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W;hat do you think the quality is of 2 carat diamonds in real life

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pyramid

Ideal_Rock
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i have heard it said and read in newspaper articles that some women in the USA are now requesting a 2 carat diamond minimum from their boyfriend before they will even get engaged.

I don't know how many women this involves or if it is true, but was just wondering what do you think the quality i.e. four C;s of these diamonds are? Are the guys getting finance in order to buy top quality 2 carat diamonds, or is this just in professional circles where the guys can afford that size good quality diamond?

As I am in the UK I have not seen these women with their 2 carat stones as that size is rare over here.
 
I have wondered the same thing... one of my classmates has a large diamond e-ring that is at least 2ct, probably closer to 3... and from a few feet away, it always appears very white, but cloudy and unbrilliant (to my untrained eye, anyway). I feel as though I''m always staring at it trying to figure out why... maybe it''s just dirty? Or maybe it''s just a bad cut/clarity... it makes me wonder...

I do know of at least 1 person in my extended social circle (friend of a friend) who clarified to her boyfriend that she did not want anything under 2cts. I''m not sure what the specs ended up being on her ring, but she did get her wish, size-wise...
 
Maybe I''m in a lower social circle...but I don''t think I know anyone with a really good quality stone. I don''t think that the general public has any idea what makes a good stone. I have some friends with small stones and some with big. Some of them are ok, but none of them are well cut. Most of them are purchased from small jewelers or mall jewelers. I think they the women or their men purchased what they thought "looked good" and what they thought was a good deal.

I have one friend with a 3 carat stone. It''s nice looking and everybody swoons over it b/c it''s so big...but it''s probably a k or lower color, and poorly cut. It looks very visibly yellow and doesn''t sparkle like a ideal cut...but it''s huge and it didn''t break their budget. Most people who look at it think it''s amazing, because they don''t know what a good cut looks like. She was thrilled to receive it, who am I to judge?! To each his own, I suppose.
 
Most of the young women where I live don''t seem to get diamonds that large when they get engaged. However I do have a number of friends in their forties and fifties who have upgraded their original wedding rings to over 2 carat princess cut stones in elaborate platinum settings and I have been astonished at the poor cut quality of these diamonds!
 
Date: 6/27/2006 3:35:09 PM
Author:Pyramid
i have heard it said and read in newspaper articles that some women in the USA are now requesting a 2 carat diamond minimum from their boyfriend before they will even get engaged.

I don't know how many women this involves or if it is true, but was just wondering what do you think the quality i.e. four C;s of these diamonds are? Are the guys getting finance in order to buy top quality 2 carat diamonds, or is this just in professional circles where the guys can afford that size good quality diamond?

As I am in the UK I have not seen these women with their 2 carat stones as that size is rare over here.
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sad, pathetic and gob stopping isn't it? it might be a new york phenomenon.

Don't believe it, it's probably marketing. no one I know would be that shallow to demand that size ring from a man with an ordinary income. And if I were the man I would RUN!

i know no one in my circle has this size ring. I tend to see them on women over 40 and houston dowagers.

when i lived in london 4 years ago, 1/2 carat was considered large there.
 
Call me selfish, but I'm secretly hoping the general public doesn't ever catch on to Ideals and H&A stones:P
It might drive up the prices and who's gonna be impressed with our rocks when everyone's bling is sparkling the same?
One of my best friends said the other day, you know so and so got engaged recently, but I dunno why her ring just doesn't have the same effect as yours. She then asked if I clean and "polish" it at home any special way and maybe our other friend didn't. She was genuinely confused. Most people do think that as long as it's a diamond, it's all the same=)
 
I see 3+ carats on a daily basis in NYC and nearly all of them are of superb quality. They seem colorless and sparkle like the dickens -- I see asschers, cushion cuts & emerald cuts in that range. Very few RBs that are 3+ carats for some reason in NYC.

At that size in that cut, they look like clear drops of shimmering crystal. It's incredible how many 3+ carat stones there are on womens' fingers in Manhattan. The typical settings are solitaires in melee or 3 stone anniversary settings.

The only time I saw a cloudy diamond in that carat range was in the South. It was a 3 stone ring and it was gray and included. But it sparkled somewhat due to the excellent polish, not from the cut.

I think there are more 3+ carat stones in NYC because mostly everyone in Manhattan is in the finance world. They can afford them easily. Most are young with no kids -- so both work at investment banks or private equity firms and bring in 6-figure incomes easily. Many are never home, but it's a trade off!
 
Date: 6/27/2006 6:52:04 PM
Author: Julian
I see 3+ carats on a daily basis in NYC and nearly all of them are of superb quality. They seem colorless and sparkle like the dickens -- I see asschers, cushion cuts & emerald cuts in that range. Very few RBs that are 3+ carats for some reason in NYC.

At that size in that cut, they look like clear drops of shimmering crystal. It''s incredible how many 3+ carat stones there are on womens'' fingers in Manhattan. The typical settings are solitaires in melee or 3 stone anniversary settings.
...
I think there are more 3+ carat stones in NYC because mostly everyone in Manhattan is in the finance world. They can afford them easily. Most are young with no kids -- so both work at investment banks or private equity firms and bring in 6-figure incomes easily. Many are never home, but it''s a trade off!
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Interesting! I agree that in large sizes, cushions and other non-rounds tend to look like crystal - beautiful nonetheless. At an event last week I tried on a 76 (seventy six!) carat cushion and it looked like a beautiful, large, hunk of crystal.

And the amount of money young (and old) people can make on wall street is insane. I don''t think the general public has an idea of how much a fresh college grad can make, especially after a couple years; much less people with more experience. They can easily afford 3+ carats, that is unless they want to purchase a home in Manhattan, which would be commensurate with that income!
 
hey julian,
where in the city are you seeing over 3carats?
i''m in the city, battery park, and i gotta say that the most common size i''m seeing is around 2.
a few of our friends recently got engaged and the largest was about 1.50.
have to agree that rounds aren''t as popular here and i''m seeing a ton more cushions, but rarely do i see
anything over 2.
as far as working in finance goes, my husband is in finanace. works on wall, hence why we live here since it''s 10 minute walk to work for him
and even his colleagues wives don''t wear diamonds that size.
maybe we just live in very different social circles.
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Most of the women my age that I see who are also professional women have larger diamonds than I do. I''ve never seen any of them wear anything other than a round though... and I''m bad at judging round carat size. I just know they are bigger. But they don''t look well cut to me... they don''t sparkle like they should. They are just big... and usually set up too high.

I don''t think the average guy buying an e-ring goes to more than two or three at the most, places. And most go to jewelers others have recommended to them.

I was in a small B&M and the woman there (another customer) thought we had just decided to walk right off the street, into this store and buy an e-ring-- diamond and all (she didn''t see my ring it was wisked off to the cleaner right when I came in and the jeweler was having us look at the settings with a loose princess as a sub for my asscher). Didn''t think twice about the fact that we would be dropping about 10K right there on a set if that were the case-- no research, no shopping around, nothing. She was actually disappointed when she learned it was a re-set and that I wouldn''t be impluse buying an e-ring.
 
Hiya ellchris! You live in a great area. As for the bigger rocks, I see them all over the city. Many of our friends have them, albeit in rarer cuts. Some of the emerald cuts are inherited, but most of the rings were 1st engagement rings.

I guess in NYC, everything is bigger. And I don't think the men took out loans, either. They are pretty frugal, but they buy what they grew up seeing and what their friends are getting for their wives-to-be. I even see young receptionists with 2-3c rocks in the fashion industry, but they are usually married to i-bankers or traders!
 
I''m not in NYC, but a girl I know recently moved there after law school and required at least 2.5 carats from her then BF. He got her a 3.3 I SI2 AGS0, so it''s beautiful, but it is lower in color and clarity. Though, to tell you the truth, I wouldn''t be able to tell just by looking at it. Even after she got it though, she made sure to remind the rest of us that it wasn''t really that big, most of the other ladies at her firm had at least 4 carats. Now, I don''t know if I really believe that, but that''s what she said...
 
Date: 6/27/2006 8:34:01 PM
Author: FacetFire
I''m not in NYC, but a girl I know recently moved there after law school and required at least 2.5 carats from her then BF. He got her a 3.3 I SI2 AGS0, so it''s beautiful, but it is lower in color and clarity. Though, to tell you the truth, I wouldn''t be able to tell just by looking at it. Even after she got it though, she made sure to remind the rest of us that it wasn''t really that big, most of the other ladies at her firm had at least 4 carats. Now, I don''t know if I really believe that, but that''s what she said...
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That''s so funny. I''ve also heard that the stones that women in NY firms have are on the large side, though I wouldn''t expect 3.3 to be considered "not that big," even in a firm!
 
"over 3", "boyfriend got her a 3.31".
wow, i need to get out more!
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I think she was just trying to make us think that she wasn''t being greedy by demanding at least 2.5 carats from her BF... (didn''t work, BTW)
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Noooooo! LOL. Then you'll get the Dreaded Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome!

I used to think mine was big until I went to NYC. It's small potatoes there.
They are all very nonchalant about the big beautiful diamonds in Manhattan.
Makes me feel like mine is a 1 carat. I guess it's all relative!

I wonder if they get shrinkage in NYC? Something tells me no.
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At 4+, I think shrinkage ends.
 
yeah, it is nonchalant here.
whether it''s money, or diamonds. love that about this city. no one needs to brag.
on a side note, i''m eyeing cushions now. my husbands bonus is in april and little does he know
that money will be spent before ever hitting hitting our account!
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Manhattan, I would say definitely 2ct minimum among first time brides. Most women are already making high incomes in my office so naturally the men they have chosen to marry can afford to go for a bigger rock without sacrificing cut or clarity.

As far as Shrinkage in NYC it depends. I''m perfectly happy with my smaller boulder but like others said my upgrade to a 2.57 wasn''t shocking in size. Now I did travel on a business trip recently and that''s where most people commented on how "big" it looked (lol). So, I guess if I need a "fix" I''ll have to travel outside Manhattan - ala Sally Field in "Soap Dish."
 
In Southern California it seems as if rings are fairly big. I''d say I see mostly 2+. Now that I am obsessed with left hand rings thanks to Pricescope, most rings look larger than my 1.4. But boy does mine sparkle!
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Hi, I have been a lurker for a while and am a new poster on PS. I am an attorney who previously lived in Manahattan and worked at a Wall St. firm. I would certainly agree that a 2 carat, good quality diamond is the standard there. I am originally from the DC area and have recently moved to the Philly area and would agree that the standard in both of those cities, even among attorneys at a top law firm is much smaller, probably about 1 carat.
 
Welcome to PS NovemberBride
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Good to have you with us!
 
Date: 6/28/2006 11:04:23 AM
Author: NovemberBride
Hi, I have been a lurker for a while and am a new poster on PS. I am an attorney who previously lived in Manahattan and worked at a Wall St. firm. I would certainly agree that a 2 carat, good quality diamond is the standard there. I am originally from the DC area and have recently moved to the Philly area and would agree that the standard in both of those cities, even among attorneys at a top law firm is much smaller, probably about 1 carat.
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Welcome to PS. How do you like Philly?? I live outside of the city.
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Boyyyy am I glad I live in the northern midwest! We had one girl in my class at school that got a 1ct, and it was the biggest thing I had ever seen! (that was pre-PS days). It was a 1ct IF, D color princess cut by Natalie K.

Around here, my .25 is just barely on the small side. One girl at work had a 5/8ct and my coworkers were commenting how big it was!

I don''t ever really see nice diamonds around here, though. Most of the people I know have this set:

94002381527.jpg


I think I know of five people with this set now? I''m pretty sure it''s five.

When you live in a smallish town (about 50,000 people) the main selection is mall stores. We have eight area jewelers, and five of them sell pretty much crappy diamonds (with a few exceptions). The other three do nice work, but unfortunately most guys around here don''t do their research.

Um, I rambled too much now. I''m done!
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Date: 6/27/2006 9:11:29 PM
Author: tracys126
In Southern California it seems as if rings are fairly big. I''d say I see mostly 2+. Now that I am obsessed with left hand rings thanks to Pricescope, most rings look larger than my 1.4. But boy does mine sparkle!
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Yeah, I would say that most of the diamonds I see are at least 2 carats - mostly fancy cut stones. Most are nice, aren''t crazy sparkly but still look pretty good. Alot have visible inclusions when viewed close up - and some are probably clarity enhanced. Also, I would say that the single (not yet engaged) girls in my social circle tell their significant others they want a 2 carat stone - so yeah, I think it might be the new "minimum" for the larger cities.
 
around here in the bay area i really don't see THAT many large stones! i feel like mine stands out pretty well down here in the south bay. but i do see them here and there, amazingly enough in places like whole foods and stuff i have seen some large ones. though i have had friends tell me that in their corporations marketing departments that everyone has a 2-3c...i never saw it.

julian, you need to move to a small town to make your 3c look big again...hehee. i do think that if you are around a bunch of 3-5c that it would start to seem skewed like yours was 'normal'.
 
I have lived in three areas (thanks to college and grad school!) that all have large average diamonds: The Bay Area (Menlo Park, Los Altos Hills), Los Angeles (GO BRUINS!, Westwood, Brentwood, BH and I worked in Bel Air as a private tutor!) and then Manhattan (GO COLUMBIA LIONS!)...

I have noticed something in each of those areas, while many have large (okay, massive!) engagement rings, many also wear large eternity rings instead. For example, in the Bay Area a number of those in places like Atherton, MP wear huge, but classic eternity bands w/o an engagement ring. I also noticed this in Bel Air and Manhattan...I am sure all the women in the area have 3+ diamonds, but I find it neat that some opt for the more classic sparkle. For example, the lady I worked for in Bel Air had a HUGE diamond engagement ring (5+) but wore am eternity ring (4+) for everyday wear and only the engagement ring for company parties ect.
 
I''m in the Bay Area as well and really don''t see that many large stones either. The most I see are around 1c. Once, I did see a 3-4c, but it was really dirty or poorly cut or had low clarity. That was the only time I saw a really large stone in person, and it was at a country club meeting.
 
I live in the South (Panhandle of FL) and I don't see diamonds over 1 carat being worn very often. I know that I have the biggest center stone where I work and I only have a 0.75.

ETA: Personally, I think that girls who demand a 2 carat minimum don't deserve to be married in the first place. I can think of very few things more selfish and inconsiderate than a demand like that from a significant other.
 
Another So Cal girl here... I agree, I see a ton of big, fat yummy stones. (And I''ve had a quite a few friends they needed a 2ct min, for their ER.)
 
I am originally from NY, but went to law school in DC. Here, a lot of law students have large center stones, but smaller ones are not uncommon either. But last summer I did a summer associate program in a large Manhattan firm and it was quite common to see 2-3 carats or even larger. It doesn''t seem so crazy when you think about it though. The big NY firms are paying about $150K for entry-level attorneys, many of whom are just 25 years old. And those attorneys often have boyfriends who are also attorneys, i-bankers or in some other finance position with high income. For many, a 2-3 carat ring is not even two months salary.

My fiance is a controller at a large investment bank in NY, but at 25, he doesn''t make what the average lawyer makes. His theory about engagement rings is that you have to go by the higher wage-earner''s standards. Even though I would''ve been happy with any ring that he bought me, he ended up really extending himself to buy me the 2 carat F VS2 center stone. Neither of us want to ever upgrade in the future and I think he just wanted to make me happy and not have me be one of the few people at the firm who didn''t have a sizable ring. I guess for a guy, when your girlfriend is in a profession full of women with large rocks, it''s hard not to feel a little bit pressured
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