1 Carat Diamond Rings: A Guide to Pricing and Buying (2023)

March 8, 2022

By Devin Jones

Buying a 1 carat diamond engagement ring? You are not alone. 1 carat diamond engagement rings are among the most coveted by newlyweds.

In this guide we will show you exactly howHow big does a 1 carat diamond look like?in a variety of hand sizes, discuss1 carat diamond pricesby shape and help you better understand what the best color rating is for a 1 carat diamond. We will also detail which ones1 Carat Diamond Engagement Ring Stylesare more popular and will show you1 carat diamond size chart.

Best color grades for 1 carat diamonds

One of the most common concerns when buying a diamond is color quality. If you overdo it (exD-Herz) waste a lot of money. If you go too deep (e.g. L or M color) you will end up with a diamond with an obvious yellow hue. So what color grade is best for your 1 carat diamond?

Color is the easiest way to overspend on your diamond engagement ring without seeing any tangible benefit.

For example, the diamonds below are a1 carat D color round diamondIt is a1 Karat Farbe I round Diamond. Both are exceptionally well cut and shine like crazy, but one costs $12,600 and the other just $7,100.

From these pictures, can you tell which color is D and which color is I?

Click above to see how much diamonds cost12.600 $And which one is it7.100 $

If you are buying an engagement ring in 1ct white gold or platinum, we recommendi coloror better, for a yellow or rose gold ring, we recommendJ CorOr you can lower these earring recommendations by one color level at a time (e.g. you can choose a J color for white gold earrings).

Below we have 1 carat diamonds in every color grade from D - K. These diamonds are allVS1 Clarity, has an excellent cut/symmetry/GIA cut and no degree of fluorescence. We also opt for diamonds with high cut values ​​(our internal metric for light performance). You can filter by the cut value for round diamonds in StoneAlgoDiamond search engine

Click on an image to see more details.

Believe it or not, the diamonds above are all different color grades ranging from D to K, top left to bottom right.

1 carat diamond price list

The above 1 carat diamond pricing table is available as an updated interactive table on our1 carat diamond pricesbook page.

1 carat diamonds in hands

A common concern of diamond buyers is whether the diamond is the right size on the recipient's finger. Of course, this is all very subjective, but we created two scenarios so you can see the difference.

Since a diamond's appearance is relative to the size of the finger of the person wearing the stone, a thinner finger will make the diamond appear larger. Here we see a 1 carat diamond in different finger sizes:

Above: 4 finger size 1 carat diamond ring

Above: 1 carat diamond ring in the 5 finger size

Above: 1 carat diamond ring, size 6 fingers

Above: 1 carat diamond ring, size 7 fingers

Above: 1 carat diamond ring, size 8 fingers

1 carat diamonds in different setting styles

When it comes to buying the perfect engagement ring, it's not the 4 Cs that most people cherish as the most important aspect of the ring, but the style of the ring itself. While there are many ways to style your engagement ring, there are a few the most popular:

• The Solitaire Scenario:The only focus of this is the center stone
• Das Halo-Setup:The center stone is surrounded by small diamonds
• The Three Stone Setting:A smaller diamond is set on each side of the larger center stone, usually the side stones are the same shape as the center stone, but you can change them as you like

Let's go through some examples of what each looks like and what it means for a 1 carat diamond. All images below show a 1 carat center stone.

1 carat solitaire engagement ring setting (aka claw setting)

As you can see in the image below, a 1 carat diamond solitaire ring draws the main focus right to the 1 carat center stone. This is the perfect setting if you are sure you have an amazing diamond and don't want to be distracted by anything. Simple and classic, this background never goes out of style. A classic 18k white gold solitaire engagement ring starts at $450 (How is the Blue Nile?).

The solitaire setup is wonderfully simple, but adjustments still need to be made. Choose the number of prongs (4 or 6) and write something meaningful on the stem to add a little personalization.

1 Carat Halo Engagement Ring Setting

You may have noticed that the 1 carat diamonds below look a lot bigger than the solitaires we looked at in the previous section. This inflationary effect is due to the halo setting, which can help make a diamond appear significantly larger. This is because the extra diamonds around the edge of the center stone are sometimes perceived as one large stone.

The effect could also be due to the center stone being proportionally much larger than the smaller side stones, making the center stone appear relatively larger. In general, a halo setting is the least expensive way to increase the "size" of your engagement ring. A 1/4 karat halo engagement ring in 18k white gold starts at $1,390.

When choosing a halo setting, be sure to match the side stones to the color of the center stone. Having the side stones at a better grade of color can make the center stone look more yellow.

1 Carat Three Stone Engagement Ring (3 Stone Setting)

A 1 carat three stone engagement ring allows you to differentiate your style a bit while taking some of the focus away from the central stone. It has an effect somewhere between Halo and Solitaire settings. The side stones make the entire ring appear larger, but the setting doesn't draw attention away from the center stone as much as the halo does. A classic 14k white gold three stone engagement ring costs about $600 for the metal setting alone (How is the Blue Nile?).

The three stone setting is a classic style that has great visual impact. Be sure to look at three different stone rings to understand your preferred proportions.

pave engagement rings

What you may have noticed during your research is that the bracelets in each engagement ring setting category are also slightly different: some are set with diamonds and some are plain metal. This is because each band can have different characteristics, the most common being the Pave band, which suits every setup. The paving as you can see below is a band where you have small diamonds all around the band. 1/4 Carat Pavé Engagement Rings in 18k White Gold from about $1450 (How is the Blue Nile?).

Pavé settings are a great way to maximize the sparkling effect of your engagement ring. Some settings are set with diamonds all around, while others leave some metal visible at the bottom.

1 carat diamond size chart

A common misconception about diamond size and carat weight is that doubling the carat means doubling the size (in diameter or surface area). But actually double the carat means double the weight. The diamond's weight actually increases much faster than the diamond's surface area, but that's a story for another blog post (ours specifically).Post visual weight in carats).

The table below shows the average diameter and surface area for round diamonds of various carat weights. If you find a round diamond deviating significantly from these measurements, it's usually a red flag: the diamond may have been cut to maximize carat weight over brilliance, for example.

As you can see the 1 carat weighs twice as much as the 0.5 carat but has only 50% more surface area and only 1.32mm more diameter.

1 carat diamond prices

according to ourDiamond price calculator1 carat diamond prices range from $1,000 to $25,000 depending on shape, color, clarity and other factors. The average cost of a 1 carat diamond ring ranges from $1,500 to $27,000 depending on the diamond and setting you choose.

What might surprise you is that a 1 carat diamond costs almost 5 times more than an equivalent 0.5 carat diamond. You probably expected a 1 carat diamond to cost exactly twice as much as a 0.5 carat diamond, right? Most people do. But diamonds don't work that way for several reasons. The two main reasons are that large diamonds are exponentially rarer than smaller diamonds and certain sizes of diamonds, such as 1 carat, are in high demand, driving prices even higher.

The good news is that a 1 carat diamond can cost 70% less than an equivalent 2 carat diamond for the same reasons. However, it is important to note that a 2 carat diamond only looks 37% smaller than a 2 carat diamond to the naked eye. This difference is because the carat is a three-dimensional measure of weight; Therefore, as the diamond grows in carat, some of that weight is added to the depth of the diamond, as opposed to the length and width seen from above. .

If you want to see it live1 carat diamond pricesYou can see them here:

• 1 carat asscher diamond prices
• Prices for 1 carat cushion diamonds
• 1 carat emerald diamond prices
• 1 carat heart diamond prices
• 1 carat marquise diamond prices
• Prices for 1 carat oval diamonds
• Prices for 1 carat pear diamonds
• Prices for 1 carat princess diamonds
• Prices for brilliant 1 carat diamonds
• Prices for 1 carat round diamonds

1 carat diamonds from the laboratory

Lab grown diamonds have become widely available in recent years and cost significantly less than natural diamonds. The average 1 carat lab diamond currently costs about 25% of the price of a similar 1 carat natural diamond. You can exploreLab grown diamond pricesat StoneAlgo and compare prices online from a wide range of jewelers to ensure you find the best price.

Is a 1 carat diamond good?

Is a 1 carat diamond big?

The average 1 carat diamond measures 6.42mm in diameter (about 1/4 inch) and weighs 0.2 grams. Inside1 carat diamonds in handsBelow we show you exactly how amazing this looks on an engagement ring. As the average diamond engagement ring weight is around 1 carat, we consider a 1 carat diamond to be a good size (but not larger than average).

1 Carat Diamantohrringe

1 carat is one of the most popular sizes for diamond earrings, but you should know that earrings are usually measured in terms of total carat weight (ctw), which measures the total weight of the two earrings together (ring settings of 1 carat). Commitment to halo and pavé are also measured this way). Therefore, a pair of earrings with a total weight of 1 carat is typically a pair of 0.5 carat diamonds with a total weight of 1 carat.

One of the most important options, at least for your classic diamond earrings, is choosing a quad, triple, or bezel setting. For each of them you can of course choose different metals and colors according to your personal taste. We've dedicated an entire post to earrings, covering everything from budget to specs to color/metal combinations (Diamond Earrings Buyer's Guide).