Carat, Carat, Carat!

[FrekeChild]

I wanted a .5ct diamond.

Then I discovered colored stones.

Then I found PS.

And discovered spinel.

I ended up with a 1.2ct spinel that's 6.5mm. My mom's 1.5ct princess diamond looks smaller than it. And it cost about 44 times what my stone cost. That .5ct diamond? About 10 times what my spinel cost.

So...yeah. I still plan on getting a diamond eventually. But I'd say that most rings around here are about .2-.4cts.

 

[beadchick]

I think a lot of this is dependent upon finger size. I wear a size 7 and my ering was 1.25 carats, its an asscher, so it faces up at 6mm square, which I think, looks small on my hands. I always thought I wanted 1.5 carats.

What I will say since having joined PS, is, I could totally go to a 2 carat next time. What I think I would like more is somewhere in the 1-1.5 carat main stone range with either a 3 stone or some sort of detail to the ring. I'm not into the solitaires anymore. I would even go with a 7 stone sparkly eternity-style type ring WITHOUT the big rock in the center.

There are some amazingly designed rings on here! Carat size is relative for me now.

 

[Tuckins1]

I had no expectations before I got my ring. I just wanted DH to get me something that was well cut and eye clean... Other than that, I didn't care. I ended up with a .70 ct and I couldn't be happier! I would never change it. If he wants to buy me a bigger stone for an RHR though...

 

[Lislis89]

I had pretty much no idea of size before PS but knew it had to be relatively large because i have huge hands! I was always set on a channel set white gold or platinum band with princess cuts and a centre princess stone but after here I have changed an think between .90 and 1.3 as opposed to 1.5-2 before! Plus I havent even tried those sizes as yet so I may be off the charts again!

 

[dec2410]

before PS: i wanted a 1ct
out of all the engagements around me recently, i want to say that the avg is 1.5.
NOW: i want 1.25-1.5 but i still wouldn't be disappointed with a 1ct with GREAT stats.

i think after i discovered PS, i've come to appreciate the cut much more and find that much more important than the ct weight.

 

[gemma.in.waiting]

In the area I grew up, 1 carat was HUGE...and my mum had one. So, looking at her ring everyday and trying it on, I always thought I would get the same size. Now, I've only been a member of PS for a few days, but I've been a lurk for a loooong time, so I would say, yes, PS has influenced the way I view size. There is just so much exposure to all kinds of big! When my SO and I went to try on rings last year, the 1 carat just looked soo much smaller than the 1.5 when they were side by side. If I had never tried on anything other than the 1 carat, I probably wouldn't be so adamant about the size now, but I think I would be comfortable with anything from 1.25/1.5 (RB). I'm not saying I won't be happy if he happens to get me a smaller size, but I will probably always wonder if my 1.5 made it to a good home and has a loving bride taking care of it.

Edit for grammar!

 

[Anonymous]

I haven't responded yet because I am sure I have some thoughts that won't be too popular, but I'm feeling spunky today.
Before PS, I thought about .50. After PS, I thought maybe .75 max. My FI proposed with an ideal cut VS2 I .63 stone w/GIA cert that I absolutely adore.

My fairytale ring would have been 1.0-1.5 ct. My reality ring didn't honestly change much. I've looked through the SMTB threads, and I admit some of those rings are just AMAZING. For me, it's just not "real life". It's like watching a movie where the houses are mansions and the cars are all 100K+.

Now on to the unpopular point.

I think it's really sad and at times frustrating to read posts about how someone can't wait to get engaged and the only thing that's really holding things up is the fact that their BF can't afford their dream ring yet. To me, if the waiting isn't healthy for your relationship (causing frustration for you or your bf, etc.) it just doesn't make any sense at all. Yes, I want my ering to be my "forever ring" and it will be, no matter what size diamond it has. My personal opinion (though I haven't really researched this, so it's just that - my .02...) is that too much emphasis is being put on the carat size of a person's engagement ring.

K now I'm going to duck for cover.

 

[blacksand]

I think I can top your unpopular opinion with and even more unpopular opinion.

I don't like big diamonds. I just don't like them. Anything over maybe 1.5 carats looks like costume jewelry to me (ducks for cover). I would be fine with a .5 carat. Or less. Or a plain gold band. But it looks like I'm inheriting a diamond of "at least a carat," so I guess that's what I'm getting. Whatever I end up with, I'll love it for the symbolism behind it. Please don't get me wrong, it's a matter of personal taste! I love to see the ladies on PS post pictures of rings that make them happy. That's all that matters. But for myself, personally, giant diamonds remind me of the crystal doorknob I had on my bedroom door as a kid, and I wouldn't want to wear that.

Now, as for financial concerns, I agree with you that if the relationship is truly suffering because you're waiting to save up for "the perfect ring," there's a problem. But it seems to me that if the relationship is really suffering (not talking an occasional bout of LIWitis here, but serious relationship problems), the problems runs deeper than the ring. If you can't be happy with the relationship you have at this moment, then getting engaged (or married) isn't going to fix things.

ETA: I don't want to sound like I'm judging people who own or wish to own large stones. It’s just not my personal style. I realize this is mostly because it’s not what I’m used to seeing. In my circle or friends and family, e-rings are not typically larger a carat. My mom’s ring is .25 and I’ve always admired it! My friends mostly have .5-1 carat rings. It’s not that I want to be like everyone else, it’s just that I realize I can’t help but be influenced by what I’m used to seeing. Likewise, I think if 2-3 carats were the normal in my circle, I’d probably be influenced by that as well and I’d be posting here about how all I wanted was a 2.5 carat. It’s all relative, I’m sure.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Right when I discovered PS, my dream ring was a 1.3 ct. RB.

The summer after PS, then-BF and I started looking at rings casually, and I went from 1.3 RB to 1.6 RB.

And then that winter, when I really got into jewelry and started buying colored stone rings (and trust me, colored stone ring buying is a surefire way for DSS to set it - you can get such large stones for SO MUCH CHEAPER and then smaller stones just don't look the same anymore), I went from 1.6 to 2 ct.

By the time the following summer rolled around, I was at 2.3 as my perfect number (btw, bear in mind my finger size is a 3.25!).

AND THEN a close friend got a gorgeous 2.3 August Vintage Cushion. I got to try it. It's gorgeous and amazing, and I decided I wanted an AVC. But EVERYONE KNOWS ( ) that you can go bigger with fancy shapes than with RBs...so now I'm at a 2.5 ct. AVC as my dream ring.

I'm shaking my head at myself as I type.

Btw, this is my friend's ring on me - I CAN GO BIGGER RIGHT?!?!?!

 

[Cinna]

@ B.E.G

I loved reading your story and yes I think a 2.5 AVC would look FANTASTIC on you. I came in thinking to post around the same as my ideal.

I want a 2.6-2.8 AVC... but with your finger size B.E.G, I'm sure your 2.5 would look bigger than if I had a 2.8!

I have a 1.5 EC now, and before PS, that was still on the small side but what I wanted. But after PS, I want to reset it with sidestones just to make it have more finger coverage.. but if I had the funds, I'd go straight for a 2.6-2.8 AVC!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Before PS I wanted a 1 ct stone, and it only got a little bigger, about 1.25 cts after PS.

I ended up with something right in the middle, about 1.15 cts and I think it looks great, but a little DDS has set in since I stared wearing the wedding band.

For where I live, I don't want to go any bigger. While my stone is not the largest, it is one of the larger stones among the people I interact with daily. However, if I ever end up in a place like the bay area, where my stone felt a bit smaller, I can see DDS being a problem. I can also see DDS being a problem if my finger size gets bigger.

I was one of those people who had to wait until we could afford the ring until we could get engaged, but my FI insisted on that. He was laid off for 6 months, and insisted he could not propose if he did not have the means to provide, and buying the ring to him was a symbol of that. He said it was something he needed to be comfortable proposing. At the time, I would have been happy with a smaller ring or a band until we could afford the bigger one, but now that we are married, I am glad we did it his way. I could not imagine all the stress of planning a wedding compounded with the stress he was under while trying to find a job.

 

[pancake]

I only really got interested in diamonds when the engagement ring search started, and joined PS at the same time (because that is how I do everything...anal research!). I knew from looking at other people's RBs that around 0.8ct looked quite nice and 1ct looked quite large and was much bigger than what most people have where I live (Melbourne, Australia). But I worked out quite early in the piece that I wanted an EC and I had no preconceptions about size with those. We shopped in the range of 1.2 - 1.4ish carats and ended up with a 1.2ct which I think looks really nicely proportioned on my finger (4.5). I had tried on a 1.6ct in a B&M store when I was becoming "Pricescoped" and was SURE that I definitely wanted a bigger one...but then when I saw it sitting on my finger it sort of looked weird and stuck out in a way I didn't like (not physically - just visually).

I'm sure that if I lived in the States I'd want a bigger ring. I wouldn't feel very comfortable here wearing anything too much bigger than what I have.

 

[Cinna]

I only really got interested in diamonds when the engagement ring search started, and joined PS at the same time (because that is how I do everything...anal research!). I knew from looking at other people's RBs that around 0.8ct looked quite nice and 1ct looked quite large and was much bigger than what most people have where I live (Melbourne, Australia). But I worked out quite early in the piece that I wanted an EC and I had no preconceptions about size with those. We shopped in the range of 1.2 - 1.4ish carats and ended up with a 1.2ct which I think looks really nicely proportioned on my finger (4.5). I had tried on a 1.6ct in a B&M store when I was becoming "Pricescoped" and was SURE that I definitely wanted a bigger one...but then when I saw it sitting on my finger it sort of looked weird and stuck out in a way I didn't like (not physically - just visually).

I'm sure that if I lived in the States I'd want a bigger ring. I wouldn't feel very comfortable here wearing anything too much bigger than what I have.

I tried on a 1.5 carat RB ring in the store when first looking at e-rings and it seemed HUGE on my hand and looked out of place. However when trying on my friend's 1.6 rb it seemed like I could go bigger. I think it might have been part PS, part DSS, and part that it was set SO HIGH (it was kind of ridiculous how high set it was, felt like a full inch away from my finger.)

And as one who seems to scope out any e-rings I see at work and on my commute in Washington D.C, I find the average size is a lot bigger than I expected! I had initially thought it was 1 ct... but depending on the neighborhood, the range is a lot more like 1.5-2.5. Maybe my view is not just skewed on my own finger but on others as well now in eye-guessing carat weight?

 

[AdanaEsq]

I think my ideal would be 1.5-2 carat center but I'll be happy with whatever bf gets me. I show him pics sometimes and I showed him one ring that I love but pretty pricey. I said whoa look at the price, I wouldn't expect you to spend that much but I do like that style and he said well you're worth it he's too sweet. Living in NYC size definitely varies. I know women with 3-4+ carat rings and then much smaller rings as well. PS can definitely make you view size differently but I think whatever works for your budget/preference is great.

 

[Maisie]

I came to PS looking for half a carat. That is big where I come from... in fact hardly anyone I know has a diamond. They are mostly gemstones. I went silly and went from .55 to .72 to 1.03 to 1.50 within about 18 months. It didn't make me happy and I ended up selling every piece of jewellery I owned.

If I ever receive another ring I will let him choose and love it regardless of size.

 

[kelpie]

I thought .50 would be good when we started dating, but he took 5 years to propose so I had so much time to think about my dream ring, my tastes got more and more extravagant the longer I waited. We joke I got a half carat for every year. The best part was I had the time to become a bargain diamond whisperer and the ring I got (2.06 OEC which faces like 2.5) was comparable a lot of people pay for 1 ct RB solitaire including the custom singlestone platinum pave setting. He is proud of my ring and my thriftyness.

 

[ring983]

Reading this board definitely affects ones view of appropriate carat size. I first came here thinking thinking a 1.25-1.5 RB would be spectacular but after lurking for a few weeks, Im starting to feel that anything i buy will have to be 1.5 or larger.

 

[captainmcgee]

I haven't been on pricescope for too too long but it hasn't really changed my idea of what I wanted. My mother has her original center stone (she reset it awhile ago) and it's a 2.03ish ct pear. That's pretty standard for my parents group of friends. Some of the older women have much bigger stones than that. But I think ever since I was little my moms ring has been what I based my standard on. I actually initially wanted at least a 2 carat stone but when we started looking at prices I realized it was too much for right now. So instead of 2 ct center, we went with a 1.57 ct center with 1.21 ct side stones (about .6 ct each). So the ring ended up being a 3 stone 2.78 ctw with more finger converage (i assume, i dont have the ring yet) and ended up costing much less than trying to get a 2 ct solitaire. I also didn't want a solitaire so what we got Made sense and I know I'm going to love it!

I am the same as you. My mums ring was my standard and hers is a 3.5 RB F VS. In my circle of friends too there are a lot of large rings but yes PS has change my view but also I have a massive case of DSS. I have a totally warped view ridiculously crazy! I thought 3.5 RB would be the perfect size for me and also right for our budget but we found that we could get 4 even 5ct well within our budget. I do feel that if I went a 5ct people would think it was fake due to many factors mostly how old I look (I look quite young for my age). I don't have huge fingers, my ring size is 6 but I do have large hands and very long fingers and I am quite tall; I wish I had smaller hands sometimes. So now we are looking at 4-5ct guess we will see if I feel comfortable enough to wear something that big and not feel people think its fake.

PS has changed my view on clarity. I definitely only need eye-clean and would prefer triple ex cut over a VS stone.

Once again as others have said I don't want to sound bratty, I definitely know my view is warped but in our group of friends and environment 2.5-4 is pretty normal but that being said it is very varied!

 

[captainmcgee]

PS can definitely make you view size differently but I think whatever works for your budget/preference is great.

I totally agree with this! I also think that the love our boyfriends, partners, FH etc have for us is far more important. Diamonds will come and go so we need to make sure to look after our SOs.

 

[Dancing Fire]

PS can definitely make you view size differently but I think whatever works for your budget/preference is great.

I totally agree with this! I also think that the love our boyfriends, partners, FH etc have for us is far more important. Diamonds will come and go so we need to make sure to look after our SOs.

you can say the same about husbands and BFs...

 

[captainmcgee]

That's very true also hahah!

 

[Steel]

Before PS I wanted a 1ct stone.

After PS I wanted a 1ct but also a D, VS1 stone . I never knew that 2ct's existed for 'real' people, never mind 3 + 4 ct's etc, that was PS doing.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

I sold my favorite stone because after finding PS I thought it wasn't good enough. it was a shallow cut 1.2 I1. I bought a tripple ex. ideal cut stone and hated it! Too much contrast and I didn't like how it went dark. I sold it back to GOG (this was at a time when our finances turned bad from job cuts). Now, I don't have a solitiare diamond and after my expierence with major job cuts and losing our house I can't bring myself to waste a speck of money or justify buying another diamond. I really want one to replace my placeholder stone with but I just can't do it My favorite size is 7mm. It's HUGE in my circle

 

[PrincessNatalie]

I can't believe I never replied to this post.

I started off wanting a heart shaped .7 solitaire (but years ago), then I started to want a big Asscher solitaire (like 2ct) but now I want a 1.25 - 1.5 AVC or OMC/antique cushion in a Tiffany Legacy repro, I know the halo will help make it look larger so I don't want too large of a center - I will probably still feel a bit weird wearing it to work with all the 35+ single girls.

 

[blacksand]

I'm not sure of the carat weight of the stone I inherited, but it's about 6.5-7 mm. Will get more specs when I can. Honestly? It's a gorgeous stone, I love it and will wear it proudly because it is so meaningful, but it's a little bigger than I wanted. I've been trying it on a lot and trying to get used to the look of it. It just looks so fancy to me, and I guess I feel sort of...unworthy. I see myself in the mirror wearing it, and I just think "that girl in the mirror in the jeans and tee shirt and no makeup has no business wearing that kind of bling!" I'm sure I will get used to it in time, but I absolutely cannot imagine wearing anything bigger. As it is, I'd worry about it being stolen if I wore it on vacation, in certain parts of the city, or anywhere if I were alone at night. So I probably just won't wear it in those situations. Part of this comes from my having lived abroad for some time in a city where it was unwise to wear ANY kind of jewelry on the street EVER. It's not nearly so rough where I live now, but I know I will be very paranoid about that beauty. All of that said, I love that stone and the history behind it, so I guess I will have to suck it up and get comfortable with the idea of wearing [what I consider to be] a large stone. And maybe buy a whole new wardrobe to match!

 

[Sizzle]

I'm not sure of the carat weight of the stone I inherited, but it's about 6.5-7 mm. Will get more specs when I can. Honestly? It's a gorgeous stone, I love it and will wear it proudly because it is so meaningful, but it's a little bigger than I wanted. I've been trying it on a lot and trying to get used to the look of it. It just looks so fancy to me, and I guess I feel sort of...unworthy. I see myself in the mirror wearing it, and I just think "that girl in the mirror in the jeans and tee shirt and no makeup has no business wearing that kind of bling!" I'm sure I will get used to it in time, but I absolutely cannot imagine wearing anything bigger. As it is, I'd worry about it being stolen if I wore it on vacation, in certain parts of the city, or anywhere if I were alone at night. So I probably just won't wear it in those situations. Part of this comes from my having lived abroad for some time in a city where it was unwise to wear ANY kind of jewelry on the street EVER. It's not nearly so rough where I live now, but I know I will be very paranoid about that beauty. All of that said, I love that stone and the history behind it, so I guess I will have to suck it up and get comfortable with the idea of wearing [what I consider to be] a large stone. And maybe buy a whole new wardrobe to match!

I saw the photo of your diamond in another thread. I think it's ABSOLUTELY the perfect size for your finger! IF you ever see the "real housewives" shows, they HAPPILY wear 5 carats with jeans and diamond earrings and tennis bracelets, and I do the same with my diamonds. Enjoy your sparklies!

 

[blacksand]

Thanks! I think I just need to get used to it. I've just never owned anything like it before!

 

[Autumnovember]

I think I can top your unpopular opinion with and even more unpopular opinion.

I don't like big diamonds. I just don't like them. Anything over maybe 1.5 carats looks like costume jewelry to me (ducks for cover). I would be fine with a .5 carat. Or less. Or a plain gold band. But it looks like I'm inheriting a diamond of "at least a carat," so I guess that's what I'm getting. Whatever I end up with, I'll love it for the symbolism behind it. Please don't get me wrong, it's a matter of personal taste! I love to see the ladies on PS post pictures of rings that make them happy. That's all that matters. But for myself, personally, giant diamonds remind me of the crystal doorknob I had on my bedroom door as a kid, and I wouldn't want to wear that.

Now, as for financial concerns, I agree with you that if the relationship is truly suffering because you're waiting to save up for "the perfect ring," there's a problem. But it seems to me that if the relationship is really suffering (not talking an occasional bout of LIWitis here, but serious relationship problems), the problems runs deeper than the ring. If you can't be happy with the relationship you have at this moment, then getting engaged (or married) isn't going to fix things.

ETA: I don't want to sound like I'm judging people who own or wish to own large stones. It’s just not my personal style. I realize this is mostly because it’s not what I’m used to seeing. In my circle or friends and family, e-rings are not typically larger a carat. My mom’s ring is .25 and I’ve always admired it! My friends mostly have .5-1 carat rings. It’s not that I want to be like everyone else, it’s just that I realize I can’t help but be influenced by what I’m used to seeing. Likewise, I think if 2-3 carats were the normal in my circle, I’d probably be influenced by that as well and I’d be posting here about how all I wanted was a 2.5 carat. It’s all relative, I’m sure.

Don't duck! You're entitled to your own opinion!

Think about it, large diamonds may not be your personal taste for YOU but small diamonds may not be someone else's style. It goes both ways and its totally a matter of personal preference I agree that part of it probably has to do with what we're used to seeing around us.

 

[ked123]

I have a 1.9 carat solitaire. It must be my finger size (I am a size 7), because it definitely looks much smaller to me than rings I see gals posting around 1.5 carats on here.

I live in a major metropolitan area and my ring is pretty average sized for the area. When we looked at rings, about 2.5 carats was my ideal.

I will have my ring re-set with a halo in the coming years to get more finger coverage.

 

[diva rose]

Right when I discovered PS, my dream ring was a 1.3 ct. RB.

The summer after PS, then-BF and I started looking at rings casually, and I went from 1.3 RB to 1.6 RB.

And then that winter, when I really got into jewelry and started buying colored stone rings (and trust me, colored stone ring buying is a surefire way for DSS to set it - you can get such large stones for SO MUCH CHEAPER and then smaller stones just don't look the same anymore), I went from 1.6 to 2 ct.

By the time the following summer rolled around, I was at 2.3 as my perfect number (btw, bear in mind my finger size is a 3.25!).

AND THEN a close friend got a gorgeous 2.3 August Vintage Cushion. I got to try it. It's gorgeous and amazing, and I decided I wanted an AVC. But EVERYONE KNOWS ( ) that you can go bigger with fancy shapes than with RBs...so now I'm at a 2.5 ct. AVC as my dream ring.

I'm shaking my head at myself as I type.

Btw, this is my friend's ring on me - I CAN GO BIGGER RIGHT?!?!?!

LOL - BEG your post made me laugh so hard.
I do think you can go bigger!

Before PS - 1.5C pear and after PS - I want 2C asscher and I would also love 2C august vintage cushion.
Lucky for my DH - my fingers are tiny hence anything bigger than 2C will cover all my finger.