Are Diamond Cluster Rings Good or Bad

March 14 2023

Walk into any Argos, or hop to any TV shopping channel, and very likely you’ll be offered the chance to buy an incredibly huge diamond ring at an incredibly low price. One and a half carats for less than £300? Yes, please!

(For a straight answer go straight to The Verdict)

But before you swoop in to snatch up that amazing deal, ask yourself this:

Am I buying a 1.5ct diamond or diamonds that weigh 1.5cts?

There’s a big difference. 

Typically, high-carat weight diamond rings should cost you an arm and a leg. So if it only costs a finger, something’s not quite right. Larger diamonds cost a lot because they’re rare: you have to first find and mine a rough diamond without breaking it, and then you have to cut and polish it without losing too much of the size. Try it yourself… Not easy, is it?

Cluster rings, on the other hand, are made using dozens of tiny diamonds all clustered together. They’re cheaper because they’re much much easier to make than solitaires. Those tiny diamonds are known as “smalls” in the industry, and they’re often made from the leftovers of bigger diamonds.

Carat Weight vs Total Carat Weight - what's the difference?

With a solitaire ring, the carat weight refers to the weight of a single stone. In a cluster ring, the carat weight refers to the combined weight of all stones. The carat weight of a cluster ring is usually referred to as the Total Carat Weight (or sometimes Guaranteed Carat Weight, which is even more misleading). In shops and on websites, you’ll often see this abbreviated to TCW.

Total Carat Weight is used as a marketing tool. It’s much more impressive to say “2-carat diamond ring” than it is to say “diamond ring”. But, when you think about it, what does TCW really mean? 

Knowing the total carat weight of a cluster ring is only useful for comparing it with other cluster rings. It should never be used to compare like-for-like with the carat weight of a diamond solitaire. They’re simply not the same thing.

Which one will sparkle the most?

There’s a massive difference visually between solitaire diamonds and diamond clusters, thanks to an important thing known as light performance.

Cluster rings can look very pretty, with each tiny diamond catching the light as the ring moves to create a twinkling effect. But the stones are too small to do much with the light. They simply reflect it.

The bigger surface area of solitaire diamonds, on the other hand, allows them to reflect, refract and disperse light. Solitaires don’t just ‘twinkle’; they don’t even simply sparkle. They scintillate with fire and brilliance. A well-cut diamond appears to possess its own light and then throws it all around for good measure. In a sparkle-off between a solitaire diamond and a cluster ring, the cluster ring wouldn't stand a chance.

Which is the best quality?

When you buy a diamond, you should know what you’re getting - for example, an Excellent Cut, G colour, VS1, GIA-certified princess cut diamond, you can tell by comparing it to other similar diamonds if you’re paying the right price for it.

Often when you buy a diamond cluster ring, you have no idea what sort of diamonds you’re getting. Some retailers will tell you, but not all. What colour grade are the diamonds? What clarity? What cut grade?

The reason you don’t know, in truth, is that it doesn't really matter that much. Cut, colour and clarity are vitally important in determining how beautiful a diamond is, but the diamonds in cluster settings are too small for those things to make much difference.

In addition, “smalls” aren't certified. So even if the retailer tells you they’re G colour, you can’t know that for sure.

You Get What You Pay For

Diamond cluster rings are almost always sold pre-set, meaning you can’t buy the diamonds without buying the whole ring. Because of this, you don’t know how much the price is the setting and how much of it is the cost of the diamonds. Combine this with the massive variety of designs and metal types used and it’s hard to tell whether the ring you’re buying is good value.

In fact, when you start to consider the price - bearing in mind you’re essentially buying smalls - that cluster ring may seem less of a steal and more of a scam.

When you buy your diamonds separately from the setting, you get to decide how much you spend on the metal, and how much you spend on the stone. Most people use this freedom of choice to buy the very best quality diamond they can. After all, the diamond should be the star of the piece.

So what about a Halo Setting?

A Halo Setting can be considered a type of cluster ring and is becoming increasingly popular. The popularity is due to its stunning features no doubt but even better is the cost, you really get a bang for your buck. This is really because the smaller diamonds that form the halo make the ring appear bigger! It’s a perfect alternative for someone who wants a large ring but can’t afford to pay the price for a large diamond. 

What’s the difference between a Halo and Cluster ring you may ask, well…  A Halo ring has smaller diamonds that frame the centre stone whereas a cluster ring just has the smaller stones together in a cluster…

Shop Halo Diamond Engagement Rings

The Verdict

So, in answer to the question, ‘Are Cluster Rings Good or Bad?’, we say they’re not so good - if you do want the overall ring to look bigger, without breaking the bank, we  100% recommend a Halo Diamond Ring, in which you get to choose the central diamond. Our most popular Halo Diamond Ring Setting is Bijou which you can choose a number of different shaped diamonds.

Another option is to choose a lab-grown diamond as the feature stone, as they represent incredible value for money and will give you the same beautiful sparkle as a natural diamond.

We can help you design and hand-make your own bespoke cluster or halo diamond ring. Find out more here.

If you have any questions about cluster, halo or any other type of diamond ring, please feel free to contact us here.

For more inspiration, why not follow us on Instagram @QualityDiamonds