Quick intro to making your engagement ring diamond look bigger
Wondering how to make an engagement ring look bigger? Here are 15 expert tips on exactly how to make your diamond look larger, no matter your budget.
You can absolutely make your diamond look bigger than it is by carat weight, without going up in price. And in many cases, your price can actually go down when you make your diamond look bigger.
That’s not because your choice decreases the absolute value of your diamond. It’s only because the biggest demand for engagement ring diamonds is mostly for one cut: the round brilliant cut.
The round brilliant cut is the safe choice, so most people go for that. And that drives up the price of the round brilliant cut.
But when you choose for example to opt for a marquise cut, which is the shape of diamond which looks the biggest, your costs will drop. The reason is that fewer people are comfortable with it. So demand is lower. That lowers the price.
See also: Which diamond cut looks the biggest?
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Tip #1: Look at diamond shapes other than round. They look bigger.
Round cut diamonds are the most common shape, but they’re also the most expensive because they are the most in demand. Another reason they are more expensive is that they take more time to cut. Finally, they do away with the most diamond in terms of waste. So they’re just more expensive.
But when you choose a diamond which has less diamond wastage, you win-win-win.
Less diamond material wasted means a less expensive final diamond gemstone.
They are often easier to cut than round stones, meaning less time in work. That means slightly less expense. So you can opt for more carats.
Finally, they can simply look larger because they have more top surface area than a typical round diamond. The pear shaped cut, for example, has more surface area than a round cut.
Tip #2: Choose white gold or platinum for the ring
When you choose a bright, silvery, reflective metal for your engagement ring, you make the diamond mounted on it look larger.
For one thing, it’s reflected in the ring.
For another thing, there’s less contrast visually. A yellow gold metal shows up very well behind the stone. That causes the stone to be easily estimated in size. But a bright white gold metal behind the stone presents less contrast. That means the outline of the diamond visually bleeds a little into the metal, viewed from above. So it looks a little larger.
Tip #3: Get a thin band for the ring
This may be the best trick in the book for making your engagement ring diamond to look larger. A thicker band creates an optical illusion of a smaller diamond. A thinner band creates an optical illusion of making the diamond look larger.
Tip #4: Also opt for thinner prongs
Prongs may be even more important than how thick the band is. Thick prongs make a diamond look smaller.
But thin prongs will make a diamond look larger than it is.
Tip #5: Opt for a halo setting or cluster setting
A halo setting or cluster setting means the center stone is surrounded by other, smaller diamonds. Because these smaller diamonds surround the center stone, it seems to be much larger. But the cost of adding a layer of accent diamonds in a halo setting is much less than buying a much bigger diamond.
Tip #6: Choose a retailer known for quality and for value.
At some retailers, for example Tiffany, the prices are generally higher. For the same amount of money, you could go to James Allen or Blue Nile and get a larger diamond than you could at Tiffany.
And since James Allen and Blue Nile sell GIA certified diamonds, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting. A GIA certified diamond from one retailer is just as good as a diamond from the most expensive retailer in the world, as long as the grades are the same. (This is a complex subject. Of course, some diamonds of the same grade are better than other diamonds of the same grade. Every diamond is different. But what we’re talking about here is the difference between buying from an expensive retailer compared to not.)
Tip #7: Remember that brilliance also contributes to perception of size
Some diamonds sparkle more than others. That can contribute to their perception of size. The trade off is often between diamonds that sparkle and diamonds that look big. But there is always a happy medium.
Why does that tradeoff sometimes exist? It’s because the depth of a diamond needs to be optimal in order to create the most possible sparkle. A shallow diamond won’t do it. A too-deep diamond won’t do it. It has to be just right.
The round brilliant cut is the shape of diamond which gets it just right most often. If it has enough sparkle, it can appear slightly larger than it really is.
Tip #8: Avoid cushion cut and round brilliant cut diamonds if you want to maximize how big a diamond looks
Cushion cut and round brilliant cuts are relatively deep diamonds. That means they have less surface area on top. Consequently, they’ll look smaller in general.
Tip #9: Consider long cuts such as the emerald cut or the marquise cut diamond
Longer cuts such as the emerald cut and marquise cut look larger. For one thing, they are shallower. For another thing, the eye perceives their length and translates that into width somewhat, even if the width doesn’t really match the length.
Tip #10: Choose to have fewer prongs
Just as you choose thinner prongs, so that a diamond looks larger than it is, you can also choose fewer prongs. The fewer prongs you have, the bigger it will look.
Tip #11: Consider getting a Fancy color diamond
Fancy color diamonds are diamonds of any other color than white diamonds. They’re a little nontraditional, but many people love them.
They can be much less expensive than white diamonds, so you can choose to buy a physically bigger stone.
Plus, they can appear to be larger since the colors stand out. Pink, green, and blue are effective colors for this optical illusion.
Tip #12: Choose a 3-stone arrangement
A 3-stone diamond engagement ring is a center stone, with two smaller stones along the side. This setting increases how big the diamond appears. It works in two ways.
First, there is more diamond real estate down there shining up at anyone’s eye. Three always look bigger than one.
Second, the size contrast between the center stone and the two side stones is enough that the center stone looks even bigger than it really is.
Tip #13: Wear your wedding ring on your right, and your engagement ring on your left
This works on the same principle as using a smaller band for your engagement ring. When you wear both rings together, right beside each other, the diamond on the engagement ring looks smaller.
When only the engagement ring metal band is under or near the diamond, then the diamond will look larger.
Tip #14: Keep your diamond clean
If your diamond is covered up, even a little, in gunk, it will look significantly smaller, especially from the side.
If your diamond has its top facets dulled from film and grease, it will also look smaller.
Keep it clean and it will look larger. All the light which should be sparkling out of it will be there.
Tip #15: Choose a 3-stone setting with two tapered baguette stones on either side
Baguette stones are long and flat. Tapered baguette stones are wider near the center stone and narrower toward the rest of the ring. That causes an optical illusion. It makes the center stone look larger. It works in two ways:
- There is more diamond surface area to look at, since the baguette stones have good surface area.
- The “flow” of the widening of the baguette stones makes the center stone look bigger.
