Selecting Diamond Carat

So how do you determine what size diamond to buy?  Do you want a diamond carat of 1, or 2, or do you want a ring with multiple, smaller stones?  The answer to this will depend greatly on your budget, as well as the person who will be wearing the ring. 

A diamond will look larger on a slender finger, so keep that in mind if the recipient of the ring has thin hands.  The actual diamond carat measurement is probably not as much of a concern as the appearance, shape, and setting of the ring.  Particularly because a 1 carat diamond ring will not look half the size of a 2 diamond carat ring, it's far more important to select a ring that is pleasing to look at than it is to buy one with the most carats you can afford.

The Value of the Diamond is Effected by it's Weight.

When selecting your diamond ring, you can choose between a single, solitaire style setting (a single diamond on the ring) and a setting that has multiple, smaller stones to make up the ring.  The value of a solitaire one diamond carat will actually be more than if you buy a ring that has two diamonds that add up to one carat or greater. Larger sized diamonds are more rarely found when mining diamonds, making them more valuable and expensive than purchasing the same amount of diamond carats in smaller stones.

What is Diamond Carat Weight?

When shopping for a diamond, you've no doubt heard references to the 4 C's of diamonds. Diamond carat is one of those popular ”c's” to consider when evaluating a diamond, and it's a term used to describe how much the diamond weighs. A single diamond carat is equal to the weight of 200 milligrams, or .2 grams.