Does the Size of Your Engagement Ring Really Matter

When it comes to diamonds, is bigger always better?

Posted on

28 May 2017

image courtesy Fergus James

When it comes to buying a diamond it's easy to assume that size really does matter. To set the record straight we asked Fergus Appleton, CEO - Fergus James, for his advice on the importance of size when buying a diamond.

Fergus immediately corrected us and explained, "People often confuse carat, which is the weight of the diamond, with size, which relates to the specific dimensions of the diamond – it’s important to distinguish between the two as heavier doesn’t always mean visually more attractive or, for that matter, bigger. For example, you can have a 1ct diamond with a thick girdle and a poor quality cut that will appear smaller than a 0.9ct excellent cut diamond."

Focus on quality

My advice would be to focus on the quality characteristics of the diamond with the cut, colour and clarity and get a feel for what is right for you. The size of the diamond will then simply be a byproduct of your budget rather than a target as such. Cut is the most important element of a round diamond's quality characteristics as this has the biggest impact on the sparkle of a diamond. In my view, any eye clean diamond within the D-J colour range with an excellent cut looks amazing.

What specs allow you to maximise size/weight?

I always tell customers, who have a budget target and want to maximise size, to go for an excellent cut, I colour, VS2/Si1 (eye clean) diamond with either medium or strong fluorescence. This spec maximizes size whilst keeping the visual beauty of the diamond at the highest of levels.

What is the average size of the diamonds you sell?

The size range of diamonds that we sell ranges from 0.3ct all the way to 7ct monsters. It really does vary dramatically month to month. I think a really nice range, for round diamonds, is between 0.8-2.5cts.