Feb 5
By Julia Griffith
THE GEM ACADEMY
The update: High quality laboratory-grown diamonds are now available at wholesale for less than £200.00 per carat for a 1ct stone.
Though we can find laboratory-grown diamonds at even cheaper prices, the stones in this short study are of very high quality - equivalent to D-colour / VS1-clarity, with Triple X cut quality, and are accompanied by IGI reports.
Starting prices below £200.00/ct now occur across all main shapes and styles of cut, including the renowned round brilliant.
The price spectrum begins at a mere £140.00/ct ($177.50/ct USD) for emerald cuts. Marquise cuts currently the priciest at £198.00/ct ($253.35/ct USD).
To put this in perspective, just ten months ago the prices of high-quality 1-carat round brilliants started at $325.00/ct. This reduced to $265.00/ct by the end of August 2023. Now, with a starting wholesale price of $231.00, we can see there has been a 29% reduction in price over the past ten months.
This is a substantial drop considering this product is currently 1) the most popular style of cut, 2) within the favoured size range, and, 3) in trend with consumers.
It seems highly plausible that the prices trends will continue, with the possibility of these high-quality stones falling below $200.00/ct USD in the not-so-distant future.