What''''s the average diamond size where you live?

[sap483]

So I was talking to my cousin who lives in the OC, and she was telling me how everyone she works with has these gigantic e-rings. She has a 2.5ct and she says it''''s somehow starting to look small compared to her co-workers. Seems like the trend is 3+ cts. This got me thinking, how big would you guess the average e-ring diamond is where you live? I''''ll start it off. I live in Boston, and I would say that from most of the ppl I know, the average would be somewhere around 1.5, maybe even between 1.5 and 2ct.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I have no idea - every time I see a big beautiful ring I compliment the owner and they blurt out its fake

I''d say in real diamonds, under a carat.

 

[Maisie]

Where I live its probably between .25 and .50 ct. We are in England.

 

[Beacon]

Pretty big around here. I live in SF. I see 2+ all the time and sometimes some really large rings.

On the other hand, there are people in SF who are very ''alternative'' who shun diamonds and won''t have any even though they certainly have the funds. It varies around here. For example if you worked at Google it wouldn''t be too cool to show up with a big giant diamond.

 

[golden]

I live in NJ and the friends I have that are married and the women I work with have 2.5-3.5 carat stones, and that is just the center stone.

 

[CdnBlingGal]

I''m in BC, Canada. The average size is .50ct.

 

[diamondfan]

In the Main Line, I would say among my group average is at least 3 carats and I know a couple women with larger than 10. I totally do not feel this is representative though, a lot of these are somewhat older women or they are upgrades. The younger gals I see, I would say the average is two or so.

 

[ebonykawai]

In western NY (near Niagara Falls), I don't notice a lot diamonds.

I'd say the average has to be around 0.50 - 0.75ct, if at all. I did see a gorgeous, what looked to be 2-3ct. diamond on the hand of a lady working at Burger King, but alas, 'twas a very nice CZ.

Diamondfan, what's the Main Line?

 

[neatfreak]

I can''t help but think that at least half of the 2 carat+ diamonds out there are fake. These days I feel like I see huge rings on too many people to be believeable, especially when you''re at a place like CVS and 1/2 of the clerks are wearing HUGE rings. I can''t imagine that everyone is spending $30-50k on erings. Plus, more than once I have complemented a ring, and the woman then says "It''s a CZ! Can you believe it??".

I think the "average" for stones I am sure are real around here is probably about .50. But then again I live in WI so everything seems to be tamer here than where I am from on the East Coast.

 

[Sundial]

I live in a fairly small town in the southwestern US and most young women I see have smaller diamonds that are well below one carat. Some of the older broads like myself that have upgraded over the years have one to two carat stones. When I visit friends in Scottsdale though I see enormous diamond rings!

 

[TravelingGal]

People think that the average diamond in L.A. is huge, but it''s not true. If you literally mean "average" there are plenty of people in L.A. with smaller diamonds, so I would think the average is somewhere in the 1 carat range. But here in L.A. it''s not UNCOMMON to see honkers bigger than 3 carats. In my circle of friends, the average ring is probably 1.5 carats, but that''s because there are a couple of girls who have 2 and 4 carat rings.

 

[sap483]

Date: 3/12/2007 2:35:33 PM
Author: TravelingGal
People think that the average diamond in L.A. is huge, but it''s not true. If you literally mean ''average'' there are plenty of people in L.A. with smaller diamonds, so I would think the average is somewhere in the 1 carat range. But here in L.A. it''s not UNCOMMON to see honkers bigger than 3 carats. In my circle of friends, the average ring is probably 1.5 carats, but that''s because there are a couple of girls who have 2 and 4 carat rings.

Good point TravelingGal. Perhaps I should have said, what size is the most common in an e-ring. I think it would also help if we posted the demographics we''re referring to. When I said in Boston the average was 1.5-2 I was referring more specifically to the age range of mid-twenties to mid-thirties. It''s also not uncommon to see some gigantic rocks here, especially for upgraded stones.

 

[luckystar112]

I live in Houston, and size varies greatly around here. Most of the girls around my age (24) have rings that are 1ct or above, but not exceeding 2ct. Women in their 30's and above usually have 2ct or more rings, but I'm not sure because only one type of women comes into my place of work--the stunningly beautiful woman with the mega rich husband.

In maine, where I'm from, I'd say the average is .5ct. And in the middle of nowhere VA, where my boyfriend is from, it's less than that! His mother has a 3 stone ring that is probably all 10 pointers, and his sister-in-law's ering is a solitaire probably around .25 or .30ct. Both of them are extremely well off (more than us) but diamond size just doesn't matter as much there, you know?

It's sad, but I honestly think I'd be less concerned with size if I didn't live in an area that put so much emphasis on it. My boyfriend still has the "small town" frame of mind and I overheard him say to a friend the other day, "Who in their RIGHT MIND would pay 6 grand for a diamond?!?!"

The "small town girl" inside of me agrees with him, but the "big city girl" wants a "huge 1ct or above" rock!

 

[hikerchick]

I'd guess that in addition to geographical location, one's profession will also play into this . . . for example . . . I also live in Boston and would agree with sap483 that the general trend might be towards 1.5 carats. However, being a research scientist the difference between the clinicians (MDs) and the basic scientists (PhDs) varies greatly. Most of my MD friends have 2-3 carat rings but my immediate co-workers consisting of graduate students, post-docs (like myself) and even the more established PhDs in the field tend to have rings ranging from 0.75 to 1.5 carats.

I am hoping mine doesn't stick out too badly at 1.25 it will likely be one of the larger ones in our department. In any case, I might even venture to guess that our professions will dictate the size of the diamonds more than our location? Thoughts?

ETA: BTW, I am 32 and work with women between the ages of 21 and 55

 

[ImpatientOne]

I live in Seattle, and < 1ct seems to be the norm here. We had two other women in my office who were engaged right around the same time as me, all of us in our 40''s. One of them had a .75 center stone and the other has a 1 ct center (I1). I normally don''t see a lot of diamonds here bigger than 1 ct. Mine is 1.5, but I am lusting after a 2.0-2.25

 

[sap483]

My dermatologist has this 3+ ct clear white beauty that I always drool over (when I'm not scared that she's going to poke my eye out with it that is). I work in an advisory practice for one of the big public accounting firms, and those over the Manager level and especially at the partner level sport much larger rings than the norm that I see among my peers (I'm 24).

ETA: I'm fairly certain though that many of those at a higher level in my firm have upgraded later in life as their finances improved.

 

[kev_800]

In downtown Chicago (including people from the suburbs that work downtown) my guestimate would be .75-1 carat **for the women who have diamond engagement rings**. I think there is a certain practicality with women in Chicago.... plenty of people could afford more than 1 carat but they would prefer to own a home instead of spending an extra $20k to get a 2 carat diamond. Alot of women have the invisible cluster settings of 4 stones to make it appear larger....

 

[Nicrez]

New York, and it's anything from .30cts to 30 cts+

I think long ago someone had a post that stated the US average was around 30 points or so(.30cts), New York avaerage was 1.5 I think.

In NYC it's just pointless because the ranges are so huge. Depends on your job. You can see a 1ct on a sales clerk in CVS, but it is likely a lower clarity lower color, maybe even enhanced clarity stone...I was in some shady parts of NY, stopping in to see how HUGE the diamonds were in the window where many people are on Section 8. I left craving for a Zales!

It seems the US is size obsessed...

And if you work with jewelers, you are looking at 3ct, PINKS, and BLUES...

Seriously, i know one guy whose wife got a 3ct pink in rosegold pave.

just ask Wink's lucky wife!!

 

[laplacz]

I think that this is an impossiable question to answer. I am not engaged yet but am in the process of getting ideas as to what I am going to get my GF. I live in Notheren NJ and work in Midtown Manhattan every day(Both very affluant areas). I have been scopeing out what women are wearing for a while . I am POSITIVE that a 1.5c stone is above average. I see hundreds of women each day and am deffinatley do not see 2 and 3 c rings all over the place. I would say that the average center stone is probably 1c maybe a little more. This is not to say that I dont see any larger rings 1.5+, but they are certainly the exception and not the rule. I usually see them on older women (Significantly older than me and I am 29... NO offense anyone). Once again, this is not to say that I never see them on women that appear around my age but they are deffinately NOT everywhere.

It is important to remember that many people get engaged durring their 20s. I have a good class of friends and most dont have 20-30 grand to drop on a ring.(at least at this career point and age) From my research that is what we are talking about with 2+c. I guess what I am getting at is that it is very easy to get drawn into this forum and think that EVERYONE has 2 and 3 c stones. That is simpley not the case.

Average just means what you notice. If you keep friends that all have 10 c rings, you will think that 10c is average. I think alot of this is about preception.

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 3/12/2007 2:35:33 PM
Author: TravelingGal
People think that the average diamond in L.A. is huge, but it''s not true. If you literally mean ''average'' there are plenty of people in L.A. with smaller diamonds, so I would think the average is somewhere in the 1 carat range. But here in L.A. it''s not UNCOMMON to see honkers bigger than 3 carats. In my circle of friends, the average ring is probably 1.5 carats, but that''s because there are a couple of girls who have 2 and 4 carat rings.

This sounds about right for L.A. in my opinion as well.

 

[starryeyed]

The trend on this thread is a little strange if you compare it to the recent poll entitled something like "What size is your e-ring". If I recall, the overwhelming result was around 1 carat.

Therefore, I think e-ring sizes are really dependent on your socio-economic conditions. If you live in a wealthy part of town or have a big job on Wall Street, the diamonds you see are going to be a lot bigger than in less affuent sections or careers.

There is no way 2+ carat stones (that are halfway decent) are as common as people seem to think. Just look at the supply. There are far more say 1.00 carat G VS2''s than 2-carat or 3-carat G VS2''s on the market. Just do a search.

I''ve seen hairdresser at the local shop with Apollo diamonds that ae sizeable. Not everyone has the real thing!

 

[Finding_Neverland]

We live in a big University town. Northwest Indiana.

There''s money here, but people show it in other ways.

I''d say, the average center stone size ranges from .25-.5 carat. There''s lots of "cluster" type rings with lots of small melee sprinkled around.

I haven''t see any honkers at the drug store, or fast food places, and such. So I''m guessing Ladies aren''t into CZ''s here. Also, it''s not uncommon to see a simple YG/WG/Plat band. No e-ring.

The well to do college students spend their money on up scale, off campus housing, nice cars, and jetting off somewhere every weekend. The profs tend to sink their funds into luxurious homes, lavish vacations, and sports cars.

 

[sap483]

Date: 3/12/2007 3:26:42 PM
Author: starryeyed
The trend on this thread is a little strange if you compare it to the recent poll entitled something like 'What size is your e-ring'. If I recall, the overwhelming result was around 1 carat.

Therefore, I think e-ring sizes are really dependent on your socio-economic conditions. If you live in a wealthy part of town or have a big job on Wall Street, the diamonds you see are going to be a lot bigger than in less affuent sections or careers.

There is no way 2+ carat stones (that are halfway decent) are as common as people seem to think. Just look at the supply. There are far more say 1.00 carat G VS2's than 2-carat or 3-carat G VS2's on the market. Just do a search.

I've seen hairdresser at the local shop with Apollo diamonds that ae sizeable. Not everyone has the real thing!

I agree that it does greatly depend on your socio-economic conditions, however part of me also does wonder if a correllation can be made, on a more general level, between areas in the country and diamond size? Going back to my cousin's story, she's a teacher in a public school system . Her co-workers for the most part are within +/- 8 years of her age (33). When she got engaged 3 years ago, her 2.5ct stone ( a really nice one too) didn't really get much of a reaction from others around her, as many of them had just as big of a stone. Now in fact, many of the newly engaged girls have even larger rings. When she came to visit friends and family on the East Coast a few months later, everyone was shocked. Everyone made such a big deal out of it that she started feeling embarrassed about wearing it. I noticed the last time she visited, it was noticeably absent from her hand. Perhaps this is an isolated example, I'm just curious about everyone's thoughts on this. I figured it would be a perfect place to ask considering we have diamond lovers from all areas and all walks of life congregated in one spot

I apologize in advance if I've offended anyone with this generalization, as it's definitely not my intent.

 

[luckystar112]

Isn''t it weird how that works?

I''m pretty sure my boyfriend WILL be getting me a 1ct or above ring, only because I''ve been shopping EXTREMELY hard and I think we will be able to compromise. My ring will be extremely special to me, but nothing out of the ordinary down here. However, when we visit ME or VA I''m afraid I''m going to show everyone up. And honestly, I don''t think 1ct is THAT big, but others disagree!

This past xmas, my cousin got engaged with a 3 stone diamond ring. The ring was $400. It had very dainty diamonds and she was in love with it. At the same time, a cousin from Boston that we only see once a year got engaged. Her ring was a 1ct solitaire. Anyway, that cousin stole my other cousin''s thunder bigtime and I think it really hurt her feelings. (I hope you can follow this. hahaha) No one cared about her ring, they were all in awe by the "HUGE HONKIN" 1ct.

As much as I want a 1ct or above, I''m afraid I''ll be embaressed when I show it to our small town relatives as well. My ring, even at 1ct, will be bigger than anyone in my or my FF immediate family. I''m sure I''ll get over it though.

 

[NYCsparkle]

my sister used to work for a high end costume jewler in nyc.....A LOT of celebrities came in and bought the cz rings she sold....i was shocked at the big names buying fakes....not just rings, but all types of stuff.

 

[hikerchick]

Date: 3/12/2007 3:49:54 PM
Author: sap483

I apologize in advance if I''ve offended anyone with this generalization, as it''s definitely not my intent.

Nothing to apologize for . . . it is an interesting question.

 

[Lynn B]

I live in rural NW Pennsylvania, and the usual ring I see is a yellow gold marquise shape solitaire, about .50 carat weight, usually with a YG channel set diamond band, maybe .10 tcw? I am not kidding you, there are so many rings like that around here, it''s a little bizarre to me! I also see a lot of those 5-stone graduating size marquise rings... maybe .50 - .75(ish?) tcw.

Although - on the younger girls, I do see some 1 carat (plus or minus a little) RBs in white metal.

 

[niku414]

I live in the Los angeles area -- can''t speak for the ppl living in Beverly Hills- Hollywood area but most of my friends/ associates -- seems to be spotting 1.0ct - 1.80 ct
We always joke about getting FAKE CZ if we wanted anything above 2.0ct (lol) --like something from QVC diamonique collection

 

[sarahthewarrior]

Date: 3/12/2007 2:44:48 PM
Author: luckystar112
I live in Houston, and size varies greatly around here. Most of the girls around my age (24) have rings that are 1ct or above, but not exceeding 2ct. Women in their 30''s and above usually have 2ct or more rings, but I''m not sure because only one type of women comes into my place of work--the stunningly beautiful woman with the mega rich husband.

In maine, where I''m from, I''d say the average is .5ct. And in the middle of nowhere VA, where my boyfriend is from, it''s less than that! His mother has a 3 stone ring that is probably all 10 pointers, and his sister-in-law''s ering is a solitaire probably around .25 or .30ct. Both of them are extremely well off (more than us) but diamond size just doesn''t matter as much there, you know?

It''s sad, but I honestly think I''d be less concerned with size if I didn''t live in an area that put so much emphasis on it. My boyfriend still has the ''small town'' frame of mind and I overheard him say to a friend the other day, ''Who in their RIGHT MIND would pay 6 grand for a diamond?!?!''

The ''small town girl'' inside of me agrees with him, but the ''big city girl'' wants a ''huge 1ct or above'' rock!

Like luckystar''s boyfriend, I also am from the middle of nowhere VA (a place called Farmville, if you can even believe that). Frankly, when I discovered Pricescope, I was a little shocked to see 3 ct engagement rings--that thought had never even crossed my mind. My boyfriend opted to buy me whatever was in his price range, but personally neither of us even found rings over 0.5 ct at all attractive. While I think most women should just get whatever makes them happy and whatever their future fiance can afford, I am extremely happy with my 0.5 ct, and I have no desire of ever "upgrading"--another foreign concept to the two of us. I think the biggest diamond I''ve ever seen where I''m from was 1 ct, and I thought it looked huge and unflattering, but that''s just a personal opinion. The majority of diamonds there are much, much smaller--across all demographics. My boyfriend is from the Midwest, and although he lives in an area with plenty of money, I can''t say I''ve seen people with huge diamonds there either. (His mother, who has a 0.3 ct, has already called my ring "extravagant.") I think it''s all about whether you can afford the huge rock and whether that''s the norm for your area. If I ever saw a ring over 1 ct where I live, I would immediately assume it was fake--most people there could never afford that. And along the lines of luckystar''s boyfriend, my boyfriend and I agree that there are just better things to spend our money on. When I told my boyfriend that''s the last diamond he''ll ever have to buy me, he laughed and told me he loves me more every day. Hey, at the end of the day, it''s just a rock.

 

[ursulawrite]

Even in Manhattan, the sizes vary widely. I live in Soho and see very few engagement rings at all. Most people around here are artsy fartsy youngsters or deshabbile squillionaires. Uptown is different. When I go to my ortho appointment on Park Ave, I see plenty of honkers.

Among peers, it stretches from the plain band only troupe, to the four- and five-carat solitaires. On the bigger end of things, most were close to 40 and the guys who popped the question earning upwards of $1m a year.