A three-quarter carat diamond is something of an unusual item. Diamonds are generally sold in carats and half-carats, with odd fractions usually eschewed by diamond lovers. But a three-quarter carat diamond is a very worthwhile purchase, and for a number of reasons. Let us take a look at some of them.
Odd Sizes are Cheaper
When it comes to diamond buying, there are some psychological tricks to be aware of. People love to buy diamonds in exact figures, weight-wise. So, an exact half-carat diamond will cost exponentially more than a diamond that weighs, for example, 4.8 carats – much more of a difference than is accounted for by the two-point difference in weight! A three-quarter carat diamond is a fairly round number, but it is thought of as an unusual weight for a diamond, being halfway between the small stature of a half-carat diamond, and not quite as muscular as a full carat! This can mean that if you play your cards right, you can get a good bargain on a three-quarter carat diamond, especially if you play up the in-betweenness of the size!
Cut Affects Size
The size of a diamond is seldom a measure of the weight of the stone! This might sound nonsensical, but diamonds are cut in three dimensions, but often only displayed in two – from the top, so to speak. Deeper-cut diamonds can lose some of their top surface areas to that depth, leaving shallow-cut diamonds to appear to be the same size or bigger, when in fact they are lighter from a carat point of view!
For example, deep cuts are round brilliant diamonds, princess cut stones, and some oval cut stones. Shallower cuts include the emerald cut, which is perfect for wide, flat stones, and the cushion cut which seems plump and billowy on the surface, but which wastes little material out of sight, so to speak. There is a slight trade-off: deep-cut diamonds enjoy more internal refractions and reflections and throw out a little more sparkle than their shallow-cut cousins, but even an emerald cut (the shallowest cut) allows the diamond to sparkle when placed in the right setting and the right light.
Physically a Good-Sized Stone
Physically, a three-quarter carat diamond is a decent-sized stone. Cut into a marquise cut stone, it will measure 10mm at its longest point, and as a round brilliant it will be big enough to throw out a very attractive sparkle and rainbow fire that will make it look even bigger than it is. The face of a round brilliant one-carat diamond is 6.5mm and a three-quarter carat diamond in the same cut is 5.7mm – not very much difference at all, especially when seen mounted in a beautiful piece of jewelry, such as a diamond engagement ring.
Perfect for an Engagement Ring!
And speaking of diamond engagement rings, if you or your partner have small hands and slender fingers, a three-quarter carat diamond can be absolutely perfect to look like a generously sized stone without swamping the hands, or constantly turning under the finger due to its weight and size unbalancing the fit of the ring.
Should you buy a three-quarter carat diamond? There is no reason at all why not!
