What is the average Diamond Carrot size for an engagement ring?

Im looking int engagement rings and i have no idea what im looking for. We have talked and she wants something that is simple and elegant so im going with a white gold band with a single diamond. But what size diamond? I guess what im getting at is what is the average carrot size for an engagement ring?|||It's really impossible to answer this. Not just because everyone has different tastes, but because any "averages" you might be able to hunt up will be provided by industry organizations. That means the jewelry stores that belong to the organizations will have reported the sizes of what they market as engagement rings, and then the organization will have spit out the mean like it, well, means something.





But it doesn't. Because not only is a mean really useless (you can have a lot of small diamonds averaged in with a few whoppers and get a really inaccurate picture from that), but the "average" itself won't take into account a whole, whole lot of engagement rings that aren't sold as such.





Say the jewelry store has their expensive diamond rings labeled "engagement rings" and their less expensive rings labeled "promise rings." Maybe they sell more promise rings than anything else, and maybe they sell those promise rings to men intending to propose with them. But those rings won't be averaged into the mean, because the industry organization only wants to hear about the "engagement" rings.





Why is this? Why, to skew the mean figure upward and make you think you're supposed to be buying a larger diamond than most people really buy.





The best thing to do is to ask your girlfriend to show you some pictures of rings she likes. Then you'll get an idea of the kind of stone she wants and how large she's hoping it will be. And if it's doable, great. If it's not, you guys can have a talk and try to merge her expectations with your financial reality.|||The size of the carat is not the only thing that matters when purchasing a diamond. Cut, clarity and color play just as big a factor. You can get a 2 carat diamond for dirt cheap, but it will be yellowed in color, have visible marks with the naked eye etc. The size of a diamond for a solitaire ring which is what your girlfriend seems to be interested in is also going to range depending on where you live. From state to state it jumps from 1/4 carat to 1 carat because of the average income in those areas. Less wealthy areas are of course going to have smaller lower cost and quality diamonds. I would say your best bet is to go to a local jeweler, avoid a chain store if possible because they do charge more for lower quality and actually look at the rings themselves. I've seen diamonds that were 2/3 carat cut to look as though they are much larger and 2 carat diamonds that were badly mounted and looked very small. Quality is really what matters the most and a good jeweler will take the time to really show you and teach you about diamonds. Most women would be happier with a smaller but high quality diamond then a large poor quality one. Oh and its carat not carrot hun, which is why some idiot made the comment before mine. Good luck!|||I have no idea what your budget is. I think you should ignore what the "average" is and focus on what you can afford. Besides, the average really does depend on where you are. I have a smaller than average ring for San Francisco (where I live), but larger than average ring for Arkansas (where I'm from). But, either way - I love it, it's classic, and we did not go into debt to buy it!





I really like this ring:





http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches鈥?/a>





And it includes the band. Overstock.com is almost always having some sort of sale or promo code, so I'd google "overstock.com codes" and see if there are any discount codes out there.





This is also very pretty and bluenile.com does not charge sales tax or shipping. They sell very good quality things:





http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-ring-whi鈥?/a>|||personally i have a .75 carrot ring and it's perfect for me - a friend of mine has a half and that's perfect - my mom has a 1.25 and it's perfect





forget about "average" it really doesn't matter :)





this is a taste based question


does she like small %26amp; simple (you mention simple in your question) or larger %26amp; more bulky in terms of her every day jewelry?


it needs to be something that fits her personality and that she can wear every day





talk to her closest friends and family...they're the most likely to know what she'd like





and remember quality is more important to MOST of us than size - i'd much rather have a clean shiny smaller stone than a big rock with tons of carbon in it|||Most people are focused on the carat weight. Look at the cut first. With a Whiteflash A Cut Above Super Ideal H%26amp;A diamond you will have excellent light performance where your diamond will be brilliant under most diffused lighting conditions. You can go for a little less in carat weight for your finger size and focus in on the perfect cut. The average ct weight is .5 - 1.2





Good Luck!|||average is probably around 1/2 to 3/4 carat overall, however there are some areas where salaries tend to be higher (like NYC) where the average carat size is probably higher because buyers can afford a larger ring.





Where I live now, in Central Pennsylvania, most women have under 1 carat. When I lived just outside of New York, the women tended to have 1 to 2 carat stones.|||Carat, not carrot (that's what rabbits eat).





It depends on what region of the country you are in.





You can do better on prices if you go online.





I got my wife's ring at Diamond Brokers of Florida:





http://www.dbof.com/





Or you could check out these other online sources:





www.WhiteFlash.com





www.GoodOldGold.com





www.ExcelDiamonds.com





www.BlueNile.com





Blue Nile's database is good, but they don't provide you with photos or analysis reports (ASET, Isee2, B-scope, etc) of the diamond. I wouldn't go with them for that reason.





Happy hunting.





*


*


*|||one carat, of e-g color, no less than VS clarity, with an ideal cut. Mess up on any one, and it'll be less expensive, but ugly. Educate yourself, it's a big investment. And I'd go with platinum band, not white gold; white gold is plated in platinum (usually) to make it look less yellowish, and platinum prongs never need to be tightened, gold does, or the stone falls out (eventually) and faster if you wear it in the pool, hot tub, or use a lot of bleach.