Diamond size question

[Happytobemrsg]

Hi everyone. For many different reasons DH and I need to re-build my engagement ring. It will look exactly the same but with 6 claws instead of 4.

We are also considering upgrading my centre diamond. My diamond is .33ct (I know it looks a bit larger - I have very skinny fingers - size 2.5).

In your opinion - which size would be ideal for my finger / set?

 

[foxinsox]

There's no one answer to that - how big would you like to go? How big do you feel comfortable with? Do you want to be in line with friends/family/social circle or are you happy to be different (bigger or smaller)? How do you wear your rings ie all the time or for special occasions or somewhere in between since size can affect that. How much do you want to spend also plays a part.. there's a website diamdb.com that is useful for virtually trying on specific sizes/shapes of stone to see how they look in terms of coverage. You may want to go try rings on locally and get a feel for how much bigger you'd be comfortable with too.
Ps I think your current set is really pretty

 

[whitewave]

How big were you thinking?

 

[Happytobemrsg]

There's no one answer to that - how big would you like to go? How big do you feel comfortable with? Do you want to be in line with friends/family/social circle or are you happy to be different (bigger or smaller)? How do you wear your rings ie all the time or for special occasions or somewhere in between since size can affect that. How much do you want to spend also plays a part.. there's a website diamdb.com that is useful for virtually trying on specific sizes/shapes of stone to see how they look in terms of coverage. You may want to go try rings on locally and get a feel for how much bigger you'd be comfortable with too.
Ps I think your current set is really pretty

Thank you for your reply! My ring is slightly smaller than my social circle. I think most people 0.5ct (I'm in the UK). My other jewellery is very minimal so it won't have to compete. I don't wear it every day because I have fallen out of love with it I think. I hate the 4 claws & it is not a great cut.

I looked at that site! A great tool! I'm wondering if 0.75 might be big enough (my fingers are a bit smaller than these)

How big were you thinking?

I'm thinking 0.75. It'll look noticeably bigger

 

[whitewave]

I think .75 would be fantastic.

 

[Akalahab]

Lovely rings! My fingers are similar to yours (my hubby is from the UK as well)- my rings are sized at 3.5 due to my knuckles and having to keep my rings loose due to being a violinist but I also have rings that are sized 2.5 and they still spin (I'm always cold). Mine is .79 carat - attaching a photo so you might be able to get an idea of proportion.

 

[Happytobemrsg]

Lovely rings! My fingers are similar to yours (my hubby is from the UK as well)- my rings are sized at 3.5 due to my knuckles and having to keep my rings loose due to being a violinist but I also have rings that are sized 2.5 and they still spin (I'm always cold). Mine is .79 carat - attaching a photo so you might be able to get an idea of proportion.

That is so kind of you, thank you!

 

[Akalahab]

I just remembered that I have rings sized at 3 (which can spin) but not 2.5 (I've only tried on that size and decided to get a larger size). So your fingers might be smaller than mine!

 

[OoohShiny]

0.75 is a large stone for the UK (unless you live in Chelsea lol) so I think it will look large, especially if you have small hands!

 

[tyty333]

Jealous of you girls with such tiny fingers! You make a .75 look like a 1.5 carat!

 

[Austina]

Wow, that .79 looks huge on your dainty finger.

I've got big sausage paws

 

[foxinsox]

Another sausage paws here (~6.75 ) so that 0.75 would look huge on your lovely wee 2.5! You will have to come back and show us what you decide to get! Or post budget and desired specs if you want a hand finding something super sparkly and you'll be sure to get loads of options..

 

[Happytobemrsg]

We went to look at stones today just to get an idea. They had 0.70 & 0.80 and naturally I leaned towards the 0.80

0.75 is a large stone for the UK (unless you live in Chelsea lol) so I think it will look large, especially if you have small hands!

I certainly don't live in Chelsea (I wish!) but I want to find a size high is noticeable but not gaudy (on my tiny fingers)

Jealous of you girls with such tiny fingers! You make a .75 look like a 1.5 carat!

I'll go on that comparison website and look at what an equivalent diamond would be on a normal sized finger! I grew up HATING my skinny fingers but finally it looks like they may not be too bad after all!

Another sausage paws here (~6.75 ) so that 0.75 would look huge on your lovely wee 2.5! You will have to come back and show us what you decide to get! Or post budget and desired specs if you want a hand finding something super sparkly and you'll be sure to get loads of options..

My DH is pleased - it means he gets away with getting me a smaller diamond! DH's family live in Israel and we are traveling there in April - he suggested looking at the diamond factory there. Otherwise, we do know a couple of people in the trade. Since this is a project for next year, my main aim now I know the size I want is to understand exactly what stone I want - I want to understand all the terminology and make sure I don't get swayed by the sparkly lights they put on when showing you the diamonds!

 

[Happytobemrsg]

Could I possibly ask another question? Do you think my set would better suit an OEC rather than a RB? What is the sparkle like?

 

[rockysalamander]

Could I possibly ask another question? Do you think my set would better suit an OEC rather than a RB? What is the sparkle like?

Your set can go either way. I've seen old cuts and modern rounds in similar settings. A lot of us, myself included, adore old cuts. They throw a lots of pastel/rainbow flashes that are more chunky. Modern rounds are cut for fire, so they throw off a lot of smaller very bright flashes. They have more of a disco-ball look (in a good way).

JewelsbyGrace and LoveAffairDiamonds have great videos of their old cuts. These old diamonds were hand-cut, so they are rarely perfect in the way modern diamonds can be. But, they look great with some color (in fact L,M,N+ are desirable) and I think can hide clarity flaws very well.

 

[rockysalamander]

Another sausage paws here (~6.75 ) so that 0.75 would look huge on your lovely wee 2.5! You will have to come back and show us what you decide to get! Or post budget and desired specs if you want a hand finding something super sparkly and you'll be sure to get loads of options..

Sausage paws a size 6.75

I'm a size 10.5. I make a .75 look like a .25 carat!

 

[ratatat]

I think 0.75 on your finger would look great and not too big at all, but a very good size I think it would look similar to my 0.92ct on a size 4 which I like the look of

 

[foxinsox]

Sausage paws a size 6.75

I'm a size 10.5. I make a .75 look like a .25 carat!

10.5 just means more room for a bigger rock surely?

 

[rockysalamander]

10.5 just means more room for a bigger rock surely?

That's certainly what I say, it just takes some time to convince DH of this...

 

[Octo2005]

Your set is beautiful! I agree that the prongs are a bit overpowering as is. Will they be able to change the current ring to a six prong and accommodate a larger stone? Some dainty claw prongs are amazing.

Not to throw a wrench in the plan but, you mentioned that you have fallen out of love with your rings. If you are considering making changes it might be a good time to rethink the setting for something that your are completely in love with.

Best of luck!

 

[Happytobemrsg]

Your set is beautiful! I agree that the prongs are a bit overpowering as is. Will they be able to change the current ring to a six prong and accommodate a larger stone? Some dainty claw prongs are amazing.

Not to throw a wrench in the plan but, you mentioned that you have fallen out of love with your rings. If you are considering making changes it might be a good time to rethink the setting for something that your are completely in love with.

Best of luck!

I've started looking at different prongs. Do you think a dainty 8 prong setting would completely overwhelm an 0.80ct diamond? They are so pretty.

I think the problems I have with my ring will be fixed with better prongs and a bigger diamond with more sparkle.

 

[rockysalamander]

I've started looking at different prongs. Do you think a dainty 8 prong setting would completely overwhelm an 0.80ct diamond? They are so pretty.

I think the problems I have with my ring will be fixed with better prongs and a bigger diamond with more sparkle.

I think every problem should be solved with a bigger diamond.

 

[tyty333]

I think your set could go either way also...OEC or round brilliant. I dont know if I'd do 8 prongs on a .75 (well, ok, I wouldnt). I think 6 danty
prongs would be good though. You better make sure you have a good bench to do the danty prongs.

 

[Akalahab]

8 prongs would have to be super tiny! I've seen some rings on here with a metal halo and bead set center stone - that's really the only way I can envision 8 prongs on a .75 or .8. Also might make cleaning your ring more difficult.

 

[WinkHPD]

I've started looking at different prongs. Do you think a dainty 8 prong setting would completely overwhelm an 0.80ct diamond? They are so pretty.

I think the problems I have with my ring will be fixed with better prongs and a bigger diamond with more sparkle.

Properly made, and you have several wonderful jewelers capable of doing so in London, an eight or six prong would look incredible. You can have several styles of prongs, from pointed claw style prongs, provided they are carefully and completely in contact with the diamonds, slightly pointed claws, same caution and the more common rounded prong tips, which still need to be completely and carefully lowered to contact with the diamond.

Those choices are yours to make and your chosen jeweler should be able to show you examples of different styles of prongs.

This is a great project and it sounds like your DH is completely on board with what you are doing, so have fun with it. Just as an aside, I really like the style of your existing ring. The milgrain is neatly applied to both the engagement and the wedding ring and with a new head, a new diamond and prongs that contribute to the design, I predict a happy outcome.

Wink

 

[motownmama]

So, are they going to dismantle it and put a new head on your ring that has 6 prongs and can accommodate a larger stone? If you liked how the .8 looked on you, then I'd say that or something close in size probably your sweet-spot. Just be sure it's an excellent cut.

 

[Octo2005]

Have you found the jeweler to alter your current ring yet? Maybe you could look at examples of their other work to best gauge how dainty they can make their prongs and they can offer advise about the number best suited to the setting and their bench skill level.

I think that the 8 prong maybe a bit much for under a 1ct, but that is just my guess. They certainly are pretty, but so are the six prongs.

 

[Happytobemrsg]

Properly made, and you have several wonderful jewelers capable of doing so in London, an eight or six prong would look incredible. You can have several styles of prongs, from pointed claw style prongs, provided they are carefully and completely in contact with the diamonds, slightly pointed claws, same caution and the more common rounded prong tips, which still need to be completely and carefully lowered to contact with the diamond.

Those choices are yours to make and your chosen jeweler should be able to show you examples of different styles of prongs.

This is a great project and it sounds like your DH is completely on board with what you are doing, so have fun with it. Just as an aside, I really like the style of your existing ring. The milgrain is neatly applied to both the engagement and the wedding ring and with a new head, a new diamond and prongs that contribute to the design, I predict a happy outcome.

Wink

The ring was bought from a mall shop before I knew you could get better quality for your money elsewhere. The milgrain was added later by the same jeweller who made my wedding ring. He will be the one doing my new engagement ring- I wouldn't trust anyone else! He also made my stunning treated green diamond eternity ring & the milgrain on that is exquisite.

As for prongs, I know I don't want 4. I have seen many 6 prongs which seem too chunky & sort of gives the diamond a hexagonal look rather than round (if that makes any sense!). The main reason I want to get rid of 4 prongs is because I want to enhance the round shape.

So, are they going to dismantle it and put a new head on your ring that has 6 prongs and can accommodate a larger stone? If you liked how the .8 looked on you, then I'd say that or something close in size probably your sweet-spot. Just be sure it's an excellent cut.

I think they will build an entirely new ring but exactly the same design as this one. The only difference being the number of prongs & a larger (better quality) diamond. Cut is super important to me, more so than size I think. My current diamond lacks real sparkle.

Have you found the jeweler to alter your current ring yet? Maybe you could look at examples of their other work to best gauge how dainty they can make their prongs and they can offer advise about the number best suited to the setting and their bench skill level.

I think that the 8 prong maybe a bit much for under a 1ct, but that is just my guess. They certainly are pretty, but so are the six prongs.

I will be working with the same jeweller who added the milgrain to my current engagement ring and made my wedding & eternity rings. I will definitely discuss dainty prongs vs security. The basket on my current ring is very uninspiring so I'd like to do something a bit more exciting there

 

[foxinsox]

The ring was bought from a mall shop before I knew you could get better quality for your money elsewhere. The milgrain was added later by the same jeweller who made my wedding ring. [snip]
I will be working with the same jeweller who added the milgrain to my current engagement ring and made my wedding & eternity rings. I will definitely discuss dainty prongs vs security. The basket on my current ring is very uninspiring so I'd like to do something a bit more exciting there

The milgrain on your current e-ring is beautifully done. It seems like you'll be in good hands!
Have a look at Caysie Van Bebber and Erika Winters for basket ideas - they have some lovely dainty prongs and interesting baskets.
The current setting would look beautiful with either a MRB or an OEC - it's a classic style. Did you work out which option you're going for?