Should I buy a one carat diamond?
Danny, I’m in the midst of trying to decide between several Brian Gavin diamonds and can’t decide whether I should purchase a smaller diamond of higher clarity and color, such as this 0.903 carat, D-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Blue diamond with medium blue fluorescence, or would I be better off buying something bigger than one carat, such as this 1.094 carat, I-color, SI-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round? Are they going to look any different in terms of visual performance? How easy is it for the average person to discern differences in diamond colors? What about the difference in clarity? Is there a reason for me to spend money on a higher clarity diamond if both diamonds are “eye clean” or is it money wasted? And what about something like this 1.192 carat, J-color, SI-1 clarity, Brian Gavin diamond? These are all around the same price, and while I kind of like the idea of higher quality, I kind of think my girlfriend would appreciate the larger carat weight more… Thanks for your help – Tim S.
The social significance of a one carat diamond:
Regardless of whether you approve of the social dynamics, there tends to be a social significance that comes with being able to say that the diamond in your engagement ring is a one carat, as opposed to smaller sizes which are no less beautiful.
Without wanting to get into a debate on the social implications of diamond sizes, the reality is that the first question your girlfriend is likely to have to answer for her friends is “How big is it?” if only because that is the easiest of the Diamond 4C’s for people to talk about.
Since very few people are savvy to the subtle differences presented by the colorless
And since both diamonds are cut to super ideal cut proportions and have an overall cut grade of AGS Ideal-0, they are going to exhibit an incredible volume of light return and sparkle… and this makes it more difficult for people to accurately ascertain the body color of a diamond.
How much does a one carat diamond cost?
As you’ve noticed, the three diamonds which you selected are all around the same price; however they are dramatically different in carat weight, color and clarity. The difference in color and clarity is helping to offset the price increase which occurs between diamonds weighing 0.99 – 1.00 carats, where the price per carat of diamonds increases dramatically.
Thus the price of the 0.903 carat, D-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Blue diamond which you are considering would be significantly higher if the diamond weighed 1.00 carats or more. Thus when somebody asks me “What does a one carat diamond cost?” the only way to answer is by asking “What color, clarity, shape, and cut quality?”
However the reality is that they are best served by determining what the various options are available within their designated price range, because as you are discovering, it’s not necessarily easy for people to discern the differences between an SI-2 and a VS-2 clarity diamond, if both diamonds are “eye clean” and they also might not be able to easily distinguish the subtle differences in body color between diamonds which are D-color and J-color without some guidance, and even then they might determine that the difference in color is not worth paying the premium in price.
For instance, if you look very closely at the photograph provided above, you might be able to detect the difference in color between the half of the diamond which is D-color and the half which I spliced in which is J-color, but is the difference extremely noticeable to you? This image was created by overlaying the clarity photograph for the 1.192 carat, J-color diamond (left side) over the clarity photograph for the 0.903 carat, D-color diamond (right side) and then scaling them to be closer in size. I venture to say that it is probably easier to see the difference in color on the black background than it will be in real life.
