Two Moissanite Cushions

Carat Size – How Big Can You Handle It?

So you've found your bae, and want to start shopping for an engagement ring, to make it official. Typically one of the first questions that pops to mind is, "how many carats?" First instinct is to think, well, bigger is always better. But in the case of moissanite, we find our clients want to balance a big delicious stone that will garner them some attention, while making sure it's still believable. By believable, we mean that ya'll want it to pass for a diamond, and may or may not tell the world that it's not. And we are cool with that, yo. I'm not gonna tell ya how to live your life.

We also find that many customers base their ideal carat size off of popular carat sizes where they live. I've had people tell me that going anywhere near 1 carat will be a dead giveaway that it's not legit where they live, others have mentioned around 3 carats is average, and we've heard that in Germany, from one sweet client of ours, that the average carat size is 7-9. Yes, you read that correctly, 7 carats is considered a wee small engagement ring. We are actually working to source a gorgeous 10 carat NEO diamond cut or round brilliant for her, as the 7.8 carat (also known as My Precious) wasn't quite juicy enough. Oh, and our NEO guy mentioned to me a few years ago that they often sell huge stones overseas, and 10-15 carats is not uncommon. #HolyHellThatsHuge #ThatsWhatSheSaid

Moissanite Tweezers Gem Tray

 

I wonder how heavy a 15 carat moissanite is? That 7.8 carat NEO has some pretty decent weight to it. Would your arm get tired lugging that 15 carat around? I'm thinking we should get one and test it out, but I'm curious if my left arm will be all swole from sporting that monster 'round town.

We often have clients that come to us and say they want a 1.75 carat, not 1.5, or 2 carat. Which is great, and we'd love to oblige, but round moissanite isn't typically cut in that carat size. Did you realize the difference in size between a 1.5 carat and a 2 carat is one half of a millimeter? 7.5mm vs 8mm. Do ya'll remember the metric system from school? I basically didn't until I got in this biz, and I gotta tell ya, it's SO much easier than the stupid-ass standard measurement system we use here in the U.S., with inches and feet and shit. Tell me again how much 3/8" is? Gah. Anyhoo, a half of a millimeter is so freaking small, you can barely see it.

Average carat size we sell is 2 carats, and round is the most popular cut. Cushion cuts take 2nd place.

Fluff It Up: A round 6-prong setting will make your stone look a little bit larger than it actually is, vs doing a 4 prong setting.

We Do Think Bigger IS Better

Get you mind outta the gutter, girl, we are still talkin' about jewelry. What we suggest, if you are on the fence about carat size, is to go with the larger. (shocking advice coming from a jeweler, eh?) But legit - the reason is - we've never had anyone come back to us and say, "oh hell, I shoulda gotten the smaller one." 

How Big Is Too Big?

Below you'll see photos I've taken of various carat shapes and sizes on my hand. We can also refer to this section of the post as "How Many Colors Does Jen's Hand Come In?"

Carat Size Reference 1
 Carat Size Reference 2

My hand really does come in a lot of colors, doesn't it? I've got poor circulation, so you never know if we'll have a lovely pale ivory, blue-ish gray, or a bold red. (watch out in the winter if I sneak up on ya, my hands are icy and I'm likely to use them as a weapon.)

What size have YOU been dreaming about? Carat size, people, c'mon now. 😉 Tell us in the comments!

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