A diamond is worth far less to sell than it cost to buy. As of late 2026, a natural round diamond of about 1 carat in mid grades, roughly G to J color and VS to SI clarity, typically resells for about $1,000-4,000, which is roughly 20-50 percent of what a jeweler would charge for it new. A half carat brings about $500-2,000, the small accent stones in most rings about $20-150 each, and a lab-grown 1 carat diamond, which is real diamond but made in a factory, often only $50-300 because its new price has fallen so far. Pawn shops and cash-for-gold counters usually offer the least.
Where your stone falls in those ranges depends on four things you can find out: whether it is natural or lab-grown, its exact carat weight, its color and clarity grades, and whether it has a grading report from GIA or a similar lab. A report alone can move the offer by thousands of dollars on a larger stone.
Quick answer
- Natural round diamond, mid grades: about $300-1,200 at half a carat, $1,000-4,000 at 1 carat, $2,000-7,000 at 1.5 carats.
- Resale is usually 20-50 percent of original retail. The insurance appraisal figure is not a selling price.
- Lab-grown 1 carat: about $50-300 to sell; many buyers do not buy them at all.
- A GIA report that matches the stone is the single biggest help when you sell.
- The gold or platinum setting adds its metal value on top.
How to work out what your diamond is worth, step by step
- Confirm it is a diamond. Many clear stones in inherited jewelry are cubic zirconia, white sapphire or moissanite. A jeweler's diamond and moissanite tester settles this in minutes; our guide on how to tell if a diamond is real explains the home tests and their limits, and how to tell if moissanite is real covers the most common look-alike.
- Find any paperwork. A grading report from GIA, IGI or another lab lists carat weight, color, clarity, cut, measurements and whether the stone is natural or laboratory-grown. Look for a report number laser inscribed on the girdle, the thin edge around the stone, with a 10x loupe. GIA's online Report Check confirms the details for a GIA number.
- Establish natural or lab-grown. This is the first fork in value. A tester cannot tell them apart; a report, a girdle inscription reading "LAB GROWN" or "LG", or a lab test can. A large, clean stone in a ring bought new in the last few years at a modest price should be treated as possibly lab-grown until shown otherwise.
- Get the carat weight. Weight is measured loose. In a setting, a jeweler estimates it from the stone's diameter: a well-cut 1 carat round measures about 6.4 mm across, a half carat about 5.1 mm, a quarter carat about 4.1 mm.
- Note color and clarity. Color runs from D, colorless, through the near-colorless G to J range to yellowish K and beyond. Clarity runs from Flawless through VVS and VS to SI and I. Inclusions you can see without a loupe put a stone in the I range and cut its value sharply.
- Check the cut and shape. Round brilliants command the highest price per carat; fancy shapes such as oval, princess and emerald sell for less at the same grades. A poorly cut stone, too deep or too shallow, looks dull and sells at a discount. Old European and old mine cuts from before about 1930 have their own buyers; our guide to telling if a ring is antique shows what they look like.
- Value the setting separately. Read the metal stamp, such as 14K, 18K or PT950, and weigh it. Our guide to 10K vs 14K vs 18K gold gives melt values, and how to read jewelry hallmarks covers the marks.
- Price from resale, not retail. Use what dealers and buyers pay, not what stores charge or what an insurance appraisal says.
What diamonds sell for
Typical resale ranges, as of late 2026, for natural round brilliant diamonds in mid grades, about G to J color and VS to SI clarity, with acceptable cut. Higher colors and clarities, excellent cuts and GIA reports move a stone toward the top of each range; visible inclusions, chips, strong yellow tint and no paperwork move it toward the bottom.
| Natural round diamond | Approximate resale | Rough retail when new |
|---|---|---|
| Under 0.25 carat, accent and side stones | $20-150 each | $100-600 each |
| 0.25 to 0.50 carat | $150-700 | $600-2,500 |
| 0.50 to 0.90 carat | $300-1,200 | $1,000-3,500 |
| 1.00 to 1.49 carat | $1,000-4,000 | $3,000-10,000 |
| 1.50 to 1.99 carat | $2,000-7,000 | $6,000-18,000 |
| 2 carats and above | $4,000 and up, highly grade dependent | About $10,000 and up |
| Lab-grown, 1 carat | $50-300 | About $500-1,200 new |
| Lab-grown, 2 carats | About $100-500, if a buyer will take it | About $1,500-4,000 new |
Price per carat jumps at round weights. A 1.00 carat stone sells for noticeably more per carat than a 0.95, and a 1.50 more than a 1.45, because buyers shop by those numbers. If your report says 0.98 or 1.48, expect the lower bracket.
Where you sell changes the price
| Buyer | Typical offer for a natural diamond | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn shop or cash-for-gold counter | Roughly 20-30 percent of original retail | Fast, lowest; often values only the metal on lab-grown |
| Local jeweler or diamond buyer, cash | About 20-40 percent of retail | Quick; get two or three offers |
| Online diamond buyer | Similar to a jeweler, sometimes higher for reported stones | You ship the stone; insurance and inspection apply |
| Consignment or online auction | About 40-60 percent of retail, before fees | Slower; fees of 15-35 percent |
| Private sale to a buyer | Can reach 50-70 percent of retail | Slowest; safety and trust issues |
| Major auction house | Market value for top stones and signed jewels | Worth it for about 2 carats and up, or Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef pieces |
Signed jewelry is its own market. A diamond ring by Tiffany or Cartier sells to buyers who pay for the name as well as the stone, provided the piece is genuine; see how to tell if Tiffany jewelry is real.
Say you find your mother's engagement ring: a round diamond in a 14K yellow gold solitaire, with a GIA report showing 1.02 carats, H color, SI1 clarity, Very Good cut, natural. The ring was bought in 2004, and the insurance appraisal says $9,500. Ignore the appraisal; it is a retail replacement figure. For a 1.02 carat H SI1 with a matching GIA report, cash offers from diamond buyers will typically land around $1,500-2,500, with consignment or a well-presented private sale reaching higher. The 14K setting weighs about 3 grams and adds roughly $200-250 in gold. Without the report, the same stone would draw lower and more cautious offers, because each buyer would have to grade it themselves.
Lab-grown diamonds and the price collapse
Lab-grown diamonds are diamond in every physical sense, and a standard tester passes them. What changed is the price. Production has grown so fast that a lab-grown 1 carat round that sold for several thousand dollars new a few years ago now sells new for roughly $500-1,200, and prices fell by most of their value between 2020 and 2024. The secondhand market reflects that. Many jewelers and buyers do not purchase lab-grown stones at all, and those that do pay little, often $50-300 for a 1 carat stone. If your stone is lab-grown, most of what you can sell is the setting.
Common mistakes
- Using the insurance appraisal as a selling price. Appraisals state retail replacement cost, often generously. Resale is a fraction of it.
- Expecting to recover the purchase price. Most natural diamonds resell for 20-50 percent of what they cost new, even after decades.
- Assuming a lab-grown diamond is fake, or that a natural one is lab-grown. Both are diamond. Only a report or a lab test separates them, and it changes the value by a factor of ten or more.
- Trusting a report you have not matched to the stone. Check the inscription under a loupe and the measurements against the report.
- Selling to the first counter. Offers for the same stone can differ by a thousand dollars or more. Ask several buyers.
- Unsetting the stone yourself. Prongs damage stones and settings. Let the buyer or a jeweler do it.
- Forgetting the metal. A platinum or 18K setting can add a few hundred dollars; see is my old jewelry real gold if the stamp is missing.
How WorthPic reads diamond photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From clear photos of the piece, the stone from above and the side, the stamps inside the band and any report, it reads the cut style and shape, the setting and its quality, the metal stamp, visible inclusions, the stone's size relative to the mount, and the details printed on a grading report. That is enough to tell you whether the piece looks consistent with a diamond in fine jewelry or with a simulant in costume jewelry, and, where a report or a measured size is available, to give an honest resale range. What it cannot know from a photo is the exact carat weight, the true color and clarity grade, whether the stone is natural or lab-grown, or whether it is diamond at all. It identifies and estimates. It does not test stones, authenticate, grade or appraise.
What to photograph
- The stone from directly above, in daylight, filling the frame.
- The ring or piece from the side, showing the stone's depth and the setting.
- The inside of the band, with the metal stamp and maker's mark readable.
- The girdle under a loupe, if you can, for any inscription.
- Every page of a grading report, with the report number visible.
- The stone next to a ruler or with a measured diameter in millimeters, if it is loose.
When to get it looked at in person
Any stone that tests as diamond and looks about half a carat or larger deserves a gemologist's look before you sell. An independent gemologist will identify the stone and give a verbal estimate for a modest fee, and a written appraisal costs more; choose one who charges by the item or the hour, never by a percentage of value. For a natural stone of about 1 carat or more without paperwork, a GIA report usually pays for itself, because buyers pay more for a stone they do not have to grade. For a signed piece, a stone of 2 carats or more, or an antique jewel, ask a major auction house's jewelry department for an estimate. For small accent stones, lab-grown stones and costume pieces, a jeweler's tester and a scale for the gold are all you need, and our guide to antique brooches covers the older pieces that often turn up in the same box.