© 2026 Diamond Watcher

Diamond Price Guide

1 Carat Diamond Price

Prices as of October 2026

In October 2026, a 1 carat round diamond (G color, VS1 clarity) had a median price of $3,419 natural and $350 lab-grown, so lab-grown cost about 90% less.

These are medians from real 1 carat listings at Ritani, Blue Nile, Rare Carat, and Brilliance, pulled fresh each month. Every stone is G color and VS1 clarity, so the only things changing below are shape, retailer, and natural vs lab-grown.

1 Carat prices by shape

Median price, G / VS1, blended across retailers

ShapeNaturalLab-grownLab-grown saves
Round$3,419$350 (2 of 4 retailers)90%
Oval$3,635$422 (2 of 4 retailers)88%
Cushion$2,085$426 (2 of 4 retailers)80%
Shape
Type

Retailer comparison

Round, 1ct, G / VS1, natural

RitaniBlue NileRare CaratBrilliance
Brilliance$2,109● cheapestRare Carat$3,005Ritani$3,948Blue Nile$4,613

Price trend over time

Round, 1ct, G / VS1, natural — median across retailers

$3,000$3,500$4,000AugSepOct

Price per carat, by size

Round, G / VS1. Natural prices climb per carat as the stones get bigger, and lab-grown per-carat prices rise much less.

CaratNaturalNatural per ctLab-grownLab-grown per ct
Half Carat$887$1,775$188$376
1 Carat$3,419$3,419$350$350
1.5 Carat$8,763$5,842$613$409
2 Carat$19,910$9,955$798$399
3 Carat$51,157$17,052$1,819$606

What a 1 carat diamond looks like

A 1 carat round is 6.4 to 6.5mm across. In October 2026 the natural G / VS1 median was $3,419, and retailers were far apart on the same spec: Brilliance's median was $2,109, Blue Nile's $4,613.

Natural stones jump in price at exactly 1.00ct, even though a 0.95 looks the same on a hand, and the carat cliff chart on our price index measures how big that jump is every month.

Half Carat Diamond Price0.5 ct5.15 mm1 ct6.45 mm1.5 Carat Diamond Price1.5 ct7.35 mm2 Carat Diamond Price2 ct8.1 mm3 Carat Diamond Price3 ct9.35 mm
Round diamonds seen from above, drawn to scale with each other. A 1 carat round is about 6.4–6.5mm across. See every size, shape and how they look on the hand in our diamond size chart.

Picking a grade at 1 carat

G / VS1 is a sensible middle. Plenty of VS2 stones look just as clean at this size, and H beside G is hard to call once the stone is set. Read VS1 vs VS2 and G vs H color before paying for a higher grade.

October's lab-grown 1 carat round median was $350. About a tenth of natural. Resale value is what you give up, and our natural vs lab-grown comparison covers it along with certification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Looking for a 1 carat diamond?

Search live inventory across Ritani, Blue Nile, Rare Carat, and Brilliance, filtered to 1 carat round diamonds at the same G / VS1 grade as the prices above.

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Median prices from Ritani, Blue Nile, Rare Carat, and Brilliance listings matching each spec. Updated monthly.