theory about carat size - thoughts?

[kaquinn]

Would you agree or disagree and why:
A diamond will look too large on your finger if the center stone carat weight is a larger number than your ring size. (i.e. a 4 carat stone is too large for a person with a size 3.5 finger, but a 5 carat stone will look OK on someone with a size 7 finger)

 

[Dreamer_D]

Well... seems like a test most of us will never face. I don't see me owning a 7ct rock any time soon.

I actually think anything over 2cts looks too big on my hand.

 

[kaquinn]

haha well good point! Its a problem we can dream about!

But I often wonder about this with celeb Erings etc so I was just wondering what everyone though lookes tacky vs. fabulously classy

 

[Black Jade]

Date: 3/29/2010 10:55:55 PM
Author:kaquinn
Would you agree or disagree and why:

A diamond will look too large on your finger if the center stone carat weight is a larger number than your ring size. (i.e. a 4 carat stone is too large for a person with a size 3.5 finger, but a 5 carat stone will look OK on someone with a size 7 finger)

I think whether a diamond looks too large or not depends more on your social circle than anything else.
When nobody has more than a .50 stone people with even size 9 or 10 fingers think they look fine with stones smaller than that.
Where ''everybody'' has a 3 carat or more, the girls with size 2 and size 3 fingers want a honker the same as everyone else.
A lot of women would probably like to have the largest ring in their circle of friends/co-workers. But not the largest by too much of a margin. i.e., if everyone has a 5, you might like to have the only 1 carat. But you might be somewhat embarrassed by having a 5 or 6 carat in that circle. 1 carat--you would feel envied. 5 or 6 carats--you would feel conspicuous and tacky--unless you have a strong personality.

 

[HopeDream]

Interesting theory!

Different shapes spread differently, how does that fit in to your theory?

For pratical/comfort reasons I don''t think that a diamond wider than one''s finger should be worn. (pendants have no such guiding principle)

Diamond earrings should not be bigger than one''s earlobe, diamond bracelets should not be wider than a comfortable watch strap.

 

[alii white butterfly]

I love big rings! I often wear a Swarovski ring on one of my fingers on my right hand, and most of them are huuuge!! Of course, they are not diamond rings, but they are very sparkly and fun. Oh, my answer to your question is yes. I am 5''2" and 5 in ring size. A 4-5ct diamond ring would be too big for me and would look totally fake! On the other hand, if tall people like Heidi Klum or Kimora Lee Simons wear it, it would look absolutely fab!!

 

[bgray]

I think that its a much more complex issue than social circle or ring size. Its also personal style and psychology. I love jewelry. I like bold yet simple jewelry with a strong presence. I have friends who wear very stylish and fashion forward high end costume jewelry--they would probably wear real jewelry of a similar style if it was economically feasible. I dont know....I have a large stone but I dont think its tacky or gaudy and most of the time no one seems to take notice of it.

 

[risingsun]

I don''t think that a beautiful diamond in a tasteful setting can ever look tacky.

 

[yssie]

I had a 3ct in my paws for a few days. Loved the size (size 3.5 finger in the cold).. FI wasn''t similarly wooed. It depends so much on what each person considers "beautiful", I think a large proportion of any population will object to any but the vaguest of generalisations!

 

[RaiKai]

I think it depends more on the comfort level of the person wearing it (does it seem "natural" for them?), as well as social circle, own lifestyle and personal style, etc. It also depends on the cut (i.e. how they face up, their depth, etc). Some women with very small fingers can pull of a huge rock which other larger fingered ladies can't for some reason!

I am a 5.25, but I also have small hands/shorter fingers and am a petite build overall. I also don't wear much jewelery even though I admire it (in fact, I wear just my boring plain studs and wedding ring for daily wear, sometimes jazz it up with a necklace and such!). I just tend to be pretty minimalist in that respect I suppose. So for me *personally* even a 1.5 ct round seems too "big", I just don't like that much finger coverage (and I also like to show off the setting/band!) for personal comfort, style and very active/athletic lifestyle reasons, and and I don't like high settings so that also limits my "carat size". That does not mean I consider other peoples larger stones tacky or gaudy, it just does not fit my own personal style.

As others pointed out, if everyone around you wears large stones with lots of finger coverage, it might not look that out of place to go even slightly larger then them. Lots of people (not PSers!) also focus on 1ct as being the "optimum" size, whatever their ring size. The average size is something like 1/3 ct so even a 1ct looks huge in "most" areas I think. Around here, it is unusual to see larger than 0.5 ct (if it is natural diamond) and most are smaller. Even amongst some of my professional peers, who do have good incomes, it is incredibly unusual to see a stone larger than 0.75/1 ct - even as upgrades. If someone was wearing a 2ct around here, there would likely be questions about its authenticity. Which may seem peculiar, as there IS a lot of money around here (i.e. oil money), but it is just sort of the "style" or the area I guess!

 

[princesss]

Date: 3/30/2010 12:13:30 AM
Author: risingsun
I don''t think that a beautiful diamond in a tasteful setting can ever look tacky.

Agreed.

I really think that depending on your location, social circle, style, and personality your max size will change. But I definitely don''t think it''s proportionate to finger size. (Though I''d love to give it a go - anybody have a 6+ct stone they''re willing to loan me?)

 

[Cinna]

Date: 3/30/2010 10:39:17 AM
Author: princesss

Agreed.

I really think that depending on your location, social circle, style, and personality your max size will change. But I definitely don''t think it''s proportionate to finger size. (Though I''d love to give it a go - anybody have a 6+ct stone they''re willing to loan me?)

+1

My preference however is being able to see the sides of my finger. (I just tried a mock paper 3 carat round on my finger and even though it would look stunning, I like the diamonds being able not to run off to my other fingers) But I bet if I wore a one just barely fit my finger width for a while, I would be competely fine with a 4 carat I''m sure! I''ll just have to adjust my balance due to defying gravity my ring finger will be doing

 

[elle_chris]

I disagree.

I just wanted something that was proportionate to my hand and looked clean and modern.

So anything in the 2ct-3ct range. Anything large doesn''t look right with the way I dress and my lifestyle. Smaller doesn''t look substantial enough on my paw. Also, you need to consider the type of cut, color and clarity. Not everyone wants the same things and usually sacrifices one for another.

Btw, I have a size 7 finger, and a 5ct would look ridiculous. Too many variables involved to make a general statement.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Quite a lot of this depends on shape, too.

I could rock a 4.75 ct. Asscher of Emerald cut all day long, but a round? I don''t think it could work on my hand, at all.

 

[kaquinn]

wow ! lots of interestings perspectives - Im glad I brought it up!
I titally agree with blackjade that a lot of people probably want a diamond that is just ever so slightly bigger than most people in their group! great theory!
I also agree with HopeDream - there is nothing less sophisticated than a person with a diamond so wide that she cant close her hand!! I want my fingers to be able to touch each other!

 

[tyty333]

Date: 3/30/2010 12:13:30 AM
Author: risingsun
I don''t think that a beautiful diamond in a tasteful setting can ever look tacky.

I''m with Marian.

Quick, someone give me a 6.25 carat diamond and I''ll test out the theory!

 

[risingsun]

Date: 3/30/2010 5:00:35 PM
Author: tyty333

Date: 3/30/2010 12:13:30 AM
Author: risingsun
I don''t think that a beautiful diamond in a tasteful setting can ever look tacky.

I''m with Marian.

Quick, someone give me a 6.25 carat diamond and I''ll test out the theory!

Let''s test it out together!! Tyty and I are going shopping

 

[anitabee]

raikai and i must live in the same area because she explained what she sees in her neck of the woods (anything bigger than .5 being considered substantial) as the exact same as what it is where i live.

seriously, if i go any bigger than my .85 i''ll be getting a lot of eye attention. for someone in my area/social and professional circles to walk around with anything over 1.2ish to 1.5 carat (or over a carat for that matter!) would definitely draw a lot of attention. because that''s my area''s norm, we''re not used to seeing 2, 3, 4 carats and henceforth one might come to the conclusion that anything in that size range might be "too big".

i see it as simply being due to our diamond size "conditioning". if my mom and her mom wore 3 carat diamonds, then i would think that''s perfectly acceptable/appropriately sized. not the case. my mom''s ering is .43. hence, for me, anything over .9/1 carat is "wowee zowee"! anything over 1.3/1.5 is "over-the-top".

btw, i live in vancouver, canada and was raised in windsor, ontario (maybe you know me?!)

 

[PumpkinPie]

my finger is only a size 4 - but I suspect I will never have to worry about this problem! and I know that I wouldn''t have to go to a 4.5 or 5 carat diamond for it to look much too large for me

 

[PumpkinPie]

Plus - I can''t imagine ever feeling comfortable with such a big ring based on my family and friend social circle..