look of different shaped cuts relative to size?

[velouriaL]

I am helping some friends decide on an engagement ring. The to-be wearing of the ring has said that she would be most comfortable with a center stone no larger than 1.5 carats and no smaller than 1 carat. This is an aesthetic/lifestyle thing, not a budget thing per se. Lately, she has become more interested in fancy cuts (oval and emeralds, to be precise). I told her that elongated cuts will face up differently than rounds. So, if a 1.5 carat round is 7.5 mm, a 1.5 carat oval is 8.5 x 6.5 mm, and a 1.5 carat emerald is 8.0 x 6.0 mm. That sort of scared her, because she thinks that anything with a dimension of 8.5mm, even if the other half if 6.5, will look "too big" on her hand. I know that, for example, many say that marquis cuts "look" bigger. Is this true for other elongated cuts?

 

[SMC]

This printable guide may help determine the optimal size for your friend: http://www.lumeradiamonds.com/files/size_chart.pdf

 

[JulieN]

Hey, Velouria!

She should do the math instead of depending on the measurements, as the curved corners of the oval or the cut corners of the emerald really change the look of the given dimensions.

The oval is correlated well enough for her purposes to round that she can just she average the two sides.

 

[fige]

I think that PDF is a little misleading, and the sizing of ovals a little off...

A 1 carat oval will not always have a length of 7mm, and a 2 carat especially can be far longer than 8.5mm. Not only will it depend on the length to width ratio, but also how well cut the stone is.

This 1.1carat has a length of 8.47mm with a 1.5 ratio
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10019/

This 2 carat has a length if over 10mm even with it's shorter ratio
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10445/

 

[chrono]

I think the chart is slightly off for fancies in the real world. In a perfect situation, a 1 ct EC will measure 7x5 mm but when I was shopping around for mine, 90% of the 1.5 ct ECs I looked at measured at 7x5 mm due to the depth and thicker girdle.

 

[Niel]

seems best if she just tries them on.
also, if she is worried about it looking too big, how does she feel about asschers?? super similar to EC but those wont face up all that large at all.

 

[velouriaL]

Thanks for the help. The chart is helpful, even if it's not perfect. She might have to just go try some on.

I know when they went and tried rings on, she settled on a 1.25ish - 1.5mm ct round (about 7-7.5mm) as "ideal" for everyday use.

She was looking online at an oval that faces up at around 8.6 x 6mm, which she thought was going seem way too huge (nice problem to have!) and an emerald that faces up at 7.5 x 5.5mm, which I thought was going to seem too small. Both are in antique settings, so I can't really speculate on the cut or quality of either at the moment.