How do retailers determine color diamond prices?
AMGAD: Retail pricing is generally set by observing the prices of the competition, but prices depend on several factors:
- Hue (the rarer the color, the greater the cost)
- Richness or saturation of the color (ranging from very light to light to intense to vivid)
- Purity of the color (whether the color is bright and clear, or clouded)
- Availability
How can consumers find the best price on colored diamonds?
AMGAD: The best prices are from "direct from the mine" wholesalers, people who secure either rough stone or newly cut diamonds directly from the source. Not all wholesalers will sell to private buyers, but the ones who do can save their clients quite a bit of money.Below are average wholesale market prices for 1 carat natural yellow and pink fancy colored diamonds in December, 2004.
Yellow Diamonds
- Fancy Light: $2,200-$3,800
- Fancy: $3,500-$5,500
- Fancy Intense: $4,600-$9,000
- Fancy Vivid: $8,500-$20,000
Remember that:
- Clarity, color distribution and cut determine where within the range a particular yellow diamond falls
- Diamonds less than 0.80 carat can cost 10%-20% less
- Exceptionally well cut stones and stones with a VVS or IF clarity can cost 10%-20% more
- Secondary colors, such as brownish yellow, reduce cost
- Clarity, color distribution and cut determine where within the range a particular yellow diamond falls
Pink Diamonds
- Fancy Light: $10,000-$30,000
- Fancy: $35,000-$100,000
- Fancy Intense: $65,000-$150,000
- Fancy Vivid: $100,000-$250,000+
- Exceptions similar to those for yellow diamonds affect prices.
