9 Carat Heart Shaped diamond ring
Ultimate Guide To Buying a Nine Carat Heart Diamond
9 carat heart shaped diamonds are a beautiful choice – they sparkle incredibly well, which means that your ring will catch eyes from across any room!
Heart shapes are one of the less common choices for 9 carat diamond rings, which means that there may not be a huge selection available when you are looking.
However, that doesn’t mean that you should just settle for the first stone you see. This guide will help you avoid sub-par stones and ensure you get a beautiful and brilliant 9 carat heart diamond.
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Key takeaway:
There are many factors that affect price and value of a 9 carat heart shaped diamond and no two heart shaped diamonds are the same, even if the specs on the certificate indicate that they should be.
While it is possible to buy from a large retailer like James Allen, it’s usually a better idea to work with a specialist in significantly-sized diamonds, who can guide you through the process and ensure you get the most beautiful diamond and pay a fair price.
Our recommendation for this is Alon at The Diamond Oak, a third generation diamond dealer who puts a huge emphasis on personalised service and finding the right stone for each person.
I recommend you read the testimonials here and then see whether you think that Alon could be a good fit for you.
If you would like some guidance to choose your diamond
At this carat weight, it can be a good idea to get some expert help. Two diamonds that look similar on paper can appear very different in real life. My recommendation is The Diamond Oak if you:
- Aren’t confident comparing diamonds yourself
- Would appreciate some expert help in your corner
- Would like to be sure that you have got the very best diamond for your budget
If you’re confident to make your own decision
Online retailers can be a great choice as you can review a large selection of diamonds in your own time. My recommendation is James Allen, which is the best option if you’re:
- Happy to review diamonds on your own
- Comfortable with comparing diamonds based on specs, images and video
- Confident that you can make a decision yourself
How Much Do 9 carat Heart Shaped Diamonds Cost?
9 carat heart diamonds are extremely rare, so the price of an individual stone will depend on the 4 C quality factors, as well as how well the stone has been shaped.
It’s likely that the price could range from $150,000 for a diamond with low color and clarity (e.g. SI2 clarity, K color) all the way to around $800,000 for a diamond with high colour and clarity (e.g. FL clarity, D color)
It’s important to recognise that at this carat weight, there can be considerable differences between individual stones with similar specs on paper, so each stone really does need to be assessed on its own basis.
9 Carat Heart Shaped Diamond Size
A typical A typical 9 heart diamond may be around 13.65mm × 13.65mm × 8.19mm.
Here’s how it looks compared to a 8 carat and an 10 carat:
One important thing to understand when you are looking at 9 carat heart shaped diamonds is that carat weight is a measure of weight rather than size.
Carat weight is therefore spread out throughout the volume of the stone ie. length, width and depth. A shallower 9 carat heart diamond may therefore have more material available to increase it’s length and width, resulting in a stone that looks larger when viewed from above.
A 9 carat heart diamond will generally look smaller than its closely related cousin the 9 carat pear diamond ring, and significantly smaller than an elongated shape like a 9 carat marquise diamond ring.
9 Carat Heart Shaped Diamond Color
As you likely know, diamond color is graded on a GIA-developed scale from D to Z, although most diamonds used in jewelry fall into the D to M range:
Higher carat weight diamonds tend to show up color more easily than smaller stones, especially in the corners where they sparkle less.
If you want to ensure your diamond doesn’t have a yellow tint, it’s important to try and keep the color as high up the scale as possible.
On the other side of the equation is the effect color has on price.
In most shapes, the price difference between an H color, I color and J color diamond can be significant,
With a 9 carat heart diamond, the color grade you choose can be dependant on the color of the ring setting you are going to pair the diamond with. If you are choosing a white colored setting (platinum or white gold), then I color delivers a good balance of white appearance and value.
However, if you are choosing a yellow gold setting, then you can reduce the color of your diamond to K without it looking yellow, as it will still look white compared to the warm tones of the setting.
9 Carat Heart Shaped Diamond Clarity
Clarity is a measure of the presence of inclusions (or flaws) within a diamond.
The clarity scale runs:
Heart diamonds are a brilliant cut, which means that they are optimised to reflect light back from the bottom of the stone in the form of brilliant sparkle. This can mean that inclusions can be difficult to see under the facets, which is a good thing!
A good starting point for 9 carat heart shaped clarity is SI1:
However, depending on the diamonds that are available at the time you are looking, you may need to increase this to VS2, or even higher, to ensure that the diamond is ‘eye clean’ and no flaws can be seen.
Pictures of 9 Carat Heart Shaped Diamond Rings On The Hand
Higher carat weight rings mean that additional considerations can be needed to be taken into account, depending on the ring setting style chosen.
These images of 9 carat heart diamond rings on the finger will show you how big your ring could actually look.
9 carat heart shaped diamond solitaire ring
Solitaire settings are a great match for heart diamonds – the simple style is a great pairing with the elegance of the diamond.
A major trend with settings is super slim and petite bands and prongs, which are effective in making the stone itself look larger.
While these can look great, some care does need to be taken with higher carat weights, as an extremely narrow band may not be wide enough to support the stone. It may twist on the finger and become uncomfortable.
If you’re choosing a solitaire setting to match a diamond solitaire ring, I recommend you choose a band of at least 2.5mm width.
Best Place To Buy a 9 Carat Heart Shaped Diamond Ring
For smaller carat weights, my recommended retailers is frequently James Allen, which offers a huge selection of stones and can be a good option if you are confident in making a decision yourself.
However, they don’t offer diamonds at this carat weight, so my strong recommendation is to find a reputable diamond dealer who can assist you with sourcing your diamond. My recommendation is Alon Mor at The Diamond Oak.
I like this review of his service – it’s worth a read to understand just how special buying a diamond can be.
If you’d like to feel as special as the person in this review, I’d recommend getting in touch with Alon. Let him know you heard of him through Ringspo and he will go above and beyond to make the experience even more special.
Get bespoke help to find your perfect stone
At this size and carat weight, it can be a good idea to get some expert help. Two diamonds that look similar on paper can appear very different in real life. My recommendation is The Diamond Oak if you:
- Aren’t confident comparing diamonds yourself
- Would appreciate some expert help in your corner
- Would like to be sure that you have got the very best diamond for your budget
If you’d like to go it alone when choosing your diamond
Online retailers can be a great choice as you can review a large selection of diamonds in your own time. My recommendation is James Allen, which is the best option if you’re:
- Happy to review diamonds on your own
- Comfortable with comparing diamonds based on specs, images and video
- Confident that you can make a decision yourself