How many carats should my diamond engagement ring have?

Question

If money isn't really an issue, how many carats should my ring have? I want something big, but not obnoxious.

Answer 1

Carat isn't the issue so much as cut clarity and color. I've seen 3 carat rings that were ugly because they weren't clear nor were they colorless. Just big, ugly brown colored rocks on fingers. Then I've also seen 1/2 ct. solitaires that cost the exact same as the larger brown ones but because of the color, cut, and clarity were even more gorgeous.

Trust me, nobody wants to see a large brown diamond on your finger just for the sake of you saying you've got a 3 ct. Best go with one that is all around great.

A nice 1 1/3 ct. with no color, very high clarity and an ideal cut will cost you approximately $5,600 just for the diamond, not including the setting. Shoot for that, not a larger one if you want quality

Answer 2

Like everyone says it depends on the girl. However you can also get a round cut with more surface area. mine has a flatter top and therefore looks bigger than it is. My mother has had a .6 carat for 30 yrs and loves it. If you get a solitare and nothing with accents on the side, you can get a wrap later on for an anniversary. Not to mention she can get diamonds on the wedding band if she wants it to sparkle more too. I have a friend who is a vet. She needed a smaller ring b/c it had to fit into the latex gloves and a bigger ring might tear through the gloves. How big is the rest of her jewelry? I know I would love a gorgeous diamond. Quality over quantity. However my sister would much rather have a much larger stone--and lower the clarity and color. You can get a J stone and get over a carat for the same price. However, I would much rather have the one you picked out. In my husbands family, after the wedding--they don't wear the engagement ring at all. It's only from the engagement til the marriage. I couldn't bare it--so I wear them both. But they pick small stones--often not even diamonds--since it will be worn less than a year. Also there is always the option of accenting it with other stones. My friend has sapphires--her birthstone--on each side of her ring. It was cheaper than accent diamonds. As far as the physical barrier--yes there is a barrier at 1carat. However, that barrier is cost. The cost of a .95 and a 1.00 carat is a huge difference in cost. 1 carat jumps the price a lot. There really is no mandatory expression of love. It's not like you love her more if you buy a 2 carat. I've seen numerous women saying they'd much rather their man save that money for the house than spend it on a rock to sit in a jewelry box. Besides--the engagement ring and the wedding are minor things. No one gets divorced b/c the wedding wasn't big enough. What matters is the love you express and similar views in life--morally, financially, (look on Amazon for Questions Before you marry, tons of books on this topic)--the big things in life...where you want to live, what if you can't have children, religious values, does one of you want to be a Stay-at-home parent....if you have discussed this, you share beliefs and values, you have compromised on the other issues and you have trust and honesty....a mere gift that symbolizes all that is merely a minor symbol of a greater thing.

Answer 3

Depends on your hand, if you have slender fingers you may wish to go with less. Do you want a solitaire diamond setting, or an elaborate setting with side stones ? If you want a large stone than I would say go for a 6 prong tiffany style setting.

Remember that Cut, Color and Clarity are other important factors. You can get a 1 carat ring that is more expensive than a 3 carat ring.

I wouldn't get more than a 3 carat center stone. Make sure the color is equal or better than any other diamond you wear. Clarity of VS1 or better should insure than none of the inclusions are visible to the naked eye. A 10x loupe will be needed. And if you go for a round brilliant, make sure it is an ideal cut, maybe even hearts and arrows if you want something a little different.

http://www.heartsandarrows.com/high.htm

Answer 4

My engagement ring center stone is a 1/3 carat, which I guess isn't that big but I think it looks big! It's a marquise cut, and it's set much higher than the band, which I think makes the stone look bigger. My personal opinon is anything over 1 carat looks big and obnoxious. What we did is he set a limit of much he wanted to spend on the rings and then he looked at the rings that were my style under that. So just remember that the size of the diamond is only part of the ring, make sure you get the right cut and style of band to your tastes

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How many carats should my diamond engagement ring have?
If money isn't really an issue, how many carats should my ring have? I want something big, but not obnoxious.

Answer 6

I think a 1 1/2 to 2 carat middle stone with 1 carat stones on both sides

Answer 7

I think 3 carats is big enough it's not flashy and not to small my engagement ring has 3 carats surrounded by rinestones, i love it it is so beautiful and it came from my fiancee's heart not just his bank account. And it has specail engraving in it just for me.

Answer 8

How about this, look at the stones first, decide on the cut and from there try on a few sizes. It isn't about having a giant diamond, but the love that your ring represents. Find something that is a nice fit for your finger.......people have different definitions of big.

Answer 9

3 carat center stone

Answer 10

If money was no object, 2 carats is enough for anyone. Otherwise you do look obnoxious. Check out

http://www.nimisis.com/halfpricebargains/US/3890311

for some good deals.