On the affordable side of 2 carat diamonds, dropping to 1. There is a reason for that. For even better bigger savings, an advanced course if you will, if you are willing to break the mold of buying a perfectly weighing 1 carat diamond or a 2 carat diamond and buy slightly smaller carat diamonds like 0.
Price per carat is the price of the diamond divided by its weight. It may sound confusing or you may wonder why diamonds are priced this way but this is basically the same as fruits and vegetables are priced per lbs… This is extremely important because not all diamonds are the same and therefore should not be priced the same and the price per carat method allows you to better compare between two different diamonds.
Consider the following example - A man walks to the store looking for an engagement ring to his future wife. He sees a beautiful classic solitaire ring with a center diamond weighing 1.
Later, as he walks down the street he sees another store with the same ring only that the center diamond is 1. This means that the bigger diamond is the better deal. He pays a bit more and gets a lot more…. It is important to know and understand that prices of diamonds increase with their scarcity.
The rarer the diamond the more expensive it is. A high diamond color diamond costs more than a low color diamond not just because it is better color - but also because these are extremely hard to find. Same goes for large diamonds. It is by far harder to find a gem quality diamond weighing 2 carats than a similar diamond weighing 1 carat.
As a result, the price per carat of a 2. In other words, two 1 carat diamonds cost less than one 2 carat diamond - in fact - far less Let me ask you the following question — Would you rather buy a 1.
Same question regardng a 2. Most people would rather walk the extra mile or pay the extra 0. This is why ontop of what we mentioned above about the scarcity of diamonds causes higher prices, while diamonds are in fact priced per carat, the price per carat changes between weight steps or weight classes and as a result the prices of diamonds are not increasing linearly but rather exponentially - supply and demand. Meaning, that the price per carat of a 1 carat diamond is higher than the price per carat of a 0.
And in case you wonder, I doubt if you could find a 1. And the diamond cutter's goal is not the brightest and most brilliant diamond but rather the most valuable one.
Heavy men are not necessarily bigger. On the same note, heavy diamonds are not necessarily bigger! Just keep this in mind that "settling" on a diamond carat that is slightly less than originally intended a "lighter" diamond does not mean that it is smaller.
And therefore - my advice to you, if you are on a budget and we all are , instead of settling on other factors of the 4 Cs such as diamond color , you can step a little below the weight class that you had in mind and save A LOT of money. The weight steps which have an effect on the price per carat are: 0. On September 25th , a 9. There is very little that is known about this diamond at the moment. If you want to play with it and check the valuation, feel free to use our diamond price calculator above.
How Much Are Diamonds Worth? James Allen Blue Nile. Diamond Price Chart. Actual Diamond Prices. Diamond Prices Explained. Diamond Price Calculator.
The heavier the carat weight, the larger the diamond. Fun fact : The word "carat" comes from carob, a seed from the carob tree in the Mediterranean. These seeds have a very uniform weight. In the ancient days in Europe and the Middle East, they were used as a weight reference for traders - especially when dealing with gemstones where slight differences in weight are important.
Carat has the largest impact on diamond prices. Let's look at how that happens. These diamonds all have a color of H , clarity of VS2 , and an excellent cut. The difference is the carat weight. Screenshot from James Allen Website.
The diamond price increases exponentially as the carat goes up. It again doubles when you go up to. This is because it gets more rare to find raw materials good enough to make larger diamonds. Pro tip : The largest price jumps are at those desirable half-carat and whole-carat points. To get a better value, look for a diamond just slightly under the whole number.
But a 0. Would anyone be able to tell the difference? Here's the math : A 1-carat round diamond is around 6. This is literally just a difference of 0. But you can save a lot. Don't spend the money on something you can't even see. Shop for diamonds at James Allen, a CreditDonkey 1 recommended partner for the best online experience. We're saying this now and we'll probably say it a lot more before the end of this article. Cut is what makes the diamond shiny and sparkly. And it can literally make the diamond so sparkly that it hides inclusions and masks slight color.
Cut refers to proportion, symmetry, and polish - NOT shape. A rough diamond has no shine. A diamond only sparkles because of how it's cut and how light bounces off each angle and facet.
A poorly cut diamond will leak light and therefore appear dull. While a well-cut diamond will reflect light and look super brilliant. You can easily see that the better the cut, the more beautiful the diamond. That's why it's so important to get the best cut you can. Not only do you get a diamond that sparkles, you can also afford to down a bit in the other Cs. The diamond on the left is 1. The surface area is 6. The diamond on the right weighs in at 0. The two diamonds have the same surface area , so face up, they are both the exact same size.
So, it's not going to appear as brilliant as the other diamond. It may not hit that coveted 1 carat mark, but it looks just as large and will be a lot more sparkly.
The diamond price jumps quite a bit to the excellent cut, but this is an area where that extra money is well worth it as the difference in quality is very visible.
If your budget is tighter, go down in the other Cs before you go down in cut. Tip : Our favorite retailer for high-quality cut diamonds is Whiteflash. It has one of the largest inventories of ideal cut diamonds in the world. Each diamond comes with light performance imagery, so you can be confident in your purchase. James Allen also has their own line of super ideal diamonds, called TrueHearts.
Blue Nile 's premium collection of diamonds is called Astor by Blue Nile. A lot of people think that color and clarity affect how brilliant the diamond is. In fact, they have nothing to do with it. However, color does still make an impact on the overall beauty of the ring.
Color refers to a slight yellow tint in colorless diamonds. True colorless diamonds are extremely rare and therefore, priced at a premium. Most diamonds have a slight yellow tint, but most of the time, it's undetectable to the naked eye. The difference in price as you go up and down color grades is truly staggering.
Here's an idea of how wildly it swings. All these diamonds from James Allen are 1 carat with a clarity of VS2 and an excellent cut. The only difference is the color. But here's the thing: Most people cannot tell the difference between colorless and nearly-colorless diamonds. And there's really no point in splurging on something with no visible difference. To get the best value for your money, we recommend going with H. It's in the near-colorless category, so the price is cheaper, but most people can't see a yellow tint at all.
Expert tip : If you're examining diamonds in person at a store and not sure whether a diamond will appear yellow without all that bright store lighting , here's a trick you can do. Fold a pure white business card in half and place the diamond in the crease. Look at it away from the spotlights. If you see any yellow at all, it will also appear yellow when set in white gold or platinum.
This diamond is most likely at best a J or K. The three diamonds below - from left to right - represent an F diamond bottom of colorless range , an H diamond middle of near-colorless range , and a J diamond bottom of near-colorless range. Looking at them face up, can you really spot a difference? The color of the setting can make a huge impact. H is a good choice for a platinum or white gold engagement ring.
For yellow gold or rose gold bands, you can go down to a J or even K color diamond and it'll still appear white against the band. What if H is still out of your budget? Easy - go down in color even more. Personally, we'd rather have a J-colored diamond with an excellent cut than an H diamond with just a fair cut.
Clarity refers to the flaws on a diamond. There are two types of flaws: inclusions internal flaws and blemishes flaws on the surface. It doesn't actually really matter if your diamond contains flaws most do. All you have to do is get a diamond with flaws you cannot see called "eye-clean". You don't need a high clarity diamond for it to be eye-clean. Clarity is last of the 4Cs on our list for the simple reason that you cannot see most flaws with the naked eye.
Clarity grade is assigned based on what flaws can be seen under 10x magnification. In real life, nobody is going to examine your engagement ring that closely. A flaw would have to be pretty major to be visible to the casual observer. We recommend VS2 as the most bang for your buck. The VS clarity grading refers to diamonds that have more noticeable flaws under magnification but most likely can't be seen with the naked eye.
VS2 diamonds are a generally safe bet that they will be eye-clean. If VS2 is out of your budget, it's possible to find eye-clean diamonds in the SI1 and SI2 range, and even I1 if your budget is truly limited.
Let's take a look at the price differences as we move up and down in clarity. All these diamonds are around 1 carat, an excellent cut, and a color of H. Internally flawless diamonds are priced so high because of how rare they are. But just like with color, you will not be able to appreciate this because the difference isn't visible. If it's the latter, you may have some flexibility budget-wise here.
An alternative shape also makes for more unique engagement rings. Round diamonds are the most expensive and most traditional. Their popularity is due to the fact that round diamonds exhibit incredible brilliance.
But if you think your girl could appreciate a unique shape, consider other diamond shapes as they are all cheaper than round. Princess cut diamonds are the second most popular shape because they are almost as sparkly as round diamonds. Princess cut diamonds are edgy and contemporary, yet still feminine and delicate.
Oval diamonds put a modern, elegant twist on the classic round. It is for the girl who appreciates tradition but likes to express individuality. Oval diamonds are in the family of brilliant cuts, so they are close to round in terms of brilliance. Other fancy cuts, such as pear and marquise , scream for attention. A woman drawn to these likes to stand out in a crowd. These shapes are also great because they often look larger than a round diamond of the same carat weight.
Step cuts, such as asscher and emerald , were very popular during the art deco period. These are for the sophisticated lady with vintage tastes. Pricewise, here's how they compare, using the benchmark of 1 carat , H color , and VS1 clarity to control for the other Cs. Fancy-shaped diamonds are not given a cut grade by GIA, so they are a bit more challenging to buy. If you're considering one of these alternate shapes, make sure you do the research and talk to a trustworthy jeweler who can tell you if the diamond is cut well or not.
If you're purchasing online, make sure you purchase from a website that shows you actual magnified photos of the stone such as James Allen. Which diamond shape do you like best? These labs all have their own grading criteria and standards. These two labs are the most respected worldwide and have the highest, most consistent grading standards. Other labs may inflate their quality by as much as two whole grades. You'd be paying for an inferior product that just looks good on paper.
But this is an area that you absolutely should not compromise on. Did you know : The Federal Trade Commission legally allows a jeweler to be off by one color and clarity grade.
This makes you think you are getting a better diamond and they can fetch a higher price. These two labs have the most accurate grading practices. There is one last characteristic you need to know about - diamond fluorescence. Fluorescence is when a diamond shows a soft glow under ultraviolet light usually blue. This is caused by certain minerals in the diamond.
This effect is totally natural, appearing in one third of all diamonds. But the FL designation simply means that there are no inclusions or blemishes visible to an experienced diamond grader under 10x magnification. Each lower clarity grade means a lower diamond price without sacrificing anything but rarity!
In most cases VS2 and often SI1 fall into this same category. You can read our complete guide to diamond clarity for an in-depth explanation. Diamonds have traditionally been cut with a philosophy of retaining as much weight as possible rather than for maximizing their light performance.
This targets the emotional aspect of buying a diamond and hitting the magic weights — great for shady jewelers who want to pedal big, subpar diamonds, but not so great for buyers. However, some cutters are approaching the craft differently and are willing to sacrifice some weight to make the best possible diamond. Naturally, these diamonds command a higher price. Diamond enthusiasts in the PriceScope community favor modern cut quality analysis with a heavy emphasis on advanced imaging to be able to detect any issues with light performance.
What you need to know: While other quality factors offer flexibility for your budget, cut should not be compromised. Precision cutting adds a premium to the price versus a generic diamond with unproven optics, but this premium is well warranted in terms of the value associated with getting the most beautiful diamond possible in a given budget.
Read our full diamond cut guide for a detailed look. The price of a diamond can be split into two value factors: quality and rarity.
Diamond prices are essentially predicated on rarity factors, but a D grade diamond rarity can be indistinguishable from a G quality. If you just want the rarest diamond for your budget that is easy; just buy the biggest D FL diamond you can afford! But if you want the best value without compromising beauty, separating rarity and quality is the first step.
A well-cut diamond several steps down the grading scale in terms of color and clarity can be visually indistinguishable from a D FL — less rare but just as beautiful and a better price. Not to be confused with cut, shape refers to the outline — quite literally, the shape you see when viewing the diamond from above for example, an oval shape, a heart shape etc.
For fancy cuts, the demand is generally lower VS round brilliants and thus they tend to demand lower prices. To view the average and lowest prices for each diamond shape, simply click on the shape that interests you. What you need to know: It can be more difficult to scrutinize fancy cuts; personal preference is likely to play a big part in your choice should you stray beyond the classic round brilliant.
Your best bet is to read our complete guide to diamond shapes and refer to our Price Charts. Selecting less popular shapes can be a great way to pull back the budget providing you love them, of course. In the modern marketplace, most diamonds of significant costs are accompanied by a laboratory grading report. But not all laboratories are the same in their thoroughness or grading accuracy, and this has a bearing on the prices of the diamonds offered.
The cost to have a diamond certified by the GIA or AGLS is reasonable and the best vendors will happily pay this to demonstrate their commitment to consumer transparency. What you need to know: A grading report is essential. In terms of diamond price, it tells you the precise attributes of your diamond and lets you know exactly what you are paying for. Any diamond can be submitted to these labs for grading — the difference in price between the top tier and lower tier labs is down to the level of analysis.
A reliable diamond report has a positive impact on diamond prices! Read more about diamond certification in our guide to diamond grading. Time to brush up on your economics! Diamond prices are determined by supply and demand in the same way prices for just about everything in a free market are determined.
Both supply and demand are subject to many influences. The informative, interactive chart below shows diamond price trends over time broken down by size range. Many people ask — is the price of diamonds going down or up?
With this chart, you can answer that question with a real-time sense of the market. You can select the diamond shape you are interested in learning about from the drop-down box and price data from the system will automatically populate the graph. The diamond price chart to the left shows price changes for loose diamonds since for D-I color VVS2-SI2 clarity in several carat ranges from Pricescope diamond comparison listings.
The table above gives you a quick read on size ranges that have recently changed price giving you an up-to-date view of market trends. But those of you looking ahead may be asking yourself, why is diamond resale value so low? Fortunately, our community of experts has several informative discussions regarding diamond resale value and what you can expect should you choose to sell. Our tip is to look for vendors with a strong buy-back or upgrade policy — this offers more assurance than gambling with the second-hand market.
PriceScope has been one of the most important community websites for information and discussion about diamonds for decades. Visitors to the site can get expert guidance from their more experienced peers and can ask questions through our forum of seasoned trade professionals about all things related to diamonds and diamond prices.
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