What online jewelry store has the best 1.5 carat diamond ring price this year? Read our guide to find out. We’ve also discussed some important details to keep in mind when purchasing 1.5 carat diamond engagement rings.
Looking for a detailed guide for buying a 1.5-carat diamond ring? We shall help you!
In this comprehensive guide, you will learn about:
- What is a 1.5-carat diamond ring?
- How big is a 1.5-carat diamond ring?
- Our specially picked pieces to begin your search
A 1.5-carat diamond is a perfect size for a diamond engagement ring.
Whether you prefer solitaire settings or additional sparkle accompanied by melee stones or side stones, we have got you covered. Here, we have all the information that you will need to help you pick the right 1.5-carat diamond ring for your engagement.
Best Place to Buy a 1.5 Carat Diamond Ring
You may be surprised but this is actually true: online jewelry shops have become popular for selling better quality diamonds and at almost 20% less price than physical stores.
Diamond stores like Blue Nile and James Allen offer their customers 360-degree viewing by use of high definition cameras. Having said that, here is a list of the best places where you can find high-quality 1.5-carat diamonds.
- James Allen (our number one)
- Whiteflash (best return policy)
- Blue Nile (best online seller)
- Abe Mor (best place to resell diamonds)
- Leibish and Co (preferred fancy colored diamonds)
- Brian Gavin (great value of warranty and diamonds)
Furthermore, we also have a list of other carat weights for diamonds that we have reviewed. The list is below:
- .5 Carat or half carat Diamond Ring Buying Guide
- 1 Carat Diamond Ring Buying Guide
- 2 Carat Diamond Ring Buying Guide
What is a 1.5 Carat Diamond Ring?
There are two ways of identifying a 1.5-carat diamond: the stone itself can be 1.5-carat weight or the whole ring (diamond and settings) totals to a 1.5-carat weight.
This is the best diamond weight for someone who wants to buy a diamond that is more than 1-carat but cannot afford a 2-carat diamond engagement ring.
You may be going to shop for diamonds but don’t have an idea about what carat weight is or what carat weight you want for your diamond. No need to worry because we have all the information that you need before buying the diamond.
Carat vs Karat
If you have been in the jewelry world for some time, you have heard the word carat being mentioned many times. However, there are two kinds of carats that normally confuse consumers. All gold metals are measured in karat weight.
Any or all original gold diamond rings always have a number on the inside of the ring band like 14. So, 14 karat gold will normally bear a stamp reading 14K, 14kt, or 14KT.
All of these mean the same thing, that the ring is made up of 14/24 parts of pure gold. The remaining 12 parts are made up of an alloy of metals (several metals).
But when we talk about diamond carat, we mean something totally different. Carat is the standard way of measuring the weight of diamonds. For example, a 1-carat diamond weighs approximately 200 milligrams on normal weighing scales.
Carat is also measured using a point system. In this case, 1-carat diamond is the same as 1/100 points.
To make it easier for you to understand, think of carat points in terms of pennies, where 100 pennies is the same as $1 and 1-carat the same as 100carat points. This means that a 1.5-carat diamond ring will weigh the same as 1.50-carat points.
Weight Or Size: Which Is More Important?
There is a lot of confusion when buying diamonds since many people think of diamond carat as size and not weight. Several diamonds come with carat weights in whole numbers like 2-carat, 1.5-carat, 1-carat, 1/3 carat, ¾ carat, ¼ carat, and ½ carat among other whole numbers.
Not all diamonds come in these whole number carat weights. Stores like James Allen sell quality diamonds that have low weights measured in small carat points.
1.5 Carat Vs 1.4 Carat Engagement Ring
In general, if you compare two diamonds based on the carat weight and the difference is more or less 10 points, you will not see any significant difference in the diamond size.
Look at the comparison below between a 1.5-carat diamond and a 1.4 carat diamond. Notice the price difference.
1.40 carat round cut diamond (on the right)
- Color grade G
- Clarity grade SI1
- Retail price of $7,620
1.50 carat round cut diamond (on the left)
- Color grade G
- Clarity grade SI1
- The retail price of $8,140
Can you see any difference?
No.
Of course but keep in mind that this is not true if we look at the carat weight.
Carat weight is among the 4Cs that are used by GIA to measure the quality of loose diamonds.
The price is also determined by the diamond cut, color, and clarity. To reduce the confusion, let us just say that both these two diamonds have the same characteristics apart from carat weight.
When you buy a loose diamond, you should be able to tell how heavy it is from its carat points. However, if you are buying a diamond wedding ring, you may need to research a lot so that you find your preferred carat weight both for the side and center stones.
1.5 Carat Diamond Center Stone
1.5-carat diamonds are easily found, not like 2-carat diamonds but they still have a high price. Diamond prices can be low if they are poorly cut or the clarity grade is low such as SI1. You can find great priced 1.5-carat loose diamonds but you need to look out for the diamond specs.
Most jewelry shops will actually disclose the information about the carat weight of their pre-assembled rings. If it is not available, you can still ask.
1.5 Carat Diamond Cumulative Diamond Weight
The total weight of diamonds is usually labeled as TDW and is part of the diamond specifications, not the total weight of your diamond engagement ring is 1.5 carat, you will see the label branded as 1 ½ TDW or 1.5 TDW.
The cumulative diamond weight is also the total diamond weight and it refers to the weight of the whole ring and not just the center stone. A diamond ring can have all kinds of diamond shapes. For example, if you have a diamond that has got a 1-carat princess cut and all the other diamonds’ cumulative weight is .5 carat, the TDW of the ring is 1.5 carat.
When buying diamonds with a total weight in mind, the price will be cheaper than a 1.5-carat loose diamond. Prices of diamonds usually to a large extent depend on the diamond grading and the center stone.
The rings that have small stones would not require a high clarity grade since you will not notice any inclusions on the stone just by looking at it.
For this particular article, let’s refer to 1.5-carat weight as the weight of the center stone.
Is a 1.5 Carat Diamond Cheap Or Expensive?
We have already touched on this a bit. However, the price of a 1.5-carat diamond depends on several factors. In this guide, we have all the information necessary for you to make an informed decision when buying. The factors that affect the price of a 1.5-carat diamond include:
- Diamond color
- Diamond cut
- Diamond shape
- Diamond clarity
- Brand of the diamond
- The setting in which the diamond is
- Side stones
Cut
When talking about diamond cut, we refer to both the diamond shape and the craftsmanship. Let’s concentrate more on craftsmanship since shape will be dealt with a little later in this guide.
Craftsmanship refers to how the facets of the diamond have been arranged, polished, and shaped. A diamond can have a cut grade that ranges from poor to excellent or ideal.
“Ideal” or “excellent” cuts are the best and will definitely be more than “good” cuts. An ideal cut would be the best cut for diamond cuts.
When diamond cutters are crafting an ideal cut, they take time to ensure that the proportions and symmetry of the diamond are exact. This gives the diamond the utmost balance, durability, and most importantly brilliance. Marcel Tolkowsky was the brain behind ideal cut diamonds.
The Tolkowsky family is known to be that of great diamond cutters as they have been in the business of cutting diamonds since the 1800s. The most common diamond shape today-round brilliant was invented by Tolkowsky.
How the diamond is cut is what will make it either beautiful or ugly. Do not choose to under look diamond cut when buying a 1.5 carat diamond engagement ring. The best diamond in the store is always the one with a great cut and is high quality.
Clarity
Another important factor that contributes to the price of a diamond is clarity. Diamonds clarity can either be included on the worse side to flawless on the best side, or it can be any grade in between. Diamonds that are flawless are not only beautiful but also very expensive, and not everybody who wishes to buy diamonds can afford them.
What you need to appreciate is that there are good quality diamonds which do not have the flawless grade. Diamonds that form naturally have some stains of crystals and minerals called inclusions, not like lab-grown diamonds which are eye-clean.
A diamond can have different kinds of blemishes but you need to worry about the dark or black ones as these greatly affect the sparkle, fire, and brilliance of the diamond.
The diamond clarity scale was developed by GIA and it has 11 grades.
The included category has three grades; I1, I2, and I3. What this means is that the inclusions found in diamonds graded under these sections can be easily seen when you use a 10x magnifier and can also be seen with plain eyes.
SI1 and SI2 diamonds have slightly included blemishes; this means that these stains can only be seen under a 10x magnifier but not with the naked eyes. The inclusions are present and you will see them if you look more carefully.
VS1 and VS2 have blemishes which are very slightly included. With these kinds of clarity grades, inclusions are rarely seen even under a 10x magnifier. These inclusions can completely not be seen and can easily go unnoticed.
VVS1 and VVS2 are clarity grades that mean a diamond has blemishes that are very, very slightly included. Even the skilled and experienced jewelers have a hard time seeing inclusions in these diamonds.
The next grade almost close to the best overall is internally flawless which means that the diamond in this grade has no inclusions. There may be very slight inclusions but are very hard to find.
The best diamond clarity grade is flawless. This is the grade that is clean both to the eye and the magnifier. A flawless 1.5-carat diamond may cost a little more than $20,000 if you buy from the online diamond seller James Allen and it looks exactly like the one below:
Color
Color is one of the 4Cs used to grade diamonds and also impacts the price. The standard color grading scale in use has color categorized from D to K, although you may find some places that go below D. diamonds whose colors go beyond K are called fancy colored diamonds, and this only means that the color has been deliberately added.
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Colorless Color Grades (D, E, F)
The best color grades of diamonds you can find are colorless diamonds. The topmost, or the most colorless grade is D. However, the difference between these three grades is negligible. To notice any color difference between diamonds can only be noticed if you go up or down two color grades.
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Near Colorless Grades (G,H,I, J)
This is arguably the best color grade to buy diamond jewelry. In this category, G is the topmost. Many people do not really buy a colorless diamond because the difference between colorless and near colorless is hardly noticeable. It is better to go for near colorless since it is cheaper.
Look at these two diamonds from James Allen: one is H color and the other is G color. Can you see any difference?
If you can see any difference that only proves how subtle it is. If you can’t see the difference, then there is the point we are making. If your budget is low, you can forego a colorless diamond and buy a near colorless grade and save more or less $1,000.
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Faint Yellow Grade and Fancy Colored Grade (K, L-Z)
If you buy a K colored diamond, you will notice that it looks pale yellow. This color of diamond looks great in a solitaire. It will appear more yellow if side stones are included.
One great way to play around with lower color grades for diamonds is to choose a suitable ring setting. If you like white gold, you most probably will have to go with a high color grade. If you prefer yellow gold, then the diamond will not look as yellow.
Shape
The diamond shape can also be referred to as diamond cut and plays an important role in diamond pricing. Of all the diamond shapes known, the round brilliant cut bears the highest price tag.
Round cut shapes are known to be the diamonds that have the highest brilliance, fire, and scintillation. The Tolkowsky family is praised for innovating this cut.
The round cut diamonds also form the larger percentage of diamonds sold in the market. Other than the round brilliant, all other shapes are known as fancy cuts or fancy shapes.
Because the most common and most expensive diamond is the one that sells the most does not mean you need to spend so much to get good cuts. You can go for a cushion cut; it is affordable and also ranks among the most popular diamond cuts.
There are different reasons why you may select one diamond shape or the other. Maybe you like a marquise cut that will make your fingers look long, slender, and graceful.
Maybe you like the antique style emerald cut with its edges that look like glass stairs. One good thing is that when it comes to diamond shapes, there are so many that you get to choose one which suits your personality.
Brand
There are many diamond brands in the market: some are diamond cutters while others simply distribute fine jewelry. Vera Wang and Neil Lane Designs are jewelry designs while Tolkowsky is known to be a diamond cutter.
A brand name does not necessarily mean the diamond is quality. Some brands are just names. Most of the diamonds that do not bear a brand name are just as good as the branded ones in the market. When you think about buying a branded diamond ring, make sure you do extensive research to know where you can get a good brand that is also high quality.
Blue Nile and James Allen both less unbranded diamonds that boast of high grades and excellent/ideal cuts.
There is no need to look for a brand just for you to own a gorgeous 1.5-carat diamond. However, if you are in love with a particular design or brand and you must get it, then go for it. The most important this is for you to love the diamond ring you own.
Setting
The price of a 1.5-carat diamond is also determined by the metal setting of the diamond ring. When you pick a gold setting, the price remains the same whether it is rose gold, white gold, or yellow gold.
The price of gold will however increase depending on the karat weight of the gold you want. 18kt gold is soft and therefore will not last long; as such I recommend that you stick to 14kt gold for your ring.
Also, 18kt gold is more expensive and delicate. Given the way our hands are always active during the day, we bang the ring on surfaces without our knowledge.
Gold is not the only metal; you can also go for platinum. Because of its ability to last long, platinum has become popular among jewelry lovers. Platinum is also heavier and harder than gold, it can withstand everyday wear. On the bad side of it, platinum is also more expensive than gold.
Look at the ring below. It is the same ring but one in gold and the other in platinum metal. The price difference is $450. Many people believe that setting your diamond ring in any of these metals is worth it.
There are also diamond rings set in sterling silver metal, although very rare to find and I wouldn’t also recommend it. Setting a 1.5 carat diamond in sterling silver is not the best idea. It is very difficult to maintain sterling silver; its cost may be higher than that of gold or platinum. Sterling silver does very well in gemstone jewelry but is an enemy of a diamond because of moisture.
The cost of a 1.5-carat diamond ring does not only depend on the metal setting but the setting style as well.
There are two major settings that engagement rings can have: tiffany and cathedral style. Solitaire is the best setting that you will find most of the time. Cathedral settings contain more gold than Tiffany and thus will have a higher price.
Pave settings have many tiny diamonds, which means it will take a lot of time and care to work on the diamond; this makes the price go up. Bezel settings boast unique metal craftsmanship and will also have a high price. All these styles are shown below.
Other Stones
You may not be willing to go with the traditional solitaire ring but want a ring that has several diamonds or gemstones.
Each gemstone or diamond included will have unique grading which contributes to the final price of the diamond. You get many opportunities to customize your ring by adding more stones but you should be prepared to spend more as well.
Pave stones have higher price tags than most other settings because there are e many diamonds in the band. Each of the diamonds included in the band has different grades for all the 4Cs. The advantage is you do not need high-quality grades for small diamonds, and thus the cost will not be ridiculously high.
By now, you already know that the price of a 1.5-carat diamond engagement ring is influenced by many factors, the most important being color, carat, clarity, and cut.
In my view, a well-cut diamond is not worth sacrificing. The cut is the basis of a diamond stone and makes it look beautiful. If you sacrifice cut for color, you risk going home with a less durable ring.
On average, a high-quality 1.5-carat diamond ring will cost between $8,000 and $35,000.
Best Place to Buy a 1.5 Carat Diamond Engagement Ring
After doing extensive research, I found out that the best place to buy a diamond engagement ring is on the internet.
Most of the brick and mortar jewelry stores do not have a library of loose diamonds or even diamonds that are over 1 carat in weight.
In the past, many people dreaded making such huge purchases online.
Thankfully, there are trustworthy online jewelry shops like Blue Nile and James Allen that are redefining jewelry shopping. Both these online stores enjoy a good reputation and sell high-quality diamonds.
Both of these stores have a wide selection of gemstones and loose diamonds that you can pick from. You get to choose which clarity grade or color you like your diamond to be. In addition to that, you can also set the diamond in a setting of your choice.
When shopping from these stores, you get the chance to feel the cost of a 1.5-carat diamond without actually going to the shop that has salespeople that push you to buy jewelry so that they make sales.
Most of the physical and corporate jewelry stores are more concerned with the numbers. But we most likely agree that online diamond sellers do not pressure you to buy anything, you have all the time to decide about your purchase.
Is a 1.5 Carat Diamond Ring Big?
The term “big” is important when you are shopping for diamonds or other gemstones. The number of carats in a diamond does, however, not translate to how big or small a diamond ring is, it only measures the diamond’s weight.
We can arguably say that for a diamond to be considered big, it has to be over 1 carat. But if you are a celebrity who likes to spend money on diamond jewelry, a 1-carat diamond ring is very small.
The size of a 1.5-carat diamond ring will also depend on the setting it has. For example, any diamond in a solitaire setting will appear smaller because of the single center stone. On the other hand, if your fingers are large, a thin tiffany style solitaire will look small.
The shape in which the diamond comes in can also make you feel as if the diamond is big. Some fancy shapes make some diamonds look bigger than others even when the carat weights are similar. This is because fancy shaped diamonds have large table surface areas.
Below are different diamond shapes, all of them 1.5-carat diamond solitaire rings. Which one do you think is the biggest?
So, how big is a 1.5-carat diamond engagement ring? It is as big as you want it to be!
How Much Is a 1.5 Carat Diamond Ring Worth? (For Resale)
The bad news is that jewelry and diamond, in particular, does not have a high resell value, unless you have heirloom pieces.
Heirloom jewelry pieces are so valuable because they are normally passed from one generation to the next. Other jewelry pieces and cuts that can be worth a lot are ones that are rare in the market.
In general, a lot of the 1.5-carat diamond engagement rings can only retain about 30-70% of their original value. This, however, does not mean that good deals are hard to find. All you need to know is that the resell value is either the same as or lower than the original value.
Due to this, most people who buy diamond rings save them to give to their children when they upgrade. Some people prefer to remove the stones and use them to create another ring or another piece of jewelry.
So, if you are buying jewelry with the hope of selling it future, think again. Make jewelry purchase more of a personal expression instead of a financial investment.
You stand to gain a lot from sentimental attachment to the ring than its monetary value.
If you still are not sure, get to know the value of your ring before going out to sell so that you get a feel of what to expect when selling.
Get the Most Value from Your 1.5 Carat Diamond Engagement Ring
To get the most value out of the 1.5-carat diamond ring you want, make sure you consider all the factors that we have highlighted here. In short, the best diamond is one that has a grading report.
Get reliable information about the specifications of the loose diamonds you choose as well as the diamond ring. When you know the diamond grade, you can determine the best value of a 1.5-carat diamond.
Remember, of all the 4Cs, the cut is the most important as it serves as the basis for the craftsmanship and lifespan of your ring.
Trustworthy diamond certificates are produced by GIA, AGS, and IGI. For brilliance and light effect, a GemEx certificate should be good to go.
GUIDE: Difference Between GIA, AGS, and Other Diamond ertifications.
A diamond certificate is a sure way of knowing that the 1.5-carat diamond ring you are about to purchase is genuine and all the claimed characteristics are really true.
It is important to get everything about the diamond documented before you buy a 1.5-carat diamond ring. This makes it easier for you to avoid diamond stores that try to dupe you by selling for you diamond that is not what they claim.
When you identify a store you wish to buy from, look out for the return policies offered. If you have the chance to get a free warranty or guarantee, do not let it pass.
Conclusion: Buying a 1.5 Carat Diamond Ring
We hope you have gotten to the end of this guide feeling more confident about buying a 1.5-carat diamond. You now have information about what you need to look out for when you start your diamond shopping experience.
You now know that not all 1.5-carat diamonds are the same and that each ring part is priced depending on several features.
I hope you found this guide handy and that you leave feeling like a diamond expert somehow.
We hope that when you read all our guides, you get answers to all major questions you may have before buying diamonds.
So, go ahead and start your journey to owning one of the most prestigious jewelry pieces. Wish you well!
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