If you've been looking at or browsing through Diamond prices I bet you've asked the question - Why are Round Brilliant Diamonds more expensive than many of the other shapes?
The answer is pretty simple...When cutting a Diamond it takes a larger rough cut diamond to get the Round shape. The Princess or Radiant tend to be more economical simply due to the fact that its easier and you waste less when cutting from rough.
So basically the square shapes tend to be better priced than the rounder shapes because they don't waste as much raw material.
If only that was the end of it. The Round Brilliant Diamond is priced higher than the other shapes due to demand and popularity. It is the most sought after shape and therefore is priced accordingly.
Lets dig a bit deeper... the most popular size is the 1-carat diamond. It's high demand also make it more expensive than a diamond in the 0.90ct-0.99ct range. In fact, a diamond slightly smaller but of the same quality will have little difference to the naked eye, perhaps 0.1-0.3mm in diameter, so opting for a slightly smaller diamond might be ideal in terms of budget.
If you do have your heart set on a Round Brilliant cut diamond, consider the size. As mentioned above, choosing a diamond 1-carat or over, will demand a premium. Also consider carefully how you prioritize a diamond’s qualities. The cut is the most important, if a diamond is cut poorly it will appear lifeless and dull. The colour and clarity are still important but it is possible to find a beautiful diamond that does not have the highest grading in these categories. For colour, we recommend choosing no less than ‘H’ and for clarity, you can get beautiful diamonds with a grade of VS2 or SI1.
If you are looking to save a bit of money remember that buying online can be the answer. In all cases we show you the GIA certificate and try to show an image of the actual stone. We also carefully purchase clean stones based on how they look to the naked eye. A lot of the time you're only paying full price because retail jewellers have already ordered the stone and have it on hand to try and sell off. We let you choose and show you comparisons so you can make the best decision based on your needs.
- Gabrielle