Price by carat · Reviewed November 2026
Carat is the price. Everything else is adjustment.
Diamond prices don't climb with size — they leap. Per-carat prices rise as stones get bigger, so a 2 ct stone costs several times a 1 ct, not double. Here's the whole curve at balanced quality.
| Carat | Natural | Lab-grown | Natural $/ct | Range on a $0–$46k scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.50 | $1,150 – $1,650 | $210 – $300 | $2,800 | |
| 0.75 | $2,150 – $3,050 | $290 – $410 | $3,450 | |
| 1.00 | $4,100 – $5,900 | $410 – $590 | $5,000 | |
| 1.25 | $5,750 – $8,250 | $530 – $770 | $5,600 | |
| 1.50 | $8,600 – $12,400 | $660 – $940 | $7,000 | |
| 2.00 | $14,800 – $21,200 | $980 – $1,420 | $9,000 | |
| 2.50 | $21,300 – $30,700 | $1,390 – $2,010 | $10,400 | |
| 3.00 | $31,200 – $44,800 | $1,890 – $2,710 | $12,650 |
Balanced quality throughout: round brilliant, G–H color, VS2–SI1, excellent cut (lab-grown at comparable grades). Typical US online retail. The lab strips are slivers on this scale — that is the chart.
Using the curve
Buy just under the magic sizes
Prices step up hard at 0.50, 1.00, 1.50, and 2.00 ct. A 0.90–0.96 ct stone looks nearly identical to a 1.00 ct on a hand and routinely costs 10–20% less. Nobody measures your ring with calipers.
Per-carat is the honest metric
When comparing stones of different sizes, divide price by carats. If a seller's 1.2 ct is priced at a higher per-carat rate than their 1.5 ct, something about that 1.2 is overpriced — or something about the 1.5 is wrong.
Size reads by diameter, not weight
Carat is weight. A well-cut 1.0 ct round is about 6.4 mm across; a deep-cut 1.1 ct can be smaller face-up while costing more. Check the measurements on the certificate, not just the carats.
Price your exact spec
Carat, shape, grades, and setting — one range, thirty seconds.