Jeweller Secrets: 5 Ways to Make Engagement Rings Look Bigger

In our many years in business, we’ve never heard a girl come to us and excitedly said: “Show me the smallest diamonds you have!”.  

There’s no denying that size does matter when it comes to diamond engagement rings. But, we understand that not all budgets are exactly super-sized. 

That’s why in this blog post, we would like to share our own tips to make your diamond look larger than life. Keep reading to discover how to make the most out of your budget and how to dress a diamond to make it look as large as possible.  

Round brilliant? Consider other shapes

Round brilliant is the perennial choice but it’s also the most expensive. If you’re curious why, they are the most difficult to cut from the rough stone, and they result in the most wastage.  

With less popular shapes, you can increase the size of your stone for the same budget. For example, an oval shape diamond will give you much more stone for your money.  

Here’s a more visual example: 

By putting the two shapes next to each other, you’ll notice how the oval looks significantly larger than the round brilliant with very little difference in carat size. 

Choose a slim band

Another trick you can use to make a centre stone appear bigger is to set it on a slim band. The idea is very simple, you just need to remember that the chunkier the band, the smaller the stone will look, and the thinner the band, the bigger the diamond will look.  

When you talk to your jeweller, to make the stone look more impressive, ask for a ‘pinched shank’ style – a band design that tapers as it approaches the stone.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design with slim prongs

For a solitaire diamond ring, look or a setting with slimmer prongs. Slimmer claws will cover less of the stone and it will allow you to see more of the centre stone, making it appear bigger than it is.  

Choose four prongs, instead of size, to give more focus to the stone and allows more light to enter it. It will make a diamond or any centre stone sparkle more brilliantly.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above comparison shows that the ring on the right has six chunky prongs that add bulk to the setting, and it overpowers the diamond.  

Pick a bright, white metal

Rose gold is very on trend, but if you’re not very specific about the metal choice, we suggest you pick a metal that will add shine and more sparkle when set with your diamond.  

The shiniest metal for an engagement ring is 18k white gold. A white gold band is covered in a thin layer of a very durable element called ‘rhodium’, which doesn’t only protect the soft gold but it’s also extremely white in colour and has a very shiny finish.  

Think of this technique as adding lots of mirrors to a small room to create the illusion of space.  

Another notable benefit of using 18k white gold is that it’s relatively less expensive than platinum, leaving more of your budget to spend on more carat size.  

Opt for a halo setting

Here’s another tip that will make a diamond engagement ring look larger than it really is without the extra costs involved.  

You should know that the price of diamonds doesn’t increase linearly. According to Ringspo.com, a 2-carat diamond isn’t twice as expensive as a 1-carat diamond, it’s more like 8 times the actual price. However, the small stones used in a halo setting might only weigh about 1/50th of a carat, but actually cost 1/1000th of the price of a 1-carat stone.  

This means that a halo setting can be a great way to add extra size and sparkle to a ring without increasing the size of the centre stone itself.  

Looking for a diamond engagement ring that fits your budget?

Monty Adams Jewellery Concierge offers a wide collection of clear and coloured diamonds that will make beautiful centre stones for engagement rings. We can customize a design for you that will maximize the impressiveness of your ring while staying on budget.  

 

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