Verified answer

a top notch 1/4- 1/3 -1/2 carat is perfect for everyday wear.

when i was 40 i bought myself a 1.25 carat. it gets in the way and i have to take it off to do ordinary things like wash the dishes.

Personally, I would consider a large ring anything over 1.00 carats. I wanted a ring that was .50 carats and my husband blew me away with a .75 carat F/VS1 best possible cut diamond solitaire ring. It was important to me to have quality above anything else. I also wanted an unusual shape (heart) and it had to be yellow gold (I dislike the fact that white gold has to be dipped every so often to retain its color and platinum doesn't shine at all. I also like to buck the trend and white gold and platinum are way too trendy now). Any time I walk into a jewelery store, I have salespeople gawking at my ring because they've never seen such a high quality heart shaped diamond before.

The carat size doesn't matter as much as the other 3 C's, the cut (not to be confused with shape - shape may be round, princess/square, marquise, oval, heart, etc), the clarity, and the color. The cut should be as good as possible (ideal is best). Clarity should be SI1 or better (NEVER get an I1, I2, or I3 clarity diamond, they have visible flaws in them). Color is rated alphabetically with D being the best and going down. Typically, anything H or higher is considered great. Also make sure the diamond comes with certification from a reputable agency, like GIA.

I have read that the average carat weight in the USA is between .50-1.00 carats. That fluctuates a huge amount depending on where you live. Typically in richer areas, like New York City and Boston, the average is up around 1.50 carats. In the south, the average is around .33 carats.

If you want a big ring for her, I would look at anything 1.00 carats and larger, but make sure you don't sacrifice quality for quantity - otherwise you have a big rock that lacks sparkle or is cloudy and is ugly.

Don't concentrate on size, concentrate on value for money. There's no point looking at the perfect diamond if you can't afford it.

I think up to a carat is a pretty good size. However, it can also depend on the size of her hand. If she has small hands, a carat might look too big on her.

My husband got me a very good 1/3 ct diamond

He could not afford a large diamond that was as good

I would rather a smaller diamond that has the 4 c to a bigger one that does look nice

I love my diamond, my husband asked if I wanted a bigger one, I said no

My brother wife, had upgrade her diamond twice

I have met people that keep the smaller diamond because it stood for

I have met people that after awhile, get a bigger diamond

Both are right

I think anyone that get upset if you get her a small diamond, does not understand what marriage is

You can always get a bigger on for your 5th or 10th or she could say what I did, I keep the small one

You sweetheart! If you have money and position and are young, a large diamond would be between one and two carats. If you are rich and older, between two and four carats. Get the best cut and color and clarity you can.

My first engagement was at 18 and I had a one third carat and was pretty happy as we were both just starting out. If I was older and we both had money a large ring would be a different size.

I have been married for 32 years. Everyone started out small, and about 5 years in got one carats. At ten years everyone got two carat rings. At 25 years, well you do the math.

While I agree, you need to go for quality for your money instead of size, to actually answer your question anything over 1 carat is large.

I consider anything over a half carat decent, but over one carat is large.

Anything over one is large to me. I also think that anything over 1 is unnecessary and over done. I think 1/2-1 carat is ideal.

Please excuse my crassness here. However, diamonds are like penises, it is the quality, not the quantity. Ahem.