How to Make a Diamond Look Larger

A wedding ring is a wonderful symbol of love. What better way to symbolize that special day than making the rings you were wed with even more beautiful. Although you may not be able to afford that 3-carat diamond, you can find ways to make smaller diamonds look bigger, saving you money while impressing your friends.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Choose a diamond shape that makes it appear bigger than the actual carat weight. Longer shapes like marquis and oval shapes are good choices as are other fancy cuts like princess and rectangular. Generally a round diamond will always look smaller than any of these cuts.
2. Consider pave settings. These are simply small diamonds set next to each other so closely and often with metal that blends with the diamonds so it looks like a continual surface of diamonds, providing a richer feel. Pave settings can range from simple to intricate and the cost will rise according to the work done, so be careful to weigh the option of buying pave settings against the cost of a larger diamond.
3. Try an invisible setting and narrow bands to make a diamond look bigger. Invisible settings are done from underneath the diamond to make it look as though it floats and the narrow band adds to the illusion that the diamond is big in comparison. These are delicate rings, so care should be taken if you are active, especially with your hands.
4. Investigate other setting options to make your center diamond look larger. A bezel setting is one where the metal, normally white gold or platinum, is formed into a rim that completely surrounds the diamond and makes it sit a little higher than normal. Avoid gold bezel settings because they give the diamond a yellowish tint.
5. Look at other diamond options. Shallow cut diamonds are ones that are cut wider than their counterparts, but not as deep. These diamonds look larger, but when compared side-by-side to regular cuts, they're not as brilliant because the light isn't reflected back out the top, but lost through the shallow sides. This may not be a concern if the ring will not be near other diamonds.