5 Carat Diamond Ring Buying Guide
How to get a stunning 5 carat diamond for an engagement ring that rocks!
How to get a stunning 5 carat diamond for an engagement ring that rocks!
If you want to make a statement with your engagement ring, a five carat diamond is certainly the way to make it. A 5 carat diamond ring puts you in the rarefied air of luxury. So long as you don’t sacrifice on quality too much to reach that size, your engagement ring will be absolutely stunning. In this article we will help you navigate the process to get a gorgeous ring and the best bang for your buck.
Why you should trust us
How much does a five carat diamond cost?
How large is a five carat diamond?
Where is the best place to buy a five carat diamond?
What are the best quality grades for a five carat diamond?
Best setting styles for a 5 carat diamond ring
FAQs about 5 carat diamonds
Bottom line recommendation
You can get a beautiful 5 carat ring with a round diamond center stone for $120,000. You can also cheat a little on color and clarity to get your ring for $100,000. Other diamond shapes tend to be cheaper than round diamonds as well. This 5.01ct H VS2 round diamond is a perfect choice to use as an example.
Type | Total Cost | Diamond Cost | Setting Cost | Specs |
---|---|---|---|---|
5.00 carat round solitaire ring | $93,580 | $93,000 ($18,600/ct) | $580 | 5.00ct round I color VS1 clarity |
5.25 carat round pavé set ring | $120,260 | $118,800 ($22,629/ct) | $1,460 | 5.25ct round I color VS1 clarity |
5.02 carat cushion cut halo ring | $80,510 | $77,960 ($15,530/ct) | $2,550 | 5.02ct cushion cut H color VVS1 clarity |
5.01 carat asscher cut solitaire ring | $105,770 | $104,800 ($20,918/ct) | $970 | 5.01ct asscher G color VS1 clarity |
Diamonds are priced per carat weight and prices per carat increase as weight categories increase. The price per carat increases exponentially with weight for two reasons: the diamond’s higher weight value and the higher price per carat within the weight category. To understand diamond pricing better, check out our diamond price calculator.
Take note of each weight ‘category,’ as prices per carat don’t continually increase as weight increases. Diamond prices are generally driven more by emotion than reason. Unlike 1 – 2 carat diamonds, 5 carat diamonds fall firmly into the high-end luxury category and this changes the way they are marketed. Stephen Lussier, executive vice president of DeBeers, made an interesting point on this matter. “In every market in the world, the number one competition to our industry is travel. If you have a wedding, a 10th or 25th wedding anniversary, a significant birthday, the romantic thing to do is travel.”
Diamond prices have grown historically at a rate higher than inflation. There are ups and downs as the economy or stock market fluctuate, but prices have consistently risen every decade. We discuss that in depth in our article on diamond prices.
A 5 carat diamond weights 1 gram. Carat is a weight measurement. Just as a 5 carat diamond weights one gram, a one carat diamond weights 1/5th of a gram. A diamond can also be measured in size.
Diamond carat and diamond size are frequently mistaken as meaning the same thing. Diamond carat, however, refers to the weight of the diamond—whereas diamond size refers to how large it appears.
You can check out our comparison image below where we lined up the average sizes of the most common shapes in 5ct next to a US quarter.
A larger sized diamond doesn’t mean it has a larger carat weight. The surface area of the table, the depth and other shape features are not impacted by carat weight. These aspects depend largely on diamond shape and how the diamond is cut—both of which contribute to how large the diamond appears.
As an example, a 5 carat princess cut diamond ring may appear larger than a 5 carat round brilliant diamond ring. Both shapes are excellent choices (except the princess cut example is a poorly cut diamond). The size of each stone appears different, even though the carat weights are nearly the same.
When it comes to choosing the shape, size and carat of your diamond, review several options to determine which diamonds are most appealing to you.
Diamond Shape | Approximate Measurements for 5 Carat |
---|---|
Round brilliant cut | 11.00×11.00×6.70mm |
Princess cut | 9.50×9.50×6.80mm |
Emerald cut | 11.50×8.50×5.50mm |
Asscher cut | 9.60×9.60×6.25mm |
Radiant cut | 10.00×9.00×6.30mm |
Cushion cut | 10.50×9.00×6.37mm |
Oval diamond | 14.00×9.50×5.65mm |
Pear shaped diamond | 15.00×10.00×5.70mm |
Heart shaped diamond | 11.00×11.00×6.73mm |
Marquise diamond | 17.00×8.50×5.40mm |
Trillion diamond | 13.25×13.25×5.30mm |
5 carat diamonds, especially ones that are well-cut, are scarce and rarely found in local shops. If you find a 5 carat diamond in a jewelry store, it’s likely to be poorly cut—greatly reducing its overall brilliance and beauty.
The exception to brick-and-mortar stores are highly reputable vendors like Abe Mor Diamonds in New York City. Abe Mor specializes in larger diamonds and usually have a collection of exceptional 5 carat diamonds. They offer truly personalized services and have helped many of our readers find stunning 5 carat diamonds.
Abe Mor, there are online options for finding a 5 carat diamond Ring. Through online vendors, you can find a beautiful 5 carat diamond at an excellent price. Brian Gavin and James Allen often carry a selection of 5ct diamonds. Using the high-end photography on the James Allen site, you can review every diamond up close.
Over the course of our extensive experience, we’ve vetted several diamond dealers and have a consistent pulse on the companies you can trust.
For the best diamond cuts at an exceptional value, we highly recommend:
If you live near New York City or have the opportunity to travel there, Abe Mor is an excellent option. Specializing in larger stones, Abe Mor has provided remarkable diamond and jewelry options for many of our readers. As an actual wholesaler, Abe Mor works with boutique jewelry designers in the city.
James Allen places customer experience at the forefront of their business. They also offer appealing prices and incredible diamond imagery. All diamonds come with a high-quality certification, such as GIA or AGS.
Blue Nile emphasizes remarkable diamond quality and offers high-quality jewelry settings. They also house the largest online inventory of diamonds and jewelry settings. All diamonds come with a high-quality certification (GIA).
Offering super-ideal cuts with the “Brian Gavin Signature” Hearts & Arrows collection, this is your best bet for a stunning diamond from an online dealer. Every diamond comes with a high-quality certification (GIA & AGS). As the carat weight of your diamond increases, the added brilliance of a Brian Gavin Black or Signature diamond is truly noticeable.
When selecting a diamond from your vendor, follow these expert recommendations:
This article covers all the tricks you use to get the best bang for your buck. If you want to discuss retailers, this article shows you the best places to buy diamond rings. Our goal is to help you find the most exceptional 5 carat diamond at an excellent price point. We want you to spend your budget where it truly matters—and scale back in areas that will go unnoticed.
Most importantly, we recommend reviewing every 5 carat diamond yourself or having an expert assist you.
Verify that any diamond you’re considering comes with a certificate from a reputable source (GIA). If a seller is suggesting you purchase a diamond from a different grading entity, it’s best to steer clear—especially with 5 carat diamonds. No matter what the report claims, the actual quality of the diamond is far less than what the certificate states.
To ensure your 5 carat diamond is truly stunning, follow our expert recommendations:
With a diamond as large as 5 carats, you are open to explore more elaborate setting styles that may overpower a smaller center stone. Of course you can go with a classic solitaire or an understated pave setting. But you can go with an elaborate vintage style setting, or a three-stone ring with 2 carat diamonds on either side. Here are a couple of our favorites.
A lot of celebrities have 5ct diamonds in their engagement rings (Christina Haack being one of them). They are a good source of inspiration for you to see how those shapes and styles look in real life.
A five carat diamond is definitely larger than your typical diamond. The average size of an engagement ring is 1 carat. Five carat diamonds are in the luxury category and you’ll see many celebrities sporting them on their fingers.
A nice five carat lab grown round diamond will cost you about $20,000. You will find a well cut, GH VS quality diamond in that range. For example, here is a 5.00ct G VS2 for $19,200.
You absolutely can purchase a beautiful five carat diamond online. There are many advantages to purchasing online vs purchasing from a physical retailer. We talk about that in our article about buying diamonds online.
We strongly recommend only considering 5 carat diamonds with an ideal cut or excellent grade cut on the GIA scale. Be sure to purchase your stone from a prominent diamond dealer that offers a GIA certification with every diamond, like James Allen or Blue Nile. And if you think diamonds like those are not sold online, think again. Here is an almost half a million dollar diamond from Blue Nile.
Because of the exceptional carat weight, 5 carat diamonds have a tremendous capacity for brilliance, sparkle and fire. For Color, choose a diamond that falls between G-I . For clarity, we recommend looking at diamonds within the VS1 or VS2 grades.
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