Diamond prices: which carat for which budget
Since 2004, diams.com has published online the prices of more than 500,000 GIA-certified diamonds. This guide gives the orders of magnitude recorded in our diamond search engine on November 8, 2026, in Swiss francs, for the round brilliant, the most popular shape. Market prices can move at any time: the figures below place a budget, the search engine gives the exact price of each stone, with its GIA report.
1. How the price of a diamond is formed
A diamond is sold by the carat: its price is its weight multiplied by a price per carat. That price per carat is not constant. It rises with weight, because large stones are rare, and it depends on the three other criteria of the diamond: cut, color and clarity. At equal weight, the price therefore varies widely from one diamond to another: in our search engine, a 1.00 to 1.49 carat brilliant starts at CHF 3,080 in H SI1 and at CHF 12,840 in D IF.
Professionals refer to a list of indicative prices in dollars per carat, the Rapaport, drawn up by weight, shape, color and clarity. That list is not a transaction price: stones trade at a discount or a premium depending on the quality of the cut, fluorescence, the certificate and availability. The prices displayed by our search engine are selling prices, in Swiss francs, euros or dollars, GIA report included.
2. Weight thresholds
The market orders weights in steps: 0.50, 1.00, 1.50 and 2.00 carats. When a step is crossed, the price per carat moves up a notch, so the relation between weight and price is not linear: a 0.99 carat diamond is worth noticeably less than a 1.00 carat diamond of the same quality. Cutters know it and, on each rough stone, weigh the beauty of the cut against keeping a commercially strategic weight. The search engine follows these steps in its weight ranges, from 0.50 to 10.99 carats.
3. Prices recorded in the search engine
For each weight range, the table gives the lowest price displayed on November 8, 2026 for four quality profiles, and the number of stones available that day. Each cell opens the corresponding list in the search engine.
| Weight range | H SI1 | G VS2 | F VS1 | D IF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.50 to 0.69 ct | from 800 CHF (20) | from 1,020 CHF (163) | from 1,140 CHF (99) | from 2,190 CHF (31) |
| 0.70 to 0.89 ct | from 1,270 CHF (54) | from 1,630 CHF (90) | from 1,980 CHF (56) | from 4,050 CHF (20) |
| 0.90 to 0.99 ct | from 2,180 CHF (13) | from 2,860 CHF (22) | from 3,620 CHF (14) | from 7,490 CHF (10) |
| 1.00 to 1.49 ct | from 3,080 CHF (67) | from 4,170 CHF (81) | from 5,520 CHF (55) | from 12,840 CHF (50) |
| 1.50 to 1.99 ct | from 7,960 CHF (58) | from 10,750 CHF (57) | from 13,650 CHF (52) | from 25,270 CHF (50) |
| 2.00 to 2.99 ct | from 17,610 CHF (106) | from 22,970 CHF (101) | from 29,470 CHF (100 or more) | from 55,580 CHF (100 or more) |
| 3.00 to 3.99 ct | from 40,420 CHF (100 or more) | from 53,050 CHF (100 or more) | from 74,520 CHF (100 or more) | from 138,920 CHF (100 or more) |
Round brilliant, GIA-certified, prices in Swiss francs, taxes included. H SI1: white, inclusions invisible to the naked eye. G VS2: fine white, very slight inclusions. F VS1: fine white+, very slight inclusions. At these grades, nothing is visible to the naked eye.
4. What a budget buys
Reading the table, for the diamond alone:
- Around CHF 1,000: a 0.50 to 0.69 carat brilliant, in H SI1 from CHF 800, in G VS2 from CHF 1,020.
- Around CHF 2,000: a 0.70 to 0.89 carat brilliant, in H SI1 from CHF 1,270, in G VS2 from CHF 1,630, in F VS1 from CHF 1,980.
- Around CHF 5,000: a 1.00 to 1.49 carat brilliant, in H SI1 from CHF 3,080, in G VS2 from CHF 4,170, in F VS1 from CHF 5,520.
- Around CHF 10,000: a 1.50 to 1.99 carat brilliant, in H SI1 from CHF 7,960, in G VS2 from CHF 10,750.
- Around CHF 20,000: a 2.00 to 2.99 carat brilliant, in H SI1 from CHF 17,610, in G VS2 from CHF 22,970.
- Beyond CHF 40,000: 3 carats and more, in H SI1 from CHF 40,420.
5. The price of the setting
A solitaire is a diamond and its setting. On diams.com, the 4-prong and 6-prong solitaire rings in 18K (750) white, yellow or rose gold, made to order in Lausanne, are offered with their GIA-certified diamond: CHF 2,390 with a 0.50 carat H SI1 diamond, CHF 4,590 with 1.00 carat, CHF 9,890 with 1.50 carat. Platinum 950 adds CHF 200; F VS1 quality adds CHF 300, 2,600 and 5,800 depending on the weight. Cut, polish and symmetry are Excellent to Very Good, with no fluorescence.
6. What the price includes
Every diamond is delivered with its GIA report. Delivery is free in Switzerland, by secured and insured transport. Jewelry made to order carries a two-year manufacturing warranty and may be returned within thirty days, satisfaction guaranteed. Prices are displayed in Swiss francs, euros or dollars in the search engine.
Further reading
The price of a diamond comes from the stone, the market and the meaning societies give it: Le diamant, Book VI, chapter 1, world trade, on gemmologue.ch (in French). To rank the four criteria and choose a setting: our guide How to choose a solitaire; to read a GIA report: our 4Cs guide.
Diamond 4 C's · How to choose a solitaire · Diamond search engine · Diamond solitaires · 4-prong solitaire · 6-prong solitaire · Ring size guide · Warranty · Orders and deliveries · Contact · gemmologue.ch, Le diamant, Book VI · Diamond shapes