade than stones, IMO.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

1. Do you think the ring is the setting or the stone? Do you get a beefier setting for a 1 carat stone?

2. 2 carats are big enough to be solitaires. Do you think 1 carat is now looked at as a budget size?

3. With #1 in mind, does one buy the setting First and then the stone? or vice versa

1. Most solitaire settings look the same to me, it's the diamond that stands out.

2. .25cts are big enough to be solitaires 1 carat stones in my circle of friends is GINORMOUS you can forget about 2cts.

3. Stone first. Settings can be duplicated. Stones are unique.

 

[Imdanny]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

I live in rural Hawaii and I see everyday working women with tiny diamonds. If you asked anyone around here if 2 cts is the new standard they'd look at you like you had two heads.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

I think the real standard is about 1/2 carat with many women being thrilled to edge toward a carat. In TV/Movies/Pricescope/Real Housewives/Elite Circles you see it higher, but it isn't that there are more people with it, it's just a very visual group.

I would probably decide what my OVERALL budget is and either:

Get the biggest (well cut) stone with a really basic setting if you think you might like to do something more "beefy" for your 10th anniversary or something and keep your stone.

If you want the whole package now I would choose your setting first to see how much it will take from your overall budget with the understanding that some settings might not hold all sizes or shapes of stone.

 

[Amys Bling]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

1. Do you think the ring is the setting or the stone? Do you get a beefier setting for a 1 carat stone?

I think it's both. I wanted as big and sparkly a stone as money would allow, with a nice prong set eternity style band. The band I have is delicate and sparkly- but it's not a budget buster. I was still able to get a large enough stone considering I didn't get a 2-300 simple setting. The few hunderd more my setting cost over one of the "cheaper" setting wasn't enough to bump me up in color, clarity, or carat. (my stone is a 1.55 D SI). That said, if my FI budget was in the .5ct range, and the extra 900 would bump me up in carat, I would have gone with a simple 300 setting and put the exra 900 to the stone.So- I think that budget determines how you spend the money- setting and stone wise.

**But I definitely think the rind is the setting + stone. It's an overall look and feel that you are trying to achieve.**


2. 2 carats are big enough to be solitaires. Do you think 1 carat is now looked at as a budget size?

Many women receive 1ct or less in real life. With that said... I like in a metro area where a good majority of my newly engaged friends and friends of friends have 1 ct - 2.5ct stones... so I think it depends on geographic location and social circle that really dictates the norm.

3. With #1 in mind, does one buy the setting First and then the stone? or vice versa

Well, I would consider the budget.... with smaller stones- a 800 more expensive stone can really make a huge difference. I would personally look for a stone first that is in your target range--i.e. color, clarity, cut and carat... then see what settings are in your price range. IF you want a more expensive setting, drop one of the c's slightly....

 

[Amys Bling]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

I believe this was done recently. I definitely read a thread on it sometime after I joined in june. I thought the average PS stone was 1.5ct. Could be wrong....

 

[puppylover10]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

Amongst my friends, my 1.15 is pretty average. Some have slightly bigger stones and some have slightly smaller ones but factoring in some variations in color and clarity, the price is all about the same. This is probably due to the fact that most of our fiances and husbands make about the same money.
Among people on the bus in Los Angeles, my diamond is gigantic.
Among most girls in my professional school, my diamond is noticeably smaller than most. They also tend to have fancier settings (paved bands, higher set diamonds etc) so maybe that helps make their diamonds look bigger?

I have to say that when I first got my ring I thought my rock was huge but it is hard not to covet an even larger one when you see how pretty bigger rings look every day. Does anyone have advice on how not to let the size of others' rings around you affect how big you want yours to be?

And as much as I'd want a 2 carat ring, I　don't think I'd feel comfortable spending so much money on jewelry even if I the disposable income to afford it. But if it doesn't look out of place at work, I might halo my diamond and put it on a more delicate paved band in a few years.

 

[Amys Bling]

Re: 1 carat or is 2 carat the new standard. Setting or Sto

Amongst my friends, my 1.15 is pretty average. Some have slightly bigger stones and some have slightly smaller ones but factoring in some variations in color and clarity, the price is all about the same. This is probably due to the fact that most of our fiances and husbands make about the same money.
Among people on the bus in Los Angeles, my diamond is gigantic.
Among most girls in my professional school, my diamond is noticeably smaller than most. They also tend to have fancier settings (paved bands, higher set diamonds etc) so maybe that helps make their diamonds look bigger?

I have to say that when I first got my ring I thought my rock was huge but it is hard not to covet an even larger one when you see how pretty bigger rings look every day. Does anyone have advice on how not to let the size of others' rings around you affect how big you want yours to be?

And as much as I'd want a 2 carat ring, I　don't think I'd feel comfortable spending so much money on jewelry even if I the disposable income to afford it. But if it doesn't look out of place at work, I might halo my diamond and put it on a more delicate paved band in a few years.

There are a few articles that talked about this- I will link them here:

What you are experiencing is DSS- diamond shrinkage syndrome. When you first get your diamond it seems huge, you are in love, but as time passes you feel as though it's smaller than it once was... this article has tips for things you can do...

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/9-tips-combat-dss-diamond-shrinkage-syndrome

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/time-tweak-ring-makeovers

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/how-to-rekindle-my-love-for-the-ring.149744/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-e-ring-is-shrinking.149090/#post-2697238#p2697238