The 4 C's; Carat
What size diamond should I choose? (i.e. what carat)
The basics: carat (not carrot) is how much the diamond weighs. I won't get into the intricacies of what that means, what you need to know is how it affects the size of the diamond. And that is LESS than you think!
A 0.02 carat (Ct) diamond (sounds tiny, yes?) is 1.7mm in diameter.
A 0.1 Ct diamond is 3mm in diameter. Ok that's a relatively significant increase in size.
A 0.25 Ct diamond is 4.1mm in diameter.
A 0.5 Ct diamond is 5mm in diameter. A whole 0.25 carats more, but only 1 more millimetre. Go and find a ruler and look at that millimetre. It's quite small.
If you double the weight again, a 1.00 Ct diamond is 6.4mm; only 1.4mm bigger than the 0.5 Ct!
These are the sizes of the diamonds with their relative carats underneath. From 0.25 Ct to 0.33 Ct, there really is not much difference in size.
So how will the carat size affect the price? That's a difficult question to answer as the cost of a diamond varies greatly depending on a variety of qualities (see other articles); an extremely high quality 0.33 Ct diamond could cost over £2000 while a lower quality 0.5 Ct diamond could cost £750. Additionally, 'usual carat' diamonds (0.25, 0.5, 1.00, 2.00 etc.) may cost more than less common carats.
However, what you should consider is how your chosen diamond will look on your fiancé's finger. I have very petite hands and therefore anything over a 0.5 Ct diamond would look far to heavy and clumsy on my fingers. Does your fiancé prefer delicate jewellery or does she want a stand out piece? Saying that you bought a 1 Ct diamond may sound impressive, but will it look good on her and be practical for her?
These images below (sorry they are not all taken in the same direction) illustrate the difference in size of 0.25 Ct to 0.5 Ct solitaire diamonds. As I have very tiny hands, anything above a 0.5 Ct would look too much for me. Additionally, as I am a scientist, I wouldn't want anything too deep as it would not be practical; as the carat increases, the depth of the diamond also increases.
I will finish this article by saying that I am not frowning down upon large carat diamonds. What I am trying to illustrate is that a high carat does not necessarily mean it is the perfect diamond for you. It is easy to get run away with the numbers, so before purchasing take a deep breath and check it is the right diamond for both you and her; after all, an engagement and marriage is about the joining of two halves to make a whole.
