All one carat diamonds do not have the same price. The price range varies largely between diamonds of one carat.Generally a 1-carat diamond can cost between $2,000 and $16,000. The price range is pretty large as it depends on other factors too. The factors that decide the price of a diamond include the 3 Cs – cut, color and clarity.
If the diamond you purchase have higher grade in color and clarity it will cost more. Also a diamond with an ideal cut will have a higher price range. A perfectly flawless and perfectly colorless 1-carat diamond will cost closer to the $16,000 price range. At the same time a 1-carat diamond with a yellow tint and more flaws will be in the $2,000 price range.
The most ideal value of a diamond is somewhere in the middle. A diamond of H color and VS2 clarity which is cut ideally could look flawless and colorless. Such a diamond will cost you just about $6k.
Another factor that greatly affects the price of a diamond is its shape. The diamond shapes which have the high price range are round, brilliant diamonds. This is because the material which is lost when cutting the round diamonds is more when compared to other shapes. The shapes which tend to be less expensive are emerald cut and cushion cut.
When purchasing a diamond, you will also notice a pretty big range, even within identical grades. To avoid confusion in such circumstances you have to be aware of the fact that diamonds of same size, cut, color, and clarity might differ in price. The reason behind this difference might be the grading of diamonds by some labs that set the standards for measuring the value of diamonds.
These labs can grade the same diamonds differently; hence the price of this diamonds might also vary. The most recommended grading are the GIA and AGS, as they have the highest standards. The price of a diamond is also determined by its value. For example, even though two diamonds have a clarity grade of SI1, if one of them has a visible black dot smack in the center and the other has a flaw at the edge but you cannot see with the naked eye then the value of the latter will be more than the first, as the flaw of the first diamond can be easily spotted.