Wondering how much you will part with for a pair of diamond earrings? First off, it’s a no brainer that diamond earrings are a huge financial commitment. These earrings have undergone a remarkable evolution since time immemorial.
From simple studs common among college girls to elaborate, hanging diamond earrings that are a universal favorite among folks in the corporate world, these pieces have gone through all the imaginable stages.
Diamond earrings light up your face with brilliance and sparkle. No wonder they’re the cornerstone of every woman’s jewelry wardrobe; perfect with a couture gown on the red carpet or a casual outfit in the park.
Now, let’s tackle the elephant in the room: How much are diamond earrings?
How Expensive Are Diamond Rings?
The average price of diamond earrings may range from as little as $500 to well over $35,000 for a single pair of red carpet-worthy earrings. In general, though, quality requirements for diamond stud earrings tend to be considerably lower than diamonds meant to be set in engagement rings.
This is because the average distance at which people can view diamond stud earrings is notably farther than the distance at which they can view diamond engagement rings. Furthermore, many stones that are considered less eye-clean for engagement rings are considered eye-clean for diamond stud earrings.
That being said, there are a few important things to keep in mind when determining the cost of a pair of diamond rings. These include the carat weight, diamond cut, and color and clarity. I’ll explain below…
Carat Weight
As one of the most important four C’s of diamond, carat (abbreviated as ct.) is the internationally recognized standard for measuring the weight of a diamond, not the size. Never at one point should you confuse carat with karat. The latter is a measure of gold purity.
Meanwhile, you’ll hear a lot of non-savvy shoppers use the term “carat” when referring to the size of the diamond. That’s wrong because two diamonds might look identical to the eye depending on how the diamond is cut. But don’t assume that bigger stones always have more carats.
To get a quick understanding, 1 Diamond Carat is the equivalent of 0.200 grams or 200 milligrams. Therefore, a 5-carat diamond is exactly 1 gram or 1000 milligrams, and will likely have a diameter of 11 millimeters.
Watch Kate Hemphill discuss this topic below:
As you might expect, as the carat of a diamond rises, so does the price. This tells you that the price of a diamond stud earring dramatically increases with increase in its weight. This is because as the stone gets bigger, the gem-quality diamonds get rarer to find.
And so, a bigger diamond is going to cost a lot more than a smaller one, regardless of the quality. For example, a 2ct. diamond might cost more than twice four 0.50ct diamonds despite having the same overall carat weight.
You might also want to know that as we move from one full carat to the next, the diamond’s price exponentially increases relative to the changes below one whole carat. Seems confusing, right?
Here’s an example to set things straight:
Let’s say a 0.80ct diamond is priced at $800 and a 0.90ct diamond costs $850. As you can see, the difference in price is only $50. But if you move to a 1.00ct diamond, you may find that the price goes beyond $1,000.
Because a 1.00ct diamond or higher is more attractive to buyers, it’s typically placed in a different price bracket. Here’s how a Round Brilliant cut diamond earring is priced based on its carat weight:
|
Carat Weight (CT) |
Approx. Diameter (mm) |
Approx. Crown Size (mm²) |
Average Price Per Carat |
Total Price Per Pair of Earrings |
| 1.00 | 6.10 | 32.37 | $2,495 | $4,990 |
| 0.90 | 6.30 | 30.17 | $1,104 | $2,208 |
| 0.80 | 6.10 | 27.90 | $810 | $1,620 |
| 0.70 | 5.75 | 25.53 | $735 | $1,470 |
| 0.60 | 5.40 | 23.04 | $700 | $1,400 |
| 0.50 | 5.00 | 20.41 | $725 | $1,450 |
| 0.40 | 4.80 | 17.59 | $699 | $1,398 |
| 0.30 | 4.20 | 14.52 | $549 | $1,098 |
| 0.20 | 3.80 | 11.36 | $385 | $770 |
| 0.10 | 3.00 | 8.57 | $306 | $612 |
It would be helpful to know that the carat scale has been standardized around specific milestones, including 0.25 carat, 0.5 carat, 1.00 carat, and so on. Usually, diamonds that fall outside of those standard milestones are significantly discounted.
When looking for diamonds for your stud earrings, I suggest that you consider those that fall outside those milestones so you enjoy discounted prices.
For example, instead of choosing a 1 carat diamond, go for a 0.98 carat diamond. Likewise, rather than opting for a 0.5 carat diamond, consider a 0.49 carat and save big when shopping for diamond stud earrings.
Diamond Cut
For the most part, people choose diamond studs for their sparkle and brilliance as opposed to their color and size. Therefore, the cut of the diamond can influence its price by up to 30%. The diamond cut refers to the way the stone is polished and faceted to reflect light and reveal its shine.
If a diamond is cut well, the piece will shine and sparkle. It will also appear visibly larger and more attractive as compared to one that is cut badly. Often, the diamond’s cost per carat will increase as its cut quality improves.
The reason’s that jewelers have to remove more rough material and polish the facets to achieve better cut proportions and symmetry. While removing more rough material to realize better cut quality, cutters end up losing the diamond’s carat weight. Therefore, it’s only natural for them to charge higher prices to compensate for the loss in carat weight.
On top of that, polishing the stone to achieve the right cut quality calls for skilled workmanship, additional costs and numerous hours of operation. In the end, the two key driving forces behind every cut decision are economics and profitability.
In the real world, diamond cutters are unable to turn every rough stone into an ideal cut diamond. If they do so, they won’t be making any profits. That’s why you’ll find a ton of sub-par diamond earrings in the market today. Those diamond earrings are cut for weight retention, rather than for beauty.
So, when shopping for a diamond earring, you’ll want a style that will not only please you but also your wallet. Here are three popular diamond cuts that might fit the bill:
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Round Cut
A round cut is the most expensive diamond cut ever, for a couple of reasons. First, the demand for round diamonds is all time high. And secondly, creating this cut involves using a larger rough stone, which results in more wasted material.
This may come as a shocker, but the price of a round cut has skyrocketed in the recent past to about 30% higher than the average diamond earring. Diamond cutters have to factor in each lost carat to arrive at the final price.
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Marquise and Oval Cut
Marquise and oval are the next most expensive cuts after the round. However, both of these cuts are a far cry from the round cut in price, often retailing at around $1,000 less.
Despite the relatively low price, marquise and oval cuts are hands down attractive and classic. You can give these oblong pieces a shot if round cut diamonds are financially out of your reach. You can’t go wrong with them!
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Princess Cut
You might be tempted to think that a more labor-intensive cut is pricier. You’re wrong, because what determines the actual price of a diamond ring is the cost of raw materials. The princess cut, along with other fancy cuts like heart-shaped, pear-shaped and radiant, costs about $1,500 less than the round cut.
Princess cut diamonds are the popular choice among budget-conscious shoppers. The shape of this cut allows diamond cutters to preserve more than 80% of the rough diamond. For avoidance of doubt, princess diamond earrings are square in shape and have defined edges.
Color & Clarity
Color and clarity also have a huge impact on the price of a diamond stud earring. Oddly enough, the more expensive diamonds have less color in them. Colorless diamonds refract the most light and create maximum shine, sparkle, and splendor. Because colorless diamonds are rare to come by, they generally carry a more expensive price tag.
Diamond stud earrings with yellow discoloration and inclusions, like spotting, cracking or tiny birthmarks on a diamond, are often less valuable and therefore cost less. In other words, the price of your diamond stud earrings goes down as discoloration and inclusions go up.
The good news is, it’s unlikely that your diamond stud earrings will show off the inclusions and blemishes, unless someone comes close enough and examines your earlobes using a 10x jeweler’s loupe.
You may want to consider opting for stones on the lower end of the clarity scale to save some additional money. If you’re looking for a good value, it’s best to choose Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) or Included (I1, I2).
Summary
You can find a ton of diamond stud earrings to meet your unique carat weight, cut, and clarity needs at affordable prices. But to achieve that, we suggest setting a realistic budget before shopping for your perfect diamond earrings. Otherwise, you may end up falling in love with a pair that costs more than you can afford.
And as you venture out to purchase your solitaire studs, don’t forget to envision how you’ll pair them with additional jewelry pieces. You can ask your jeweler about the best way to accessorize your current and future diamond earrings so you make a sound decision.
Better still, reach out to us and we’ll help you make a decision you’ll feel fantastic about. You can also comment below and we’ll get right back!
