If you are rich, then yes, why not? Spend $20.8K on a 1 carat D flawless diamond, like this one on James Allen.
But if you want to learn how to get the best bang for your buck when getting a diamond, then you might find this post useful, because we will see the “insane” price of a D flawless diamond, then understand how to get a better diamond for your money shortly after.
Let’s start this off by shedding some light on why this is not such a great idea as well as uncovering the real price for such gems and the true value of getting one!
Notice that we’re talking about the two highest grades possible, in terms of color (D grade), and clarity (flawless).
To put this in perspective, let’s take a quick look at where these grades fall…
D Color Grade – Where it Stands?
On Diamonds Color scale, and according to GIA standards, diamonds are graded from D (being the most colorless) to Z (note all color grades after K start to show some yellow).
Here is the grades scale; grouped by the percentage of color in each group for your reference:
We believe it’s obvious that since D is the first grade in the scale, it’s known that the D Colorless diamonds are considered one of the rarest diamonds ever, it’s utterly colorless (along with E grade).
It is also one of the most valuable (in terms of being expensive only!) grades you can ever find.
Pro Tip: Even gemologists can NEVER tell the difference between D & E grades by just looking at one of them alone, they have to hold them side by side to tell a difference without any guessing! So don’t ever expect someone to tell what color is your diamond by just looking.
Well, D grade is really fascinating and all, but we don’t recommend it AT ALL.
Generally, and in order not to spend money on something you can’t see, we recommend our readers to get a G color (sometimes even an H grade).
In short, these two grades will not show any yellow color to the naked eye, but if you want more details, we encourage you to go over H vs. G color Comparison post.
Having that said, it’s obvious that the D color is waaaay too high from the recommendation you will hear from any expert, you’re talking about 3 grades higher from a color that is guaranteed 100% to appear completely colorless.
Flawless Clarity Grade – Where it Stands?
Diamonds are created under tremendous amounts of pressure and heat. Under a 100 miles depth, and a 2,000 Fahrenheit temperature, with an exerted pressure of more than 70,000 pounds per inch square, too much physics we know!
In short, under these circumstances, a diamond with some flaws will definitely be made!
These imperfections are called “diamond inclusions”.
Diamonds with no inclusions are extremely rare; that even most jewelers go throughout their whole lives not seeing one!
This brings the question, what percentage of diamonds has almost ZERO inclusions?
It’s safe to say that more than 99% of diamonds can’t make it to “Flawless”!
James Allen, the biggest online store for diamonds as we saw in their review; having a wide collection of more than 543k diamonds, has less than 250 flawless diamonds (diamonds without any inclusions) as you can see here.
That’s almost 2 in 10000! Wonder why?
Here is the clarity grades scale for diamonds:
The flawless clarity grade is similar to D in color, it’s very rare and stands on TOP of the clarity grades scale! And when you know that SI1 & VS2 are best eye clean grades, we believe it’s will be much clearer why Flawless diamonds are so expensive, and to be honest, not recommended at all!
FL stands on the scale five grades higher than the recommended grade to get an eye-clean diamond.
Now,
What is 1 Carat D Flawless Diamond Price?
We took the liberty to perform a simple search in order to have a fair estimation for this gem.
Our references for price estimations will be James Allen, as well as Blue Nile, their head-to-head competitor with half a million diamonds.
We will be fixing all these factors to get the price range:
Carat: 1.0 – 1.02
Color: D
Clarity: FL
Cut: Ideal/Excellent
Shape: Round
Polish & Symmetry: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Grading Lab: GIA or AGS
The outcome of doing this search on James Allen’s was only 2 diamonds; priced around $20.7k (yes, you read it right, $20k for a 1-carat diamond!).
Carrying out a similar search on Blue Nile resulted in only one diamond; and it’s priced at $22.4k!
Maybe you noticed that diamond on Blue Nile has no real image! While this diamond is guaranteed to be eye-clean and colorless (obviously), that’s why we always encourage to make sure you buy filter diamonds that have images as we explained in our Blue Nile review.
Reading our article about Diamond Price per Carat will give you a general idea of the average (and reasonable) price for a 1-carat diamond, which ranges between $4.4k and $6.5k.
We’re talking about triple the highest reasonable price expected for a 1 carat diamond! And to be straight-forward, it’s insane to put all that amount to such a diamond.
Why Buying a D Flawless Diamond is NOT Recommended?
We’re not really saying that it’s not recommended, we just believe it’s a waste of money to get such a diamond!
When it comes to diamond shopping, you know you have to make your buying decision and your choice of characteristics based on what “really” makes a difference in the appearance, sparkle, and scintillation of your stone, other than that, it’s really just a waste of money!
To get the best bang for your bucks, you need to understand that these are nothing but some crazy “overpriced” characteristics that you will regret overspending money on!
This Won’t be your Local Jewelry Salesperson Advice
Diamond salespeople will always try to convince couples to get the highest color to avoid any yellowish appearance, ironically, this highest grade will be the highest color they have in store!
After talking to a diamond retailer, you’ll probably be left more lost about the perfect option for your stone’s color!
It’s worth mentioning, though, that a diamond color needs to be inspected by an expert (probably a 3rd party) and that it sure isn’t easily seen by the naked eye unless it’s compared with a known-grade diamond.
What Diamond Characteristics to look for then?
Of course, we would never just advise you to not get these grades and keep you hanging!
Based on years of experience in this field, inspecting, and recommending thousands of unique diamonds for our readers, we gathered the best (and most recommended) grades to guide you when you’re diamond picking:
1. Cut: Always go for Ideal / Excellent cut, even for a lower carat, invest in the stone’s cut as it’s on top of 4Cs in order of importance, rather than jumping to an insane grade like the “flawless”!
Pro Tip: Some retailers have special line of products for extremely high-cut diamonds, called Hearts & Arrows, as we see in True Hearts™ by James Allen, and Astor by Blue Nile™, the same goes for A CUT ABOVE™ with Whiteflash.
2. Clarity: In most cases, SI1 will be eye-clean. For a safer choice, VS2 is your gem! If you’re getting a relatively large diamond (+1.2 carat), it’s better to stay at VS2 since there are types of inclusions you need to avoid, which can be more visible in SI1 (for bigger gems).
You don’t really need anything higher than that (unless you’re getting 4 or 5 carat diamond, to make a full statement here).
3. Color: Stick to G color, you can even go H color when you’re getting a platinum or white gold setting. If you’re too sensitive, then G is perfect; it has no yellow seen by an untrained eye.
4. Carat: A matter of preference, just don’t invest in carat before guaranteeing the above-mentioned grades.
5. Polish & Symmetry: Excellent (that’s the case in 99% of Ideal cut diamonds).
Summary
You won’t find too many D Flawless diamonds options even on stores with hundreds of thousands of diamonds as we saw above, from +1 million diamonds on James Allen & Blue Nile, we only found 3 diamonds (with some other constraints).
Average price for 1 carat D Flawless diamond is around $20k to $22k, and it will be much more in a local store.
I hope you reached this post because you were just curious to know the price of a 1 carat D color Flawless clarity diamond and nothing more, you are not intending to get one.
Getting such extremely high grades is purely wasting your money on what doesn’t make that difference you think to your diamond.
Keep this in mind: Why overspend on a D color, when you will never be able to see the added color (even for higher grades like G or H) with the naked eye?
Still not sure where to buy your diamond?
We always recommend shopping diamonds online and created a Full guide to shop diamonds like a Pro.
Among online retailers, here are our favorite stores (click their logo to visit store):
1) James Allen: Our favorite online store, best diamond imaging technology available today, comes with the largest collection with more than half a million loose diamonds.
2) Blue Nile: Widest collection of loose diamonds of all sizes, great imaging technology for most of their inventory (hundreds of thousands of diamonds), great customer support.
3) Whiteflash: Home Of A CUT ABOVE® Super Ideal Diamonds, they stand out from the crowd by offering premium diamonds cuts, tailored to those who love the details, at great prices too.
About the Author
Emily Stone
Emily Stone is a talented professional in the diamond industry, known for her expertise and passion. With a keen eye for detail and a deep appreciation for the beauty of diamonds, Emily has become a trusted authority.
Driven by her lifelong fascination with gemstones, Emily has dedicated her career to understanding the intricacies of diamonds. With years of experience in diamond sourcing and grading, she possesses a comprehensive knowledge that sets her apart.
Emily's impeccable taste and ability to curate extraordinary diamond pieces have made her a sought-after consultant. Her commitment to providing personalized guidance has earned her a loyal clientele.
Through this website, Emily shares her insights and educates others, helping them navigate the world of diamonds with confidence. With her expertise and unwavering passion, Emily Stone continues to make a mark in the captivating realm of diamonds.
