What kinds of diamonds do you see around you?

[coconutpig]

Hi everyone. Since my obsession with diamonds began about four months ago, I have been doing some serious ring spying around town, work, etc. On PS, I love seeing the variety of options people are selecting. But I don''t see this variety around me!

The people I tend to be around most are married 10+ years and in their late 30s and 40s which I am sure makes a big difference too.

I am very curious to hear from others, where you live, and what you see around you - I live in central Massachusetts!

In a 4 month observation period I have noticed approximately:

shape:
90% round
10% marquise
no pear, radiant or cushion, only 1 princess

size:
40%<=.5 ct
50% 5-1ct
10% 1 ct
a handful were maybe a bit over a carat but NOTHING as big as 1.5 ct

setting:
nearly all yellow gold solitaires
handful of wg/plat
never seen a halo in person
handful of multistone anniversary rings around 1 ct total weight

And by the way, my current one is around .8, yellow gold round.

I’m just curious about other geographical areas…what you see around you….

Thanks!

 

[eleguin]

I live in DC and am surrounded most by 25 - 35 years old. The majority of rings I see are around 1 carat round (maybe 75%) in white metal. The remaining 25% are usually greater than 1 carat. I am also surprised that I don''t see too many fancy shapes around me except the occasional princess. I had never seen a halo before coming onto PS.

 

[diamondfan]

I live in the suburbs of Philly, the Main Line. Before that I lived in Beverly Hills. There is a mix here, a large range. But, I see a lot of big bling here, I know one girl with 15 carats cushion cut stone (third husband who is much older than wife, and it is not a great quality stone, just big, and she is the flashy type)

Kaleigh is from here too and she can weigh in, we know a lot of the same people and she has lived here her whole life...I have seen anywhere from about a carat in yellow gold, simple, to 5 and up in platinum. I see more platinum here, and while rounds still prevail, I do see a fair amount of pears and other shapes. The girls with the bigger stones tend to wear more jewels in general, and are a bit more into bling. The women with simpler stuff tend to be a bit more understated overall...

 

[ladykemma]

houston texas
for women 40+ i see mostly 1/2 carat round or marquise typical 80s yellow gold engagement rings. some teachers who have bothered to upgrade have >1 carat in platinum. this is high school teacher land.

in the neighboring wealthy area i see a lot of yellow gold and platinum and big rocks. don't see a pattern in shapes.

for the younger ladies i see ad nauseum 1/4 -1/2 ct princess in white gold. so sick of it. upwardly mobile i am seeing >1 carat in white metal. mostly princess.

My engagement ring is a round tiny quarter carat in yellow gold.
My secondary ring is the one in the picture.I have the only pear I know. my chemistry students all want one.

 

[lizz]

I see a lot of princess cuts in white metal too on younger women. I live in NE FL, and the people around me have yellow gold (most of them) with poorly-cut stones. But they have been married 10+ years. Some fancies, although usually rounds. I have only seen one halo in person on someone. Most stones are .5-1 cts, but usually more toward the .5 mark. I very rarely see a well-cut stone. I am in my late 30s, and the people I know and work with are also around this age.

 

[pinkflamingo]

I almost exclusively see princesses on women under 40. I think princesses are going to look dated in a few years. (JMHO, not to offend). Very few well cut stones, a lot of maul junk that is either really included or they do not know how to clean it. A lot of eternity bands, or really small 3 stone rings. Usually princesses.

I do occasionally see a larger stone, but not often. A co-worker has a positively obscenely giant marquise, but she is always so snarky I never have the guts to ask her about it. I know marquises look huge for their carat weight, so maybe it is 2 carats. It looks as big as 4 carat round!! She is not a small girl and it extends from her knuckle to the other joint, and is pretty awesome. It made me consider getting a marquise RHR because they look so huge!!

Tampa suburbs, FL.

 

[dani13]

I see big rocks everywhere- NJ suburbs- 1.5 cts and up are the norm...go to the local shopping mall and you can sit there "diamond-watching" for hours....Mostly rounds, fancies such as EC''s, and halo''s like the Tiffany Legacy are popular....

 

[Lynn B]

Interesting thread.

I live in northwest PA and what I see a lot of are smaller rounds and marquise (under .50 or so) in yellow gold. Also a LOT of those graduated size marquise multi-stone (semi-eternity style) rings. I see some princess stones, in white metal, but mostly on younger girls. And every OOOONCE in a while I see a bigger RB... and that''s usually when I stand up and pay attention!

 

[Kaleigh]

3 stone rings with RB''s are pretty common, or with sapphire sidestones. I also see a lot of EC''s or EC''s with sidestones. Large RB solitaires are popular too. Oh and stacking eternity bands is a big thing here as well. With or without the ering. Most of what I see is set in platinum.

 

[TravelingGal]

I live in Los Angeles. I probably have one of the smaller diamonds from my group of friends/acquaintances. I have the only cushion, but a gal I know has the tiffancy legacy (she had to announce that it was) and I know it''s their own propietary cushion cut. Everyone, even jewelers, think mine is a princess. Since it faces up very square upon initial inspection, I can understand why they think it is. Most don''t even know what a cushion is.

2 carats is pretty much the norm for my friends, and a few have three carats. Rounds and princesses in platinum are pretty much it, with the occasional emerald cut. If they don''t have a larger diamond, most at least have 1 carat. I don''t know anyone with less than that. I don''t know about the quality of their stones, but I am definitely happy I didn''t sacrifice cut quality for size. For me, it''s about me enjoying my diamond and seeing it sparkle and wink at me...not about impressing someone momentarily with size. Now, if I could afford BOTH...

When I go to my home office in Madison, WI, I see a lot of smaller diamonds in either YG or white gold. Mine looks practically gaudy next to some of them.

 

[anchor31]

I live near Montreal and I rarely see a lot of bling there. Mostly YG jewelery.

Where I've been working as a cashier for my summer job (but I found another one, in my field of study! Goodbye supermarket!

) however, about an hour north from the city, there are a lot of wealthier people and I see a lot of bling, mostly on 40+ women... .50ct + RBs for the most part, a lot of big cocktail-type YG settings and wide bands. I've seen some beautiful eternity bands and an elegant tennis bracelet, a 1ct princess and a .25ct-ish marquise. I saw a stunning 1ct + princess three-stone just yesterday. I've seen one 1ct pear, but I've never seen a EC or an asscher in person. I've seen a few gemstones half-eternity bands, even black diamonds. It's really isolated to this area, though... I live 15 minutes from there and I had never seen so much bling in my life before!! Where I am .50ct is considered HUGE... If it's over .33ct you get asked if it's a real diamond!

.25ct half-eternity bands or three-stones or .10-.15ct solitaires are often seen on younger women around my age. Those are poor quality maul store rings for the most part, and even very few jewelers I've met know about the importance of cut in a diamond's beauty.

So yes, I'm very lucky to be getting a .70ctw ring (.50ct center stone) with high-quality diamonds in my early 20s. My FF and I are just one of the rare ones around here that prefer spending more on the rings than on the wedding day... You should see the wedding people throw over here! $$$$

 

[conitta]

I live in southwest MS and I really haven''t seen anything to right home about. Mine is the largest of my friends being a 1ct RB in a solitare with 1.25 ct ring guard. Guess I am out dated...lol

One friend has a Marquise center with smaller stones around it it might be a 1ctw maybe a tad bit more.Another lady that is in her 80''s and is from Germany, has a 2 ct. solitare that has been in her family for years. Some of my friends religon will not allow them to have jewelry

and a couple that just do not care about it at all. Now that worries me. I will keep my eyse open now and watch for those diamonds.There isn''t much in the jewelry store here to choose from...Zales and that is about it.Sad, I know.That is why I go out of town to shop.....

Connie

 

[Apsara]

Lots of RBS (1-1.75 cts), Lots of big pears (3+ cts). Some princess cuts in the 1.5-2 ct range. 65% white metals, 35% YG.

 

[minxesq]

Being in the NYC area, the bling factor is significant, but it also depends on the neighborhood/profession. My fiancee often refers to the "New York standard" -- which in his mind is 1.5 carats, round -- but I think the true NYC standard is 2 and up. At least among the city professionals I'm in the most contact with (doctors, lawyers, etc.), I have observed that the overwhelming majority of stones are round solitaires set in platinum (or WG), with a healthy showing of emerald cuts set in platinum (or WG). I have seen very few set in yellow gold, and they tend to be worn by more mature women (who presumably received their rings when that was the popular style and haven't opted to upgrade/update). The size tends to be at least 1 carat, more typically 2, but also quite a few ranging from 3 to 5 carats. Of course, you will always see ladies-who-lunch type women wearing monster rings when shopping on Fifth Ave and such, but the rings described above are those that I see women professionals wearing into the office on a daily basis.

 

[Linda W]

Living in California, I see all sorts of wedding rings. Anything from 2C to one half c. on up. A dear friend of mine upgraded her wedding ring to an Argyle pink diamond from Australia. I haven''t upgraded mine in 25 years. Still the same 1 carat marquise, DH and I married with. OK no lectures ladies. Tee Hee.

As Widget and Connie know, I would rather spend money on a good Padparadscha sapphire.

Linda

 

[AceP]

I live in NYC and am regularly stunned by the size of the rings I see - mostly much larger than 1 carat. On women my age (late 20s to early 30s), I see so many princesses - I have to admit, I''m getting a bit sick of them. A couple of weeks ago I was at a bar-b-que in Connecticut, and there it was all 1.5-2 carat round solitares. It''s funny how it varies. I''ve also started noticing a lot of antique-y styles on well-dressed women who are out shopping, who I encounter through work, etc.

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Hi Coconutpig ~

Well, I live in Oregon in the Willamette Valley. We have a very interestingly diverse population of people here. It''s almost like a melting pot!

We have country folk, we have city folk, we got hippies and wanna be reincarnated granola folk, we got trailer trash, big exec''s in huge fancy houses, retired folk,white collar ... blue collar working folk, and those that can''t find work.

I work in a hospital, and I see patients bling all day long. Some of it is nice, and some of it is quite frankly ... disgusting!

The patients I see are all going to have surgery, so I see all age groups ... both male & female.

I''ll start with the young ones, 30 and under crowd ...

Guys: Nice trendy watches, some metal chains, some big chunky bracelts, few rings with gemstone or diamonds, some w/ single diamond earring, very few with a RHR. Whte metal (90%), yellow metal (10%).

Gals:Nice trendy watches, small gemstone pendants, some diamond studs tctw .25, some small gemstone RHR''s, thin dainty bracellets layered no diamonds, some very small diamond in the nose, most have at least double piercings in ear and naval rings, and other places we just won''t mention here. I don''t see a whole lot of blingage (quality wise in this age group) I see alot of CZ in this age group for gals, and last but not least the ones who are engaged have single stone erings w/stuller solstice type settings 4 prong white metal ... very basic no bells, no whitstles! (85%) white metal, (15%) yellow, and ct wt in ranges of .25 - .50 (90%) .51 - .75 (5%) and .75 - 1.00 (4%) 1.00+ (1%).

30 - 40 crowd ...

Men: Nice quality watches (60%), trendy watches (40%), metal type chains (10 %), metal type bracellets (5%), Wedding rings with diamonds (80%) Wedding rings no diamonds (20%), RHR with a birthstone, or signet (40%) and plain metal type RHR (10%). Designer brand wedding ring (70%) and custom wedding ring (5%). I don''t see very many men in this age group with a diamond earring.

Womeniamond earring studs or diamond dangle earrings .50ctw und under (70%) between .50-1.00 tctw (30%) white metal (70%) yellow metal (30%).

Diamond bracellets under 1 ctw (40%) metal bracelets bold or multiple layered (60%) yellow metal (70%) white metal (30%),

diamond 3 stone pendants (40%) diamond solitaire pendants (50%) plain metal necklaces (10%),

RHR diamond rings, gemstone rings and big on stacking rings ... almost every woman has these to some level and degree, see alot of the PPP three stone RB diamond rings, some PPP Princess usual 1 cttw, both as RHR''s & engagement rings.

Solitaire erings .50 - 1.00 (90%) 1.00 - 1.50 (9%) 1.50+ (1%). White metals (90%) Gold metals (10%). Rounds (70%) Princess (20%) Oval (1%) radiant (1%) Emerald (3%) Asscher/Heart/Cushion=(1%) OEC/OMC (4%) So far all of the OMC/OEC''s have be handed down in the family. Solid metal wedding band (40%) Diamond wedding band (60%). 3 ring wedding sets (5%).

41 and over ...

Men:Expensive quality watches (70%) trendy watches (30%), no diamond earrings, gold bracellets (5%), metal RHR (20%), diamond or gemstone RHR (60%), yellow gold (80%) white metal (20%), chains (5%), wedding band plain (80%) diamond wedding band (20%) white metal (5%) yellow (95%).
Designer brand (10%).

Women:Watches with diamonds (25%), quality watches (60%) trendy watches (15%).

Earrings:diamond studs or diamond dangle earrings .50-1.00 (80%), 1.00-1.50 (19%) 1.50+(1%). White metal (90%) yellow (10%). Gemstone usually Ruby, or saphhires with some diamonds mixed in.

Rings: The older they get the more they need to wear on each finger! Lots of RHR''s; taste and quality varies greatly in this age group! More cocktail type rings too. yellow metal (80%) white metal (20%). Wedding rings average would be .50 - .75 ct center stone ... lots of tiny melee in these older settings, I know that alost of settings have been handed down, We have a few here and there of those 3+ct center stones ... WOZA! Mainly this age group has a modest ering/wring set, and then makes up for it with all the other yummy accessories out there. RB''s (80%), OEC/OMC (15%), Princess (4%) Radiant/cushion/oval (1%). plain wedding bands (5%), diamond wring (95%).


Pets: Ok, I had to add this one because I did see a well dressed lady with her lil'' poochie in her lil'' poochie traveling bag walk by me, and I had to do a double take, and then started to follow her into the bookstore to get a better glimps of her poochie! It wasn''t a chi-wa-wa but was similar ... and yes, the clerk did ask if those earrings were real diamonds, and the lady said "why of course they are!" They were pave diamond studded lil'' hoop earrings!

I did the best I could here ... I am tired.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead.

 

[Snooper]

Cool thread coconutpig!

I live in No. VA and while this area is pretty well off, the average ring is around 1-1.5 ct, white metals out weighing yellow, and rounds being the most common...

I teach, and when I talk to the parents of my students, what I posted above is how I came up with my ''guess''.

Now, when I shop or do arrands? The larger rings come out of no where! I''ve noticed some nice rocks while grocery shopping, but perahps I notice those more because, well, I hate grocery shopping, so that keeps me occupied! lol

While doing arrands, the ave. looks like 2ct, WG/Pt, square shapes, and some rounds.

I have yet to see a halo in person

 

[diamondlove]

This is an interesting thread!

I am surrounded by a really wide range of sizes but not shapes. I''ve lived all over Texas -- Austin, Dallas and Houston and it''s in Dallas that I''ve seen stones consistently range higher than 1.5+ RB. In my circle of friends who live all over the US and ages in mid20s-early30s it''s been 1-2.5carats with the recent trend being 1.5 as the minimum with mostly RB solitaires, one cushion, one three stone setting and one in a halo setting. All in platinum though.

It''s been interesting to see how the sizes have crept up with the ages of friends who have been getting engaged. Those who were engaged 3-4yrs ago were happy with a 1-1.3carat but those who are getting engaged recent months have been wanting a minimum of 1.5 carats with 2 being the ideal. I''m not sure if it''s an influence by the media & society or because we are all getting older... I''ve always wondered what ''normal'' (if there even is such a thing) was so this thread is perfect!

 

[diamondfan]

Mrs D, so you are saying the DOG had diamond earrings? I am going roll on the floor and laugh now...she pierced the dogs ears? I really have heard it all now!

 

[strmrdr]

Midwest somewhere outside of Chicago...

rare to see diamonds over .33 except in the younger crowd or older.
75% round 24.5% princess cuts .5% others.
typical is a quarter ct in yellow gold.

Younger crowd average is likely .33ct with a few 1ct thrown in.

older - some 1ct upgrades or 3stone 1ct total

The 1cts are usually poor cut and clarity selling in the $2500 to $3500 range.
3 times a year all the jewelery stores have advertising blitzes of 1ct diamonds in the $2500 to $3500 range.

 

[diamondfan]

Here in Philly, I see very little yellow gold. Mostly see white metals, I would say maybe 10 percent of what I see (any shape) is in yellow gold...

 

[Lorelei]

Cpig - here in England you need a loupe to spot the diamonds

if you can find any...not much eye candy for me to drool over - apart from mine of course

 

[diamondfan]

Lorelei, can you share Beryl''s stats with us again? I am needing a reminder...I will be looking around when I am there to see the status of bling in the city!

 

[allycat0303]

Well I live in Suburbs around Montreal, and in a wealthy area. I think the summer is bringing the sparklies out. We don''t tradtionally do big stones around here but I''ve been noticing more lately.

Yesturday I saw a 1.5 carat RB....in white gold or platinum. My friend just got engaged with a 1.0 princess (beautiful, high quality and LOTS of sparkle). A girl in my sister''s class got a 2 carat center RB with 2 one carat stones on the sides....this one though is decidedly poor quality. No sparkle to speak of and very obviously yellow to the naked eye. And my sister''s other friend got a 1 carat RB with 2 0.5 stones on the side. This one is visibly included. All of the recent engaged ladies have it set in yellow gold. And I had a woman who worked volunteer with me that had a 3 carat + cushion. By FAR the most beautiful ring I''ve ever seen. Now these ladies (me included) are ethnic minorities in Montreal, I don''t know if it''s our culture, etc., that makes us want big bling, but every single biggish stone I''ve seen in Montreal is on an ethnic minority. I consider 1 carat to be BIG bling, although in the US that''s probably about the norm.

Oh yeah, and my frenemy just got engaged with a 1 carat RB in yellow gold. She''s been rubbing that in my face over msn for about 2-3 weeks. She''s assuming she has better bling but little does she know

And the fact that her husband to be is a doctor

On french Canadians, it''s about 95% RB set in YG...max size of 0.4 carats....extremely high quality for upwardly mobile ladies. Where''s the rest have 0.25-0.35 maul quality stones. I think part of this is because about 50% of Quebecers have common law marriages (therefore don''t need e-ring) and the fact that very few of them put a big importance on bling. They couldn''t care less and rarely notice such things.

Oh yes, there''s no SUCH animal as an upgrade here.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Hi! I live in the Philadelphia suburbs, and what I see ranges from 25 points to 10 carats and up.The best places to see larger stones and other spectacular pieces in this area are Philadelphia Orchestra concerts, the opera, the King of Prussia Mall and Saks 5th Avenue. (I recently saw someone wearing a 12 carat radiant in Saks!) I go to New York every 2 weeks or so, and 2 carats is average on 5th Avenue.

 

[coconutpig]

thank everyone for replying, I find this topic simply facinating. I am heading to CA for vacation next month, including a couple days in Beverly Hills and cannot wait to ring spy. I was actually in Beverly Hills for the first time last Nov. for a wedding but it was pre-diamond obsession days!!!!

My clearest memory from my Bev. Hills visit was me shlepping down to the Beverly Hilton gym in my t-shirt and shorts and finding myself next to a 40ish woman on the treadmill, dressed in leopard-print lycra head to toe, long pants and matching midriff bra top. Yowza! I would love to see the reaction if she showed up in my New England gym......again pre-diamond obsession days, or I bet I would have spied an interesting rock there....

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/19/2006 3:42:16 AM
Author: diamondfan
Lorelei, can you share Beryl''s stats with us again? I am needing a reminder...I will be looking around when I am there to see the status of bling in the city!

3.39 round L colour! Mind you, in London you might see some big bling!

 

[blodthecat]

I live in the UK (near Manchester)

80% wear yellow gold, and 20% white gold.

All are RB brillant around .25ct.

Blod

 

[diamondfan]

Date: 6/19/2006 9:20:30 AM
Author: blodthecat
I live in the UK (near Manchester)

80% wear yellow gold, and 20% white gold.

All are RB brillant around .25ct.

Blod

My sister lives in South Yorkshire, (Penistone) and now they are living full time in Cumbria. I went to her wedding a couple of years ago. I did not have my current stone, but had the three stone ring with a three carat center and one carat on each side. It was E and VVS1. The women kept commenting it and I noticed the women were not wearing a lot of big e rings...and these were people who could afford it if they wanted to. The man my sister married has grown kids and his daughter in law recently got a 2 carat round and it was big news!