Can Someone Comment on 0.9 carat vs. 1.0 carats

[Zeppelin]

Wondering if the difference in appearance is negligible -- thanks...

 

[Zeppelin]

BTW, I'm asking this b/c I'm discovering I can save about $1800 just by sacrificing this 0.1 carat....

 

[DiamondExpert]

For a round stone roughly 6.3mm vs. 6.5mm - very noticable side-by-side loose, but less so set...however, perhaps very noticable in your mind.

Consider trying to find something between 0.95-0.99ct....may not be easy, but perhaps you could save a few $ by staying under the 1.00ct. wt.

 

[cflutist]

But 1.0 ct is a pyschological barrier and your wife is going to have to tell everyone it is .95 cts versus 1 carat. Kinda like 190 hp instead of 200 hp, or 2950 sq ft house instead of 3030 sq ft.

 

[Jennifer5973]

She could lie.

What average person is going to be able to discern the missing .05-.1 ct?

I admit it: I am evil.

 

[cflutist]

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On 8/9/2004 9:50:21 PM Jennifer5973 wrote:

She could lie.

What average person is going to be able to discern the missing .05-.1 ct?

I admit it: I am evil.----------------

Yes, but she will know in her heart that it is not a 1 carat diamond.

Jennifer, your new tagline could be "I am evil" while Mara's is "I'm a brat". Just kidding

 

[Zeppelin]

My girlfriend would be absolutely fine saying "around a carat"...she really only wants something bigger than 0.5 anyway...I'm the one with more of a psychological barrier...but I also have some financial barriers (i.e. student)

 

[Jennifer5973]

Ah Ha!

 

[cflutist]

Zeppelin,

You are one lucky guy. Let's just hope she doesn't catch the "shrinkage syndrome" like so many other women on these boards have caught ... and if she does in a few years, you should be out of school and gainfully employed.

 

[ep6585]

When you buy a 1ct diamond at the mall chain stores it can be anywhere from .95 to 1.05. How many women think they have a 1ct when it's actually closer .95ct or less.

I was recently in a mall chain store and they showed me a "1ct colorless" princess cut. I saw the GIA cert and it was 1.11ct F VVS1. I asked about it and they said the price was for that stock item. He said the next diamond they got for that item could be a .95 F VS1 and it would be the same price.

Edit: It was way over priced and the cut was terrible. I think the depth% was close to 80%.

 

[msbennie]

My "first" engagment ring, which also was overpriced and not a good quality diamond was advertised as a 1.00 ct but the cert stated that it was 1.13. So a diamond is called 1 ct even if it's over so, I wouldn't worry about it being slightly under 1.0. If your girlfriend is ok with that, then go for it...you'll save a lot of money. Take care and good luck!

 

[wonka27]

LOL...Do what I'm doing...

Buy her 3/4 ct and then get some studs or a pendant or both made. In no time you'll have 1.5 cts total but at the cost of under a carat.

As for your question...I don't think it is eye noticable without something to compare to, but the psychological barrier is a good point. If she doesn't care...I'd get further away from it. If your at like .95 she might question why you just didn't go all the way to 1ct. for her.

My $.02

 

[chialea]

If you like the look of the 1ct size, then go for something .85-.99. The price break is huge, since I assume you're going for a great cut, it will even look larger than many badly-cut (deep) 1ct stones. It'll make her happy, and you certainly know that it doesn't mean you love her any less (which I think is rather an odd notion myself, but it's amazing what advertising can do to a person).

Being fiscally responsible is a greater statement of love than that extra tiny bit of carbon, at least to my thinking.

 

[aljdewey]

----------------

But 1.0 ct is a pyschological barrier and your wife is going to have to tell everyone it is .95 cts versus 1 carat. Kinda like 190 hp instead of 200 hp, or 2950 sq ft house instead of 3030 sq ft.
----------------

As a woman, I could never imagine telling *anyone*, nevermind *everyone*, how much my diamond weighs. When I've overheard other women doing it, it sounds as though they are desperate to impress or prove something. I'm not saying that would be true in everyone's case, but to the casual bystander, that's how it sounds.

It also occurs to me that a well-cut .93 or so diamond (6.3 or so mm) would actually look bigger (and would BE bigger diameter wise) than a less well- cut 1 ct stone that measures 6.19. If I were the woman who owned the .93 or so stone and I felt compelled for some reason to divulge that information, I'd simply say it's a carat (see DR, it's not just the WF pricing I round.

)

Lastly, if I were the man who gave the .93 diamond, and I were to overhear my sweetie saying "it's .93/.95"....not to the learned diamond connosseur but to the average layman...... I'd likely feel as though she was ungrateful because she feels the need to point out to others that it's not a carat.

I'm not making value judgments on anyone else, just saying how these instances would strike *me*. It surprises me how much importance people place on being able to say "it's a carat". To me, it's like saying "I got it for 50% off!" That alone doesn't impress me - 50% off what?

I guess what I'm trying to say, Zeppelin, is that I'm one of those women who wouldn't be hung up on .07 and would be grateful for the gift instead of saying "but it's not a carat." And I know there are many women out there who would be equally grateful.

P.S. If it were me, I'd also be impressed at your ability to save a huge chunk of change for ALMOST the same thing by shopping smart.

 

[websailor]

This also depends upon your girlfriend....talk with her about your choices and plans for the future.




If she's okay with it, you could buy a smaller stone now, to be a part of a 3 stone ring (lots of those here to look at) when you've both graduated are making lot's of moola....




A pre-planned upgrade in x years from 2.5 ct total....see if that twinkle in her eyes really lights up, or if it looks more like lightning bolts.....



That will also tell you which way you should be going right now...










Oooh, I'd bring flowers home that night you plan to talk about it (but skip the wine).

 

[cflutist]

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On 8/10/2004 1:08:15 AM aljdewey wrote:



As a woman, I could never imagine telling *anyone*, nevermind *everyone*, how much my diamond weighs. When I've overheard other women doing it, it sounds as though they are desperate to impress or prove something. I'm not saying that would be true in everyone's case, but to the casual bystander, that's how it sounds.
----------------

Perhaps I should correct myself by saying "anyone who asked", versus "everyone". I don't know how many times I have been asked "How many carats is it?" and rather than being rude by saying "its none of your business" I would answer them. They never ask about the color, or the clarity, or heavens forbid the cut, they always ask about the weight.
Even when I had my 1.47 MQ they would ask "how big is that" and I would answer. But I have to admit, I did wish it was a 1.50 instead. But that's just me and maybe others feel different.

 

[fire&ice]

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On 8/10/2004 1:06:40 AM chialea wrote:


Being fiscally responsible is a greater statement of love than that extra tiny bit of carbon, at least to my thinking.----------------

To my thinking as well! Well said!

I think that "around a carat" size would be fine. $1800.00 is quite a chuck of change for the extra .05. And, yes, people may ask. No one is really going to challenge the size. After all, my initial engagement ring (.70) was "around" 3/4 c. No one really asked for an explanation. When they did, I was bad and said that this was the best quality balanced w/ cut we could find near that carat weight.

 

[lmurden]

If she is ok with a high quality .90 diamond then buy it and use the rest of the money on a vacation!

 

[Jennifer5973]

When I got engaged, My husband told me it was "about 1ct." I was thrilled to be engaged and loved my ring, and when people asked (and I agree with cflutist--I think many people who are not educated about diamonds just care about how BIG it is), I said "about 1 ct." The ring was soon after appraised for insurance purposes and it said "1 ct"

Recently the same stone was reappraised after almost 10 years in its new setting as "approx. 80 points."

Get the .90-.99 stone and save your money. In a well cut stone, it will look like a carat...If the average Joe Schmoe thought my orignal shallower cut stone was 1 ct at 80 pts, a .90 stone with a great cut will be a stunner.

PS I recently compared a 1.48 stone to a 1.54 stone and I couldn't see a thing in terms of diameter/size...one was a lower color and that was noticeable frm the profile view...both were Ideal makes (incidentally, one was a VS1 and one a SI1 and I couldn't spot those differences with the naked eye either!). And while at the jewelers last week (don't ask), he was showing stones to somebody ELSE and had a 1.9 ct and a 2.0 ct and I couldn't spot a difference in size between those either (and I was looking SPECIFICALLY for that)....

 

[glitterata]

The average person has no idea how big a carat is, anyway.

I have a 1.65 carat Old European Cut with a diameter of about 7.55 mm, which is more or less how big a 1.5 to 1.6 ideal cut should be. It's a terrifically bright and sparkly OEC. I've had people--even people who sell jewelry--say to me, "What a beautiful diamond! How big is it, a carat?"

I always say, "Thank you! It's about a carat and a half."

 

[Regular Guy]

My wife recently lost her engagement ring, and after reviewing the options, including studying the tutorial and discussion of "magic weights," I targeted the .85 - .99 size to buy in.

My wife and I did do this together. Though I'm not sure exactly what she says and thinks, the decision was indeed to buy just shy of a carat, and I'm thinking that's roughly what it comes to.

 

[Jennifer5973]

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On 8/10/2004 12:05:51 PM glitterata wrote:

The average person has no idea how big a carat is, anyway.

I have a 1.65 carat Old European Cut with a diameter of about 7.55 mm, which is more or less how big a 1.5 to 1.6 ideal cut should be. It's a terrificly bright and sparkly OEC. I've had people--even people who sell jewelry--say to me, 'What a beautiful diamond! How big is it, a carat?'

I always say, 'Thank you! It's about a carat and a half.' ----------------

----------------

LOL, glitterata.... Someone just complimented me on my new 1.52 RB Ideal and asked "What is that? A carat?" I almost died!

And this person is fairly sophisticated (owns a beautiful 2 ct Emerald cut stone). And we wonder why so many of us have “shrinkage” issues.

It is a good lesson re: how worrying about what others think can really drive you nuts.

 

[Matata]

Down with carats; up with spread!!! We should try to change the traditional thinking that equates weight with size. It's ingrained common thinking that carat describes the size of a diamond but our PS diamond tutorial states that weight does not equal size and there have been many discussions about how the spread of a diamond can make it look larger when compared to another of identical weight. Everytime someone asks us how large our diamond is, we should answer that the spread is ___ mm and the weight is ___ carats, and then enjoy their furrowed brow as they try to process what that means.

 

[Pair0Ducks]

I can't believe it took chialea and 10 replies before someone mentioned that there is far too little information to give a good answer. 0.9 carats could be BIGGER (diameter-wise) than the 1.0 carat.

I also disagree with the idea that 6.3mm vs 6.5mm is very noticeable, even side-by-side. We are talking 2/10 of a mm. Perhaps it is noticeable to someone in the business, but not to the general public and certainly not to someone who is admiring your ring.

You could very likely answer the "how big?" question with "2 carats" and I bet at least 7 of 10 would take your word for it.

Don't play into human nature. Save the money!!! Is the ring a physical symbol of your love to your fiancee/wife or to the general public? What she thinks is what's important.

Why don't you ask them to show you the two stones separately and without telling you which is which. Pick the stone you think looks bigger/better. I give you a 50% chance of saving $1800.

 

[JC]

I agree with what Gary had to say. I believe that if you were to place two equally cut and similar quality diamonds that were already set and mounted next to each other that "most" people would never tell the difference. The one's that could tell the difference are looking very closely. This is obviously in reference to a .90ct to 1.00ct weight diamond.

 

[verticalhorizon]

Looks like everyone beat me to the punch on this one, but I will agree.

No one... certainly no casual observer will be able to discern a 0.1ct difference! And if you're saving $1800 by going lower, then by ALL MEANS DO SO! Put that $1800 towards the wedding instead.

The only people who may ask you how 'big' or what 'size' is the diamond (which as you know are misnomers, carats are measurements of weight) is perhaps relatives and close friends... then all you have to say is around 1ct. No biggie.

Virtually no one outside of friends/family will ask you. And even if they did, just let them do all the talking. If it's a great cut, it will look bigger than a 1ct and they'll just faun over it.

"Ooooh... Is that 1.5ct?," asks your neighbor.

You smirk knowing it isn't and you saved cashishe!

 

[glitterata]

On 8/10/2004 12:25:06 PM Jennifer5973 wrote:

LOL, glitterata.... Someone just complimented me on my new 1.52 RB Ideal and asked "What is that? A carat?"  I almost died!


And this person is fairly sophisticated (owns a beautiful 2 ct Emerald cut stone). And we wonder why so many of us have “shrinkage” issues.


It is a good lesson re: how worrying about what others think can really drive you nuts.


----------------[/quote]


I think most of the time when people say this, they're paying you a compliment. Well, maybe not the friend who wears a 2 ct emerald cut--she might know more about diamonds--but for most people, "a carat" means "a substantial diamond that has a prestigious term to describe it." Like if someone complimented your eyesight by saying "You must have 20/20 vision." Your vision might actually be better than 20/20; all they mean is that your vision seems impressive.

The most recent woman who asked if my 1.65 K/L SI2 OEC was "a carat" also asked if it was "flawless." She didn't comment on the color; maybe she didn't know that diamonds come in different colors? I didn't know that myself five years ago. But she totally missed what I'm sure she was REALLY trying to comment on: that it's sparkly. And that has nothing to do with the weight, color, or clarity of my stone. It's all in the cut.

Anyway, I think a .90 ct diamond is a great deal because you get a large diamond for less money per carat than you would if you passed the 1 ct mark.

 

[Dancing Fire]

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On 8/9/2004 9:29:07 PM Zeppelin wrote:

Wondering if the difference in appearance is negligible -- thanks...----------------

zeppelin,

if you want to confuse most people when they ask you what's the size, just tell them aproximately 6.3 mm.(for a .90 ct),that's what i told my wife to say 9.7 mm. instead of carat weight.

 

[g7adrian]

What is the price premium for 1 carat anyways? That is, for round diamonds of best cut, same color and clarity, what is the average percentage increase in price per carat at wholesale between 1ct diamonds, and shy of one carat diamonds? Maybe an industry expert knows the answer to this question.




If a particular diamond of 1.0ct costs say $5000, an equivalent 0.9ct diamond would cost $4500 from the weight difference alone assuming the price/carat remains constant. In reality would that 0.9ct sell for significantly less than $4500?




Also, I challenge the idea that buying shy of 1ct can save you a lot of money. When I was looking for a diamond I found that 0.95ct diamonds were as expensive in price/carat. Because people believe that buying shy of 1ct can save a lot of money, vendors may have extended the 1ct price premium also to the 'shy of' diamonds. Is it a fact or a myth the assertion that one can save by buying a 0.99ct instead of 1ct?




Maybe the price difference of $1800 that you quote is not on diamonds that except for weight are otherwise the same.




Adrian

 

[Regular Guy]

Adrian,

I appreciate your posts, and in this last, I felt challenged enough to at least double check. The idea is provocative, and it sounds like you've tested the idea yourself. Perhaps check again. See the specs and boundaries presented here and then do any search on the prices through Pricescope, whether a quick search, or by cut quality, and then try marking a spot in the group (say, comparing the lowest cost offering in the group of .9 to the lowest cost offering from 1.0); doing so with the data here, the difference was actually more dramatic than I might have imagined (for example, in the quick search, compare the spread .9 - 1.05, for G, VS2, checked for AGS0, and find the starting costs for one group at about $4100, and the other, at $6100), so you do the math.