What change in diamiter is noticable.

[hunter3316]

So, my questions pretty simple. When can you notice a change in the diameter between two diferent diamonds by eye. Can you tell the difference between a 5.85 and a 5.95 mm diamiter diamond? what about 5.85 and 6.2? 5.85 and 6.5? I''ve never had a chance to make these comparisons before in real life, and its easy to get cought up in the numbers when your E-buying, so what increase in diamiter really matters for appearence of size?

 

[twinkly]

Hi,
I'm not an expert but I'll tell you what I've seen. There is a minute different with 1 mm in diameter because it's 1 mm all the way around. The difference is small and is barely noticeable only when you put the two stones side by side, however when I was looking at a 6.1mm and 6.5 mm, there was derfinitely a difference between the two looking from top down.
Twinkly

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hi Hunter!

I just previewed 2 diamonds that were less than .2mm difference in diameter from each other. We could tell which one was larger, side by side. Seperate from each other and/or mounted, I doubt you would know one was .1 ct larger. As to your larger diameter differences,... yes, you will see a definite difference from the 5.85 or 6.0 to 6.5 mm side by side. Mounted??? I don't know whether anyone but an expert would know.

One thing to keep in mind while e-shopping, most of the time diamonds you see in Maul stores are not properly cut. A one carat there will measure more like a .75 that you find through PS vendors. That's because they are deeper in cut most of the time. Some Maul stores carry H&A's and Ideal cuts. Those will be comparable in diameter to PS diamonds, but definitely not in price. You will get a lot more bang for your buck here.

Another thing to keep in mind is how you plan to mount the diamond. A bezel style set in white gold/platinum will make a smaller diamond look larger to the casual observer. A .75 could easily appear like a carat or a tad larger.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mara]

We compared while searching a 6.98mm diameter stone to the one we bought which was a 7.15mm stone. We could definitely see a difference. Enough to make us want the larger one--hands down!

A well cut 1c stone will have a diameter of around 6.5mm, a well cut 1.23c stone will have a diameter of around 6.98mm, a well cut 1.35c stone will have a diameter of around 7.15mm. Just something to use for reference. A well cut stone will have a different diameter than a stone with carat weight lost in a deep pavilion, etc.

For my eyeballs, its safe to say that I notice anything above a .10mm difference. Keep in mind though that when wearing a stone, no one really knows how big it is by eyeballing it. I have a friend's mom who has rocks that are at least 3c and larger, she thought my stone was a 1c. I set her straight right away!

Other friends not familiar with diamonds at all think my stone is a 1.5c. Sureeeee. So it's really all objective as to what one will notice. Many people just notice that the diamond is sparkly and shiny...or that it's not.

Good luck!!

 

[rbjd]

One suggestion I have made previously is something I did myself. Since you can buy very nice round cubic zirconia off eBay or other internet vendors for as little as 69 cents (up to about $3 for larger ones) each, I was able to have an "actual size" set of comparison stones for under $10. 5.5mm, 6.0mm, 6.5mm, 7.0mm, 7.5mm, 8.0mm, etc. These sizes approximately correspond to various diamond carat weights (i.e., 6.5mm is ~1 carat; 7.0mm is ~1.25 carat, etc.)

There is quite an obvious difference between a 6.0mm and a 6.5mm. My girlfriend definitely notices the 6.0 is too small and the 7.0mm was just a little too big. She's looking at about a carat. Of the real diamonds we've seen, she tends to think 6.4mm stones are too small and 6.6mm to 6.7mm stones are in the "just right" range.

So, is it possible to see minute differences in diameter? Absolutely. I can see them, and more importantly, so can my girlfriend. Is it also possible to find cheap or free solutions to picking out your "just right" range? We certainly have found that to be true and it'll make for a happier day when I present her with an engagement ring that best suits her wishes.

 

[Caratz]

Remember math class? Ugh! Area of a circle = (pi) x (radius) x (radius)

5.0 mm diameter stone = 19.63 square mm area
6.0 mm = 28.26
6.5 mm = 33.17 (typical one carat)
7.0 mm = 38.47
7.5 mm = 44.16
8.0 mm = 50.24
8.1 mm = 51.50 (typical two carat)

The numbers you gave . . .

5.85 = 26.86
5.95 = 27.79 (3.4% more area than the 5.85)
6.20 = 30.18 (12.3% more area than the 5.85)
6.50 = 33.17 (23.5% more area than the 5.85)

With a little more than a 3% difference, you might have a hard time telling the difference between the 5.85 and the 5.95, but it would probably be easy to tell the difference between the 5.85 and the 6.20.

 

[hunter3316]

That make scence Carats, I dident think of that myslef... even though a half a mm larger isent a big distence ... 1/4 mm on all sides, it still makes for a lot more stone when that mass is added to the outside of the diamiter!
Thanks all!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Gosh, RB, what a great suggestion, to pick up a sized set of CZ's! Wish I hada thought of that! Woulda saved me several trips, gas, and money for lunches bothering people to look at diamonds for sizing purposes. LOL

 

[Spyder]

A narrow band and/or tiny fingers will also make the stone look larger. That's why you should marry someone with tiny fingers.