The price book · Reviewed November 2026
What does a diamond actually cost?
Nobody walks into this purchase knowing the numbers, and the industry is comfortable keeping it that way. Diamond-Cost is the other approach: typical prices, stated plainly, for every piece of the ring — so the first price you hear isn't the first price you've ever seen.
Start here
The three numbers that decide your price
Everything else is detail. Get these three right and you're most of the way to a fair deal.
1. Carat
The biggest lever by far — and it's not linear. A 2 ct natural stone costs roughly 3–4× a 1 ct, not 2×. Small moves in size are big moves in price.
Price by carat »2. Lab or natural
The same grades cost roughly a tenth as much lab-grown. It's the single largest price decision you'll make, and it deserves an honest look at both sides.
Lab vs natural »3. The grades you pick
Color, clarity, and cut each move the price — but past a point, you're paying for differences no one can see. The sweet spots are well known.
The 4Cs and your money »A sample price, itemized
Where the money goes
A typical build at a popular spec, priced line by line the way a menu would do it.
The guides
Every cost question, one page each
Price by shape
Round costs the most. Every other shape is a quiet discount — here's the table.
Read »Settings & metals
What solitaire, halo, and pavé cost, and what 14k vs 18k vs platinum really changes.
Read »Builds by budget
What $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, $10,000, and $20,000 each buy — itemized.
Read »Where to buy
Online, chain, independent — the markup differences and when each makes sense.
Read »Ways people overpay
Eight expensive habits, from mall financing to buying "magic" sizes at sticker.
Read »Cost FAQ
Average spend, haggling, "two months' salary," and other short answers.
Read »How to read this site
Ranges, not quotes
Every figure here is a range for typical online retail in the US, reviewed as of the date at the top of each page. Diamonds aren't commodities with a ticker price: two stones with identical paper can differ by 20% based on how well they're cut, how they face up, and who's selling. Use the ranges to orient — to know whether a quote is normal, high, or suspicious — and the estimator to get a starting number for your exact spec. The full method is on the about page.
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