Diamond shopping is no easy business. First comes the price – retail diamonds can range from hundreds of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. How much do you really want to spend on your stone?
Then, of course, comes the 4 C’s of diamonds: Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat. Each of the 4 C’s comes with a sliding scale that will affect the quality, size and shape of any diamond you might be looking to buy. In the end, this all affects the price.
If you’re reading all of this and saying to yourself “I just want a big diamond that pops” than you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we will give you all of the tips you need to make sure you pick a diamond that looks big and costs less.
Carat Weight
The most popular reference to diamonds is their carat weight, which actually is not necessarily representative of their size. Sure, there is a correlation, but carat weight refers to the actual weight of a diamond. Obviously, a diamond that weighs more typically will be larger, which is why this is the first criteria for finding a large diamond. The greater the carat weight, the more likely you’ll find a bigger diamond
Diamond Shape
Here’s why carat weight isn’t everything. A diamonds shape has as much to do with how large a diamond looks as the carat weight. Did you know that round diamonds typically look larger because they have more surface area at the top? Also, Fancy shaped diamonds like an oval cut or pear-shaped diamond will also have lots of top-level surface area giving the stone a bigger look.
The square shaped diamonds like a princess cut or radiant cut have much less surface area compared to their carat weight, so if you’re looking for a stone that looks big, try to avoid these.
Cut
The cut of a diamond is key for getting the most out of the carat weight. Sometimes in poorly cut diamonds, you’ll have a lot of carat weight, but it’s not cut to the right place. When you’re looking to buy a big diamond, paying for an ideal cut stone will make your money work way more than jumping up another carat.
Lab Diamonds vs Earth Diamonds
Finally, one of the best ways to get the most for your money is to buy a lab grown diamond. It makes sense if you’re a bit wary about the idea of buying a diamond made in a lab, but the truth is they are just as real as diamonds found in the earth. They have identical chemical makeups, so you know you will have the real thing, and you can rest assured that they are ethically sourced.
The best part – they cost 30%-50% less than an earth diamond of the same carat weight. That means for the same price, you can get a much larger stone.
If you’re looking for diamonds that are big, but don’t want to hurt your wallet, remember these tips next time you’re shopping.
