Diamond Pricing Guide

[hunterths35]

I am new to diamond searching and I am in the market for an excellent diamond an exceptional price. Currently in my search I see such a difference in price between online and local jeweler loose diamonds. So I set out to establish a baseline for pricing so I can have a "bs meter" so to speak. Since online diamonds are generally sold at a cheaper price, possible due to lack of overhead, I used jamesallen to come up with a pricing guide:



Just some curious finds:
It is interesting that for some reason in the F and H range you only see a 3% increase in price when going up in clarity whereas the others are >5%. You can also see in most cases the table and depth decrease as you go up in clarity.

Maybe all circumstantial but I just want to throw it out there and get some feedback as to if I can actually use this to compare during my search. Thanks for the feed back!!


The colors (F-J), weight (1.00-1.25), and clarity shown are what I am in the market for so this guide is based on that criteria.
(PPC=Price Per Carat)

 

[denverappraiser]

Average depth and average table size have nothing to do with it. Weight is important. A 2.00 costs way more per carat than an otherwise similar 1.00 for example.

Within the boundaries of unbranded stones with GIA grading, xxx cutting, no fluorescence and similar weight I think you’ll find prices of the various stones at JA to be very close to one another. I suspect you’ll also find that the other price aggressive dealers all land at about the same range.

You’re also correct that the steps are not the same for all of the various grades. Certain steps, like D-E and I-J are significantly bigger than others, like G-H. That’s just the way it works. None of this is consistent across the board. The 'premium' for high color is more when paired with high clarity for example.

Local stores do generally charge more than the online folks for similar things but it’s not always the case and it’s not consistent across the stores. They can charge whatever they want, the trick is getting it. Some are a lot more skilled than others and it's not always low prices that land the sale. For most people there’s added value for shopping locally and the question becomes whether your locals will offer services you want for a price you’re willing to live with. It’s worth noting that MOST of the online dealers are no more or less than a local store in someone else’s neighborhood (there are exceptions, and JA is one of those. As far as I know they have no showroom). It’s not their address that makes them good or bad and each merchant and each deal should be evaluated on it’s own merits. Generalizing things like 'all online dealers', 'B&M stores', 'all F colors', etc. leads to trouble.