Which of the Four C's Drives the Value in Diamonds??

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buzzytoes

buzzytoes

Dog Chauffeur
O.G.
Jun 7, 2008
15,942
1,227
#1
I am in the process of replacing my wedding ring (lost it) and fighting with the insurance company. My original stone was .69 carats, K color, and SI1. Not exactly sure of the cut and don't recall if it was on the appraisal or not. When I went to the jeweler to pick something out that should be the same in value she showed me a ring that was 3/8 carats, H-I color and SI1. She didn't mention the cut. I'm wondering what drives the value most - size, cut, color or clarity??? Anyone know?? TIA!
 
#3
i think if you're trying to get the best of any one of those c's, it will drive up the price. i suggest that you prioritize what is most important to you and then you can narrow down your search. good luck!
 
#4
They all correspond... Not only one drives the price, really.

I would say the most important 2 are clarity and carat weight.
 
#6
I find them equally important. The ideal carat size with a nasty cut produces a weird diamond with for example a too large or too small table. In this case the light is not optimally dispersed. Just take your time and compare various stones.

I had an 1 carat princess ring with a very white color and a high clarity rate. I now have a old cut 5.3 carat solitair with a yellowish tint (depending on the light). I find the price/quality a lot better for my new ring which I bought from my local antique jeweler.
 
#7
I think mostly I've figured out the order that's important to me but am concerned that I won't be getting the most for my money so I'm trying to figure out if I sacrifice in one area (say cut for color) if that will equal out in another area, or if there is more emphasis on one particular quality. Hope that makes sense. Thanks for the responses!!
 
#8
1)Carat
1.2)Color
1.3)Clarity
2)Cut

Carat, color and clarity are the three major factors that drive the value of a diamond up. Obviously a 5 carat diamond will cost more than a 1 carat diamond but, on that note, an 'H' color, SI1, ideal cut, 1 carat diamond is going to cost considerably less than an 'D', Internally Flawless, ideal cut, 1 carat diamond.
 
#10
then perhaps it would be helpful for you to prioritize your c's.

i've always learned that cut trumps all and will make your diamond sparkle...all the other c's are base on personal preference.
 
#11
Right now I think I'm probably at Carat, Cut, Color, Clarity. The only reason that size is first is because I'd like to have something close to exactly what I had before. Even though it was K color it was a "good" K if that makes sense - it only had a yellowish tinge in certain lights. That is really the only thing I would like to change is just possibly upgrade a little bit to H-I.

When I go to Bluenile and put in the specs of the replacement ring it's showing I could get that diamond for about $500, whereas if I put in the specs of my old diamond the cheapest I am finding is over $1000. I just wondered if I wasn't being taken advantage of when I'm told I can get a diamond that's a bit of an upgrade in color but it's going to be half the size of what I used to have. If color is the biggest driving factor in the price of a diamond then I can understand the price difference. If it's really size or cut that determine more of the price though then it appears I'm getting the short end of the stick.
 
#12
I thought we were trying to guess what drives the market, not OUR preferences per se{?}

Mine would be:
cut
carat
color
clarity

I'd rather have an
IDEAL, 2 cttw, I color w/ SI2
than a
GOOD, 3cttw, F color VS1
 
#14
Swanky Mama Of Three said:
I thought we were trying to guess what drives the market, not OUR preferences per se{?}

Mine would be:
cut
carat
color
clarity

I'd rather have an
IDEAL, 2 cttw, I color w/ SI2
than a
GOOD, 3cttw, F color VS1
Click to expand...

I agree with Swanky, that was my preference as well. Clarity does vary depending on the clouds, inclusions and some that are extremely visible but still fall within the SI2 category. Cut was super important to me because I wanted to get the most sparkling thing ever and it wasn't easy to differentiate which one was a D-F color or G-H/ maybe even I color. Size, depends on your preference really but what I really want to get across is don't budge on cut - at all!
 
#15
daluu said:
then perhaps it would be helpful for you to prioritize your c's.

i've always learned that cut trumps all and will make your diamond sparkle...all the other c's are base on personal preference.
Click to expand...


Cut is probably the most important factor in making a diamond sparkle but the it's not what solely drives the value up in diamonds. Colorless stones tend to hold the highest value in the market place, so I would say color is the biggest deciding factor when is comes to pricing and value.

Technically, all the four C's are based on personal preference.
 
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