How Much Does a 1-Carat Lab Diamond Cost? (Updated 2023)
Last Updated on February 21, 2023 by LabGrownCarats
- The essentials – the diamond 4Cs
- The average cost for a 1-carat brilliant-cut lab diamond
- Cost of 1-carat fancy-shaped lab diamonds
- Why choose a lab-grown diamond?
- Three 1-carat lab diamond ring examples
- Where to buy 1-carat 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:
Diamond prices vary widely depending on stone quality and where you buy it. For example, a 1-carat lab diamond can cost as little as $400 and up to $4000, depending on the diamond’s 4 Cs. However, on average, a 1-carat brilliant-cut round lab-grown diamond (one of the most popular carats and cuts) costs around $1000—and up to 60% less than a mined diamond!
In this guide to how much a 1-carat lab diamond costs, we compare prices for both round brilliant lab diamonds and fancy-shaped diamonds from 6 of the cheapest places to buy lab-grown diamonds.
Buying any diamond is a big purchase, and it is important to know how to get the best stone and where to get the best value for your money. That’s why we’ve written several guides to help our readers out.
We recommend getting started by reading our popular:
- 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
- What You Need To Know Before Buying a Lab-Grown Diamond (Pros and Cons).
The essentials – the diamond 4Cs
The first thing you need to learn about diamonds is the diamond 4Cs. We have written an easy-to-read Intro to Lab-Grown Diamonds: The Diamond 4Cs that we recommend you read first. But, if you are in a hurry or just want to know how much you need to shell out for a 1-carat lab diamond, then you can skip ahead.
In short, the (lab) diamond 4Cs are:
If you need a quick diamond-buying refresher, keep these 3 things in mind:
- You first need to know that diamonds are all about the sparkle—also referred to as brilliance or fire, in the diamond industry lingo. The sparkle is what makes diamonds so unique. So if you just take away one thing, let it be this: Go for the best possible diamond cut grade! Do not buy a large brilliant-shaped diamond with poor brilliance. Always maximize brilliance—size comes second. (if you’re purchasing a non-brilliant diamond shape, you still want to aim for a well-cut diamond.)
- Again, it’s not only about the size of a diamond when it comes to quality. When determining the quality of a diamond, the 4Cs of diamond quality—color, cut, clarity, and carat—are always considered. So, first, aim for the best cut possible, then color and clarity grades, and carat weight last.
- If possible, go just below the popular (“round”) weights. For example, choose a 0.93ct+ instead of a diamond that’s 1.0. Avoiding round weights can save you a lot of money, and the best thing is that no one will be able to see the difference.
To give you a ballpark figure of the price of a 1-carat lab diamond, we’ve gathered prices from the best online diamond retailers in 2023. Our reference diamond is a round brilliant-cut lab-grown diamond with the following 4C grades:
- Carat weight: 1.0 (plus-minus a little)
- Cut grade: Excellent or Ideal (whichever is the best, depending on the laboratory)
- Color grade: I-J
- Clarity grade: VS1-VS2
- Shape: Round Brilliant
- Origin: Lab-grown
Our reference diamond is not necessarily the best for you, but it gives a good indication of how to prioritize between the lab diamond 4Cs.
The average cost for a 1-carat brilliant-cut lab diamond
Below are the prices for a 1-carat lab diamond from our top-rated diamond retailers. They are, in our view, the best places to buy lab-grown diamond jewelry and the best places to buy lab diamond engagement rings. They not only have the best inventory of high-quality diamonds, but they also offer the best shopping experiences and customer service. And, perhaps most importantly, they offer the very best lab-grown diamond prices!
| Lab diamond jeweler | Price for a 1-carat lab diamond |
|---|---|
| Ritani | $602-1274 |
| Clean Origin | $743-1170 |
| Grown Brilliance | $865-1155 |
| With Clarity | $900-2159 |
| James Allen | $1030-1250 |
| Brilliant Earth | $1020- 2030* |
Cost of 1-carat fancy-shaped lab diamonds
Lab-grown diamonds come in many shapes and sizes. While the brilliant-cut round diamond is the most popular, there are many other lab diamond shapes to choose from. All other shaped than round is referred to a fancy shapes or fancy cuts. As we have detailed in our guide to lab-grown diamond shapes, they each hold their own beauty, pros and cons.
Some shapes are more expensive than round brilliant, such as heart-shaped, while others are cheaper, such as emerald. To help you compare the prices of the most popular fancy-shaped, we have gathered the average cost of all 1-carat fancy-shaped lab diamonds.
Because fancy-shaped diamonds are graded slightly differently and because cut grading is not as strict as with the round brilliant, we have adjusted the below ranges. Most notably, cut grade includes very good, which we would never accept with a round brilliant cut.
- Carat weight: 1.0 (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
All the below prices are from prices and run higher, but it gives you an indication of the price range, and all live up to the above minimum specifications.
| Lab diamond jeweler | Oval | Emerald | Pear | Princess | Radiant | Cushion | Heart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ritani | $487 | $329 | $325 | $408 | $357 | $487 | $607 |
| Clean Origin* | $658 | $434 | $417 | $584 | $438 | $515 | $775 |
| With Clarity | $761 | $621 | — | $878 | $627 | $769 | — |
| Grown Brilliance | $860 | $665 | $885 | $805 | $585 | $810 | $1020 |
| Brilliant Earth** | $1080 | $990 | $970 | $980 | $980 | $1150 | $1200 |
| James Allen** | $1450 | $800 | $1170 | $1340 | $1360 | $970 | $2700* |
The prices for 1-carat lab diamonds are from our top-rated best places to buy lab diamonds and where you’ll find the lowest prices, highest quality, and best shopping experience.
Why choose a lab-grown diamond?
First and foremost, lab-grown diamonds are up to 60-80% cheaper than their mined counterparts with precisely the same diamond 4C grades. And during lab diamond sales, you can be lucky to save even more. We keep a close eye on the market and are the first to know when diamond retailers announce specials or sales. Sign up below to receive alerts of new deals on lab-grown diamonds.
But it’s not only lower prices that make lab-created diamonds better than mined diamonds. They are also better for the environment and have a more positive impact on society. You can learn much more about that in 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
One of the best places to buy sustainable and zero-emission lab-grown diamonds is Brilliant Earth (read our review of Brilliant Earth). Another option is Vrai, but as you can read in our Brilliant Earth vs. Vrai comparison, we find that Brilliant Earth is the best place for sustainable diamonds (see our review of Vrai). Pandora, too, focuses on sustainability, as you can read in our Pandora Brilliance review, but while we approve of their environmental focus, they are not as good as Vrai or particularly Brilliant Earth.
Three 1-carat lab diamond ring examples
There are many different styles to choose from when searching for a jewelry set with a 1-carat lab-grown diamond. Below are examples of rings showcasing a 1-carat lab diamond. From classic styles to modern engagement ring settings, a 1-carat lab diamond goes well with engagement rings, anniversary rings, or with lab diamond earrings.
Waverly Diamond Engagement Ring
14K White Gold Sylvie Solitaire Ring
14K Yellow Gold Petite Pavé Engagement Ring (Flush Fit)
Where to buy 1-carat lab-grown diamonds and jewelry
At LabGrownCarats.com, we review lab-grown diamond sellers and jewelers to help you find the best places to buy lab diamonds and jewelry. We also compare the best lab diamond jewelers in our lab diamond jeweler comparisons.
3 of our favorite places to buy a lab-grown diamond
Compare prices on other lab-grown diamond-carat weights
We compile and list prices for the most popular lab-grown diamond carat weights. Compare the prices for 1-carat lab-grown diamonds with the below carat weights.
