How Much Can You Sell Diamonds for? (Diamonds Worth in Cash)

How Much Can You Sell Diamonds for?

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Diamonds usually resell for 25% to 50% of their original purchasing price. Suppose you paid $1,500 for your diamond jewelry; the resale value will be around $855–$900, depending on the buyer.

The table below shows the diamond price change over the last decades:

Year	Price per carat
1990	$13,900
2000	$15,100
2010	$24,500
2016	$30,925

Do Diamonds Decrease or Increase in Value Over Time?

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In general, the value of diamonds does not increase much over time. Aside from a few rare or colored diamonds, the great majority of diamonds have dropped in value over the previous few years, making them a poor investment in terms of price appreciation.

Diamond prices, however, have increased over a longer period. According to Statistica, the market price of diamonds per carat saw a more than tenfold rise from 1960 to 2016.

What Is My Diamond Worth?

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The worth of your diamond will depend on various factors. For example, diamonds may have one value in a retail shop and totally different when you’re trying to sell them.

Consider the following three values to understand why gemstone values vary:

• Purchase value – represents the cost of purchasing jewelry in a store.
• Appraisal value – evaluates a piece of jewelry based on the setting and the diamond itself.
• Resale value – the price of a diamond at the time you decide to resell it.

When it comes to evaluating your diamonds, all these metrics are equally relevant.

What’s more, by analyzing the specifics of the gemstone’s supply chain, you will learn why the purchase price is always greater than the wholesale price and cannot be used to predict the price of a diamond.

Diamond Purchase Value

The actual market value of diamond jewelry differs from the buying price. This is caused by retail markups. They might range from 100% to 200%, depending on the retailer you purchased your diamonds from.

But why does it happen?

It’s because wholesalers sell diamonds to retailers. They are purchased by the latter from their makers. Everyone wants to make money from the transaction, therefore the buying price keeps rising. Furthermore, merchants contribute to the ultimate cost since they must fund space rent, utilities, and employees.

Finally, the item of jewelry shown in the store costs twice as much. The only way around this rule is to buy diamonds online. The markup there is often 18-20%, which is clearly better and saves you money.

Diamond Appraisal Value

Diamond assessment values are assigned by industry specialists to appraise diamonds. It describes the whole value of the diamond jewelry, including the diamond and the setting. Such evaluations are typically inflated by more than 100% of the retail price and do not reflect the genuine diamond value.

People who obtain their initial evaluation value believe they are receiving a good bargain, but only retail businesses benefit from it. In addition, when jewelers complete the intended transaction, insurance firms receive increased premiums. 

As a result, people who rely on the resale worth of their gemstones may be misled by the appraisal value, as the offered price will be well below the evaluation. It is more for insurance and quality assurance.

Diamond Resale Value

Expect a significant gap between the initial cost and the resale price when looking for a buyer for your diamond jewelry. Diamonds resale for 25% to 50% of their original purchasing price. So, if you paid $1,500 for your diamond jewelry, the resale value will be around $855–$900, depending on the buyer’s preference. 

Diamond resale value chart

To make things easier, I created a diamond resale value chart that allows you to evaluate the differences between various gems and their approximate resale worth.

Price	1-Carat, F-colored, Round-shaped, GIA-certified	0,9 Carat, G-colored, Princess Shaped, GIA-certified	0,5 Carat, F-colored, Emerald Shaped, GIA-certified
Retail Price	$12,500	$4,100	$4,100
Online Price	$9,500	$3,150	$3,150
Peer-to-peer	$6,700	$2,250	$2,250
Gemstone Buyer	$5,500	$1,830	$1,830
Gemstone Buyer	$4,850	$1,610	$1,610

How to Get a Price for Your Diamond?

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While we all know that diamonds have varying market prices, a reasonable price for each stone is still determined individually. Here are some specific factors to consider:

• Diamond 4Cs
• Market value
• Exact place you buy and sell

All these factors are equally important. They will suggest how much your gemstone is worth and whether you can ask for a higher price. Let’s review each factor in more detail below.

Diamond 4Cs

You may get a good idea of how much money the buyer is willing to give you if you estimate the four Cs of your stone, i.e.:

• Cut
• Clarity
• Weight in carat
• Color 

The greater the grade, the rarer the diamond. Furthermore, larger diamonds with higher weight always cost more, whether in a store or when resold. When you know all of the 4Cs of a stone, you may compare prices and evaluate its resale worth by multiplying the retail cost by 20-40% to get an approximation.

But how do you evaluate the quality of your diamond? 

You can easily find the answer in the grading certificate you got upon purchase. It addresses the four Cs of diamonds to assist a diamond specialist in determining its quality. The grading certificate is the passport that proves the 4Cs are correct.

If you don’t have a grading certificate, you should send the diamond to a grading laboratory (typically GIA). There, industry pros will aid with diamond certification.

Market Value

A licensed specialist may also assess your diamond and determine its market worth. Although the paperwork is of little use in raising the selling price to its purchasing price, it acts as further verification of the stone’s quality and allows you to haggle for more money. 

An appraisal is useful for the entire piece of jewelry since it includes a full assessment of the stone’s grades as well as a report on its ultimate worth.

The Buying and Selling Places

People going to a shop to buy a piece of diamond don’t pay its market value. It’s normally double the price with a markup that may be somewhat lower in an online business and is roughly 20% more. 

It implies that if you wish to sell the diamond, you won’t make a lot of money because different jewelers establish their own markups, which might exceed 200%.

A wholesaler who knows the true value of diamonds will always offer less than a retailer. Retail purchasers, on the other hand, don’t always agree to buy and pay the price you expect. Those stores who are willing to acquire your diamond give an absurdly low price. You’ll need time and patience to locate the ideal buyer for your diamond.

Pro tip: To avoid headaches, consider selling your diamonds to diamond selling services like Cash for Diamonds USA and Cash for Gold USA.

Where to Sell Diamonds?

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While there might be a lot of places where you can sell diamonds, I comprised a list of the three best places to consider. These places specifically buy diamonds directly from sellers like you and offer reasonable price offers. I recommend you request a quote from all three companies and accept the highest offer.

Cash for Gold USA

Cash for Gold USA is a reputable online gold and diamond buying service that offers free valuation. The company will send you a free shipping label and will issue your payment within 24 hours after receiving your diamond.

The company is well-known for paying up to three times as much as its competitors.

You may also sell other jewels to Cash for Gold USA, such as gold and silver.

Cash for Diamonds USA

Cash for Gold USA is a parent company of Cash for Diamonds USA. Therefore, they both offer the same terms when it comes to selling your diamonds.

You can get a free evaluation within 24 hours. The appraisers follow the industry-standard GIA appraisal criteria. The carat, clarity, cut, and color of the diamond on your gold necklace decide the amount you receive.

If you accept the offer, you’ll get paid within 24 hours. Meanwhile, if you decline Cash for Diamonds USA’s offer for your necklace, they will return it to you free of charge.

Worthy

Worthy is a well-known marketplace that will promote your diamond watch or jewelry to its extensive network of experienced buyers on your behalf. For the service they provide, the company will keep a commission fee of 23% to 25% when your diamond item sells through the Worthy platform.