Diamond Size
Price is often given in price per carat. The carat is the weight of the stone. When a stone is well made, it should meet certain measurement standards. Be careful! Poorly cut stones are often smaller than one would expect for any given carat weight.
The base price for any given stone begins with its size. From there, the price varies on Color and Clarity. As the carat weight increases, so does the base price of your stone.
The term “cut” has two references. One is to the diamond’s shape. The other is to its quality, determined by its proportions, symmetry, and polish.
Diamond Shape
The top-selling diamond cut shape is round brilliant. All other cut shapes like emerald, oval, pear, heart, princess and marquise are considered fancy cuts or shapes.
Diamond Clarity
Diamond Color
How white is the diamond? That is the essential question of color. On the high end is white, on the other is yellow. To the untrained eye and general public, notice color and carat size first when viewing a diamond. As the color of your stone gets whiter, the price increases as well.