ave e-ring stone size where you live

[Phoenix]

DF, we live in our own house now but last we rented, we paid SG$6,600 (abt US$5,500). So I should be wearing a 5.5ct - so where is it?!

Back to the original Q, hmmm...it varies tremendously here. In my profession (accountancy/ auditing/ forensic accounting), I rarely see anything more than 1ct. In the business district, I've however spotted large boulders, once what appeared to be a 4ct on a younger girl (late 20's to early 30's in my estimation), though she looked like a young banker to me. In the shopping area of Orchard Rd and in jewellery exhibitions, 3ct to 5ct's-ish have been seen not too seldomly. It's hard to though to tell whether these are Singapreans or rich Indonesian or mainland Chinese tourists. I once saw a 14ct very-white looking pear on a young Indian lady at a jewellry exhibition trying to buy even more jewellry! Also, I've seen expat wives wearing larger bling too, but mostly expat wives' rings tend to be in the 1-2ct. Interestingly, those expat wives with larger diamonds tend to be Americans (i see them at the American Club, some carrying Hermes bags) and those Europeans or Brits mostly wear smaller than 1ct or nothing at all . I have also mentioned here from time to time about the large diamonds (3ct each min for earrings and 5ct and above for rings) flying out of my local jeweller's window (and a little birdie told me that these belong to the richer Singaporeans - those with HUGE houses and expensive luxury cars to match)!

 

[nararabbit]

I am from Palm Springs where many wealthy Canadians and other internationals vacation over the winter (our 'snowbirds') as well as Los Angeles and surrounding retirees. I'd say the average engagement ring size is probably 2.5 carats... at least. I see many, many 3, 4, 5 carat rings on a weekly basis. Before that I worked in Santa Monica, CA and the average there was around the same. A friend got engaged and despite having no home of his own, no job, and no prospects, he still bought her a 2 carat RB, D color... I wondered a little at the wisdom of that one! (inwardly, of course... none of my business where it comes from!)

 

[tuittumurmeli]

I live in Helsinki, Finland, and here it is most common that the stones are tiny, like grains of sand! As someone mentioned earlier about Sweden, the custom is that the engaded couple will go to the jeweller's together and buy just simple golden bands for both. Also the wedding band might be plain. But, if you see someone having diamonds, most usually it is a few 0.00x - 0.0xs flush set and scattered around the band or in a row of 3 - 5, prong set. The next most common thing is to have one to five 0.1x - 0.20s. I rarely see anything bigger. My 0.5 + 2 x 0.20 is meagre on this forum, but here it draws attention which feels a bit uncomfortable to me. One of my co-workers has a solitaire c. 1.0 which looks like a heirloom item, and another has 2 x 0.1s in her wedding ring. Everyone else wear plain bands.

Now, after I've taken an interest on the subject and can compare the e-prices and the prices in brick and mortar shops here, I've learned that the prices in Finland are just OUTRAGEOUS. It seems that the market for diamonds is really small and therefore the competition is nonexistent. And because the prices are so high, most people opt for the smallest stuff. They could score so much better with their hard-earned money if they shopped online or abroad. And I'm sensing this is what the younger generations are doing. There's a lot of talk about Bluenile and some UK-based vendors on the wedding forums. I'm curious how it will affect the market here.. Oh, I'm so grateful there's the internet nowadays!

 

[centralsquare]

A friend got engaged and despite having no home of his own, no job, and no prospects, he still bought her a 2 carat RB, D color

How did he pay for it then???

 

[Black Jade]

Huge. Of course those are the rings that catch my eye

I think this remark explains a lot. You notice what catches your eye and those tend to be bigger. Then you think 'everybody' has huge rings except you, etc. etc. etc.....

 

[makhro82]

avg in the U.S.... 0.90 ct
avg PSer......1.25ct
avg NYC....2.75ct
avg No.Ca & So.Ca.......2.5ct
avg in the midwest.....65ct
avg in Florida ...1.60ct

For N Ca this seems a bit high for the average. Can't speak for so ca. I'd believe the NYC average....I've seen some large stones there!!

would i lie?..

No - never!!

I thought this seemed high for NorCal too. I see plenty under or right around a carat. It is rare for me to see a lot over that. I did notice a lot of people seem to favor wearing just bands as well. Have you noticed that trend?

 

[rubybeth]

I live in central Minnesota, north of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and I'd guess the average is a half carat or less. In my workplace, there's only one person with a diamond larger than mine. I've seen a few much larger, but I see many more that are 1/10th of a carat at most.

 

[moosemom]

The past 20 years I have moved 12 times with the military. Most of the people I encounter have anywhere between .3 and 1ct rings. I also see a lot of people just wearing plain bands.

 

[dreamingoftacori]

I'm also from Nor Cal, SF/Bay Area. Most of the time it's about a carat for my age group (mid 20s). Also, it's really hard to say what the average size of the stone is without taking into consideration the shapes. Of the friends that I know that have recently got engaged I've noticed less round stones and more cushions and princess cuts. The round stones almost always are right about the .9-1.10 carats range whereas the princess & cushion stones always vary more from 1 to about 1.75 carats. I'm guessing this is because the price per carat of those cuts are much less than rounds.

 

[LittleRiver]

It is so hard to generalize about NYC because 8 million people live here! Most do not own 3 ct diamonds

I think I see plain bands more often than anything else. When I am in other parts of the country I notice many more wedding sets than I do here.

 

[ZKS]

I am not really sure of this but I live in Sydney, Australia and I see around 0.5-1ct generally but in my circle and in my neighborhood the range is from minimum 1.5ct to about 5ct.

Has anyone else got any insight into Australian averages?

 

[nararabbit]

A friend got engaged and despite having no home of his own, no job, and no prospects, he still bought her a 2 carat RB, D color

How did he pay for it then???

Why, with a credit card, of course!

 

[SB621]

I currently lve in NC (military town) and most people have between .25-1 ct. My 2ct really stands out. I have only seen one other ering that had above 1ct and it was a 1.5ct princess.

However, I'm orginally from Baltimore and most of my friends there have .75ct - 2ct.

 

[Black Jade]

A friend got engaged and despite having no home of his own, no job, and no prospects, he still bought her a 2 carat RB, D color

How did he pay for it then???

Why, with a credit card, of course!

Exaaactly...
Or crazy financing.
My brother did this years ago. He got his wife to be a great engagement ring. then they lived with my parents for several years because they couldn't afford a house, or even apartment rent, as well as the ring.
Later my parents moved and gave them the family house, fortunately for them. and they were able to sell it eventually and get the house they live in now.
My brother works on Wall Street, btw. It was so important for his wife to have a great ring for his colleagues to see when they went out that his priorities were all screwed up. My sister in law and mother still cant' get along, after having been together in the same house for so long.
My brother doesn't like the great engagement ring anymore--its become too small for current standards (at his job, not the whole of NY), but my sister in law has better priorities than he does and won''t let him upgrade. Which is probably wise with the state Wall Street is in now, and also they have a kid just went to college...

 

[Black Jade]

It is so hard to generalize about NYC because 8 million people live here! Most do not own 3 ct diamonds

I think I see plain bands more often than anything else. When I am in other parts of the country I notice many more wedding sets than I do here.

this is what I keep saying. It's so nice to have someone else back me up. I go to NYC every two to three months and look around for these 3 carat engagement ringsI keep hearing about on P'scope and do NOT see them. And I'm not in the slums or anything--I go to some very affluent areas in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Island.

 

[Black Jade]

I live in central Minnesota, north of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and I'd guess the average is a half carat or less. In my workplace, there's only one person with a diamond larger than mine. I've seen a few much larger, but I see many more that are 1/10th of a carat at most.

I do see a LOT of rings around this size too. 5 to 15 points. I don't think its a majority--the majority I see are between .25 and .75, with a lot falling at about 1/3 carat--but I see enough 5 to 15 pointers (many of them very pretty rings) to be continually startled that on P'scope the 'smaller diamonds' threads is called '1 carat or less'. Honestly, a .75 to .80 and up is quite a large diamond as diamonds go for most people in the US, and I mean comfortably middle class people, not the desperately poor. 2 and 3 carat diamonds seem about as common as 6 foot tall women who weigh 115 lbs--yet if all you looked in were fashion mags, you would think ALL women in the US were this size, KWIM? P'scope is to diamonds like fashion mags are to women.

 

[centralsquare]

It is so hard to generalize about NYC because 8 million people live here! Most do not own 3 ct diamonds

I think I see plain bands more often than anything else. When I am in other parts of the country I notice many more wedding sets than I do here.

this is what I keep saying. It's so nice to have someone else back me up. I go to NYC every two to three months and look around for these 3 carat engagement ringsI keep hearing about on P'scope and do NOT see them. And I'm not in the slums or anything--I go to some very affluent areas in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Island.

I also go to NYC a bit (or used to) and still have tons of friends that live there. They (and their colleagues) all have huge rings. I would definitely see a lot of smaller rings in NYC, but I think NYC has the largest diamonds I have seen and that skews the average I have in my head.

 

[Grlsbestfrnd]

I live in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia (near Virginia Beach) and it seems to me like the average is probably between .5-.75 ct. I've seen bigger but those are always on older women who have been married for quite some time and are obviously very well off. Mine is .72ct and among my friends it's actually at the bigger end.

 

[Frenchcut]

In France where I live most women don't have an engagement ring, or a cheap one they will stop wearing once they are married. For those who have a diamond ring the average is 0.3 carat-0.5 carat, so my 0.9 carat looks pretty big to everyone I know! Some also wear a band whith three tiny 0.1 carat diamonds, it was quite trendy a few years ago. I know a few women who have a diamond in the 1 carat range but have never seen anything bigger than that even though I live in Paris...

 

[annee]

It is so hard to generalize about NYC because 8 million people live here! Most do not own 3 ct diamonds

I think I see plain bands more often than anything else. When I am in other parts of the country I notice many more wedding sets than I do here.

this is what I keep saying. It's so nice to have someone else back me up. I go to NYC every two to three months and look around for these 3 carat engagement ringsI keep hearing about on P'scope and do NOT see them. And I'm not in the slums or anything--I go to some very affluent areas in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Island.

I also go to NYC a bit (or used to) and still have tons of friends that live there. They (and their colleagues) all have huge rings. I would definitely see a lot of smaller rings in NYC, but I think NYC has the largest diamonds I have seen and that skews the average I have in my head.

I think it really depends on where you are in NYC. Affluent areas such as UES, UWS, Soho, etc. in the city will skew the average. But more often than not when you travel outside of the city into Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx you will see smaller rings. I live in Brooklyn (not Williamsburg/Park Slope where you will see some nice rocks) and the largest I think I've seen around my area can't be larger than 1 ct. Actually I see more plain wedding bands than engagement rings.

 

[NOYFB]

I'm in Chicago and I've seen everything from .25 ct. to 3+, but I'd say the average is about 1.25.

 

[Archerp]

It is so hard to generalize about NYC because 8 million people live here! Most do not own 3 ct diamonds

I think I see plain bands more often than anything else. When I am in other parts of the country I notice many more wedding sets than I do here.

this is what I keep saying. It's so nice to have someone else back me up. I go to NYC every two to three months and look around for these 3 carat engagement ringsI keep hearing about on P'scope and do NOT see them. And I'm not in the slums or anything--I go to some very affluent areas in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Island.

I also go to NYC a bit (or used to) and still have tons of friends that live there. They (and their colleagues) all have huge rings. I would definitely see a lot of smaller rings in NYC, but I think NYC has the largest diamonds I have seen and that skews the average I have in my head.

I think it really depends on where you are in NYC. Affluent areas such as UES, UWS, Soho, etc. in the city will skew the average. But more often than not when you travel outside of the city into Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx you will see smaller rings. I live in Brooklyn (not Williamsburg/Park Slope where you will see some nice rocks) and the largest I think I've seen around my area can't be larger than 1 ct. Actually I see more plain wedding bands than engagement rings.

Yes, and I also think it depends on the setting you see people in. I notice that many women on the subway and buses don't wear diamond engagement rings, but I don't know if that is because they don't have them or if it is because they don't wear them on public transportation. And those who do, I rarely see any diamond over a carat. I think people leave their bling at home! However, one Saturday, I was hanging out in TriBeCa all day and I think I counted at least three huge emerald cut rings.

For diamond rings, I've seen anywhere from .50 to 2 carats on people I know in this area. The diamonds on the "smaller" end of that scale are in ornate settings. The larger of these diamonds are part of 3-stone rings. The ones in the middle are in plain solitaire settings. I've also seen colored stone rings in different sizes.

 

[alene]

Yes, and I also think it depends on the setting you see people in. I notice that many women on the subway and buses don't wear diamond engagement rings, but I don't know if that is because they don't have them or if it is because they don't wear them on public transportation. And those who do, I rarely see any diamond over a carat. I think people leave their bling at home! However, one Saturday, I was hanging out in TriBeCa all day and I think I counted at least three huge emerald cut rings.

For diamond rings, I've seen anywhere from .50 to 2 carats on people I know in this area. The diamonds on the "smaller" end of that scale are in ornate settings. The larger of these diamonds are part of 3-stone rings. The ones in the middle are in plain solitaire settings. I've also seen colored stone rings in different sizes.

I agree, it very much depends on the setting. I hadly ever see big rocks on the subway, I think those who have them either leave them at home or take a cab instead. Wearing just a band is very common in various work settings too. But going out you definitely see pretty sizeable rocks. The biggest collection of huge diamonds I recently saw was at a kid's 4th birthday party; out of about 20 moms (most from the Upper East and Upper West sides), I was the only one with a stone under 2 carats and many were much much larger. But the average for the entire NYC is much much less than that.

 

[marcy]

I am in the west and most people I see have 1/2 carat center stones.

 

[mrsjacob]

I've noticed that in my town (in South Carolina), the diamond sizes are all over the board. There's a blend of old-money, new money, low-income, and general religious-modesty. On a daily basis, I see women fall anywhere in the range of 0.15 all the way to 2.5+.

 

[mrsjacob]

"I notice that many women on the subway and buses don't wear diamond engagement rings, but I don't know if that is because they don't have them or if it is because they don't wear them on public transportation."

Ditto.

Heck, when I go to NYC, my husband won't let me wear my diamonds out in public, even if we are driving ourselves or taking a cab.

 

[missy]

"I notice that many women on the subway and buses don't wear diamond engagement rings, but I don't know if that is because they don't have them or if it is because they don't wear them on public transportation."

Ditto.

Heck, when I go to NYC, my husband won't let me wear my diamonds out in public, even if we are driving ourselves or taking a cab.

I just turn my ER around when I am on the subway. I want to be able to enjoy my jewelry and though I am aware there is a risk I don't think it is a huge one if you are taking public transportation during the day. Especially with the extra police presence around due to the increased terror risk these days. In any case that is what insurance is for- to allow me to wear and enjoy my ER. I cannot afford to insure my other pieces though so you won't catch me wearing my (irreplaceable) black opal ring on the subway (but I certainly do wear it if we are driving or in a cab as we live in NYC and if I don't wear it here where would I wear it?) but other pieces I can afford to wear I do. Otherwise I would rarely wear my jewelry!

And btw, I notice amazing rings on the subway quite often. But then again I am always looking for eyecandy !

 

[ecf8503]

In the circles I run in I'd guess about 1.5 cts, although if I go to the "fancy" mall I'll see much bigger!

 

[yssie]

Back in Palo Alto my ring was same ol' same ol'. There were some *stunners* out there, on people just casually walking around the mall Here in Albany it's definitely one of the bigger and flashier (and dare I say sparklier) pieces I've seen as of now - I'd say what I usually see is about a carat, RB/princess, usually in a pretty fancy design - lots of halos, sidestones, etc.

 

[tuffyluvr]

I'm from the 'beach cities' area of Los Angeles and the bling range is huge. I see everything from quite modest to massive. In Manhattan Beach most of the young Range Rover-driving trophy-wife mommies sport rings in the 2-3ct range--I often see even
larger stones, though! Walking around Whole Foods or the farmers market can make for some serious bling watching!!!

Most of the women in my circle have rings on the larger side--in the 1.5-3 ct range. We all have a bachelors degree or more, as far as education goes, and pretty much all were married older--in late 20s-early 30s. The one girl I know who got married young-ish (24-25) has the smallest ring--.5-.75 range.

Most older women (50-60 and older) seem to be much less flashy. Rings are smaller or not worn daily. When I was in high school I noticed that my middle eastern and Indian friend's moms wore a lot more jewels. Not sure if thats cultural or because I went to school with some Persians and Indians whose parents were incredibly wealthy.