At Lauren B, we work closely with countless engagement ring shoppers and one of the most asked question we get is “what do we think is more important in a diamond: the quality of the diamond or the size of the diamond?” I know this may seem very unhelpful but we are going to be the ones to let you know that there is simply no right or wrong answer here. It varies greatly on a case by case basis and most importantly on the people actually buying and wearing the ring! As with many objects in life, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but perhaps some of the tips below will help you come to a better final decision when purchasing a diamond for your custom engagement ring. Remember there are always extremes to any comparison, so when opting for a trade-off of bigger size over quality, it is always prudent to toe the line carefully and not overstep the boundaries that would effect the beauty of the diamond to the observer.
We hate to say it but a lot of the times when it comes to diamonds there is no right or wrong answer. For example you might be picking between a 1.5 carat J color SI1 clarity (Good quality) cushion that is the same exact price as a 1.25 carat F color VS2 clarity cushion (Fine quality). For one person the size of the 1.5 is absolutely perfect and for another the fine quality colorless and VS clarity diamond option is ideal. What this means is that the perfect diamond is the one that looks perfect to you!
Do you notice and appreciate the size increase at 1.5 carat? Do you actually notice the 1.3 F color being noticeably white to the naked eye? Can you easily detect a difference between the SI1 and VS2? If I asked these questions to 100 people, some of them will say they like 1.5 carat and others the ill say they prefer the 1.3 carat. One person will say the 1.3 and 1.5 look distinctly different. Another might say that in daylight they can barely see the difference between and F and J color even though they are a couple of grades apart. And another person might tell us they can easily see the SI1 clarity diamond appears nicer to them than the VS2.
We do want to stress that this is not to say you need the smallest diamond and highest quality possible or that you would want a diamond at the bottom of the quality scale but very large in size. It is about finding a good balance that works best for you and your needs. If your significant other mentioned size do not get the smaller option just because it is what you want! Remember you are shopping for something that another person is going to wear and enjoy every day so it important to keep some of their preferences in mind. Balance is key here so finding your sweet spot in every category is going to ensure you end up with the perfect diamond
Watch this amazing video here where we put together comparing diamond QUALITY vs SIZE trade-offs within popular shapes. While the cut on each diamond shown is excellent, the carat weights and color/clarity grades vary for each pair shown which lead them to have the same price. You will notice the degree of trade off varies based on how many quality rankings you go up or down, and the relative size of each stone. For instance, the cushion cut diamonds you are able to jump a full carat in size from 3 to 4, by giving up five color and two clarity grades. While you may be sacrificing a lot of quality on paper, you will notice the size difference between the two more easily, which may make this an appealing trade off for many. For the oval diamonds, there is a two clarity grade differential which is why there is only a half carat difference in size; the SI2 is perfectly eye clean so many clients would opt for that choice. In the round examples, you are moving just one grade in clarity (which is not detectable to the naked eye in most instances) and dropping two grades in color, yet still remaining in the near-colorless range. For that reason, there is only a .30 carat differential between these equally priced stones. Lastly, for the emerald cuts moving from “H” to “I” color will only net you about .25 carats more of weight. Emerald cuts in particular are very good at hiding color so moving the color grade by one spot will never have a huge impact on the price. One important caveat to the above, when comparing size do not base it solely on carat weight as that is only an indicator of face up appearance; take the cut of the diamond into account as well and make sure you are not only getting a larger carat weight but something that appears larger (as per its millimeter measurements) as well.
In case you are unable to come in and physically see the diamond we have created an online diamond video gallery featuring hundreds of videos comparing diamond shapes, sizes, and qualities side by side. This is a excellent learning tool and watching as many of these videos as possible ensures that you will figure what the perfect diamond looks like to you specifically. Use the filters on the top and left side where you can sort by diamond shape, carat weight, price range etc… This will really help you narrow in on what you like best and what areas you are willing to give up a little on in order to gain more on another aspect of the diamond.
At the end of day, select the diamond that overall meets your visual qualifications and most importantly fits your general budget without going crazy. You don’t need the very best in every category and you definitely don’t want the very worst in every category. Please