How much more for 1 step better color & clarity?

[realtanu]

If you had 2 diamonds of equal cut and carat, how much of a premium would be paid for 1 step better color and carat? In this case, a cushion of 1.5ct wtih F/VS2 vs. say a cushion of G/SI1?

I guess,
1) What would the accepted premium be? In terms of % increase, or $/carat, etc.? [sticking with F/VS2 and G/SI1 comparison]
2) Would this step up of 1 grade be particularly "worth it" to anyone?

Thanks

 

[stone-cold11]

What kind of cut? Step cut generally shows more color and clarity than a round brilliant cut.

Color depends on your sensitivity, but F/G not noticeable to me so definitely not worth it for me.

If eye-clean, SI1 to a VS2 is not worth it for me.

From PS database, about 3k jump from a G SI1 to a F VS2. But this is the average for round from 1.5-1.99 carat, so depends on the number of stones in each category and the cut, more H&A in-house cut for one category might skew the price, so might not be accurate, just a rough guide.

https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-price-stats-results

 

[realtanu]

Thanks for the search. I guess I was looking for a hard and fast "rule" I did the search and found $/carat to be $7,800 for the F/VS2 and 6,640 for the G/SI1. Assuming equal value for color and clarity, implies $600/step. I know this is rough math, but indeed helpful. So for 1.5 carat would imply 600 * 1.5 * 2 = ~$2000. Again is just rough math as I just took the high-end pricing for both stones off the search and didn't spend time refining the benchmarks.

 

[stone-cold11]

ya, the price I link is $/carat.

The link above does not work apparently.

This is the correct link. https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-price-stats

 

[antelope1]

Statistically speaking, there is an increase in price for better color, an increase in price for better clarity, and a 3rd type of change in price if both color and clarity are changed at the same time (statisticians call this the correlation or covariance). You have to estimate all 3 quantities to get an accurate picture of the tradeoff for going up in color and down in clarity (at the same time).

From my limited research, different color steps have different price premiums -- so if you're going from a D to an E, the gap will be different from going from a G to an H. (If you're doing a color comparison, hold the cut quality, clarity, and carat weight of the stone constant in your search.) Ditto clarity comparisons.

So the short of it is that diamond pricing is complicated! =D

 

[denverappraiser]

Thanks for the search. I guess I was looking for a hard and fast "rule" I did the search and found $/carat to be $7,800 for the F/VS2 and 6,640 for the G/SI1. Assuming equal value for color and clarity, implies $600/step. I know this is rough math, but indeed helpful. So for 1.5 carat would imply 600 * 1.5 * 2 = ~$2000. Again is just rough math as I just took the high-end pricing for both stones off the search and didn't spend time refining the benchmarks.

There is no such rule.

Prices generally are going to base on:

Weight
Clarity*
Color*
Cutting*
Treatments
Documentation
Availability
Location
Terms and conditions
Branding

*Color, clarity and cutting are all based on grading, usually by a 3rd party. Accuracy and consistency of grading, which means the identity of the grader, is an important consideration. All ‘labs’ are not the same.

Prices on the very same stone can vary by as much as a factor of 2 depending on the other variables. Variations in the offers of Color/Clarity combinations from one dealer to the next will vary depending on what they have on hand, what they have access to, etc. and asking prices will be reflected in this. At that grade with all other things being equal, expect each step to affect the price by 6-10%. (you’ve got 2 steps that you're considering, one in color and one in clarity). ‘All things being equal’ is a big qualifier; they never are. You’ll always find differences in cutting, availability, grading accuracy and, if you’re comparing between two or more dealers, issues within the terms and conditions and similar topics.