How big is big?

[AprilBaby]

What the Average Person Considers a Big Engagement Ring — Who What Wear

Jewelry

apple.news

 

[Karl_K]

Depends on where you live. Around here 1ct is considered big.

 

[dk168]

IMHO, it depends on location, social circle, and lifestyle choices.

In UK, half a carat is about the average size for an Ering.

My own was a 0.7cttw 3-stone with 0.5ct approx. centre stone.

After I bought my EC which is a 1.19ct stone as my 40th birthday present to myself and wore it as a RHR, I seldom wore it as it was too big and blingy for work and normal every day occasions and chores even in its simple original solitaire bezel setting.

So I bought a smaller EC about 0.47ct bezel set East-West in a wide band for regular wear, and bring out the large EC for dressier occasions.

The large EC has been reset in a fancier air gap diamond halo a few years ago for my 50th, and it is definitely too blingy for every day wear. However I would wear it more often for work now that I am no longer working in controlled environment where I need to wear gloves.

DK

 

[AV_]

A single stone matching the width of the finger it sits over, is big; there are full mm of leeway here & I know what that means in terms of weight & price [but the look is not so different.] Other styles that reach the same finger scale with a few stones, live up to them, I feel - flower-like clusters and band designs stand on their own & having one main stone is beyond the point for them.

ramble

 

[dk168]

Ooo, I forgot to mention size appropriate in my last post, and @AV_ has just reminded me, DOH!

I too believe in size appropriation, in that a tight fitting tiny/thin ring would not look good on chubby fingers as I dislike the look of a tied up roasting joint of meat, if one knows what I mean.

Likewise, a massive stone wider than the width of a finger would not look good to me, unless the wearer can carry it off, like Liz Taylor and her Krupp diamond.

The setting also plays an important part, in that I dislike tall and fussy settings with prongs/claws. For example, I dislike double halos, split shanks and deep baskets with intricate details for the stones to sit high above the fingers.

Sometimes, big does not necessarily mean beautiful or desirable to me personally.

DK

 

[Rhea]

ba hahaha! 2 carats and 3 carats. The article and their experts certainly are pushing an agenda.

I think most of my friend aspire to 1 carat, but don't realise how much that costs until they start shopping. It stays a dream with them wanting upgrades, but children, buying homes, and life gets in the way. After I got engaged and DSS set in I really pushed going larger and dropping in colour and clarity to my friends. All thought small and perfect was best so did exactly that. Within a year of marriage they wished they'd gone bigger and less perfect since they can see size, but not the difference between colours or clarities at their size.

Celebrity culture certainly makes large look normal, but it's just not either affordable or practical.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Its interesting. I wonder if size also relates to type of jewelry. A 2 ct ring probably strikes people as large given that they have a lot of visual data to compare to. But a 2ct in maybe a quirky pendant or bracelet may not read as “large” since the body part it’s against us bigger and also people aren’t as used to seeing diamonds in those settings so probably can’t realize as easily how big a diamond is.

When I wear a 2ct round as a ring I get lots of comments. But I have a 3ct round on a bracelet and honestly I don’t think many people have noticed. I think it’ll be even less “big” when I set it into the pendant which makes it seem smaller especially since I’ll wear it on a really long chain.

 

[AV_]

@dk168 There are very few diamonds around & those are not not small; I have no idea what anyone makes of them. Would not mind carying around a yellow diamond & from a few rings I have tried out, many weights and quite a range of color feels right, the range of value is embarassing - stuff orders of magnitude apart feels just as right. Fun.

 

[autumngems]

Where I live (military) you see mostly .50-.75, I myself have had a 2ct and 3ct and I was comfortable with those.

 

[dk168]

I also believe the shape of the diamond is also a deciding factor, in that a slender EC can never be too large, whereas a chubby one can.

Although I do not like MRBs, I would not say no to my mum's 1.9ct approx. stone when she finally decided to let me have it a few years ago. However, I would not wear it as a ring as I prefer ECs in rings and already have my 1.19ct E VS1 that I love, so it is being set in a bangle instead.

In one of the threads started by @missy about what one would buy with 100k USD, I would gladly spend that kind of money on a nice EC, and found it would only stretch to a stone of about 4ct!!!

DK

 

[DAF]

I agree with many here who say it is dependent on the size of the finger. I have short carrots for fingers, with my left ring finger size being 8.5, and my 3.39 OEC does not look large at all on my finger.

 

[Inked]

If you ask my husband, it's 1/2 a carat. For me, it's 3 + carat. In my area I feel like 2 carats is the average.

 

[Ally T]

Mine is a 1.02ct pear cut on a size 5.25 finger (K1/2). It looks quite large & in my family circle it is definitely the 'biggest', but not in my social circle.

Where I am in Cheshire, anything goes really. I have friends who don't even have an engagement ring (including my SIL, who has a wide, full, princess cut eternity as her engagement, wedding & eternity all in one) but then I also have friends with 3 carat stones. Even a couple of teachers at my school have honkers. This is an affluent area, so if you have a small ring then cool, but if you have a big ring, then also cool.

 

[Cristallo]

Where I currently live 2 carat is considered average. Most popular shape is definitely RB diamonds. I also see quite a few well cut 7-10 carat emerald diamonds. Big to me is around 4 carats depending on finger size and diamond shape.

 

[MeowMeow]

For me 2 carats and above is very very large. .75 to 1.5 is medium and a very good size still. Half carat is normal. I rarely see much above a 1 carat here. Mostly plenty of half carats.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Where I live, the average sizes are similar to what @Cristallo said but also depend on age. 1 carat is average for people who get married in their 20's to early 30's, 1.5 - 2.5 carat for people getting married in their mid 30's - 40's. Over 3 ct for folks either getting married after 50 or who are upgrading for a significant anniversary. And there are many ladies in their 60's who have huge rings.

My MIL who lives in CA, had a gorgeous, giant, EC that she lost when it fell off her hand at a restaurant (and she didn't realize until she got home.) I cried right along with her when she lost it. I agree with @dk168 in that EC diamonds can look amazing in very large sizes.

For my husband's and my significant anniversary last year, I personally did not choose to maximize size, instead I maximized color and am super happy about it. The size is plenty big for me and I use my hands in my job.

I would like larger studs however...DSS has set in on those!

 

[Dancing Fire]

The avg. PSer's Ering (center stone) is 1.27 ct.

avg in the U.S....1ct
avg NYC....2.75ct
avg No.Ca & So.Ca.......2.5ct
avg in Texas and Fla ....2.60ct
avg in the midwest.... .65ct

 

[LemonMoonLex]

I feel like anything that has a spread more than 7mm "looks big" on my finger (:
My dream diamond is anything with a 7.35mm-8.55mm spread.
I have a size 5-6 US size ring finger btw. It fluctuates as Im always either super skinny or 15lbs heavier than that.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

The avg. PSer's Ering (center stone) is 1.27 ct.

avg in the U.S....1ct
avg NYC....2.75ct
avg No.Ca & So.Ca.......2.5ct
avg in Texas and Fla ....2.60ct
avg in the midwest.... .65ct

That seems like it matches what I've seen.

 

[missy]

Here is the breakdown of what people spend on a diamond by state.

What Americans spend on an engagement ring in each state, ranked from lowest to highest

The average American spends $7,750 on engagement rings — but people in some states fork over even more than that.

www.businessinsider.com

Diamond-Ownership Study Reveals NY Ranks #1 in Quality While Maryland Earns #1 Spot for Size

A fascinating new diamond-ownership study reveals that New York ranks #1 in quality, while nearby Maryland rates #1 in size. The survey by WP Diamonds, which specializes in the buy-back of diamonds…

thejewelerblog.wordpress.com

A sampling of average diamond size throughout the world.

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

IMHO, it depends on location, social circle, and lifestyle choices.

+1 and it also depends on the cut and finger size.

@Dancing Fire's estimates align with what I've observed as well.

Is this just me, or do rings look bigger on other people? For example, if I let my friends or family try on my ER, it looks way bigger on them than on me...

 

[missy]

The avg. PSer's Ering (center stone) is 1.27 ct.

avg in the U.S....1ct
avg NYC....2.75ct
avg No.Ca & So.Ca.......2.5ct
avg in Texas and Fla ....2.60ct
avg in the midwest.... .65ct

Not according to this chart.

America's Diamond And Jewelry Ranking 2015 | myGemma

State by state diamond ranking and jewelry ranking. Our jewelry and diamond report highlights who owns the biggest and best quality diamonds and jewelry.

www.wpdiamonds.com

WHICH STATES HAVE THE BIGGEST DIAMONDS?

Ranking	State	Average Carat Size
1	MD	1.75
2	MI	1.69
3	IL	1.59
4	AK	1.49
5	NY	1.47
6	TX	1.47
7	FL	1.47
8	VA	1.44
9	AR	1.41
10	CA	1.40
11	NJ	1.39
12	NV	1.38
13	OK	1.37
14	MA	1.36
15	CT	1.36
16	GA	1.36
17	SD	1.35
18	WA	1.35
19	PA	1.35
20	IN	1.35
21	AZ	1.33
22	LA	1.33
23	MS	1.31
24	NC	1.31
25	CO	1.31
26	WV	1.30
27	UT	1.29
28	MT	1.28
29	MO	1.28
30	OR	1.26
31	TN	1.26
32	SC	1.26
33	MN	1.26
34	OH	1.25
35	HI	1.24
36	RI	1.24
37	WI	1,24
38	AL	1.23
39	KY	1.23
40	NH	1.23
41	KS	1.22
42	NE	1.22
43	ID	1.21
44	ME	1.19
45	IA	1.19
46	WY	1.18
47	ND	1.18
48	DE	1.18
49	NM	1.18
50	VT	1.03

 

[mrs-b]

That seems like it matches what I've seen.

@RunningwithScissors -

Please be aware before you put any store by these stats - DF is the joke-stats guy. These stats are based on nothing. Don't fall for it.

Just a PSA.

 

[mrs-b]

And just to add - I read an article 2 days ago. One of the people it interviewed was the owner of James Allen. He said the average sized diamond sold for engagement rings on JA was .9ct, with a TCW of 1.5ctw.

Something a lot of these sites don't take into consideration is up-grades. Or the huge number of people eschewing diamonds altogether these days.

I think you'd find the average people doesn't spend nearly as much as a lot of these sites imply.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

since ive been hanging out with you guys what i consider a big diamond has changed alot !

 

[stracci2000]

These articles are a joke. Where are they getting this information?
The one article from Ritani says that people are averaging $5996 for an engagement ring in my state. I don't think so!
Of course, they're trying to influence sales.
A girl in my state would be lucky to go to the mall and spend $1000-$2000 on a .50 with inclusions that can be seen across the room.

 

[Dancing Fire]

+1 and it also depends on the cut and finger size.

@Dancing Fire's estimates align with what I've observed as well.

Would I lie to you guys?...

 

[Dancing Fire]

Not according to this chart.

America's Diamond And Jewelry Ranking 2015 | myGemma

State by state diamond ranking and jewelry ranking. Our jewelry and diamond report highlights who owns the biggest and best quality diamonds and jewelry.

www.wpdiamonds.com

Well that chart is wrong! . You guys don't trust me?..

 

[arkieb1]

We belong to a diamond and jewellery forum, everyone here mostly loves jewellery, diamonds and or coloured stones.

Out in the "real" world of average every day people mostly around a carat is probably seen as a "big" diamond, in areas where people are fairly wealth a 2 to 2.50 carat diamond is probably a "big" diamond.

If you are a celebrity the sky is the limit. Liz Taylor, Kardashians and so on.....

Here in PS land as @kenny likes to say people vary. What is "big" for one person and for that matter what is "small" for one person may not be for another.... even here the perception of size seems to vary according to things like where each person lives, income levels, finger size, age and so on.

 

[AprilBaby]

Illinois ranks #3? I doubt it. It’s mostly rural and outside the suburbs I rarely see .50. Even in the suburbs it’s rare to see over 1 ct.