HOW TO COMPARE DIAMOND PRICE
in this world has a price. Precious and rare earth elements tend to have higher
prices. Being a rare earth element, diamond has its price. Not only that, the
price of a diamond is severally affected by its quality and brilliance. In
addition, the mining and processing of diamonds is a laborious task; involving
highly skilled workforce and extensive work. By the time a diamond reaches a retail
store, it has gone through a large supply chain. Every step in this chain has a
cost. This leads to comparatively high prices for most available diamonds in
are seven main factors that should be kept in mind while comparing the prices of diamonds.
Shape, Cut, Color, Clarity,
Carat, Grading Reports or “Certifications” and diamond
fluorescence. Excellence of each of these factors
makes the difference in the price of a diamond.
are many shapes of diamonds available in the marketplace. Most common shapes
are round, princess, oval, asscher, emerald, radiant, cushion, marquise, and
pear. Selecting the
shape of a diamond
depends on your preference, but it would be the first step in comparing the
prices of diamonds. Fancy shapes of diamonds e.g. princess, cushion or
radiant cut diamonds are up to 20% cheaper in price than similar round
diamonds of the same carat weight and clarity. On the other hand, over 80% of all polished diamonds are round as it is one of the most popular cuts in the history of diamonds.
Hint, round brilliant cut diamonds are good for investment purposes and can maintain value if bought at the right price. It takes a much larger rough diamond to make a round shape diamond than it does to make a princess or cushion shape diamond, so you really aren't getting the fancy cut stones cheaper!
important factor in determining the price a diamond is the Cut of a diamond in our opinion. The brilliance of a diamond highly
depends on its cut. Not only will it not have the same return of fire, a poorly
cut diamond will also look much smaller because of its depth. We have seen
cases where a .80ct diamond would look larger than a 1.0ct diamond simply because
of its cut.
Hint, for maximizing your budget, buy a diamond that's within the very good range; it will give you great fire while also saving you the amount you would have to pay for an excellent cut. However, avoid a diamond that has a very deep or shallow cut.
Diamond Carat Weight:
important factor is the Carat Weight of a diamond. Carat is the weighing scale for any diamond
and the greater the weight, the expensive it is. Diamonds that weigh below a full
carat are generally less expensive than ones that are above a full carat.
Hint, for maximizing your budget, buy a diamond that is slightly under a full carat e.g. 0.95ct. or 1.90ct. etc. as the price tag is much lower for a slighter smaller diamond than a full carat or two. However, both would look identical in person to the naked eye.
fourth important factor in determining the price of a diamond is the Color of a diamond. Colors of white
diamonds range from Colorless to Light Yellow. Being rare, Colorless diamonds are the most expensive ones. There are 22 grades of diamond color from D to Z,
D being colorless and most expensive and Z being least desirable that is light
yellow or close to Yellow.
Hint, for maximizing your budget, buy G-I color diamonds as they look almost colorless and have great brilliance, especially G-H color ranges. For higher color grades (J-K), use rose or yellow gold settings to offset the yellow tint in the diamond.
fifth factor in determining the price of a diamond is the Clarity of a diamond. Flawless diamonds are comparable with diamonds that have “eye-clean”
clarity in terms of prices because they are appreciated for having natural birthmarks for authentication purposes (ranging from VVS1-VS2). Eye-clean clarity
means that the inclusions are not noticeable with an unaided
eye. Clarity grading determines the amount of inclusions within a diamond. Clarity is assessed based off GIA's grading scale that ranges from Flawless or FL to included 3 or I3.
diamonds are cheaper; however, we strongly advise against
buying diamonds that are not graded. The so called “appraisals” will grade a stone
that is I1 in Clarity and J in Color as SI1 in Clarity and G in Color!
Hint, never buy an ungraded diamond. GIA is your best bet. HRD is not popular in north America and therefore you might get a good deal on a HRD graded stone - the lab is almost as good as GIA elsewhere.
Depending on the type of fluorescence, it can affect the price of a diamond by 5%-20%. Please read our post on Diamond Fluorescence to understand what florescence is and what should be avoided.
Hint, buying a diamond with up to medium blue fluorescence might save you up to 10%. It can also make H-I can color diamonds look much whiter! Fluorescence can be a great ally in saving money if done right!
conclusion, while comparing the prices of diamonds, keep the above
listed factors in mind in order to get the best diamond within your budget. Knowing these factors will give you great confidence when you are in any diamond