0.9 carat, 1 carat and 1.1 carat - Is it true that buying diamond of unrounded weight is most economical?

Well, you said it all. Diamond market has some logic still, and a 1.1 carat diamond would obviously cost more than a 1 carat diamond, but it would be correct to say that higher increase of price for similar size intervals would be between 0.9 and 1 carat diamonds and 0.4 and 0.5 carat stones (much more than the price increase between 0.7 and 0.8 carat, for example).

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The price of a diamond not only depends on its carat weight but is contingent on a number of other factors. A diamond's cut, clarity and color greatly influence the value of a diamond (in fact, there are experts who believe that a diamond's clarity is the most important factor in determining a diamond's worth). A common misconception is that: "the larger the diamond (the larger its carat weight) the more expensive it'll be". When evaluating a diamond we have to take its other characteristics into consideration. Although it is generally true that whole carat diamonds are more popular, and therefore more expensive, than 0.9 or 1.1 carat diamonds, that is not always the case. For instance, a 1.1 carat diamond with high color and clarity grades will cost you more than a 1 carat diamond with poor color and clarity grades. When you go about buying a diamond you should be aware of all four of the diamond's characteristics, and how each of them influences a diamond's cost. I recommend you have a look at online diamond price indexes to get a good estimate of diamond values. Also, you should be aware that even if you do decide on a 1.1 or 0.9 carat diamond most jewelers may not even carry these diamonds. As we have already established, whole carat diamonds are the most popular diamonds. Therefore, jewelers will cut diamonds according to the market's demand, As such, they may not be able to accommodate you or you may have to specially order the diamond, which could cost you extra.

To read more about diamond and their respective values go here http://www.zoara.com/diamonds#guide .

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Profitable, yes, but for those men buying diamond engagement rings for their fiances, sometimes it just doesn't pay. Many women simply prefer a 1 carat diamond over a .9 carat diamond. They want to know that they can say to their friends: "it's a full carat!" and they want to feel worth a full carat. One of my best guy friends, for example, caught on to this little "loop hole" in the diamond buying industry and bought his fiance a ..99 carat diamond. He learned that a diamond that weighs .99 carats lies in a completely different price category than a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats. Anyway, his fiance freaked out. She made him take it back and told him that she was worth "at least one whole carat". This is even despite the fact that he explained the jump in price between the two diamonds and explained the miniscule difference in size between the two.  I guess when it comes to diamonds, (and women) logic doesn't always fuel the decision-making. In any event, the above answers are correct as long as you don't have a very specific and relatively demanding fiance, girlfriend, mother, or wife, who really wants to know that she's got a "full carat" or a "full half carat" worth of diamond.

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Be careful, though. Some dealers tend to round up diamonds' carat measurement, so that they would sell a 0.45 carat diamond as a 0.5 diamond, in order to prevent wise customers as yourself from making an economical purchase. In such cases you should ask to see the diamond grading report in which the real diamond weight is stated.

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