One of our favourite things about diamonds is their uniqueness. From colour down to the way they sparkle, no two diamonds are ever completely alike.. While most of us do not put too much emphasis on a diamond’s size, for diamond enthusiasts out there size matters, and unfortunately nothing dictates a diamond’s price more than its carat size.. Fortunately, with a few smart decisions when purchasing your jewellery, you can learn how to make your diamond look bigger than it actually is.
Overview:
- Pay Attention To Your Diamond's Setting
- Avoid Certain Diamond Shapes
- Consider Choosing A Diamond With A Lower Cut and Clarity
- Keep Your Diamond Clean
- Opt For A White Gold Setting For Your Diamond
- Choose A Slimmer Design For Your Diamond's Band
How To Make Your Diamond Look Bigger: 5 Tips
1. Pay Attention To Your Diamond's Setting
Choosing your setting is one of the most important parts of selecting or creating your piece. Regardless of whether it's a diamond ring, a pendant or even a pair of diamond stud earrings, your setting is crucial in dictating the style of your piece. By paying attention to your diamond’s setting, you can change the stone’s appearance. One of the most popular diamond settings on the market is the solitaire setting. Held together by metal prongs, solitaire settings are very simple and have no elements for your diamond to get lost in. If you choose to go with a diamond solitaire engagement ring or necklace, opt for one with 4 and 6 prongs. More prongs help by bringing people’s eyes closer to the centre of the stone.
Other settings that help diamonds to appear bigger are bezel, halo and pave settings, especially with diamond earrings and rings. Featuring a layer of numerous smaller diamonds that surround the setting or the stone itself, pave and halo settings make diamonds appear bigger by providing your piece with more sparkle.
With any setting, you will also want your band to be as thin as possible, as this will minimise the metal covering your stone while also making it appear more physically imposing. You can also draw people to your diamond’s size by choosing white gold jewellery. Metal hues such as yellow gold and rose gold are very vibrant and bright especially against colourless diamonds, whereas white gold simply blends into the stones.
2. Avoid Certain Diamond Cuts & Shapes
Nothing dictates the way a diamond sparkles more than its shape. A diamond’s shape is traditionally referred to as the cut and is used to identify certain stones once they have been polished into a certain shape by a jeweller. From brilliant round cut, oval cut and princess cut diamonds to emerald cut, cushion cut, and pear cut, there is a range of diamond cuts to choose from. For each cut diamond to resemble a particular shape, it must feature a certain amount of facets. The facets of a diamond are essential as they help create the optical effect when a diamond is placed in the light. Without facets, the stone would have no sparkle. If you want to give the illusion of a larger stone when picking your diamond engagement ring or another type of accessory, you will want to pay close attention to the cut you choose.
Learn More: Diamond Cuts Guide
With their elongated appearance, oval-cut stones give the illusion that the diamond is larger than it is, hence why oval engagement rings are quite popular. The same goes for marquise-cut diamonds, which not only feature an elongated look, but also make your fingers appear more slender. Then there are emerald-cut diamonds, which manage to appear bigger than they are due to their rectangular shape and unconventional step-style facets. But if there’s any cut that shines more than the rest, it’s brilliant round-cut diamonds. With 58 facets, brilliant round-cut diamonds have tremendous sparkle. It's why they are used for everything, from diamond stud earrings and solitaire rings to pave and cluster pieces. The fact that the brilliant round-cut diamonds are completely symmetrical is also advantageous if size matters to you.
3. Consider Choosing A Diamond With A Lower Colour & Clarity
Diamonds are priced based on the four C’s: cut, carat, colour and clarity. You will know that the cut of a diamond refers to the shape that the diamond is polished into, while the carat is the measuring unit used to indicate the size and weight of a diamond. And, the colour and clarity are used to grade a diamond’s physical appearance. Despite coming in all shades of the rainbow, the typical diamond is traditionally white or colourless. For this reason, diamonds that are graded almost or completely colourless, are significantly higher in price. The same can be said for diamonds with a high clarity level. Clarity is used to grade a stone’s imperfections. Most diamonds come with imperfections that form during a stone’s conception, and while they are only usually seen under magnifying equipment, they can have a big impact on the price.
If a diamond’s size means more to you than anything else, you should consider choosing a diamond with lower colour and clarity. With these facts in mind, putting less emphasis on colour and clarity could provide you with a little leeway in terms of budget. It is not essential for the colour and clarity of your diamond to be a particular grade if the size is more important, especially as colour and imperfections are usually not visible under the naked eye. And while a diamond’s colour and clarity can affect the way a diamond sparkles, it does not necessarily hinder it either.
4. Keep Your Diamond Clean
One simple, yet effective way you can make the stone in your diamond necklace, bracelet or ring appear bigger is by making sure you keep it clean. Diamonds are very durable and are practically safe from everything that comes their way. With that said, a little tender loving care every now and then can go a long way. Many of our diamond accessories get worn every day, which can leave them vulnerable to common pollutants such as dirt, sweat, hand cream, makeup and fake tan. By cleaning your diamond regularly, you not only ensure its longevity but its sparkle too.
To clean your diamonds, simply grab a small bowl filled with warm soapy water and place your diamonds in it for 10-15 minutes, and then dry it off with a small microfibre cloth. For more delicate pieces, such as diamond bracelets and earrings, use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently cleanse these areas. If you are more particular when it comes to cleaning your diamonds but don’t want to fork out serious cash at a jeweller, you can always invest in an ultrasonic jewellery cleaning bath. As a general rule, you should clean it at least once a month or even fortnightly depending on how much you wear a particular piece. You should also avoid any chemicals or cleaning utensils that could be too abrasive, as they can permanently damage your jewellery.
Learn More: Diamond Cleaning Guide
5. Consider Going Down The Lab-Diamond Route
Since their entrance into the jewellery market, lab-grown diamonds have become increasingly popular among diamond lovers as well as those looking to pop the question. Lab-grown diamonds are often regarded as the more eco-friendly and ethical choice when it comes to purchasing diamonds. This is because the sourcing of lab-grown diamond jewellery requires significantly less energy than what is required in diamond mining. However, ethical issues aren’t the only reason people are reaching for lab-created stones over mined diamonds. A lot of people are also going down the lab-grown diamond route because it is the more cost-efficient choice. Not only are lab-grown diamonds not as rare as mined diamonds, but they require less manpower, meaning they come with a smaller price-tag.
Although it varies significantly depending on the quality of the stone, experts believe that some diamond buyers could save between 25-50% by choosing a lab-grown piece. This is extremely beneficial if you want to purchase a bigger and better quality diamond, but don’t want to break the bank by doing so. If you were to purchase a 1-carat lab-grown diamond engagement ring, it could cost you between $4000 and $6000 depending on the quality of the stone. On the contrary, a 1-carat engagement ring with a naturally-mined diamond could cost a whopping $7000 to upwards of $11,000 for a GIA Certified diamond. With a lab-grown diamond, not only would it allow you to get your ideal carat weight and stay within your budget, but it also means you won’t have to compromise on quality. Not to mention, you would be picking the more sustainable option!
FAQs
Does 4 prong or 6 prong make a diamond look bigger?
Four-prong mountings are known to make diamonds look bigger. Whereas six-prong ring settings make the stone appear smaller, as the gemstone surface is covered with metal.
What diamond cut makes it look bigger?
The best diamond cuts to enhance the size of your diamond include pear, oval, emerald and marquise. Oval shaped diamonds are the most popular choice amongst the cuts, as they have a classic, yet beautiful style.
Why does my diamond look small?
If you have a deeply cut diamond, its weight is hidden between the depths, therefore appearing smaller.
