Rough diamonds can be used in several ways but even the highest-quality stone may not be able to achieve its full potential without the right cut. A diamond's cut can bring out its qualities just as a haircut can highlight particular facial features.
The Reasons Diamond Pricing Varies by Shape
You won't find a clean, cut diamond straight out of the ground. Diamond cutters cut rough diamonds into a specific shape from rough diamonds.In general, between 20 and 60 percent of the rough stone's original weight is removed during the diamond cutting process.
Different diamond shapes can remove different percentages of their rough diamonds. In general, 80 to 90 percent of the carat weight of the rough diamond is used in cutting a clean-cut diamond. Cutting the rough stone only loses 20% of its weight.
The cutting and polishing leave about 40% of a round diamond's original stone. A rough diamond hasabout 60% of it’s original size as a result. As part of the process, discarded material from the removal process is not usable for other diamonds.
The impact on pricing is significant because of this. Depending on what shape you're looking for, prices for different diamond shapes can vary significantly because of the amount of rough diamond used for each shape.
Similarly, a princess cut diamond for the same price would be 8% heavier than a round diamond with a $5,000 budget.
Prices Of Every Shape Of Diamonds
Each diamond shape's average price is listed below. Loose diamond prices are among the most competitive in the industry, so we used them to find pricing information for each diamond.
For comparison, we have chosen diamonds weighing exactly one carat. The closest diamond to 1.00 carat was chosen if a diamond of precisely one carat was unavailable.
Our search has also been limited to diamonds that come with GIA certificates. Providing an expert grading of a diamond's quality and value is an essential feature for any diamond.
Let's begin our comparison of diamond prices by looking at the round brilliant shape, the most popular diamond shape.
1) Prices For Round Cut Diamonds
Most diamonds are cut in a round, brilliant shape. Around 75% of diamonds sold worldwide are round cut diamonds.
Most diamonds are round cut, which is the most expensive shape. Cutting and polishing discard a large portion of the rough diamond, which accounts for this. The average round cut diamond uses approximately 40% of the original stone.
2) Diamond Prices For Princess Cuts
In popularity, princess cuts are second only to round brilliant cuts. A square surface and an inverted pyramid shape make up the surface. In contrast to the brilliant round cut, it offers significantly lower prices because of its unique shape.
During the cutting and polishing process, a relatively small percentage of the rough diamond is wasted, which accounts for the princess cut's low price. Diamonds cut into princess shapes can consume as much as 80% of their original stone compared to diamonds cut into rounds.
The price of this beautiful diamond is $2,030 for a 1.00 carat, J colour, SI1 ideal princess diamond. A round brilliant cut diamond is about 40% more expensive per carat than this diamond.
3) Prices For Cushion Cut Diamonds
Diamonds with cushion cuts have square shapes with rounded edges, like pillows. Several variations of the cushion cut are available, all of which produce an incredible amount of fire and sparkle due to the precise light dispersion.
The cushion cut is one of the best diamond shapes because of its cost. Cushion cut diamonds are affordable as only a tiny percentage of the original rough diamond is discarded when cutting and polishing them.
An excellent cushion cut diamond 1.00 carats, J colour, SI1 caught our eye. It is exceptional value for money, available for $2,050. In addition, we discovered this slightly larger diamond priced at $2,479, which is 1.01 carats, J colour, SI1.
4) Diamond Prices For Emerald Cuts
In emerald cut diamonds, you will find a large, flat table that produces impressive reflections because of the long, straight lines called "steps". Some emerald cut diamonds are square-shaped, but they are generally rectangular.
The emerald cut uses a significant amount of rough diamond, like the princess and cushion cuts. Consequently, it offers exceptional value for money. This diamond cut also appears more extensive than many other diamond cuts of the same carat weight because of its unique shape.
This is a 1.01 carat, J colour, SI1 emerald cut diamond. A GIA report is included with the diamond, which offers outstanding value for money at a price about 34% lower than a round diamond of the same size.
5) Diamond Prices For Oval Cuts
As their name suggests, diamonds with an oval cut are shaped like ovals. As well as offering excellent brilliance, this shape is highly durable.
Oval cut diamonds use a more significant amount of rough material than round cut diamonds. Thus, if you are looking for a diamond that looks large, impressive, and brilliant but don't like the price of a brilliant round cut, this shape is an excellent choice.
We found a gorgeous oval cut diamond weighing 1.00 carats, J colour, SI1 clarity for $2,440. There are the same carat weight, colour, clarity, and cut quality in this $2,721 diamond.
6) Prices For Radiant Cut Diamonds
As a result of Henry Grossbard's invention in the 1970s, the radiant cut combines the most desirable qualities of the round brilliant and emerald cuts, including brilliance and perceived size.
There are 62 to 70 facets in radiant cut diamonds, most of which are located on the diamond's pavilion. A radiant cut diamond's unique shape makes it appear larger than it is due to its similarity to emerald and oval cut diamonds.
We found this stunning radiant cut diamond with 1.00 carats, J colour and SI1 clarity for just $2,250. This diamond is 34% less expensive than the brilliant round diamond featured above.
7) Diamond Prices For Asscher Cuts
A step cut diamond shape with 58 facets. The Asscher cut was developed by the Royal Asscher company in the early 20th century.
A square emerald cut diamond can look similar to an Asscher cut diamond. This shape is designed to enhance the clarity and lustre of diamonds.
Currently, it is available for $2,790 for a 1.01 carat, J colour, SI1 Asscher cut diamond. It should be noted that lower-cost Asscher cut diamonds are also available, but they have noticeable inclusions in the cut, colour, and clarity.
8) Prices For Marquise Cut Diamonds
In the early 18th century, the Marquise cut originated in France as a request by King Louis XV of France for a diamond cut into the shape of his chief mistress, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, the Marchioness Madame de Pompadour.
It can be challenging to determine the cut quality of a Marquise diamond due to its fancy shape.
We analysed this stunning 1.0-carat diamond for $2,480. It's a J colour, SI1 cut, a Marquise shaped diamond. Compared to the 1.00 carat round cut diamond further up the page, this represents a significant 26% savings.
9) Prices Of Heart-Shaped Diamonds
You can show your fiancé-to-be how much you care by giving them a heart shaped diamond.
With the heart shape, slight inclusions inside the diamond are well hidden as a brilliant cut. Therefore, an SI1 clarity diamond (the example below uses this grade) will almost always be eye-clean.
Despite their similarity to round brilliants, heart-shaped diamonds use a significant amount of their original rough diamond. Compared to round brilliant cut diamonds, they are more affordable.
The diamond in this picture is 1.00 carats, J colour, SI1 clarity, for $2,280, a 32% savings over an identical round brilliant cut diamond.
10) Diamond Prices For Pear Shapes
A pointed end at the other end of a pear-shaped diamond makes it timeless and elegant. Compared to round diamonds, pear-shaped diamonds are narrower at the other end. Your fiancé-to-be's fiancé-to-be will wear the diamond on their finger with the pointed end pointing in their direction.
Pear-shaped diamonds should have the right proportions, just like any other fancy shaped diamond.
Earlier in this article, we looked at a round brilliant cut diamond with a carat weight of 1.00 and a J colour. This diamond was 33% cheaper than the round brilliant cut diamond at the time.
What Is The Most Affordable Diamond Shape?
Diamonds with a brilliant round cut are almost always the most expensive from a carat weight per dollar perspective. As we discussed earlier, a large percentage of the rough diamond must be discarded during the cutting and polishing process.
Aside from the Asscher and emerald cuts, the radiant, cushion, and princess cuts represent exceptional value. Compared to the round cut diamond of equal colour and clarity, these shapes cost 30% to 44% less per carat.
There was almost a $1,500 difference between the radiant cut diamond and a round cut diamond of the same carat weight, clarity, and colour.
It's important to point out that no two diamonds are exactly alike, so it's impossible to make a perfect comparison. The appearance of some cuts can also be affected by colour, inclusions, and other flaws that are more obvious in some cuts than others.
Conclusion
Diamond shapes differ in price depending on their shape. Round brilliants, for example, use less rough diamond than emerald, princess, or radiant cuts, making them more expensive per carat.
A fancy diamond will give you better value for money if you are more concerned with its size than its shape in your engagement ring. With a $5,000 budget, you'd be hard pressed to find a diamond as beautiful and significant as this cushion cut.
FAQs
How do you determine the rarest diamond cut?
Developed in 1902 by Joseph Asscher, the "Royal Asscher Cut" is an updated version of the original Asscher Diamond design.
A diamond weighing 1 carat is worth how much?
Depending on the diamond's carat weight, a 1-carat diamond can range from $1,800 to $12,000. The size of a diamond does not necessarily determine its quality. It is always important to consider four factors when assessing a stone's value: colour, cut, clarity, and carat.
What is the size of a 2-carat ring?
An engagement ring with a 2 Carat Diamond is considered significant, as the average carat weight is 0.9. Engagement rings with 2-carat diamonds are noticeable and striking.
