Largest ct size for daily wear?

[PierreBear]

Hi PS Friends,

Just curious and making conversation. What is the largest solitaire (to make it more comparable, so no halos, three stone etc) ct size yo would feel comfortable wearing on a daily basis? I know this is partially personal taste question but it also involves your social circle, where you live, whether your work requires you to be hands on etc... But was just wondering what is the biggest you would get if you weren't worried about budgets?

Also a spin - Does it change overtime as you get older?

Have a great day!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Hi PS Friends,

Just curious and making conversation. What is the largest solitaire (to make it more comparable, so no halos, three stone etc) ct size yo would feel comfortable wearing on a daily basis? I know this is partially personal taste question but it also involves your social circle, where you live, whether your work requires you to be hands on etc... But was just wondering what is the biggest you would get if you weren't worried about budgets?

Also a spin - Does it change overtime as you get older?

Have a great day!

I can handle a 2.75ct RB w/o any problem...

 

[momhappy]

I would feel comfortable with at least a two carat (and quite a bit more than that if it was a princess cut, which looks smaller)

 

[PintoBean]

Size 9, have a 4 carat EC set east-west. Could go bigger for sure. I could wear a 5 or 6 carat EC no problem. No one bugs me, anyways... I don't think I give off a "fancy" vibe - they probably think I'm rocking paste...

 

[kenny]

What I wear is about as big as I feel comfortable wearing, a 1.5 ct asscher, which probably has the size-appearance of a 1.2 ct round.

 

[LLJsmom]

I was just thinking about this exact thing. I transitioned to a 3 carat which I wear daily. I thought about it for the first couple of weeks and now forget I have it on. I guess you could say I'm comfortable with it.

I could go up to just under 4. Then I think any discomfort would be in my head. I can hardly believe I don't think twice about the size of rock I am wearing. I wonder if people even notice.

 

[monarch64]

I could go up to 10 carats and have no trouble flaunting a huge diamond, but I am not a petite person and love bold, clunky, chunky jewelry. Unfortunately my husband (and his bank account) had other ideas of what was appropriate, and he once told me he thought anything over 1.5 carats in our region looked "ostentatious." I think it really depends on where you live, your particular comfort level as far as how much attention you like to attract, and what you do in your every day life. I garden a lot, so a 10 carat stone probably wouldn't fit into my glove very easily. I could modify the glove, though. I'd just cut that finger off of the glove.

Here is a blurry picture of my 1.3 oval. I took this pic because I wanted to give a frame of reference to how large this snowball/hydrangea bloom was! My ring is pretty much par around here. And it fits easily into my gardening glove.

 

[lyra]

I would halo a 3 ct and call it a day. I have a 1.77ct RB which I never wear, and a .76 ct RB in a semi-bezel that I wear daily . Part of the reason is because i chose a delicate setting for the larger stone, and it was an expensive mistake in hindsight. With a more durable setting and halo, I'd wear the larger one daily. Priorities don't allow me the budget to change it anytime soon. I will never see a 3ct in my lifetime, I'm already 54. Yes, I am comfortable going larger with age.

 

[jaysonsmom]

I wear a 1.8 ct RB solitaire, and feel that this is perfect for daily wear. I never feel self conscious about its size, because it is the norm in my social circle to have between a 1-2 carat. I also have it set fairly low, so I never knock it into anything. I'm not the type of person who likes to stand out, so my largest carat wt, would probably be no more than 2.5

 

[FightGravity]

My ideal size round is 2.5ct - But i could maybe go up to 9mm in a round or cushion before starting to feel uncomfortable. My social circle has rings that size, but it starts to feel a little weird to me around there.

I'd in theory go up to 4ct in an emerald cut - they feel much more understated to me.

Never going to happen though!

 

[Gypsy]

With my halo my ring is 8mm at the head. I could easily go to 10mm as long as it was set low, as my ring currently is.

BUT two things play a large role:

First is finger size. I have a 6.5 finger. So there's plenty of real estate there.
Second is the setting. If the stone is set high it's a deal breaker. The head has to be low. And the construction, IMO, has to be the best you can afford, especially if you are talking something other than a solitaire.

 

[tyty333]

Where I live, I think a 1.5 would be max. My 9x6 pear is bigger then what most ladies where.

 

[cflutist]

My ering size is 4.25 so I think my 3.01ct pear is plenty. I like that it is 13x8 mm, longer than wide.
My 2.21ct CBI RHR is 8.38mm so that is about right for a size 4.5 ring.
I wear both rings every day. Well, maybe I could rock a 4ct pear or 3ct CBI (no halos for me).

I live in the San Francsico Bay area and see lots of large rings.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

As I get older, the size of my diamond ideal shrinks. I work in human services so I am not sure I would feel comfortable with anything larger than a carat.

 

[NOYFB]

My ring size is 4.25 and I would feel completely comfortable wearing a 2-2.5ct. every day.

 

[marcy]

As others have said it's a personal preference. I wear a 1.5 carat solitaire and it's plenty big for me.

 

[tweeter8177]

For me, I am comfortable wearing a 3.25 ct. on a daily basis size 5 1/2 finger. It is certainly bigger than my social circle and even my area of the country but it makes me happy! With that said, I honestly don't think I could go bigger. Although I don't want my DH to see that in writing!

 

[luv2sparkle]

My ring is a 2.5 and I don't wear it every day anymore. I am comfortable with the size but the setting is three sided pave. I could probably be comfortable with the size of a 3.5 but not the price.

 

[msop04]

My finger is now a 4.5 (from a 5.25), and my new stone is 3.33 ct, 9.8 mm in a solitaire.

...I'd totally rock a 10.5-11 mm. [emoji7][emoji57]

 

[Phoenix]

I currently wear my 5.318ct solitaire on a daily basis. My social circle varies, ranging from nothing to 20ct D IF.

If I had all the money in the world, I'd easily rock several 10-15ct rocks of higher specs (like D IF or Type IIa). We are talking an unlimited budget, no?!

And yes, diamonds shrink as one gets older, lol. My engagement ring was a 1ct; and at the time, I thought it was huge!

I used to work in a Big 4 and my 3ct then was a little uncomfortable, at times. Now, I'm self-employed and can wear whatever I like!

Oh, I am a size 4 on my LH.

 

[missy]

I could happily wear the right 12-14 mm OEC diamond daily. Not a problem at all. And I could go larger if it is an emerald cut diamond.
But I do have large hands and long fingers so I think the proportions would be pleasing. At least that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Here is my OEC perspective shot. Bea is 10.36 by 10.52.
See? I could definitely go larger.

 

[kgizo]

Lyra - Never say never. My mom's ering has four 0.25 diamonds set in kind of a cluster. There is metal between the diamonds so it doesn't give the illusion of a bigger stone. They were the largest diamonds she had until this year. For her 70th birthday she decided she wanted a "big" diamond for a RHR and asked me to help her shop. I sent her a few 1 carat diamonds. She said "not big enough". Since she's never had a big diamond and is a petite 5' with size 5.5 fingers I was concerned she thought she wanted something big but wouldn't like it when she saw it on her fingers as the biggest she'd ever tried on was 0.5ct. I told her we needed to try on different sizes to see what she liked. She ended up picking a 3.3 carat round ideal cut diamond! I couldn't believe it and was worried she might call me a few weeks later and say it was too big and she made a mistake. Boy was I wrong! She wears that ring every day and loves it!! It changed my perspective and I think I could go as big as 3.8ct since my fingers are bigger than hers.

 

[Ellen]

I wear an ideal cut round, 1.4, and I sometimes feel it's a bit big for me, and my area/circle of friends. But most days it doesn't bother me. But I would not want to go any bigger.

My diamond studs however, at .60 each, are bigger than I'd like. Wish I would have gone/stayed smaller.



I know, who says that??!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Diamond rings aren't that common around here, so there isn't a lot of comparison.

For me, it would depend on the shape. I would go smaller in a round (probably 1.5ct at the most) but I would love a larger oval with elongated proportions on a very dainty pave band (ok, not practical at all but I love the look) or a larger asscher stone.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

My diamond studs however, at .60 each, are bigger than I'd like. Wish I would have gone/stayed smaller.

I know, who says that??!

Oh, I understand. My 1ctw pair is just right and I don't want any bigger (unless an asscher, but I would like the same face up size, even if the weight is more because of depth).

 

[PierreBear]

Very interesting to hear the responses and thanks for sharing! I guess it's only fair that I comment as well. We got engaged prior to discovering PS, which in a way I think is a blessing but also a curse. haha! I wear a 1.5 ct round brilliant but from what I've learned now, it's cut on the deeper side so it faces up more with the measurements of a 1.3 ct. I still enjoy my ring but there is something about the proportions that I think would look a bit nicer (I'm being picky) if the stone was a bit bigger or the band was a bit thinner (it is 2.2 mm but I understand that's a safe thickness so I'm fine with it).

In dreaming about an upgrade many, many years from now and only looking at pictures and not daring to try it out on my finger yet, I think I would be bold enough to wear a 3 ct emerald or a 3 ct antique cushion cut. Perhaps too large for a 3.5 to 3.75 finger size? As someone else mentioned, it would provide finger coverage but is a bit more understated in terms of the brilliance. It would be larger than the friends in my social circle. Also, I don't think any of my friends would ever entertain the idea of upgrading a ring so I don't think I would be very understood. We will see what the future brings as long as I get husband's blessings.

 

[Trekkie]

I currently wear my 5.318ct solitaire on a daily basis. My social circle varies, ranging from nothing to 20ct D IF.

If I had all the money in the world, I'd easily rock several 10-15ct rocks of higher specs (like D IF or Type IIa). We are talking an unlimited budget, no?!

And yes, diamonds shrink as one gets older, lol. My engagement ring was a 1ct; and at the time, I thought it was huge!

I used to work in a Big 4 and my 3ct then was a little uncomfortable, at times. Now, I'm self-employed and can wear whatever I like!

Oh, I am a size 4 on my LH.

WE NEED PICS OF THIS 20CT D IF!!!!!

PI, hidden camera, stealth mode, something!!!

MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

Lyra - Never say never. My mom's ering has four 0.25 diamonds set in kind of a cluster. There is metal between the diamonds so it doesn't give the illusion of a bigger stone. They were the largest diamonds she had until this year. For her 70th birthday she decided she wanted a "big" diamond for a RHR and asked me to help her shop. I sent her a few 1 carat diamonds. She said "not big enough". Since she's never had a big diamond and is a petite 5' with size 5.5 fingers I was concerned she thought she wanted something big but wouldn't like it when she saw it on her fingers as the biggest she'd ever tried on was 0.5ct. I told her we needed to try on different sizes to see what she liked. She ended up picking a 3.3 carat round ideal cut diamond! I couldn't believe it and was worried she might call me a few weeks later and say it was too big and she made a mistake. Boy was I wrong! She wears that ring every day and loves it!! It changed my perspective and I think I could go as big as 3.8ct since my fingers are bigger than hers.

Your mom sounds AMAZING!!!

 

[Trekkie]

I wear a 7 or 8 pointer diamond 7 stone band on either side of my .51 MRB and in my daily life that is considered blingy. (Small town, lol).

My new OMB is 1.2ct and at 6x6.6mm it is a significant jump in size but it faces up smaller than a well cut MRB of the same carat weight would. I'm ok with that... For now.

Ideal world I'd be living in Texas, and I'm told everything is bigger in Texas, so I'm with Phoenix on this one - multiple 10ct+ fancies in multiple colours. I have 10 fingers and they're fat little things so BIG! VERY BIG!!!

Living where I do now? Able to spend whatever I like? Hmmmm... 10mm. I want a 10mm stone. Now that I've gone over the magic 1ct mark, I don't really mind carat weight so much (it's rude to ask a lady how much she weighs!) but I'd really like a 10mm stone. It might end up being "only" ("only"! ha! ) a 7x10mm pear, but I will get to that 10mm mark one day!

 

[iluvshinythings]

I'd easily wear a 2 - 3 carat diamond daily. My 1.5 carat seems larger than average around here, but being here on PS has made it shrink. I think it's a good size for now though. I bought a 5ct CZ just for grins and it is too big. It's not too wide, but it feels super tall. That's my limit.

 

[AprilBaby]

No larger than 2.5 ct or I would feel ostentaious.