How Much Is a 0.5-Carat Lab Diamond? (November 2023 Lab-Grown Diamond Prices)

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The cost of a diamond can vary significantly based on its grade and where it’s bought. For example, a lab-created diamond weighing 0.5 carats may cost as little as $253 or as much as $1050, depending on its 4Cs and rarity. On average, a 0.5-carat lab-created diamond with a round brilliant-cut shape costs around $400, which is up to 71% less expensive than a mined diamond.

How much does a 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond cost?

0.5-carat lab diamond prices range from $250 to $1000, depending on the quality. In November 2023, an excellent quality 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond costs around $400-500, which is up to 71% less than a mined diamond!

Our guide to the prices of 0.5-carat lab diamonds examines the cost of round brilliant lab diamonds as well as fancy-shaped diamonds from six of the cheapest places to purchase lab-created diamonds.

The cheapest places to buy a 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond

Purchasing a diamond entails a significant financial commitment, and it’s essential to understand how to select the ideal stone and find the best bargains. To assist our readers in making knowledgeable decisions, we’ve written several helpful articles.

We recommend beginning with the following buying guides:

SALES ALERT! Save at the best places to buy lab-grown diamonds online:

Understanding 0.5-carat lab diamond prices

To start learning about diamonds, you should start with diamond 4Cs, and we recommend starting with our intro to lab-grown diamond guide. But, if you’re short on time or only interested in the pricing of a 0.5-carat lab diamond, you may skip ahead.

The 4Cs of diamonds (for both mined and lab-grown diamonds) are:

If you need a quick lab diamond-buying refresher, make note of these three things:

  1. The primary characteristic of diamonds is their brilliance, especially for diamonds with a brilliant cut. While for some fancy-shaped and fancy-colored diamonds, brilliance is less important, the cut grade remains critical for all diamonds. Therefore, we always suggest prioritizing cut grade over diamond size when purchasing a lab-grown diamond.
  2. In terms of diamond quality, size is not the most critical factor. The 4Cs of diamond quality – cut, clarity, color, and carat – should be prioritized in that order when determining a diamond’s quality. Focus on obtaining the highest possible cut grade, followed by color and clarity grades, and finally, carat weight. With fancy-colored lab diamonds, the color grade is usually the most important.
  3. When feasible, consider selecting diamond weights that are slightly below the most popular sizes. Opting for non-round weights can result in significant cost savings, as the size difference is barely noticeable. For example, selecting a 0.48-carat diamond instead of a precisely 0.5-carat diamond.

To provide you with a cost estimate, we’ve compiled price information on 0.5-carat lab-created diamonds from the best online lab diamond vendors in 2023. Our reference diamond is a lab-created round brilliant-cut diamond with the following 4C grades:

While our benchmark diamond may not be the best fit for everyone, it provides a good example of how to compare the 4Cs of diamonds.

Average prices for 0.5-carat lab diamonds (November 2023)

We have curated a price list of 0.5-carat lab-created diamonds from our best-rated and cheapest lab-grown diamond jewelers. In our opinion, these retailers are the leading places to buy lab-grown diamonds and the best for lab-created diamond engagement rings. They boast a vast selection of high-quality diamonds, provide exceptional shopping experiences, and offer outstanding customer service. Furthermore, they provide the most competitive prices for lab-grown diamonds!

Lab diamond jewelerPrice for a 0.5-carat lab diamond
Ritani$253-303
Grown Brilliance$355-465
James Allen$370-480
Clean Origin$425-446
With Clarity$452-572
Brilliant Earth$490-1050*
Prices for 5-carat lab diamonds collected in November 2023.

Prices are accurate at the time of writing in 2023.
*Includes 100% sustainable diamonds.

Average prices for fancy-shaped 0.5-carat lab diamonds (November 2023)

Lab-created diamonds are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, with the round brilliant-cut diamond being the most popular. However, lab-grown diamonds also come in numerous other shapes, known as fancy shapes or cuts, which include any shape other than round brilliant. In our guide to lab-grown diamond shapes, we have explained how each shape has its own unique beauty, benefits, and drawbacks.

The prices of fancy-shaped lab-grown diamonds vary. For example, heart-shaped lab diamonds tend to be pricier than round brilliants, while shapes like the emerald cut are more affordable. To help you compare the costs of the most popular fancy shapes, we have compiled the average price of all 0.5-carat fancy-shaped lab-grown diamonds below.

Because fancy-shaped diamonds are evaluated differently and have less strict cut grading than round brilliants, we have adjusted the ranges below. Specifically, the cut rating now includes “very good,” which would not be acceptable for a brilliant round cut.

The following prices are starting prices and may increase with higher quality, but they provide an overview of the price ranges at each retailer and overall. All diamonds will have at least the minimum specifications above.

Lab diamond jewelerOvalEmeraldPearPrincessRadiantCushionHeart
Ritani$405$239$123$186$156$449$400
Clean Origin*$264$287$286$394$442
With Clarity$321$314$610*$364$460
Grown Brilliance$400$455$380$395
Brilliant Earth**$480$450$420$490$470$500$510
James Allen**$460$610$350$570$640
Prices for fancy-shaped 5-carat lab diamonds collected and updated in November 2023.

Prices are accurate at the time of writing in 2023.
*Cut grade fancy **Higher than minimum grades.

**Note that Brilliant Earth and James Allen prices are for higher-quality diamonds because their minimum quality is higher than our reference minimums.

The prices for 0.5-carat lab-grown diamonds are all found at our highest-rated places to purchase lab-grown diamonds, which offer the best quality, lowest prices, and most satisfying shopping experience.

Why choose a 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond?

Lab-created diamonds can cost significantly less than mined diamonds with the same 4C grading, typically around 60-80% less. However, you may also find special deals and discounts available for lab-grown diamonds, which our team closely monitors and notifies our subscribers about. Sign up below to receive notifications about new discounts on lab-grown diamonds.

Aside from being more affordable, lab-grown diamonds also offer other advantages over mined diamonds, including being more eco-friendly and ethical. To learn more about these benefits, read the following articles:

Prices for sustainable 0.5-carat lab diamonds

Lab-created diamonds are already the more ethical and sustainable choice. But if you are looking for 100% sustainably produced diamonds, consider lab diamonds created using renewable energy (and set in recycled metal and packaged using sustainable materials). Expect to pay a premium of 30-40% for lab-grown diamonds that are created using renewable energy.

If you’re interested in buying 100% sustainable lab-grown diamonds, Brilliant Earth is one of the absolute best places to consider for sustainable, zero-emission lab diamonds. Vrai is another great sustainable option, which you can read more about in our review of Vrai. Unsure which is better? Compare Brilliant Earth and Vrai. Lastly, Pandora Brilliance is also committed to sustainability, as we have highlighted in our Pandora Brilliance review, although they do not quite measure up to Vrai or Brilliant Earth.

Three 0.5-carat lab diamond ring examples

You have a lot of options when it comes to choosing a jewelry set with a 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond. The rings below all feature a 0.5-carat lab diamond in a variety of styles, from traditional to contemporary engagement ring settings. Whether you’re looking for a lab-grown diamond engagement ring or a lab diamond anniversary ring, a 0.5-carat lab diamond can be an excellent choice.

Lab-grown diamond stud earrings set with two 0.5-carat lab diamonds (for a total of 1-carat weight) from Clean Origin.

Lab-grown diamond stud earrings set with two 0.5-carat lab diamonds (for a total of 1-carat weight).

0.5-carat lab diamond stud earrings from Clean Origin

Round 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond solitaire engagement ring from Ritani

Round 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond solitaire engagement ring from Ritani

0.5-carat lab diamond ring from Ritani

0.5-carat round lab-grown diamond petite solitaire engagement ring

0.5-carat round lab-grown diamond petite solitaire engagement ring

0.50-carat lab diamond ring from Grown Brilliance

Where to buy 0.5-carat lab-grown diamonds and jewelry

At LabGrownCarats.com, we share reviews of sellers that offer lab-grown diamonds to help you in your search for the perfect lab diamond and lab diamond jewelry. And, we compare the best lab diamond jewelers, if you are unable to decide. The following list shows our recommendations for the best places to buy a 0.5-carat lab diamond based on factors such as pricing, inventory, quality, sustainability, and shopping experience.

Our recommended best places to buy a 0.5-carat lab diamond

Ritani review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ritani

Ritani tops our list of the best places to buy lab-grown diamonds because of their market-leading low prices and price transparency, the most extensive inventory of lab diamonds, customization options, and jewelry store partnership. That makes Ritani one of the best places to buy a 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond.

Ritani is one of the best places to buy a 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond.
Clean Origin is another of the best places to buy a 0.5-carat lab-created diamond.
Clean Origin review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Clean Origin

Clean Origin is another of our favorite places to buy a 0.5-carat lab diamond. We recommend Clean Origin for its unbeatable prices, a vast selection of lab-grown diamonds and jewelry, and excellent support (plus 100-day risk-free returns).

Brilliant Earth review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Brilliant Earth

Brilliant Earth is the leading sustainable lab-grown diamond jeweler. Their deep commitment to sustainability, including being the only seller of sustainable graded lab diamonds, sets them apart. See all their 0.5-carat lab diamonds below.

Brilliant Earth is one of the best places to buy a 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond.
James Allen is one of the best places to buy a 0.5-carat lab-created diamond.
James Allen review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
James Allen

James Allen is one of our best-rated places to buy lab-grown diamonds overall and one of the best for premium 0.5-carat lab diamonds. Their service is top-notch, prices are low, and the quality and craftsmanship are superb.

Compare prices on other lab-grown diamond-carat weights

We have listed the prices of lab-grown diamonds for the most in-demand carat weights. You can compare the prices of 0.5-carat lab-grown diamonds with the carat weights listed below:

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Klaus T
Klaus T

At LabGrownCarats.com, Klaus is responsible for everything related to diamond analysis and valuations, the financial aspects of diamond buying, and the impact of diamond mining vs. creating diamonds in the laboratory.

Klaus possesses a profound interest and expertise in diamonds, particularly lab-grown diamonds, and has worked with diamond and lab diamond analysis and valuation for many years. Klaus is an expert in diamond prices and valuation, the investment side of diamonds, and the economic development impact of diamond mining.

Klaus is an ex-diplomat, economic development expert, ex-Googler, and start-up founder. He has 15+ years of expertise in economic development, trade, and resource extraction, and he has worked with the impact of mining on societies and the environment. He is an expert on how resources, such as gold and diamonds and diamond mining, impact communities and exporting countries, and he has worked with the UN, the World Bank, the African Union, the African Development Bank, etc. Klaus later shifted focus to work with data analysis, marketing technology, measurement, and analytics, including 7+ years at Google.

Please contact Klaus if you are looking for data and analysis related to lab-grown diamonds or if you have questions about the economic impact of diamond mining and the shift to creating diamonds in the laboratory.

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