How Much Does a 3-Carat Lab Diamond Cost? (Updated 2023)
Last Updated on February 21, 2023 by LabGrownCarats
- The essentials – the diamond 4Cs
- The average cost for a 3-carat brilliant-cut lab diamond
- Cost of 3-carat fancy-shaped lab diamonds
- Why choose a 3-carat lab-grown diamond?
- Three 3-carat lab diamond jewelry 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 widely depending on its grade and place of purchase. For instance, a 3-carat lab diamond can range in price from $2000 to $16000, depending on its rarity and its 4Cs. A popular 3-carat brilliant-cut round lab diamond, on the other hand, typically costs about $2000-3000, which is up to 80% less expensive than a mined diamond.
In this guide, we compare prices for both round brilliant 3-carat lab diamonds and fancy-shaped 3-carat lab-created diamonds. We have sourced prices from 6 of the least expensive places to buy lab-created diamonds.
Purchasing a diamond is a significant investment, and it’s crucial to understand how to choose the best stone and where to get the most bang for your buck when purchasing a diamond. To assist our readers, we’ve put together a variety of tutorials.
- Guide to Buying a Lab-Grown Diamond – Top Tips to Saving and Getting a Better Diamond!
- How to Buy a Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Ring Online
- 10 Tips to Save Money on a Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Ring
The essentials – the diamond 4Cs
Understanding the 4Cs of diamonds is essential when purchasing one. If you’re short on time or want to know the cost of a 3-carat lab diamond, you can skip ahead. The 4Cs of diamonds are:
In short, the (lab) diamond 4Cs are:
If you need a quick diamond-buying refresher, keep these 3 things in mind:
- First, when buying a diamond, keep in mind that brilliance is the most crucial factor, especially with brilliant cut diamonds. While some fancy-shaped and fancy-colored diamonds don’t sparkle in the same way and diamond cut is less important, you should prioritize diamond cut grade higher than size.
- Size isn’t the most critical aspect of diamond quality. The 4Cs should be considered in order of importance: cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. With fancy-colored lab diamonds, color is more critical, but carat weight is still the last thing you should worry about.
- Going just below popular weights, such as selecting a 2.94-carat lab diamond instead of a 3.0-carat diamond, can save you money, and the difference isn’t noticeable.
We’ve compiled 2023 prices for 3-carat lab-grown diamonds from the best online diamond retailers. Our reference diamond, a round brilliant-cut lab-grown diamond, has the following 4C grades.
- Carat weight: 3.0 (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 (of course)
While the perfect diamond for you may have other grades, you can still use this as a starting point to prioritize between the diamond 4Cs. For more information, read our introduction to lab-grown diamonds.
The average cost for a 3-carat brilliant-cut lab diamond
We have compiled the prices for 3-carat lab-created diamonds from our highest-rated lab diamond jewelers. We believe that these are the best jewelers for lab-grown diamonds and lab-grown diamond engagement rings.
Not only do they offer a wide variety of high-quality diamonds, but they also provide exceptional shopping experiences and customer service. Additionally, and importantly, they offer the most reasonably priced lab-grown diamonds.
| Lab diamond jeweler | Price for a 3-carat lab diamond |
|---|---|
| With Clarity | $2187-6086 |
| Ritani | $2338-4937 |
| Clean Origin | $2680-6572 |
| Grown Brilliance | $3045-9120 |
| James Allen | $4670-13460 |
| Brilliant Earth | $4780-16200* |
Cost of 3-carat fancy-shaped lab diamonds
Laboratory-created diamonds are available in various sizes and shapes. Although the round brilliant-cut diamond is the most common and sought-after, numerous other shapes of lab diamonds are available. Shapes other than round brilliant are referred to as fancy cuts or fancy shapes. As we discussed in our guide to lab diamond shapes, each shape has its own distinct beauty, benefits, and drawbacks.
Some shapes, such as heart-shaped lab diamonds, are more expensive than round brilliant, while others, such as princess-shaped ones, can be less expensive. To assist you in comparing the pricing of the most popular fancy-shaped lab diamonds, we have compiled the average price of all 3-carat fancy-shaped lab diamonds.
Since fancy-shaped diamonds are evaluated somewhat differently and cut grading is less strict than for round brilliants, we have adjusted the ranges provided below. Notably, the cut rating includes very good, which we would never recommend for a round brilliant cut.
- Carat weight: 3.0 (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 prices we are listing below are starting prices and will go higher depending on the specific diamond quality. But the prices give you an idea of the expected price ranges at each lab diamond jeweler.
| Lab diamond jeweler | Oval | Emerald | Pear | Princess | Radiant | Cushion | Heart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ritani | $2018 | $1429 | $2528 | $1597 | $1839 | $1614 | $2047 |
| Clean Origin* | $2856 | $2249 | $3124 | $2802 | $2952 | $2894 | $3592 |
| With Clarity | $2562 | $2018 | — | $2280 | $2283 | $2200 | — |
| Grown Brilliance | $2610 | $2510 | $3410 | $2885 | $2540 | $2840 | $3090 |
| Brilliant Earth** | $5170 | $4630 | $4830 | $4600 | $4880 | $4920 | $5770 |
| James Allen** | $6070 | $4990 | $5830 | $4070 | $4710 | $4550 | $7090 |
Note that prices from Brilliant Earth and James Allen are for higher-quality diamonds since their minimum quality is higher than our above reference range.
All prices for the above 3-carat lab-grown diamonds are found at our best-rated places to buy lab diamonds and where you’ll find the cheapest prices, best quality, and amazing buying experience.
Why choose a 3-carat lab-grown diamond?
The most obvious reason for choosing a lab-grown 3-carat diamond is that diamonds can cost up to 80% less than mined diamonds with the same diamond 4C ratings. And, you may be able to save even more money on lab-grown diamonds with deals or promotions. We keep a close eye on the market and are usually the first to learn of any deals or discounts offered by diamond retailers. Subscribe below to receive notifications of new discounts on lab-grown diamonds.
But just as importantly, in addition to being cheaper than mined diamonds, they also have other advantages, such as being more eco-friendly and having a more positive impact on society. If you want to learn more about these benefits, we recommend reading our articles:
- Why choose lab-grown diamonds for their sustainability and ethical advantages
- Things to consider before purchasing a lab-grown diamond
For those looking to purchase sustainable and zero-emission lab-grown diamonds, we recommend checking out Brilliant Earth (see our Brilliant Earth review) as one of the best options. Another possibility is Vrai, but after comparing Brilliant Earth and Vrai (see our Vrai review), we found that Brilliant Earth was the superior choice for sustainable diamonds. Additionally, Pandora is a jewelry brand that also focuses on sustainability, but we rated Pandora Brilliance lower.
Three 3-carat lab diamond jewelry examples
There is a wide variety of styles available when searching for a jewelry set containing a 3-carat lab-created diamond. The collection of rings displayed below all showcase a 3-carat lab diamond, with options ranging from conventional to modern engagement ring designs. Opting for a 3-carat lab diamond is an excellent decision for either a lab-grown diamond engagement ring, a lab diamond anniversary ring, or a pendant, while other jewelry types will often be unfit for such a large diamond.
French-set diamond band engagement ring with radiant 3-carat lab diamond from Ritani
Jolie halo ring featuring 58 diamonds with a round shape 3-carat lab diamond
18K yellow gold Sienna 3-carat lab diamond engagement ring
Where to buy lab-grown diamonds and jewelry
Our goal at LabGrownCarats.com is to assist you in finding the ideal lab-grown diamonds and jewelry by reviewing lab diamond vendors. We also compare the best lab diamond jewelry retailers.
We have compiled a list of our recommended retailers for purchasing 3-carat lab diamonds considering factors such as pricing, inventory, quality, sustainability, and overall shopping experience.
Our recommended places to buy a 3-carat lab-grown 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 largest inventory of lab diamonds, customization options, and jewelry store partnership. That makes Ritani one of the best places to buy a 3-carat lab-grown diamond.
Clean Origin review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Clean Origin
Clean Origin is another of our favorite places to buy a 3-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 3-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 3-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 compile and list prices for the most popular lab-grown diamond carat weights. Compare the prices for 3-carat lab-grown diamonds with the below carat weights.
