What's a good diamond/stone size for tiny fingers?

NoraMark

Hi all!

My fingers are pretty small - ring finger is a 3.5. My BF and I are looking at e-rings now, but I'm not sure how big of a stone I want! Does anyone else have photos of rings on size 3 - 4 fingers? Suggestions about what would look okay?

Budget-wise, we'd probably do a 1k or so as the largest, if we do a diamond. However, I don't have a huge attachment to diamonds but I do have a commitment to being smart about money, so we're thinking about clear moissanite now. It's pretty, and durable, and I don't care if it's not a diamond. So with that, we could go bigger.....but I don't want it to look "fake"!

I'm 23 and he's 26 - both employed full time, average-lowish incomes. We're not in a crowd that expects huge rocks. I actually really like large statement rings even though I have small hands - I wear them often, so I'm not worried about the ring overall looking too big or clunky on my hand. 

I've tried on some rings but it's reeeally hard for me to get an idea of the stone size because all the sample rings are like 4 sizes too big for my hand so it doesn't look the same. Any suggestions would be welcome Thanks!

lilacck28

Yay for ring shopping! Congrats! so exciting. 

I think @eilis1228 has small fingers (size 3.5?) and a 1 or 1.5 carat round moissanite. So, she could be very helpful for you! Show us pictures lady! 

I have size 6 fingers (chubby stubby things) and my diamond is .92 carats (marquise shaped though, so I think the carat weight is even less equivalent to face up size than round diamonds, so kind of hard to judge that way.) 

Anyway, I think a ring that has a carat worth of stone looks good on tons of people, and there's a reason it's kind of the go-to standard.. But I also like rings that are 1.5 carats. And .75 carats. And .35 carats. And rings with halos. I like all rings (though my preference leans away from HUGE rocks.)  I don't think you can go too wrong here. Here's a picture of my stubby fingers with my engagement ring. And one with my new wedding band. I'm in a sharing mood.  

ps- the boards get kind of quiet on the weekends. You'll prob get a few more responses next week. 

ETA: the knot is being weird with my pictures today. They seem to work if you click on the picture symbols though. 

NoraMark

Thanks for the reply @lilacck28! You've got a pretty cool ring  

I agree too that I like lots of different kinds of rings. For myself, I'd like to get a princess cut - and I know those usually appear smaller than say a round brilliant of the same carat weight. But I just love the square shape too much. 

I've cut little squares of paper out in different sizes of millimeters, then put it on a plain band on my finger hahaha. I think I'm overthinking this now.

KeptInStitches

NoraMark said:

Hi all!

My fingers are pretty small - ring finger is a 3.5. My BF and I are looking at e-rings now, but I'm not sure how big of a stone I want! Does anyone else have photos of rings on size 3 - 4 fingers? Suggestions about what would look okay?

Budget-wise, we'd probably do a 1k or so as the largest, if we do a diamond. However, I don't have a huge attachment to diamonds but I do have a commitment to being smart about money, so we're thinking about clear moissanite now. It's pretty, and durable, and I don't care if it's not a diamond. So with that, we could go bigger.....but I don't want it to look "fake"!

I'm 23 and he's 26 - both employed full time, average-lowish incomes. We're not in a crowd that expects huge rocks. I actually really like large statement rings even though I have small hands - I wear them often, so I'm not worried about the ring overall looking too big or clunky on my hand. 

I've tried on some rings but it's reeeally hard for me to get an idea of the stone size because all the sample rings are like 4 sizes too big for my hand so it doesn't look the same. Any suggestions would be welcome Thanks!

I'm a proud owner of moissanite (the engineer in me loves it). It is not a "fake" stone, but be sure you like it for its own properties and not just because it's a "colorless" stone. (That second set of quotes might be pedantic.) It has a crazy amount of fire, way more than a diamond, which can lead to people thinking it's a "fake diamond," which really isn't fair.

Anyway, I have a size 5.5 finger and a 0.75cte (carat equivalent) moissanite with the Forever Brilliant enhancement.

lilacck28

Thanks, I like it  

I did the same thing with my wedding band. I cut out strips of paper that were 1mm vs 2 mm vs 3 mm. 

I think a 1 carat moissanite will be great. Look at settings! Those make a big difference too. A thin band (usually 2mm or less) makes the stone appear larger, as will a halo (though I don't think I've seen many halos on a princess cut...)

Something to note: If you're like me, your ring may not be perfect...because I like too many things and "perfect" just didn't exist! I didn't have an "aha!" moment with either ring! Go with what fits within the price that works for you guys, and what seems good to you (as in, what you think you may like best aesthetically, or something that fits within the general parameters of what you think you like--princess cut, type of side stones,no side stones, color metal). And don't forget about practical things like your lifestyle, finger changing size, etc. 

For me, I wanted a setting that was platinum, with a very thin band, and had small pave stones that went halfway around. My stone was already determined-- it was from my mom. I found many in brick and mortar stores that fit those specifications, but only one that fit those parameters and was also within budget. 

I guess I'm also a bit too logical to have felt like "yes! this is it! this is the only one that will make my heart sing!", at least in the shopping phase. 

Your affection for your ring will seriously sky rocket when you're engaged/ married (to be clear, I'm not married yet!). The whole 'symbol of your love" thing sounds totally cliche and overblown and yet... kinda happens! I'm not so logical about my rings anymore. They give me warm fuzzies now. 

pps- check out weddingbee and pricescope if you haven't already. They have lots of ring pictures. 

kaitlynmichelle

My finger is a size 4.5 - the center diamond is .39 carats and the sapphires .33 each, and the tiny diamonds I can't remember. The total carat is something like 1.25 for the whole ring.

kaitlynmichelle

Here's another picture, it posted before it added this one.

eilis1228

@lilacck28‌ has a good memory! I have size 3.5 fingers, and I've git a 1.5 equiv round moissanite ring with the forever brilliant treatment. I love it! I attached a pic from my phone, but not sure if it will show up....

If you aren't sure what carat size or style of ring you want, I highly recommend going to try on rings. I was dead set on a princess solitaire, and then the FI and I tried on rings, and we both fell in love with three stone round rings.

Another thing I did when I was trying to figure out carat size was to measure the mm of each carat size on my finger. It helped me figure out what the ring would look like when it was done. I'll try and track down a pic of that and repost it to this thread.

eilis1228

Here is the pic I posted when we were designing my ring and I measured the stones out on my finger.

Peaseblossom55

I have a 4.5 sizy of ring and my diamond is just shy of a carat.

lavenderfields13

I have a size 4 ring and .71 carat pear shaped diamond. I think it looks bigger in this picture than it actually is. I certainly wouldn't mind a bigger diamond but I think this suits my small hands just fine. 

cu97tiger

I have a size 4.5 finger and this diamond is about .45 carats. I love it in this setting, but if I was getting a more traditional setting, I liked a .65-.75 carat better on my hand.

loves2shop4shoes

I wear a size 7 ring, and my diamond is 1.0 ct.  My BFF wears I think a size 3.5, and her diamond is about 0.5 cts, and it looks big on her hand.

[Deleted User]

I wear a 4.5, and my center diamond is 1.6ish oval, side diamonds are .33 each.  It's definitely big, but it's an heirloom and I love it.

loves2shop4shoes

CocoBellaF said:

I wear a 4.5, and my center diamond is 1.6ish oval, side diamonds are .33 each.  It's definitely big, but it's an heirloom and I love it.

@CocoBellaF, your H's face in that photo makes me chuckle every time.

[Deleted User]

@love2shop4shoes - It's one of my favorite pictures.  He is a goof.

GoldenPenguin

My finger is 6-6.5 (the ring is a 6.5, but is a bit big - a 6.25 would probably be perfect) and my center stone is 2.5 carat equivalent. 

minttobemrsb

I wear a size 5 ring. Mine is .65-.75 (FI told me once but it never mattered enough to remember) I was very surprised that he went with a pear cut, but I'm glad he did. I absolutely love it!

PS- I love all the rings people have posted so far! 

lilacck28

all these gorgeous rings! I never get sick of seeing them!! 

teddygirl9

If you are looking at non-round stones, don't pay as much attention to carat size as to spread. As you already stated, princess cuts will face up smaller than a round, so a 2ct princess will actually look closer to 1.5 ct round. Since square cuts are deeper, alot of diamond cutters (and probably simulants) will cut a deeper stone to hit a certain ct mark. Generally 1 ct, 1.5 ct, 2ct ect. Once you hit those marks, the price per carat goes up. So you will save alot of money by looking at 0.95 ct stones that may have a spread that is the same or larger as a higher ct stone. 

Def go try on different shapes. Personally I love ovals, they face up larger, but so do pears and marquise. Princess & cushion face up smaller, but are cheaper per carat. Also, try on halo, solitare, pave, etc. And take pictures! When you're looking its easy to get caught up and love everything, but if you take pictures you can look back later with fresh eyes.

BaytoSA2013

I wear a 5.25 and my center stone is a .93 cushion cut.  As PP have said, don't focus too much on the carat weight because each shape and cut will totally look different and face up differently.  A round with my same carat weight looked smaller to me than my cushion.  I also think it will depend on the type of setting that you are looking at.  Personally if you are going for lots of side stones or a halo, I like more moderately sized diamonds where a solitaire (IMO) can handle a bit more size.  Go out and try a bunch on and take notes on the ones you like.  I took a lot of pictures too with them on my hand so I could get a better view of what it looked like without me just staring down at it.  Have fun!!

NoraMark

@CocoBellaF wow I love that ring! Beautiful!

NoraMark

Thank you SO much to all of you ladies! My bad on not replying until now, totally slipped my mind. 

I love all the photos! Beautiful rings. The good thing about having small hands is that the stones look bigger!

This was very helpful.