What is the largest carat size you feel comfortable wearing?

[lilyfoot]

For daily wear, I''d probably top out at 1.5-2 carats (round), 2.5-3 (cushion, asscher, emerald, etc).

For "dress-up", I have no limits!

 

[junebug17]

I wear a 1 carat stone, which is new to me (wore .33 my whole life) so that size stone seems large to me and fits my personality and lifestyle. I have small hands, so I think it shows up quite nicely on my hand! Ok, ok, I admit it, PS has worked it''s magic on me and I find myself occasionally dreaming of a 1.5 carat. But I really enjoy the one carat and feel very comfortable wearing it.

That said, I really admire the beauty of the larger stones. Omg, those large cushions are just gorgeous, and I think the larger stones look lovely on others.

 

[autumngems]

Well I just got my 1.97 so I would say 2.5 would be my most comfortable.

 

[geckodani]

Right now? my .75 is perfect

. If DH becomes a rich old lawyer, the sky is the limit.

Actually, I can''t ever see myself in more that a 2ct RB, to be completely honest.

 

[LadyJane83]

I tried on a 3 ct round once and didn''t feel totally comfortable- but, if someone insisted I have it, I certainly wouldn''t complain!

.50 to 1.0 RB is a good size range for my comfort level, lifestyle and career, and my clothing/jewelry style.

I have a .77 solitaire now. I doubt I would ever upgrade (I''m sort of sentimental), but my ideal is a 1.0 RB solitaire. Just couldn''t justify the expense... I guess I''m sort of frugal and always trying to save... we ended up spending less than a month''s salary...but I don''t think I''ll regret that decision.

I will say though, since pricescope some of the 1.25 and 1.5 RBs are looking might nice! Who knows what I''ll say in a few years (especially if I keep browising this site!) I''ve also been really into the colored gems thread!

 

[vespergirl]

After several years wearing my 2 ct stone, it no longer feels that big to me. Then again, I grew up in NYC and live in the DC metro area now, so it''s pretty much an average size for where I live.

In an RB, I would probably only go up to around 3 cts, but in an EC, I would go up to 4 or 5.

 

[jaysonsmom]

Date: 4/14/2010 10:17:58 PM
Author: butterfly 17
Hi Jaysonsmom! Long time no see here! What''s this about an upgrade??? lol

Hi Butterfly, long time, last time I was here, you had your 2 ct in a ritani!

Well, we''re on year 10 finally, so I''m finally starting the search for my 2 ct upgrade, but I''m not too certain I even want 2 ct now, I''m thinking about 1.5-1.8 in a super-ideal would be plenty. I''m going to attach a picture of my current set....1.25 princess solitaire with 8 pointer shared-prong band (my rings are size 5.5, but only because of my big knuckles, I think I''m more of a 5). It''s already pretty blingy in my opinion. I really don''t like people focusing attention on me, so I''m sort of embarassed to go to big due to all the reasons I posted originally.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I don''t own anything larger than my 1.05 ct center stone so I don''t know how big I''d go comfortably. I''ve been told my stone faces up a lot larger than its size, probably because of the halo, so the largest I''d go is probably the equivalent size as the total diameter of my halo.

 

[jaysonsmom]

Date: 4/15/2010 3:34:31 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I don''t own anything larger than my 1.05 ct center stone so I don''t know how big I''d go comfortably. I''ve been told my stone faces up a lot larger than its size, probably because of the halo, so the largest I''d go is probably the equivalent size as the total diameter of my halo.

I think mine faces up larger too. It''s a spready princess (this was a way before PS)! Most think it''s 1.5 ct already.

 

[missydebby]

I''m currently upgrading from a .50 RB to a 1.01 Cushion. For me, it won''t be huge but very nice and substantial. Especially because it''s probably gonna be a 5 stone ring. I can''t imagine going higher because I live in Holland and they are very unostentatious here. It''s already gonna be considered quite a ring. If I ever end up moving back to the States and upgrade again, I think a 2.5 is max.

 

[jgny]

I just tried on a 12 ct asscher the other day and it looked just right.

. In reality, I think 5 would be my max.

 

[LadyJane83]

Interesting remarks about blingage in the legal world... wondering if this depends on region, b/c the "big bling" some of you have described amongst female lawyers is not my experience at all...

I am a lawyer (in the Balt/DC area). Not much jaw-dropping around here. I did see an absolutely stunning e-ring on a law clerk a few years ago that looked to be about 3 carats, but that was not the norm. There was another female attorney who appeared before the court maybe once or twice a month who had a VERY large ring... but it was so out of the ordinary that there was a discussion about it almost every time.

I was also a summer associate at a large firm in North Jersey a few years back. Large rings were not common among the few female partners who wore them, or among the wives of the male partners that I met during firm events. If anything, I''d say their jewelry was more modest in appearance than the secretaries and paralegals.

I''m thinking maybe it would be different in the New York or LA offices? Maybe the Balt/DC area is just more conservative in terms of work/court attire? Or maybe I just don''t notice rings as much as I thought I did....

 

[NewEnglandLady]

How big do they come?

 

[RaiKai]

Date: 4/16/2010 11:36:50 AM
Author: LadyJane83
Interesting remarks about blingage in the legal world... wondering if this depends on region, b/c the 'big bling' some of you have described amongst female lawyers is not my experience at all...


I am a lawyer (in the Balt/DC area). Not much jaw-dropping around here. I did see an absolutely stunning e-ring on a law clerk a few years ago that looked to be about 3 carats, but that was not the norm. There was another female attorney who appeared before the court maybe once or twice a month who had a VERY large ring... but it was so out of the ordinary that there was a discussion about it almost every time.


I was also a summer associate at a large firm in North Jersey a few years back. Large rings were not common among the few female partners who wore them, or among the wives of the male partners that I met during firm events. If anything, I'd say their jewelry was more modest in appearance than the secretaries and paralegals.


I'm thinking maybe it would be different in the New York or LA offices? Maybe the Balt/DC area is just more conservative in terms of work/court attire? Or maybe I just don't notice rings as much as I thought I did....

Yes, as I said, not my experience either. I am in a smaller city in Alberta now, though I used to work in a more major city in another province...and I spend a lot of time in one of the major Alberta cities for work too (around other lawyers).

Around here in my current city, amongst the small lawyer community (around 100), not much big rocks! One of the more senior lawyers in the city wears what I think to be a 3+ct cushion, however, I am quite sure it is a later-in-life marriage or upgrade. It gives off a lot of sparkle in the courtroom though! I see most female lawyers (or spouses) wearing plain bands or very small stones.

In my old city, I would see a few more stones in a the 1-2 ct range in the legal community...but still they were quite rare. Most wore plain bands or much smaller stones. I'll see a few larger ones when I go to Calgary - but still not really much above 2cts ever.

In law school, a few of the female students were engaged and while a couple of them had 1-1.5ct stones, again, most were in the 0.5-0.75 range.

I would agree that even spouses of the male lawyers show smaller rings than might be expected.

I think it is really a regional sort of thing. I think smaller stones are more common in the places I have lived in Canada overall, and that is reflected in what the lawyers wear. Whatever your income or income potential is, it seems more people choose smaller stones and see 1ct as a huge rock (I still think they are large!). And, as I mentioned previously, people around here seem to rarely "upgrade". The stone they got married with is the stone they wear decades later....even if they could now buy a stone several times the weight!

I could see larger stones being common in NY offices though, as there is a larger "average" overall in NY.

 

[violet3]

I have an eternity band rather than a traditional ering -- my stones are around 10 points each. I love the way it looks, but had there been unlimited funds, i would have certainly gone bigger. i''m thinking 25 point stones would have been perfect

If i were to wear a traditional diamond ring, I''d be comfortable wearing around 2 - 3 carats. I wear a size 7 on my ring finger, so i feel like i need a good size stone to look proportional....

i''d say most of my friends wear around 1 - 1.5 ct. stones....

 

[UCLABelle]

Yesterday at Harry Winston I tried on a 67 carat fancy vivid yellow with 2 ct traps on EACH side....

WAY TOO BIG (but very beautiful).

I have a Tiffany set 1.5 emerald with .44ct traps which I wear I on my right hand, and a 2mm HW eternity band with round diamond on my wedding ring finger.

Personally, they are great sizes (sz 6 finger). I work for the state at a university as a counselor, and am heading off to Cambridge for a Phd soon...so my life-style is modest. I think I would someday like to make my ring a 3-stone (for like 10th anniversary, ect) and have a 3ct center with the 1.5 on each side, but even that might be out...

So, 2.5-3 emerald cut is the largest I personally would feel good wearing...

 

[soocool]

2 - 2.5 ct RB. DDS has set in one year later. I can''t believe it!

I stopped by a jewelers yesterday to see the size difference between a 2.0 and my 1.5 ct and he was impressed with my existing stone. Said I must have paid a lot for it. Boy if he only knew.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I don''t really care what the number is, so long as it looks nice on my hand. I don''t wear anything above 2.5cttw (5 stone) or 1.15 in a centre stone at the moment, but as I get older, I''m liking pieces with more presence (to compensate for my ageing hands...) so I will be going bigger next time I add to my rhr collection, I suspect.

My plan is to buy a Daussi cushion in a halo, and see if I like a bigger ring. If I do, I''m going to upgrade it every couple of years until I can no longer lift my right hand without assistance.

I''m not completely sure though. I had an emerald in a halo ring and it was just too big. It was a 2.5ct square emerald cut with a fairly big halo and it looked daft on my hand. Like I was trying on my mother''s jewellery or something. Ah, I was younger then. I''m going to hope that a diamond centre stone that size will suit me better.

 

[susimoo]

Date: 4/16/2010 11:54:30 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady
How big do they come?

I like your thinking NEL!!!!


Currently I wear a 1 carat solitaire and a 7 stone eternity at 2.11 carats. My hands are on the small side and I take a UK size I, approx a 4/4.25 ish.

I am currently consigning my solitaire to get into the ''upgradeable world!"

My dream size if I was buying, 2/2.5 carat RB.

If I could have anything I wanted, max 3.5 carat in RB and as big as Jonathan can cut them in an August Vintage Cushion!!!!!!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Yes, when it comes to old style cuts, my only real constraint would be the size of rough that could actually be mined in one piece...

 

[susimoo]

Date: 4/16/2010 5:56:32 PM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Yes, when it comes to old style cuts, my only real constraint would be the size of rough that could actually be mined in one piece...

I am game to go help dig, if you are! lol

 

[Kay]

It really depends on the stone shape. On my size 4.5 finger, I feel like 8 mm is the largest size that doesn''t look OTT. So I could maybe go 2 ct in a round, or 4 ct in an Asscher (and I''d love a 4 ct Asscher if someone else was buying!

)

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 4/15/2010 3:34:31 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I don''t own anything larger than my 1.05 ct center stone so I don''t know how big I''d go comfortably. I''ve been told my stone faces up a lot larger than its size, probably because of the halo, so the largest I''d go is probably the equivalent size as the total diameter of my halo.

HH -- Remember Blu''s pieces? I''d love to see them again, especially the EC with the hinge. I''d feel perfectly comfortable wearing that ring!

 

[chiquitapet]

Considering that my 1.25RB already looks fairly substantial on my 4.5 finger and that it is actually quite large in comparison to other e-rings here in AUS, I think I wouldn''t go past 2ct RB. If I got a princess again I might go larger.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 4/16/2010 6:44:09 PM
Author: Zoe

Date: 4/15/2010 3:34:31 PM

Author: Hudson_Hawk

I don''t own anything larger than my 1.05 ct center stone so I don''t know how big I''d go comfortably. I''ve been told my stone faces up a lot larger than its size, probably because of the halo, so the largest I''d go is probably the equivalent size as the total diameter of my halo.

HH -- Remember Blu''s pieces? I''d love to see them again, especially the EC with the hinge. I''d feel perfectly comfortable wearing that ring!

I was actually thinking of her pieces when reading this thread the first time!

It''s really awful wearing a lot of colored stone rings because you can get large stones for so much cheaper and it really does desensitize you to size a bit. I put 7 mm stones in halos, wear 8.5 mm round stones, etc. and I have a size 3.25-3.5 finger. Poor BF when it comes time to shop for diamonds!

 

[Harriet]

I can wear a 5ct RB. Any bigger, and it''ll look ridiculous.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 4/16/2010 1:51:36 PM
Author: UCLABelle
Yesterday at Harry Winston I tried on a 67 carat fancy vivid yellow with 2 ct traps on EACH side....

WAY TOO BIG (but very beautiful).

I have a Tiffany set 1.5 emerald with .44ct traps which I wear I on my right hand, and a 2mm HW eternity band with round diamond on my wedding ring finger.

Personally, they are great sizes (sz 6 finger). I work for the state at a university as a counselor, and am heading off to Cambridge for a Phd soon...so my life-style is modest. I think I would someday like to make my ring a 3-stone (for like 10th anniversary, ect) and have a 3ct center with the 1.5 on each side, but even that might be out...

So, 2.5-3 emerald cut is the largest I personally would feel good wearing...

UCLABelle....... Hey!!! Have missed you!!!

 

[bee*]

My e-ring is 1.23ct and I feel comfortable wearing that size. I think anything over 2ct for me and I wouldn''t feel comfortable wearing it out and about.

 

[anitabee]

i live in an area where around .3 to .5 is the average ering size. i don''t like to be conspicuous with a luxury item like diamonds - i feel sorta funny about it. mine is a .85 which is definitely big enough for around here. mind you, if i lived in nyc i''d probably feel totally different.

the biggest i''d go would be about 1 or 1.1 carats before i felt really uncomfortable.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 4/14/2010 6:05:03 PM
Author: Circe
Honestly, I think practicality is a bigger hindrance than society ... given the way I dress generally, I doubt anybody is going to think a *ring* is over the top unless it has moving parts and flashing lights. Let''s just say I believe in dress-as-costume, and have fun accordingly. So, practically? For an everyday ring, I don''t think I''d want to go above 12 mm or so. So ... 5 carats or so in a round? Up to 7 or 8 in one of the deeper cuts.

On the other hand, there''s the practical factor of what my future likely holds ... I''m a thirtysomething college professor married to a management consultant. For my day-to-day life, my 1.5 carat is appropriate and comfortable, and I don''t really believe in upgrades. When I hit my 40s, though? I can see myself going for a 2+ carat marquise anniversary ring to be worn on special occasions with a smile on my face and a song in my heart ....

Ok, first... BWAHAHHAA... and second, I would like some examples and possibly photos of the outfits you wear! Do you dress that way to work?