Different Ways to Make your
Diamond Look Larger than it Really is

Whatever your reasons may be, there are ways to make your diamond look larger than it's actual carat weight. Just follow some of the techniques below and watch the appearance of your diamond engagement ring change before your eyes.

Make your diamond look larger
The Pave Setting

The Pave setting actually looks like an entire blanket of diamonds surrounding your center diamond. In actuality it's a setting made out of 50-100 sometimes even 500 plus little diamonds. Here's the kicker. It doesn't cost that much. These little diamonds are very abundant in nature and the ring creators of the world need something to use these diamonds for. So if you're looking for an inexpensive way to make your center diamond look larger than it really is, try using a pave setting. There's also a downside to the Pave settings. When certain complicated designs are needed the Pave setting can get almost as expensive as buying a larger diamond. Keep it simple.

Make your diamond look larger
Buy a Fancy Shape Diamond

The round diamond is the most expensive and the most popular. According to Rapaport (the company which decides what a diamond is actually worth) a fancy shape diamond can cost as much as 25% less than a round diamond. These diamond shapes being princess, marquise, oval, pear, and emerald, and many other creative shapes as well.

In the case of trying to make your diamond look larger than it really is we would suggest the pear, marquise, and emerald diamond. These elongated shapes always appear larger because the table of the diamond has a greater surface area than a round diamond. A 1 carat round diamond is pretty small looking. After all it has a small round surface area that get it's weight from it's thickness. However an emerald diamond is not really that thick. Most of it's weight is on it's long flat table. So although the round diamond is more expensive the emerald diamond will make your 1ct diamond look larger. Look at the pictures below.

1 ct. Round Diamond	1 ct. Emerald Diamond

Make your diamond look larger
Use side stones

Think about a ham dinner. If you just had ham and nothing else the meal would appear small. However when you set side dishes all around it the meal looks a lot bigger even though the main dish is the ham. The same applies with the diamond engagement ring in this case. If you bought a 1 ct princess diamond and added two other diamonds of your fancy as side stones on the left and right you will make the whole ring look inherently bigger. What you're doing is taking the eyes off of the main focal point which is the center diamond and making them look at the ring as a whole.

There's another little trick that seems to work as well. Instead of buying one large diamond you can buy several diamonds and put them into one invisible settings. On a quick glance the diamonds combined look like one big diamond. Look at the picture below.

The 3 stone look will make people look at the ring as a whole! Not just the center diamond	In the center is 9 invisibly set princess diamonds that are made to look like one big princess diamond.

Make a diamond look larger
Use your hand to your advantage

Fancy shapes such as the elongated marquise and pear diamonds on a short hand will make the diamond look larger than it really is. If you have thick long fingers try the emerald shape diamond. It covers more surface area of your finger. Remember though most of the fancy shape diamond with the exception of the marquise will show flaws a lot more clearer. Also the emerald has the ability to take on the color surrounding it which can often make the diamond look more dull in less lighted situation.

Problems with making a diamond look larger

The biggest problem that occurs when someone tries to make a diamond look larger than it really is, is they make the cut to shallow. When the diamond is more shallow the end result will make the table of the diamond more wide or elongated. Making a diamond look larger. The problem is when a diamond is cut to shallow the light can not hit all the facets needed to redirect the light back up out the top and in your eyes. Instead the light will simply enter the diamond and with no place to go will go right out the bottom. Leaving your diamond dull with no sparkle.

Your best bet to make your diamond look larger

Your best bet is keep the diamond as proportional as you can. Keep the center diamond proportional to your finger. Use fancy shapes, and use side stones. By keeping with these guidelines you are sure to find a sparkler that looks great, not awkward or out of place, and your diamond will look larger than it really is without all the extra cost of buying a larger diamond.