Diamond Costs

[mlfallis]

After talking to a few other brides I relised that there is a big difference in the cost of a diamond depending on where you live. In my part of Ontario a 1 carat solitar in yellow or white gold costs about $10,000 CND or $12,500 US (plus taxes) for a fairly good (not perfect) diamond. What are diamonds in your area?

ETA: I am just wondering general prices I am not trying to compare bride to bride.

[PookiePrincess]

My 1.24 princess cut diamond (F-can't remember the other stats) was about $4,500, bought last summer. I live in the Houston, TX area.



ETA: Just talked to FH and he said the diamond was $5600 (SI-2, F)

[Camdynlyn]

My 1 ct. ring in platinum cost about $6000 in Charlotte NC.

My 3/4 ct. ring in white gold cost me $4500 in Charlotte NC.

Eta: I have had 2 engagement rings --- the 3/4 ct was lost in the lake.

[mlfallis]

Wow that price difference is crazy. I should have gotten my ring in the states. My ring is 0.87 carats in platinum and it was $11,000 CND so over $14,000 US with exchange and taxes. I am coming shopping in the states, how are they ever going to know at the border if you had those earing/necklace when you first crossed ;)

[Larissa]

Mlfallis - is your diamond Canadian? Canada guarentees that diamonds mined in their country are not blood diamond, meaning that no one was killed in the mining process and that the cost of the diamonds did not go to support a war. It's like having fair trade coffee, except with diamonds. For this reason, diamonds mined in Canada are MUCH more expensive.

I don't know what diamonds in my area cost. I refused to look at new diamonds as we couldn't afford a Canadian diamond. I got an antique diamond so that our money did not go to support war in African countries or contribute to the deaths among the African miners who are treated VERY unfairly.

My center stone is .47 carat, G, VS1 with 2 times .12 sidestones, F, VS1 for a total weight of .71. The stones aren't perfect, but are eye clean. The jewler said it was of excellent quality for the cost. It cost us $1,200.

[mel7dog]

After a lot of research DH ordered my diamond off bluenile.com.
He was a little skeptical at first, but they were wonderful with customer service and my ring came will all kinds of papers.

That might be somthing to consider if you can't come to the states and want to save $.

My ring was right under $10,000 for a 1.5 carat in platinum. The quality is fairly good, as you mentioned :)

[maplekitty]

My ring *is* a Canadian Diamond. It's a .55 ct, VVSI, G and it was $7,000 CDN (so that's roughly $8,820 US). It's amazing how diamond prices are different. I have a friend who bought her diamond in Mexcio...yes...slightly illegal, but whatever...and it was a 2 ct (don't know quality) and they haggled the price down to $2,000 CDN. That would be *over* $30,000 if it was bought up here.
What's scary though is that the cost of diamonds are so fluctuating that it's going to depreciate the value of diamonds in the future. That, and all the new "man-made" diamonds coming out...in 20 yrs time diamonds will have very low value. Sad when you think about how much money you are paying now....

[LeslieandPaul]

My ring is 9 diamonds (3 large princess cut center stones and 3 small round stones on each side) HIJ in colour range and SI1-2 in clarity, with a total carat weight of 1.00 carats. It cost $1799 CDN plus tax.

[Cookie777]

Mlfallis ~

I live in Southern California & it seems that the prices are about the same as where you live.

I can't believe the cost of diamonds is so much lower in other states in the U.S.! :eek: They're definitely not as low as a lot of you have mentioned in CA or NY. Crazy!

[tlew12778]

There is something called a RAP (http://www.diamondtutorials.com/articles/diamonds.tutorials/132/Diamond_Prices_and_The_Rap_sheet.html) sheet which is the standard for diamond pricing around the world. The cheapest diamonds will actually come directly from the Belgium Diamond Borse in Antwerp bc you will avoid the middle-man. There is a similar borse (market) in NYC and I assume there is one in Israel as well as these are the 3 cities (country in Israel's case) where they cut diamonds (about 70% are cut in Antwerp, 20% in Israel and 10% in NYC).

So I don't really think it depends on geographic location within the US per se, so much as how many middle-men you are paying for your diamond. Not to mention that you really need to compare two diamonds with the same exact specifications which is virtually impossible.

[Quartercentury]

Mine is Canadian, too. Don't know how much FH paid for it (bought from a wholesaler in Vancouver, BC), but the appraiser in Denver, CO said it was worth just under $4,000 (for the whole ring). It's 0.48 carat, F, VS1, and "nearly ideal" cut set in platinum.

[pride&prejudice]

I'm not too sure on any of the stats, just kind of things that DH has said in passing. I never asked about any of it and he picked out the ring. :)

I think its .75 carat, ideal cut, VVSI, E/D, set in platinum, and it has 4 small diamonds on each side, I think that adds up to .5 carats total and are of E color. I have no idea on the cost, never asked.

I know that my wedding band, similar to the e-ring except no big diamond in the middle, :), cost $1,300 and it is just platinum. With the tiny diamonds (8-10, I think going across it would have been $1,600-1,700. So my guess would be that is about what the setting would have cost on my e-ring.

[*Jen*]

My engagement ring is a .75ct round center stone, with 10 smaller channel set diamonds, 5 on either side, totaling .85cts, set in platnium and I don't know the other stats. It was $3,200 but was appraised at almost $7,000.

My wedding band is 10 channel set round diamonds totaling .85cts and set in platnium. That is $1,600.

We did some major hunting until FI and I found this set and we were lucky enough to have the pair split up. We're getting married in 2 years so we really didn't need the band now...he'll just buy that later.