How Much Does a 0.5-Carat Lab Diamond Cost? (Updated 2023)
Last Updated on April 17, 2023 by LabGrownCarats
- Understanding lab diamond quality – the diamond 4Cs
- The average cost for a 0.5-carat brilliant-cut lab diamond
- Cost of 0.5-carat fancy-shaped lab diamonds
- Why choose a lab-grown diamond?
- Three 0.5-carat lab diamond ring examples
- Where to buy lab-grown diamonds and jewelry
- Compare prices on other lab-grown diamond-carat weights
SALES ALERT! Save when you buy at our best-rated lab diamond jewelers:
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 about 60% less expensive 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.
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:
- Guide to Buying a Lab-Grown Diamond – Top Tips to Saving and Getting a Better Diamond!
- 10 Tips to Save Money on a Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Ring
Understanding lab diamond quality – the diamond 4Cs
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- Carat weight: 0.5 (plus-minus a little)
- Cut grade: Excellent (GIA) or Ideal (IGI)
- Color grade: I-J
- Clarity grade: VS1-VS2
- Shape: Round Brilliant
- Origin: Lab-grown (always)
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.
The average cost for a 0.5-carat brilliant-cut lab diamond
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 jeweler | Price for a 0.5-carat lab diamond |
|---|---|
| Ritani | $253-303 |
| Grown Brilliance | $270-290 |
| James Allen | $370-480 |
| Clean Origin | $425-446 |
| With Clarity | $452-572 |
| Brilliant Earth | $490-1050* |
Cost of 0.5-carat fancy-shaped lab diamonds
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.
- Carat weight: 0.5 (plus-minus a little)
- Cut grade: Very Good, Excellent, or Ideal (usually not independently graded)
- Color grade: I-J
- Clarity grade: VS1-VS2
- Shape: Fancy-shapes
- Origin: Lab-grown
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 jeweler | Oval | Emerald | Pear | Princess | Radiant | Cushion | Heart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ritani | $405 | $239 | $123 | $186 | $156 | $449 | $400 |
| Clean Origin* | $264 | $287 | $286 | $394 | — | $442 | — |
| With Clarity | $321 | $314 | — | $610* | $364 | $460 | — |
| Grown Brilliance | — | $220 | $155 | — | — | — | — |
| Brilliant Earth** | $480 | $450 | $420 | $490 | $470 | $500 | $510 |
| James Allen** | $460 | $610 | $350 | — | $570 | — | $640 |
**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 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:
- Why lab-grown diamonds are the sustainable, environmentally, and ethical diamond choice
- What You Need To Know Before Buying a Lab-Grown Diamond
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).
Round 0.5-carat lab-grown diamond solitaire engagement ring from Ritani
0.5-carat round lab-grown diamond petite solitaire engagement ring
Where to buy 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.
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.
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:
