Assessing the value of a natural diamond: What price for a 3 carat diamond?
What is a 3 Carat diamond?
It's a diamond that weighs 0.6 grams and has an average diameter of 9.40 millimeters when it is round in shape.
When considering the purchase or sale of a diamond, it becomes imperative to understand its value. However, within the specific lexicon of the jewelry industry, including concepts such as cut, clarity, or even symmetry, it is common to get lost and encounter obstacles in assessing its financial value.
Join us in this initiation into the world of diamonds, and the mysteries of natural diamonds will be revealed to you!
What gives a diamond its value?
Know that a 3 carat stone can cost as much as 20,000€ as well as over 200,000€.
When discussing the characterization and estimation of a diamond's value, the term "carat" often comes up, but it's important to remember that it's just one factor among others. Clarity, color, and cut are also equally essential factors, if not more, depending on your preferences.
The Carat
The term "carat" is commonly misunderstood, often associated with the size of a diamond when it refers to its actual elle. Even though a well-cut diamond usually has an approximate size for a given carat weight, it is crucial to remember that a 3 carat, round-shaped diamond will not systematically be 9.1 mm in diameter.
The size of a 3 carat diamond varies depending on its shape. For example, a 3 carat round diamond, cut to ideal proportions, measures about 9.30 mm in diameter and has a depth of 5.65 mm. Other diamond shapes may have different dimensions, offering a larger or smaller surface. 3 carat princess cut diamonds measure about 8.00 mm x 8.00 mm x 5.70 mm, while emerald cut diamonds have dimensions of 9.50 mm x 7.00 mm x 4.65 mm. Asscher, radiant, cushion, oval, pear-shaped, heart-shaped, marquise and trillion cuts also have specific dimensions for a 3 carat diamond, offering a variety of choices depending on aesthetic preferences.
Size correspondence chart for a 3 Carat diamond
| Diamond Shape | Approximate Surface for a 3 Carat Diamond |
|---|---|
| Round brilliant cut | 9.30×9.30×5.65mm |
| Princess cut | 8.00×8.00×5.70mm |
| Emerald cut | 9.50×7.00×4.65mm |
| Asscher cut | 8.10×8.10×5.27mm |
| Radiant cut | 8.50×7.50×5.33mm |
| Cushion cut | 9.00×8.00×5.38mm |
| Oval diamond | 11.50×7.50×4.75mm |
| Pear shaped diamond | 12.50×8.00×4.80mm |
| Heart shaped diamond | 9.50×9.50×5.68mm |
| Marquise diamond | 14.00×7.00×4.57mm |
| Trillion diamond | 11.16×11.16×4.45mm |
The cut ("cut" in English)
When talking about the cut of a diamond, we refer to the size of its pavilion, which you usually call its tail or tip.
The dimensions of this section have a significant impact on how light is reflected, thus playing an essential role in the brilliance, fire, and sparkle of your diamond.
The classification of this feature ranges from "poor" to "excellent".
At Celinni, our diamond cutters only offer you stones classified between "very good" and "excellent", unless explicitly requested by you.
The color ("color" in English)
The nuance of the diamond, that is to say its color, is a distinctive characteristic of the stone. It can be classified into two main categories:
- Colorless to slightly yellow diamonds, which represent the most common shades (classified from D to Z).
- Special color diamonds, also called "Fancy color diamonds", include diamonds displaying various shades such as green, yellow, red, blue, purple and pink.
The clarity ("Clarity" in English)
In terms of diamonds, clarity refers to the potential presence of impurities that could alter its purity.
A classification ranging from "I3" (many internal and external impurities visible to the naked eye) to FL (no internal and external imperfection) has been established.
The so-called "commercial" quality, widely available in large stores, is in the H-SI range (White at the limit of nuanced - Impurities that are "hardly" visible to the naked eye).
Symmetry, fluorescence, polishing quality, certification, and even the configuration of your stone are other characteristics to consider, as they can affect the final price of your gem.
Need someone to (re)explain these terms in person, or to discuss with a diamond expert on the subject? Make an appointment for a free diamond initiation in one of our showrooms!
The price of a natural 3 Carat diamond
So you will have understood, there is not strictly speaking an estimate for a diamond with the only criterion being "1 carat".
You will need more characteristics to estimate its price. The table below shows the price ranges for diamonds of an ideal round stone (criteria "very good" or "excellent") of 1 certified carat.
Depending on the color and clarity, you can easily see the large price difference.
To read the table it's simple: it's the average price per carat excluding taxes of a 1 carat diamond as it is negotiated between professionals on the different diamond exchanges around the world.
Chart of the price of a 3 carat diamond based on its quality
| IF | VVS1 | VVS2 | VS1 | VS2 | SI1 | SI2 | SI3 | I1 | I2 | I3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | €76,600 | €36,800 | €33,000 | €30,100 | €24,200 | €19,800 | €18,900 | €10,600 | €9,000 | €4,000 | €2,600 |
| E | €44,900 | €34,700 | €27,000 | €23,000 | €20,600 | €18,800 | €18,300 | €10,300 | €8,400 | €3,800 | €2,000 |
| F | €40,600 | €33,300 | €25,300 | €21,200 | €18,000 | €15,600 | €14,500 | €9,000 | €8,000 | €3,500 | €1,800 |
| G | €31,400 | €27,800 | €21,900 | €18,600 | €17,600 | €15,100 | €13,400 | €8,800 | €7,500 | €3,100 | €1,800 |
| H | €25,500 | €21,500 | €20,600 | €18,400 | €17,500 | €14,600 | €13,000 | €8,500 | €7,500 | €3,100 | €1,800 |
| I | €21,700 | €21,000 | €18,300 | €16,900 | €14,500 | €13,700 | €11,700 | €8,300 | €7,100 | €3,100 | €1,700 |
| J | €15,900 | €14,800 | €13,300 | €12,400 | €12,200 | €11,200 | €10,200 | €7,900 | €6,000 | €2,900 | €1,600 |
| K | €12,500 | €11,900 | €11,800 | €11,700 | €10,100 | €8,800 | €8,600 | €7,100 | €4,600 | €2,200 | €1,600 |
| L | €10,000 | €9,600 | €9,500 | €8,900 | €8,500 | €7,200 | €7,000 | €5,700 | €4,100 | €2,200 | €1,600 |
| M | €8,600 | €8,500 | €7,600 | €7,000 | €6,800 | €6,700 | €6,300 | €4,500 | €3,900 | €2,200 | €1,600 |
| N | €7,100 | €6,700 | €5,700 | €5,200 | €5,000 | €4,200 | €3,600 | €3,500 | €3,400 | €2,000 | €1,600 |
The price of the diamond is not the price of the final piece of jewelry!
Keep in mind that the evaluation of a diamond's price only covers the gem itself. To estimate the price of a piece of jewelry, it is crucial to include the cost of the setting (we recommend 18 carat gold or platinum - To learn more, read Link: "PRECIOUS METALS FOR YOUR JEWELRY"*), labor costs, the seller's margin, and even the brand's reputation, depending on the structures!
All these elements can have a significant impact on the total of your bill.
By going through the Celinni showrooms for your purchases, you benefit from direct manufacturer production, custom-made jewelry, support from our experts and controlled prices (up to -70% on market prices!).
The price of stones with different carats
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