Many factors influence the price of a diamond. Specifically, color, carat weight, shape, clarity and cut directly affect the price on a stone-to-stone basis. Other conditions such as production limitations and capacity as well as market supply and demand also influence price at a macro level.
Diamond Prices
General Pricing
While each individual diamond price varies based on the specifics of the stone, below are some general price ranges using average color and clarity:
White
| Carat | Price per Diamond | Price per Carat |
| 0.25 | $275 – $440 | $1,100 – $1,750 |
| 0.33 | $375 – $600 | $1,200 – $1,800 |
| 0.50 | $1,000 – $1,800 | $2,000 – $3,600 |
| 0.75 | $2,100 – $3,500 | $2,800 – $4,600 |
| 1.00 | $4,400 – $7,600 | $4,400 – $7,600 |
- Price range includes VS1 to SI1 clarity for round F to H colors. Prices are subject to change.
Do note, many CVD-grown diamonds undergo a post-growth color treatment process, while HPHT-grown white diamonds are their untreated, as-grown colors.
Compared to mined white diamonds
Lab-grown white diamonds, on average, are 15-40% less than comparable mined diamonds. Millions of carats of mined white diamonds are produced every year, while only thousands of carats of lab-grown white diamonds are available. Learn more about lab-grown white diamonds.
Blue
| Carat | Price per Diamond | Price per Carat |
| 0.25 | $425 – $625 | $1,700 – $2,500 |
| 0.33 | $640 – $1,050 | $1,950 – $3,150 |
| 0.50 | $1,850 – $3,025 | $3,700 – $6,050 |
| 0.75 | $3,775 – $6,225 | $5,050 – $8,300 |
| 1.00 | $6,800 – $11,200 | $6,800 – $11,200 |
- Price range includes VS1 to SI1 clarity for fancy light blue to fancy vivid blue colors. Prices are subject to change.
Compared to mined blue diamonds
Mined blue diamonds are quite rare and can easily cost $100,000 per carat or more. Lab-grown blue diamonds are similar in price to mined white diamonds, and are far more beautiful and unique than other blue gemstones, like sapphires. Learn more about lab-grown blue diamonds.
Yellow
| Carat | Price per Diamond | Price per Carat |
| 0.25 | $250 – $425 | $1,000 – $1,700 |
| 0.33 | $350 – $600 | $1,125 – $1,750 |
| 0.50 | $850 – $1,450 | $1,700 – $2,900 |
| 0.75 | $1,425 – $2,650 | $1,900 – $3,500 |
| 1.00 | $2,850 – $4,800 | $2,850 – $4,800 |
| 1.25 | $3,550 – $6,000 | $2,850 – $4,800 |
| 1.50 | $5,600 – $8,950 | $3,750 – $5,950 |
- Price range includes VS1 to SI1 clarity for fancy light yellow to fancy vivid yellow colors. Prices are subject to change.
Compared to mined yellow diamonds
Most mined yellow diamonds are a pale canary type of color while most lab-grown yellow diamonds are more saturated intense and vivid colors. On average, lab-grown yellow diamonds are 30-70% less expensive than comparable mined yellow diamonds. Learn more about lab-grown yellow diamonds.
Orange-Yellow
| Carat | Price per Diamond | Price per Carat |
| 0.25 | $175 – $275 | $750 – $1,025 |
| 0.33 | $300 – $400 | $975 – $1,200 |
| 0.50 | $700 – $850 | $1,400 – $1,675 |
| 0.75 | $1,125 – $1,475 | $1,500 – $1,950 |
| 1.00 | $1,950 – $2,500 | $1,950 – $2,500 |
| 1.25 | $2,425 – $3,125 | $1,950 – $2,500 |
| 1.50 | $3,450 – $4,275 | $2,300 – $2,850 |
- Price range includes VS1 to SI1 clarity for fancy vivid orangy yellow to fancy vivid yellowish orange colors. Prices are subject to change.
Compared to mined orange diamonds
Orange diamonds are somewhat rare in nature, yet the easiest color to grow in the lab. Mined orange diamonds usually start around $10,000 per carat. Learn more about lab-grown orange diamonds.
Compared to mined orange diamonds
Orange diamonds are somewhat rare in nature, yet the easiest color to grow in the lab. Mined orange diamonds usually start around $10,000 per carat. Learn more about lab-grown orange diamonds.
Pricing Misconceptions
Early speculation from years ago made the misimpression that colorless diamonds would be available by the truckload for merely dollars per carat. This however, is far from the truth. The man-made diamond industry is over fifty years old, while jewelry quality colored diamonds have only been around since the late 2000’s. White diamonds have only been available in any quantity since 2012, and capacity is still a small fraction of the mined diamond production.
Colorless diamonds are very difficult to grow, with limited availability from any producer. Once a rough diamond is grown, the cutting and polishing, grading, logistics, jewelry and other costs are essentially identical as with mined white diamonds.
If you see a product claiming it is a white lab diamond for just a couple hundred dollars per carat, caveat emptor, as there is a strong possibility it may be an imitation.
Diamond Budgeting
Choosing a particular diamond is a personal preference. There isn’t a right or wrong diamond and there are many ways to adjust your criteria to fit your budget. Here are some general guidelines:
- The national average is between 0.30 and 0.50 carats, with major metropolitan areas averaging between 0.50 and 1.50 carats. The average carat weight throughout Europe is 0.30 carats.
- The national average price for an engagement ring is between $2,500 and $4,000.
- An overused claim is spending two months salary. Though this may serve as a starting point, personal preference should overrule any generic income guidelines. It is also a good rule to not go into debt when buying a ring.
- Carat weight will have the greatest impact on price. It is possible to choose an ‘underweight’ or lighter weight based on the recipients personal preferences and lifestyle
- The design of the engagement ring can justify different carat weights, such as a three-stone versus a solitaire setting.
- All clarity VS2 and higher require magnification to see inclusions, and most SI clarity diamonds are still ‘eye-clean’. Choosing clarity a grade or two lower, especially in blue, can save some money.
- Availability of specific colors, shapes and qualities. We may not have your ideal stone in-stock when you want it.
- While it may be easy to get caught up in the numbers (e.g. even carat weights 1.00, or 1-2% of a cut proportion), once the diamond is mounted and worn on a daily basis, the specific measurements are not as important as it being pretty, unique and meaningful for the recipient.
If you have any questions or would like some help determining what will work best within your budget, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Future Pricing
No one knows for sure what the future pricing of synthetic diamonds will be, though we can provide some guidance. The technology to grow diamonds is over fifty years old and gem-quality results have just entered the market in the past several years. The process is very capital intensive and there are very few companies with the technology to grow gem-quality diamonds. The costs for cutting and grading are the same as mined diamonds and hasn’t changed much in decades.
Compared to Other Synthetic Diamonds
Each diamond producer has a different distribution model. This may create slight variations in pricing. It is difficult to do a truly apples-to-apples comparison between similar diamonds, due to all the attributes that affect the price, though we will do our best to help compare diamonds. While we may not have an exact match in-stock to a comparable diamond, we can help you identify the differences between them, and give you our pricing on what the other diamond would cost from us.
Additional Information