1 CARAT DIAMONDS; CHEAPEST TO THE MOST EXPENSIVE

Some people have no idea what a 1 carat diamond costs (that’s 100 points of pure carbon).

So I’ll make it easy for you.

I’ll show you the cheapest round diamond I could find, versus the most expensive 1 carat round diamond (round because it’s the most popular shape).

The only thing they have in common is the size; they are both exactly 1.00 carats on the dot.

Compare diamonds:

The visual difference between these two diamonds is huge. One is full of inclusions (black carbon spots that look like pepper), and the other is crystal clear.

But the real question is;

What’s the price difference?

Hold onto your hats… compare the prices below:

CARAT, CLARITY, COLOR, CUT, POL, SYM, FLUOR	PRICE	VIEW
1.00, I1, H, VG, EX, EX, FAINT	$1,740	VIEW
1.00, FL, D, EX, EX, EX, NONE	$15,660	VIEW

WOW!

Can you believe the difference in price? $1,740 for the cheapest, and $15,660 for the most expensive (at the time of this post). And again, that’s only for 1 carats right on the dot. If we were to check out .95 carats, or .98, or 1.03… Things would change again (and be cheaper or more expensive). But that’s why I dealt with strictly 1.00 carats for this example. Just to be fair…

So let’s dive in and see why the massive difference in price.

The diamond clarity:

The cheapest diamond is I1 clarity; I1 means that the diamond has eye-visible flaws, it’s imperfect (flaws you can see without the use of a microscope or a 10x jeweler’s loupe).

The most expensive diamond is Flawless (FL). There is nothing visible to the eye, even under intense magnification. It’s perfectly clean, and gets the highest clarity grade on earth.

The diamond color:

The cheapest diamond is H color. Granted, H color is actually not a bad color at all. H is off-white and shouldn’t face up yellow in the least.

The most expensive diamond is D. The best. D is pure-white (my favorite diamond color), ultra-bright, and really lightens the stone (like there’s a spot light on it).

The diamond cut:

The cheapest diamond isn’t even cut bad either. It’s got a very good cut (one of the best), and has excellent polish and symmetry.

The most expensive diamond has triple excellent grades in cut, polish, and symmetry (the highest GIA ratings you can achieve). And, if you don’t know by now, the better the cut, the more the diamond will sparkle and shine.

Diamond fluorescence:

As often, cheaper diamonds usually have fluorescence. Fluorescence can make some diamonds look bad in natural light. It can make them look foggy, hazy, or cloudy (not to mention glow-in-the-dark under UV light).

The cheapest diamond has faint fluorescence. The most expensive diamond has none.

But here’s the funny thing:

This “cheapest” diamond, as you can see, is not the worst you can buy. It’s just the cheapest. There are far worse looking diamonds… You could absolutely go 2 grades lower in clarity, and tons lower in color (like K, L, M…)

And then, you could also find diamonds that are cut poorly and just look terrible….

Like this dark diamond below:

That diamond is not very pretty.

The point is, there will always be cheaper, or worst looking diamonds. Just like there will always be more expensive diamonds as well. Prices fluctuate daily, and only apply to stones in stock at any given time.

For most people, they generally stick somewhere in the middle. Buying not the cheapest, but not the most expensive diamond either. Usually around $4,000 – $8,000 is average.

Just like these 1 carat diamonds here:

Plus, by shopping at James Allen, you’ll save tons of money, versus shopping at any mall jewelry store.

Compare diamonds, compare quality, compare prices, and you’ll quickly see what I’m talking about.

Because when it comes to 1 carat diamonds, almost everything is visual (to the eye, and the wallet).

Check out these highly recommended 1 carat diamonds here.

Cheers! :)