“Give me the smallest diamond you have” said no bride-to-be ever. No, most of us want a diamond that not only has a beautiful cut, color, and clarity, but also a large carat weight, which is mainly determined by the size of the diamond. And we want all that while staying within our budget. A little work around for this dilemma is to make your diamond look bigger than it actually is. The tips below can help you do that. In fact they’re commonly suggested for people who are shopping for engagement diamond rings and want to get the best quality diamond rings without breaking the bank.

Go Oval

The elongated shapes such as oval, marquise or emerald make diamonds look larger than they really are because they have more mass at the top of the diamond (also called the table) and they take up more real estate on the finger itself. All of this gives the appearance of a stone that is larger than it really is. An added bonus? Oval-shaped diamonds are also less expensive than the more common-shaped, round diamonds.

Oval center stone in simple claws

Slim Band and Slim Prongs

Selecting a more delicate, slim band and slim prongs for your diamond is another way to make your diamond look bigger. The comparison between the diamond and the metal helps enlarge the appearance of the diamond. This also applies to the number of prongs; the more prongs there are, the more metal there will be, which will decrease the visibility of your diamond.

Slim band with simple claws makes the diamond the hero

Choose a Bright White Metal for the Band

If you’re open to a different metal for your band rather than traditional gold, consider a pure white metal like platinum or white gold, which will act as a mirror and reflect the diamond’s colorlessness, giving the impression of a larger diamond.

Platinum set solitaire round white diamond

Platinum Prongs Too

Using prongs made from platinum helps make a diamond look larger because the platinum color blends in with the diamond creating the illusion of a larger diamond. Don’t worry if your band is from yellow gold either; your diamond ring will look just as gorgeous with platinum prongs and you’ll get the desired effect of a larger looking diamond.

Choose the Right Setting

Halo and illusion settings are not only beautiful, but also have the effect of making the center diamond appear larger. The metal in an illusion setting is designed to look like the facets in a diamond so the overall effect is to make the actual diamond appear larger and more brilliant than it actually is. The halo also makes the diamond look larger because the design of the halo is to surround the center stone with smaller, shimmering accent stones which accentuates the center stone.

Pear diamond halo set with diamonds along the band

Add a Diamond Pave Setting Along the Band

A pave setting, which is created by setting many small diamonds close together in tapered holds, creates the appearance of an uninterrupted flow of diamonds. This effect helps make the center stone appear larger too.

Center stone in partial bezel complemented by stunning pave setting

Intricate Details

When you add to the brilliance and shimmer of your diamond the effect it has is to help your center diamond look larger. One beautiful way to add this detail is with engravings or milgrain details along the shank. These types of details add to the shine and shimmer of your ring as well as help make it even more beautiful.

Cushion cut, halo engagement ring with delicate filigree details

Keep it Clean

Clean diamonds sparkle more brightly and reflect more light which gives them the illusion of being larger than diamonds that lack luster and are dull or dirty. Bottom line: keep ’em clean. For tips on cleaning your jewelry, please have a look at this article on cleaning fine jewelry.

Be Flexible

Lab-grown diamonds offer a beautiful, but less costly alternative to natural diamonds and can help you stay within your budget if you find that the natural diamond you have your heart set on is still too costly. For more on the subtle differences between natural and lab-grown diamonds, this is a good article to read.

Emerald cut double halo engagement ring

Final Thoughts

We hope you found these tips helpful and that your journey to find the perfect engagement ring is exciting and fun. If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to leave us a comment. We’d love to hear from you. And if you’re ready to have the perfect diamond engagement ring custom made just for you, just start your project below.

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