What is a big diamond engagement ring?
“I overheard my girlfriend talking with a friend on the phone about her dream engagement ring. Apparently, she’s always wanted a big diamond engagement ring. I’m hoping to surprise her with an e-ring, so I don’t want to ask either of them what’s a big diamond engagement ring. Thus, I’m hoping you can provide some insight. We live in NYC and now that I’m shopping for an engagement ring, I see diamonds everywhere. Some of the women in this city are wearing some mighty big rocks! Is there some kind of formula that I can follow in terms of the ratio of diamond carat weight to finger size? If so, I believe that she has a size six ring finger. What size diamond to you think would be big enough, but not look ostentatious? BTW, I’m prepared to spend ±50K for the complete e-ring, I really hope that is sufficient.”
How big is BIG for a diamond e-ring?
I believe that it was actress Mae West who said “I’m not worried about diets. The only carrots that interest me, are the number you get in a diamond.” No doubt that she was a fan of big diamond engagement rings! However, I’m not so certain that this famous quote by Mae West reflects the sentiments of the modern bride.
In my experience, the majority of women today are focused on the symbolism of a diamond engagement ring. This has probably been true of most women throughout the course of time. However, it’s also true that the first question that people tend to ask when presented with a diamond engagement ring is “how big is it?”
Therein lies the dilemma that every man faces when buying a diamond engagement ring. Interestingly enough, the reality is that a lot of people aren’t really familiar with the actual size represented by different carat weights of diamond.
How big is a 1 carat diamond?
This 1.002 carat, I-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond measures 6.41 X 6.43 X 3.96 millimeters. People frequently ask us, how big is a one carat diamond? The easiest way to describe the size of a 1 carat diamond, is to relate it to another everyday object that we are familiar with. Such as, the pink eraser on a standard #2 pencil, which measures about 6.50 millimeters. Thus a one carat diamond is just a hint smaller than a pencil eraser.
“How big is a 2 carat diamond?” is another frequently asked question. This one is not as easy to answer using a visual reference to a common item. This 2.004 carat, H-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond measures 8.06 X 8.11 X 5.01 mm.
As it turns out, the standard nickel in the United States measures 1/16th of an inch, which we can round off to 2 mm. Thus, you can visually estimate the diameter of this 2 carat diamond, by stacking 4 nickels together and looking at them from the side profile like in the picture at the top of this post. I think you’ll agree that’s a pretty big diamond ring! But you are living in NYC, where the bar tends to be set a little higher.
Brian Gavin Does BIG ROCKS!
The good news is that you’ve come to the right place, because at Brian Gavin, We Do BIG ROCKS!™ However, we focus on more than just the size of the diamond, because that can only be determined close-up. What shows up from across the room is the sparkle factor! And that is why every Brian Gavin Signature diamond is cut with light performance in mind.
The diamond that I’ve got my eye on for you is this 2.604 carat, G-color, VS-2 clarity, Black by Brian Gavin Signature hearts and arrows round diamond.
This 2.604 carat, round diamond measures 8.83 X 8.87 X 5.45 millimeters, thus it has an average outside diameter of 8.85 mm. Which is about half the width of a size six ring, which measures 16.51 millimeters. You might as well start preparing an excuse now, for when you get caught sitting there staring at your girlfriend’s hand.
What do you consider to be a big diamond?
The interesting thing about trying to define what constitutes a big diamond, is that the concept is entirely relative to the individual perspective of each person. Throughout the years, I’ve sat down with clients who can’t imagine wearing a diamond larger than a half carat, because that seems like a big diamond to them.
While at other times, another person will think that a 0.75 or 1 carat diamond is too big, or too small for their personal taste. I think it’s fair to say that anything larger than 1.50 carats is considered big by engagement ring standards. Since the national average size diamond in the United States is believed to be between 0.75 – 1.00 carats, depending on the referenced source.
With that in mind, I encourage readers of this blog post to comment below. Please tell us what you consider to be a big diamond engagement ring and why.
