Is a one carat diamond still considered "big"?

[caltron]

Hi! I'm a newbie, who will be getting an engagement ring within the next year (My sweetie is obliging my request to let me choose ). I've just started looking at rings and learning the terminology. Before I started looking into it, I'd always considered a one carat diamond to be "big". But now, it seems so many people are getting 2 and even 3 carat rings!

I haven't gotten to the stage where I'm trying on rings yet, but I can tell from sample sizes posted online that a 2 carat ring is way bigger than what I'd ever be comfortable with. Same for a 1 1/2 carat. Right now my inclination is to get a near flawless 1 carat (or near one carat diamond), esp. since I have fairly small hands. I don't want to be a show-off, but I also wouldn't mind a little bit of oohing and ahhing either.

So do people consider one carats to be big looking anymore?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Same thing with pearls.
Once 8mm was big, now +15mm is big.

It is all up to you

 

[AGBF]

On 9/8/2002 7:29:10 PM Cut Nut wrote:

"Same thing with pearls.

Once 8mm was big, now +15mm is big."

Speaking of pearls, is there any independent body who grades them? How does one know if he is paying a reasonable price? And, yes, I am looking!

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 9/8/2002 6:51

0 PM caltron wrote:

So do people consider one carats to be big looking anymore?

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

Caltron, I think yes, most people consider one carats to still be notable. I think some of it depends on where you are. In the heavy metropolitan areas (Boston, NY, San Francisco, LA, etc.), the tendency may be toward larger carat stones, but I think that in most areas, 1 ct stones are still actually *large*, comparatively speaking.

Also, keep in mind that a superbly-cut stone such as a superideal will appear visually larger than other stones that may actually weigh more. A 1 ct. superideal cut may indeed look bigger than an average or poorly cut 1.15 stone.

What really determines the "WOW" factor is the life/fire/brilliance of the stone.

 

[Hest88]

It depends on your social circle, where you live, and your hand size.

I live in a metropolitan area where it seems like 1 carat is the bare minimum among many of my peers. However, one of my friends has something just over a carat that looks huge on her slender fingers.

In most places, 1 carat is still considered a pretty good-sized rock. I'm sure your 1 carat would look perfect on your hand. Just make sure to get the best cut you can!

 

[urbanite]

I agree with aljdewey, cut is paramount.
Even flaws are not that critical once you've
had a chance to look at what VS1 and VS2's look like.

Here's three places I've considered. They are great for window shopping, getting informed because of the amount of images they have on each stone:

goodoldgold.com
superbcert.com
niceice.com

And congratulations

 

[mattinSD]

A 1 ct diamond may not seem large to the diamond nuts (of course, I mean that in a good way) on a forum like this, but is quite big to the general public.

Start taking notice of people's e-rings when you're out in public. You'll probably notice that most 20'ish engaged women have maybe 1/2ct diamonds.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Yes, one carats ARE big, especially when well cut because they have better spread and have better light return. I don't think it's very common (as *could be* implied by the majority of diamond searchers on this board) that everyone is running around with 2-3 carats on their wedding finger. First, most can't afford huge diamonds/or have other priorites - like a mortgage, and second, it's really NOT practical. Try playing with a couple of toddlers (boys, no less) at the park for the afternoon with a 35K diamond ring banging into the side of the slide (lol). . .But, really, a WELL cut one carat IS amazing and will be an elegantly classy size. It will last for years without needing upgrading and will outsparkle the majority of bigger stones, which I've noticed, at least in my area, tend to look badly cut or obviously yellow.

Michelle

 

[Heyjud]

I'm not a big expert
But it can't be denied
A WELL CUT one carat
You can give with pride!

 

[fire&ice]

1 carat is a sizeable stone. Many on this board w/ the 2-3c are older or having big anniversaries. Also, this board is not representative of the general public.

Good luck. I advise you to go looking at stones. You may be perfectly happy w/ a G VS stone that has a great cut. I don't think it's necessary to spend *all* of the budget.

 

[clementine]

I agree with F&I - consider a VS1 or a VS2 as opposed to flawless. I just received my F SI1 (eye clean) and I cannot see the flaws. If you get a well cut stone, it will sparkle so much that you will need a loop to see any potentional flaws.

Good luck!

 

[Mara]

I think I read somewhere recently that around 1c is the US average size for an e-ring...so you would be in very good company with a 1c ring!

Best bet is to try a few rings on at the jewelry store to get a feel for what you want. I say this because I originally did this with my FI when we started looking, and I thought a 1c was what I wanted. But it was SO easy to want to go a little bigger. I ended up with a 1.23c that looks like a 1.35c in diameter spread, and I love it!! We tried on a 1c and a .85c (HOF) and I really liked the look of the slightly larger stone. But I would have been happy with a 1c...luckily we got a great deal on our stone so we didn't have to break the bank to pay for it.

So I think trying them on is definitely the way to go. If you don't want to seem like you are jumping the gun without a proposal, do it without your fiance-to-be--that is what I did. We had discussed it and I knew that he wanted me to give him an idea of what I liked, so I went to a few stores and tried some things on!

Also wanted to note that the setting is important in how big your stone looks. I tried on a 1c sim in a very thin pave band and the thin band made it look much bigger. So you may find that certain settings make 1c stones look larger, which may be a great way to get a 1c stone that looks a little bigger if that is what you want, but you don't have to tap into the budget more to pay for it!

One last nite, if you want oohs and aahh...pay attention to the cut of the stone. That is what makes the stone really sing. If you have a horribly cut 1c stone, it won't get anyone's attention (except maybe in a bad way?).

Good luck!

 

[fire&ice]

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On 5/15/2003 1:55:30 AM Mara wrote:

I think I read somewhere recently that around 1c is the US average size for an e-ring...so you would be in very good company with a 1c ring!

On this board perhaps. But in the real world it's closer to 1/3 carat.

 

[Iceman]

It depends where you live

In a little small farm town like were I live it is , but in Naples Fl. its not

The diamond is only to big if its on somebody else's finger

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hi Carlton and Welcome to the Forum!

Someone posted an idea a few weeks back that you might find useful. Pic up a set of "Ideal" cut CZ's in .5, .75, 1.0, 1.25, and maybe even 1.5 carat sizes. That way you get a visual feel for the size that might be right for your sweetie.

Dittos on size being relative to where you live. Smaller rural community here. Used to be prime farm land all around. Lots of .3 to .5 carats in the older crowd. Younger folk are going bigger as the area transitions. Farm land is being chopped up into 5 to 10 acre "estate" type properties with sprawling "estate" style houses. 1+ carat diamonds are becoming more common.

 

[Mara]

Actually found this earlier in an article online. Of course in the meantime, I re-used the browser window for something else and then closed it, and now can't find it again. But I think the article was entitled 'Diamonds For Dummies' and I found it on Google.


'Since the average size of a diamond engagement ring sold in the U.S. is 75 points, that means it weighs .75 carats.'

I guess if you factor in places where diamonds are very large (e.g. metropolitan areas or NYC and the like) and factor in the smaller, more rural areas, the average could be around the .75c mark.

I know here in the Bayarea the average size is well over 1c...as many of my friends and acquaintances have between a 1.25-1.5c stone--even women in their 20's like me. A friend of mine in Texas says the rings there are huge..and that a friend has a 2c ring and says that in her circle of friends, hers is TINY. Time to move to Texas!!

 

[Spyder]

----------------
in the meantime, I re-used the browser window for something else and then closed it, and now can't find it again
----------------

Click on the "History" button in the browser. The History button looks like a Sundial (more or less). It will show you a list of all the sites you visited in the past 3 weeks or so. Very useful for finding pages you recently visited.

 

[diamondsman]

it is true nowadays people are buying more 2-5 cts. stones But 1 carat is still a good size to give as an engagement ring.,I guess it all boils down to what you can afford.
don't forget to shop and compare before you buy!!

good luck

 

[tiggerlgh]

I personally think that it is still a large stone. I live in Minneapolis and there are stones of all sizes here but my 1 carat engagement ring is still larger that most. When I got it, it impressed a lot of my friends and back home in Iowa it is huge!

I definitely agree with the above posters I love this bored but it definetly does not represent the average diamond buyer out there.

No matter the size a well cut diamond will ALWAYS look more desireable to me than a larger poorly cut diamond.

Hope this helps.

 

[toomanyquestions]

Just my thoughts (can you tell I am bored at work today):

I suppose I can ALMOST believe that 0.75 is the average size stone for an engagement ring. The per capita income in the US is a little over 22K per year (according to the Census Bureau), which, following the two month rule, means the average ring price should be about 3500 bucks.

Now, not many people are buying stones on the net, let alone following the 2 month 'rule', but using the price stats on this site, you can sacrifice the remaining 3 "C's" to get a 0.75 carat stone for that price (remember, these are pricescope prices, buying at a maul/B&M would be more). You can even get a 1 carat for that price range (again, REALLY sacrificing the remaining "C's"). There must be a lot of ugly rocks out there, huh? I am just shocked that people would sacrifice so much for size...

I sure wouldn't want one of those "average" stones, though (I have been hanging out here for WAY too long - hehe)...

 

[Mara]

Actually when you think about maul stores, the .75c makes all kind of sense. Don't we see the $999 1c diamond ring advertisements in all of the weekly mailers? If they can get a 1c stone for $999...why not? Or even if someone who recognizes that as a scam and/or a horrible quality stone, and go to a slightly more upscale maul store, they walk out with a 1c stone $3k later. Not bad...but probably not the greatest either considering that an excellently cut 1c F/G/H VS/SI stone costs around $6-7k online. The $3k is alot more budget-healthy for the average consumer. I don't know too many people who'd want to pay $6-7k for a 1c stone (except on here!).

Just as everyone points out that the people on this forum and board are not the average vendors, that also means that most of the general public buys mediocre quality because they just don't know any better. It's been pointed out to me many times that people who actually do their research and homework before plunking down some $$ are rare out there, esp those who come to a board such as this and actually post and post and post and then hang around afterwards to try to impart their idea of hands-on knowledge (

).

So I'm really not too surprised that the average could work out to around .75 to even around 1c. If you average out the big 1-2 carat areas, and the .3-.5 areas...makes sense to me.

 

[rbjd]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Liberate yourself from thinking about diamonds in terms of carat size and start thinking about them in terms of millimeters in diameter.

I did mention in other posts that I got several CZ's off eBay for a pittance and that was very good for figuring out what size diamond my girlfriend likes. It's not about carat though, it's about QUALITY and DIAMETER SIZE. Carat only matters in pricing.

A QUALITY 1 carat is about 6.5mm. A crappy 1 carat could be closer to 6mm. That's a clear and distinct difference.

The best size is the size you are most comfortable with. Figure out what it is and then go for the best quality.

I think 1 carat is pretty big. I live in L.A., which may be one of the flashiest diamond towns around, but my girlfriend doesn't want anything bigger than about 6.6mm. I could buy 7 or 8 of those crappy 1 carat diamonds Mara was referring to for the amount of money I'm spending on the near perfect 1 carat I'm getting for my girlfriend. Hell, I could get her 1 carat for each finger. But then, she wouldn't be comfortable with that. Go for quality.

It ain't the size, it's the sizzle. (I shoulda been in marketing).

 

[emeraldcut]

a 1ct beautifully cut ring is far superior to a larger, imperfect stone. and what will others think? doesn't matter as long as YOU love it and are happy. cut, color, and grade mean far more than ct weight so enjoy and congratulations!

 

[trichrome]

Who cares about diamond size!!!!!!!!

I prefer to put my money in french lingery coming right from Paris.

Trichrome.

 

[Mara]

Err...Tri I didnt know you were a girl?

(I hope)

 

[trichrome]

Mara,

of course NOT!!!!

I'm a man....but I love to buy lingerie for my fiance.....!!! and it can cost you a fortune.....
hundreds of dollars for a single piece sometimes......!

And believe me, "la France" is one of the best place to buy or import lingery
from.

Trichrome.

 

[silver]

Hi There,

would you be interested in a .93 canadian diamond E color VS2 clarity. I just purchased this in February and it is beautiful. I'm looking at selling this ring in order to purchase another one.If you are interested plesae reply to [email protected]

 

[stonecold]

I've read that the average size, nationally, is .34 carats. On the other hand, all of my friends who have gotten engaged have gone with minimum 1.5 carats (and very well cut).

As with another certain analogous and ongoing debate, I think size does matter, but only to some extent. As long as you're not pathetically small, it's all about the razzle dazzle, which in diamond terms is the light return/brilliance etc. of a well-cut stone.

One carat certainly is not pathetically small at all. In fact, I think you can get an ideal cut in that range for something like 8 to 10 grand, and such stones will outshine any 1.2 or so with an inferior cut. So go for it Hoss!

Cold Stones, Warm Rock

 

[chica55]

my first stone was a .33. f/g color and SI1. it is still beautiful but i did "upgrade" on my 15th anniversary.
get yourself a NICE STONE H COLOR SI 1 AND ABOVE AND YOU WILL LOVE IT. GET A GOOD CUT. my friends always said that i must have cleaned my diamond a lot..........it was the color and clarity that did it not to mention a nice cut. i consider a 1 ct a big diamond. you get what YOU want and be happy. remember..........you will want a house and other things as well. a better "smaller even" stone if need be........would be my suggestion.
good luck!

 

[Mara]

BTW just wanted to throw in that you can get an excellently cut 1c stone for around $6-7k online at some of the top vendors....not the $8-10k that was previously mentioned!!