2 carat diamond rings: prices and buying guide (2023)

FAQs

How much should I expect to pay for a 2 carat diamond? ›

On average, you can expect the cost of a 2 carat diamond to widely vary depending on its shape, cut quality, clarity, color, and whether it's a naturally mined or lab diamond. The varying cost can range from $5,000 to $50,000 or more.

How Much Does a 2 Carat Diamond Ring Cost? A nice 2 carat diamond will cost between $11,500 and $19,000 depending on the shape and clarity you choose. If you go with a super high-quality 2 carat diamond in the DE color and FL/IF clarity range, it will cost $30,000 to $50,000.

"Most women think of two carats as a decent-size diamond, with a typical color clarity ranging from VS1-VS2, F-G color. [D is colorless.] A noticeably big diamond will be three carats and above.

Choosing Color and Clarity for a Two-Carat Diamond

For a two carat diamond, an SI1 clarity grade is still likely eye-clean. If you opt for a higher clarity grade, you'll be paying extra for quality that you can't appreciate without a microscope.

The price range of a GIA certified round 2 carat diamond is from $6,000 to $60,000. At the lower end, the starting cost of a round GIA certified 2 carat diamond with M color and si2 clarity is $6,000-$8,000.

Tip #1: Standard & Average Sizes

The 1.0 carat center stone used to be the most desired size chosen for engagement rings, however, more recently we are seeing this shift towards a slightly larger stone, with couples choosing diamonds averaging 1.25 to 1.50 carats.

Now that we know all of the factors that can contribute to a diamond's price, let's explore what a two carat diamond ring might cost. We know that there isn't one price that would cover every 2 carat stone in the market. However, the typical range for 2 round carat diamonds is somewhere around $8,000-$50,000.

One of the decisions to be made when considering the purchase of an engagement ring is how many carats should the ring be? The average according to The Knot (a research company and website for all things wedding) is 1 to 2 carats. There is no rule. Developing a budget is always a good place to start.

Because a 2 carat diamond is more rare than smaller sizes, it actually is worth more than twice the value of a 1 carat. For example, a 2 carat round brilliant diamond of G color, VS1 clarity, and a “triple excellent” rating for cut is worth up to 4 times more than a 1 carat diamond with the same attributes!

2-carat diamonds are flashy and valuable. They tend to look larger (depending on the shape) than their carat weight suggests.

What is a respectable carat size? ›

The range of 1.0 to 1.9 carats is by far the most popular, but there are noticeable peaks at the 0.70 – 0.79 range, the 0.90 – 0.99 range and the 1.50 – 1.59 range. It's great to see that people take our advice and go for a diamond that's slightly lighter or heavier than industry cutoff weights to get the best value.

Wondering which diamond shapes look the largest per carat? The four shapes that look the largest per carat are (in order of which looks the largest): marquise, pear, oval, and emerald diamonds.

​VS1 is higher than the VS2 grade. The only difference between the two is a VS2 diamond's impurities can be easier to spot than those in a VS1. Imperfections in a VS2 grade diamond are similar in size and quantity to those in a VS1.

2.5-Carat Diamond

"If a stone is shallow, it might appear larger than it is, but often won't look as vibrant, or won't reflect light well," the jeweler says. "If a stone is too deep, it'll appear small."

A VS1 diamond has slightly fewer and smaller inclusions than a VS2 diamond. In other words, a VS1 diamond is slightly better than a VS2 diamond.

Choose a 2 carat diamond with an ideal cut or a GIA Excellent rating. Cut is the factor that has the greatest influence on beauty, brilliance, and fire. You can lower the grading in the other 4cs of diamonds, like color or clarity, but not in Diamond Cut.

With a total budget of $2,000, you'll be able to afford a good quality round diamond in the 0.65 to 0.75 carat range, provided you're willing to opt for a solitaire setting.

Carat-per-carat, emerald and Asscher cuts are the least expensive. Because they are step-cut, there is less waste when these diamonds are cut off of the rough stone, which is going to cost the same no matter how it gets cut.

The cushion-cut center diamond of Meghan's engagement ring is estimated to be roughly three carats and was sourced from Botswana — a country that is very important to Prince Harry and where the couple took their first vacation together.

Research has shown that the most common diamond carat size is somewhere between 1.0 and 1.2 carats. A single-carat diamond is just over half a centimeter in diameter, less than half the size of a penny!

What is the most popular diamond size? ›

The most popular diamond size includes the half-carat diamond (0.50cts.) The reason for this is not only cost, but this diamond typically hits a budget that many people can realistically aspire to.

Well, a round 2 carat diamond averages about 8.1mm in diameter. An oval is about 10.5mm in length x 7mm in width—so it's going to visually look bigger. Meanwhile, a 2 carat Asscher cut diamond will measure approximately 7mm across.

The average price of a 1 carat diamond is currently $4,854 (see price chart below). 1 carat diamonds can cost anywhere from $1,572 - $11,418 depending on the diamond's shape, color, clarity, and other factors. To see specific details on diamond pricing by shape see our 1 carat diamond prices table below.

Round brilliant cut diamonds are easily the most expensive diamond shape. In part, that's because round is the most popular diamond shape. More than half of all the diamonds sold today are round diamonds. This incredible popularity means that diamond miners and retailers can charge more for such an in-demand shape.

The gem's carat is the unit that measures its weight, which can influence how big it appears. According to our study, the average engagement ring size is 1.5 carats. Roughly half of all engagement rings fall between 1 and 2 carats, with just 25% of rings sizing above two carats.

18-Carat Gold is a better choice of metal for wedding bands, since anything higher (such as 24) is too soft, which will make the ring prone to scratches, bending, and even breaking!

General Rule: You should spend at least 2 months salary on the engagement ring. If, for example, you are making $60,000 per year, you should spend $10,000 on the engagement ring.

Round cut 2-carat diamonds are roughly around 8.00mm in size and weigh somewhere in the region of 400 milligrams. So overall, bigger and heavier than the 1.5 carats which is around 7.25mm in diameter, making the 2-carat larger but not by a huge amount!

The difference between a 1 Carat and 2 Carat diamond is purely weight – 200 milligrams to be precise. It's important to remember that a diamond of greater Carat weight will not possess more brightness, colour, or clarity than a smaller diamond of the same quality.

Are 2 carat diamond studs too big? ›

A good rule of thumb is to stay between 0.25 ctw and 1 ctw for an everyday pair of studs. Then, if you're shopping for a pair of diamond studs that you'll wear on special occasions, you may want to go a bit bigger and opt for diamonds that are over 1 ctw.

Generally, for a 2-carat diamond for an engagement ring, I recommend that you consider diamonds ranging in color from G to I. These are nearly colorless and appear just as colorless as colorless diamonds ranging from D to F.

Because diamonds reflect white light, colorless diamonds produce the best sparkle and fire. In fact, the more color a diamond has, the less likely it is to reflect white light. And as a result, will produce less sparkle. A D-color diamond is the highest quality, and will offer the greatest sparkle.

The most common finger sizes are between US 4 – US 7. In my opinion, diamonds ranging between 0.5ct – 1.5ct would look perfectly fine on these finger sizes. Personally, I think diamonds below 0.30ct would look small and I would recommend using a halo setting to spruce up the appearance of the engagement ring.

D color diamond is the highest grade and is extremely rare—the highest color grade that money can buy.

The average women's ring size is 6 and the average men's ring size is 8½ Guessing your partner's ring size correctly can be done with a little common sense. If you have a petite partner, it's likely that their hands are smaller with slender fingers, so try starting at a size 4 or 4½ for women, and around a 7 for men.

Round Cut Diamonds Sparkle The Most

The standard round cut diamond comprises 57 facets (58 including one on the bezel). This cut heightens the diamond's sparkle and shine. Because round diamonds have the largest number of facets, they create the most sparkle.

Bezel setting: In this setting style, a band of metal surrounds the diamond's girdle. As a result, the diamond's circumference may appear to be larger. Bezel engagement ring settings also afford extra protection against accidental bangs and bumps. TIP: The bezel setting is generally used for round and oval diamonds.

With the average-sized engagement ring being a 1-carat stone, it's safe to say anything larger can be considered big. Most people think diamonds are big when they start to reach 2-carats or bigger. However, rings of this size are less common. This is one of the reasons that most people feel 2-carats is a big diamond.

How big of a diamond can you get for $50000? ›

I've also included some real-life examples of $50,000 diamond engagement rings that people have previously purchased. As a ballpark figure, it would be reasonable to expect at least a 2 carat size diamond and you can go as high as 5 carats if you go down to lower colors like K or M.

What is the most popular carat size for engagement rings? While engagement ring preferences vary depending on the person or current trends, the average engagement ring carat size is about one carat.

Research has shown that the most common diamond carat size is somewhere between 1.0 and 1.2 carats. A single-carat diamond is just over half a centimeter in diameter, less than half the size of a penny!

If you select a setting with a slim band and slim prongs, your center diamond will look larger in comparison. On the other hand, if you choose a wide band with bulky prongs, your diamond will look smaller. So if you want your center stone to look as large as possible, always select a slim, delicate setting.

Yes, the average diamond price has increased from 1960 to today. However, there's also been cumulative inflation of more than 700% over the same time period, meaning that the true appreciation in value of a diamond is very small.

The price of a 3-carat lab-grown diamond has dropped by more than half between Q1 2021 ($20,565) and Q1 2023 ($9,305). “You are starting to hear some retailers come out and say they are less motivated to sell lab-grown because the prices continue to fall.

The answer is a resounding yes. Whether it is an engagement ring, diamond family heirloom or even a loose diamond, they all have value. There is always a market for selling diamonds quite simply because there is always a demand for diamonds.