1 Carat Diamonds – How Shape Affects Price?
Highlights:
Different shapes are priced differently. I looked one carat G color and VS1 clarity diamonds and compared prices.
Round diamonds, holding all else equal, are the most expensive shape; I do not know why.
SellMy.Jewelry is based around using data to find more valuable insights about jewelry and more specifically diamonds. I hope to use data produced by hundreds of thousands of transactions to help you better understand what you are buying and selling.
When I began doing research on diamonds, one particular insight that I found is that diamonds are priced differently depending on shape. A one carat round diamond costs more than a one carat princess cut; both of which are priced differently from a one carat cushion cut. I guess why I find this fascinating is that I do not fully understand it. Diamonds are all the same material (diamond). Cutting should not take significantly longer or be so much more difficult. Perhaps the amount of rough diamond need is slightly different but is that different THAT significant? I do understand demand changes the prices but would think that the market could correct for those spikes or lulls in demand.
Regardless of the reason, periodically I like to revisit and see how prices have changed. After updating the statistical model this weekend, I pulled the data for a one carat G color and VS2 diamond with a GIA Diamond Grading Report to see how prices have changed.
Below are the results. These are results for retail prices. What I pay for diamonds varies from the retail market. Interestingly enough, the price of fancy cut diamonds (or non-rounds) have risen relative to rounds. Oval and pear shaped diamonds remain the most popular fancy cut diamonds at least on the 1 carat size. Cushion and emeralds are discounted the most. Though, those shapes could be discounted because of the clarity I chose.
Below is a table with the percentages you can expect. The picture illustrates the table.
Shape Good Price Percent Discounted Round $6185 - Emerald $4401 29% Marquise $4767 23% Oval $5070 $18 Pear $5022 19% Princess $4625 25% Radiant $4550 26% Asscher $4575 26% Cushion $3464 30% Heart $4664 25%Here is a link to a high quality PDF of the graph.
