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Engagement Rings - Size Matters?

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BristowVA

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Messages
19
Ok, so I've been shopping for an engagement ring. I'm pretty well to do (I make about $225k per year), but am having trouble deciding how much to spend. I know my girl and she is the type that wants to be the girl with the biggest rock of ALL her friends. I on the other hand, am willing but would prefer not to spend an unrealistic amount of money.

So, I'm having trouble deciding between a 2 1/2 ct cushion and a 3 ct cushion. The setting is already picked out; a tiffany legacy style halo (with diamonds all along the band, etc.). I think the 2 1/2 would look pretty decent in the halo. But recently heard her make a comment to a friend about a third-party's ring to the effect of "it's a nice ring, but the diamond doesn't fill up her whole finger like I want".

The 2 1/2 ct stone is coming in around $20k+ and the 3 ct closer to 30k. This may sound awful, but I've seen a few 2 1/2 carats and they look good, but my immediate reaction was not "wow, that is huge". But again, I don't really know anything about diamonds or engagement rings/sizes.

As an FYI, her fingers are small; size 5. So, am I crazy and is 2 1/2 carats a huge stone (especially in a halo) and a lot of money (with the setting it would be close to $30k)? Or, would the 3 ct be noticably much larger in a halo?

I'm just trying to figure out what is or is not reasonable to spend for an amazing ring and I'm completely lost.
 
I really don't think the half millimeter difference between 2.5 cts and 3 cts is really going to be a big deal when we're talking around 15 millimeters width for the whole thing.
 
Any women would be happy with a 2.5 or 3 carat ring.

But to answer you're question. When talking just about the carat.... Yes, bigger is better.
 
wouldn't a halo'ed 2.5 ct completely cover a size 5 finger?
 
I think a 2.5 ct. stone is pretty darn big, and once it has a halo, pretty GOSH darn big! :D

To speak about it fairly objectively, I had a 2.90 and went down to a 2.50. There was less than half a millimeter size difference, which both my husband and I could see, but it was not significant (to us). These are round brilliants; not sure how that carat size difference would affect a cushion (and there are different shapes of cushions, too).

I'd spend the amount of money you're comfortable spending, though I think it's nice you want your girlfriend to be happy with her ring. I truly can't imagine any typical girl not being thrilled with a 2.5 ct. ring, with or without a halo.
 
Bristow, I'm confused. I went back to look at your last posts in October 2009 and you were shopping for a 25th anniversary upgrade for your wife and looking for stones around the same size. Did you ever buy anything last year, or is this a different search?

And, in answer to your question, I have size 4.75 fingers and a 2.5 ct. cushion + minimal halo covers my entire finger. You have to decide if it's the fact that a stone may be 3 ct. and your SO can SAY she has a 3 ct. cushion, or if all she will care about is how it looks.

Good luck!
 
yeah, i did the same thing. is this for your wife or some chick you've been dating less than a year?
 
Sorry, for the confusion. I am using my Dad's account to post from work. I work for his business.

He did end up buying a 2.5 ct cushion as a anniversary gift for my mom which my girlfriend loved. It is in the inspiration for the ring I'm searching for. But as I mentioned, when I see this ring,I am not blown away -it is very nice though (although my mom's hands are much larger than my girlfriends).

I haven't seen any 3 ct stones. But I guess my question would be - would the 3ct in a halo setting appear MUCH larger than the 2.5?
 
The answer is no.
 
I think 2.5 carats in a halo is huge. But that's my personal opinion, my ring is 1.1 carats. What do you think your GF would prefer?
 
I think she would obviously prefer the 3 cts. But the question is, would spending the extra 10k+ on the .5 more carats be noticable or worth it? And, would the 3 ct seem obscenely large on a size 5 finger? Or, would the 2.5 with the halo look the same?
 
BristowVA|1290551075|2777200 said:
I think she would obviously prefer the 3 cts. But the question is, would spending the extra 10k+ on the .5 more carats be noticable or worth it? And, would the 3 ct seem obscenely large on a size 5 finger? Or, would the 2.5 with the halo look the same?
Click to expand...

IMHO, essentially the same. And (to me) not worth the extra $10K. But maybe it's worth it to your girlfriend. Does she want to be able to say she has a 3 ct. stone? Some people do; there's nothing wrong with that. If that's not the case, then I honestly don't think that less than half a mm is going to be noticeable, especially in a halo'd ring.
 
From what you say ... a 3ct may not be big enough. :knockout:

To compare a specific diamond, look at the width x height dimensions and compare it to the diameter of her finger in mms. For her size 5 finger, it would be 15.70mm in diameter.

Suppose you found a 3 ct cushion appx 8.5mm in the largest dimension. Adding a 1mm halo to this would get you to 10.5mm, which is "only" 67% coverage.

Suppose you found a 2.5 ct cushion appx 8m in the largest dimension. Adding a 1 mm halo gets you to 10mm, which is 64% coverage. That's 3% less coverage for a 0.5mm difference. That's big enough to notice, but as a % of her finger, you'd have to have them side-by-side for comparison. I'm a cheapskate, so I'd get the 2.5ct.

... Now, if you went to 4cts, It would probably be 9.5mm + 1 mm all around for a halo = 11.5mm or 73% coverage, which is a substantial increase in size and finger coverage (and about $50k more in cost)... Oh, and don't get the 4ct. I'm just putting this out there for comparison.
 
The only thing I'll say is this...if you get the 2.5 haloed now, is she going to want to upgrade in 5 years? In which case, you're out the $$ you've spent on the setting for the 2.5 ct. stone...if you think she'll be happy with a 3ct forever, I'd say it's worth it in the long run. To play devil's advocate, I have a 3.51 ct. cushion brilliant and when I was looking for a new setting, I was shown a haloed 2ct and a haloed 3 ct in the EXACT same setting and I felt like the 3ct was way too much for my hand (I wear a 5 1/8)...now, that's just me, but maybe buying the stone first and putting it in the simplest setting possible and then letting her look at settings with you makes the most sense? She may end up feeling that she doesn't want a halo for a 3 ct stone...it's so hard to know EXACTLY what another person will want, even if you know them super well. Hubby and I have been married for almost 10 years and I sometimes I still can't explain in words why I like "this pair of earrings better than that one"....

Can't wait to see what you select...
 
The visual difference between a 2.5 ct and a 3 ct is not that noticeable. About .3mm for a square cushion. So I think it will come down to whether or not your gf wants to say her ering is 3ct, like previous poster stated. FWIW, my ring size is 4.5, and the spread of the finger is about 15mm, to help with finger coverage concept.
 
Well, from what you stated... seems like your lady is a size matters kinda girl. :naughty:

It's totally up to you whether or not you spend the mone for 3ct versus 2,5ct..... but my thought is that if you were to ask HER opinion... it would be 3ct.
 
Yep, if I were to ask her; she would want the hope diamond - but only if it was from Tiffany. I'm trying to find a reasonable compromise.
I've tried searching the forums but can't come up with any suitable pics to see what a 2.5 haloed cushion would look like - in terms of coverage - on a finger about a size 5. My mom's 2.5 ct is 7.80 mm l x 7.87 mm w. If we're talking a 15mm diameter for a size 5 - then the 2.5 ct would seem small in terms of coverage (less than 70%) - even with a halo? Can that be right?
 
I don't think you can really calculate the coverage since the finger is round, so taper down on the sides, and the stone will not be fleshed against the finger. So the actually coverage of the stone + halo will look to be more than 70%. You will have a hard time finding a 2.5 ct halo ring on a size 5 finger since cushion is not as popular. Search for 1.75 ct RB (~7.8mm dia) halo and 2 ct RB (~8.2mm dia) halo to see approximate finger coverage.
 
I am quite new here but let me make a comment.

Your parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last year, so I am assuming you and your gf are both under 25? Or is that completely wrong or indiscreet?

Because I think that in that case, with all the time you have together until your diamond marriage jubilee you should leave some space for upgrades. :saint:
 
It sounds like there isn't really much of a difference in size between the 2.5 and 3 carat cushion.

So what it comes down to is, do you want to exceed her expectations and blow her away? I'll tell you my story. When DH and I were looking at e-rings, I told him I was fine with a 1.15 ish round brilliant, G-H color, VS2, SI1. He decided to get me a 1.31 F VS1 round, because he wanted to exceed my expectations. Minimal size difference. I wasn't expecting it, and I was touched that going beyond what I expected was that important to him.

If you think she'll be absolutely happy with a 2.5, but floating on clouds with a 3, and you're willing to do it, might be worth it to exceed her expectations. I'm not saying that size is everything, but it's your motivations behind why you want to go bigger.
 
Wow, does the 2.54 look small to anyone else? Or, in my inexperience with diamonds, are my expectations way off bounds?
 
BristowVA|1290558343|2777343 said:
Wow, does the 2.54 look small to anyone else? Or, in my inexperience with diamonds, are my expectations way off bounds?
Click to expand...


Yes it does --- I am hoping my 1.37 round looks about that big on a 4.75 finger!!
 
I guess I'd say that "small" is in the eye of the beholder. If, in your circle of friends and family, everyone has a 2.5+ carat stone, I guess a 2.2 carat cushion may appear small, but if most of your "circle" has a 1.5 ct. stone, then a 2.5 ct. will appear large. If size and finger coverage are the most important factors, maybe a round brilliant is the best way to go, as they are supposed to have the largest "face value" among the various shaped stones.
 
BristowVA|1290558343|2777343 said:
Wow, does the 2.54 look small to anyone else? Or, in my inexperience with diamonds, are my expectations way off bounds?
Click to expand...

To me, that 2.54 looks HUGE. I think it is a matter of what you are used to seeing every day though. Most engagement rings do not look like large cocktail rings. Remember that the halo will add a LOT of size

OP maybe check out the <1 carat diamonds thread to get a sense of what the average woman wears? That may give some perspective.
 
BristowVA|1290558343|2777343 said:
Wow, does the 2.54 look small to anyone else? Or, in my inexperience with diamonds, are my expectations way off bounds?
Click to expand...


Keep in mind, cushions are cut deeper. Is she set on a cushion? If you are going for full finger coverage, look at pears, emeralds, rounds.
 
Cabochon|1290555109|2777274 said:
I am quite new here but let me make a comment.

Your parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last year, so I am assuming you and your gf are both under 25? Or is that completely wrong or indiscreet?

Because I think that in that case, with all the time you have together until your diamond marriage jubilee you should leave some space for upgrades. :saint:
Click to expand...

I am 25 and if my parents were still married they would be celebrating their 37th anniversary...I don't think you can necessarily go by that for age ;)
 
BristowVA|1290558343|2777343 said:
Wow, does the 2.54 look small to anyone else? Or, in my inexperience with diamonds, are my expectations way off bounds?
Click to expand...

It doesn't look at all small to me! It looks big to me - not ostentatious (since it's the exact size of my stone, ;) ) - but definitely big. But I prefer solitaires so I'm used to how they look, and I like that look.
 
Feb03Bride|1290560460|2777397 said:
BristowVA|1290558343|2777343 said:
Wow, does the 2.54 look small to anyone else? Or, in my inexperience with diamonds, are my expectations way off bounds?
Click to expand...


Keep in mind, cushions are cut deeper. Is she set on a cushion? If you are going for full finger coverage, look at pears, emeralds, rounds.
Click to expand...

Ditto this. If size/spread is your goal, look at different shapes.
 
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