Diamonds $2,500 to $5,000

Above $2,500 the arithmetic changes. In the budget ranges below this one, most of the decision is about how to reach a respectable size. Here size is no longer the constraint — a two carat mined stone or a three to four carat grown stone is comfortably within reach — so the question becomes which specific stone, and cut stops being a preference and becomes the entire purchase.

The reason is scale. A slightly deep pavilion or a heavy crown is a minor flaw in a half-carat stone and an obvious one at two carats: the light leakage is larger, the dead centre is wider, and the stone reads dull in exactly the ordinary indoor lighting where it will spend its life. At this budget there is no reason to accept it. Filter to Excellent, then compare within that.

Clarity deserves a little more respect here too. Inclusions scale with the stone, and an SI1 that would be invisible at 0.70ct can be findable at 2.00ct — particularly in step cuts, where there is nowhere for anything to hide.

Every stone in this range carries its original GIA, IGI or HRD report and a 360° video.