3 Ways to Make Your Diamond Appear Larger

  Experts offer several tips to make your engagement ring’s central diamond appear larger. In this article, I discuss 3 pro tips for enhancing the size of your diamond. I recommend using them as a guide when shopping for your engagement ring. When carefully applied, these strategies will ensure maximum sparkle for the lowest cost.  

Metal Color

Typically, experts recommend choosing a white metal, such as platinum or white gold. The idea is that the bright metal will reflect more light around and beneath the diamond, making it appear larger. According to the GIA, yellow gold and even rose gold can also make a diamond appear larger by increasing contrast. The best way to decide which metal color will work best for your diamond is to go to your jeweler’s showroom and try on some rings. Ask your jeweler to select different metal colors with the same size and shape of diamond. Make sure you try them all on, as your skin color is going to play a role, as well.    

Thin Shanks Make a Diamond Appear Larger

Perhaps the easiest way to make your diamond appear larger is to choose a ring with diminutive shoulders and a thin shank. The less metal competing with your stone, the better. (source) Again, I recommend meeting with your jeweler and seeing the proof for yourself. Ask him to select several rings with the same size and shape of diamond, some with thin shanks and some with thick. Try each one on, paying close attention to the relationship between the width of the shank and how large the stones appear.    

Add Accent Stones

Adding side accent stones offers two ways to make your diamond appear larger. First, choosing diamonds as your side stones ups the ante on the sparkle factor. Even if they are similar in size to your diamond, the added play of light will trick the eye into thinking the central stone is larger. Second of all, placing slightly smaller accent stones next to a diamond creates an optical illusion, making your central diamond appear larger. Which of these pro tips appeals to you for making your diamond appear larger? ~Angela Magnotti Andrews