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Resale Value Of Diamonds: What Is My Diamond Worth?

Updated on August 27, 2024

With over 40 years of expertise, Diamond Registry’s CEO and owner, Nissan Perla, is your trusted guide in the diamond-buying world. Recognized by prestigious publications like The Washington Post and Chicago Tribune, Nissan’s extensive knowledge and experience in evaluating, buying, and selling diamonds are unparalleled. Our commitment to integrity, transparency, and delivering exceptional value ensures that you make an informed decision when acquiring your timeless treasure. Choose Diamond Registry for personalized guidance, education, and a curated selection of the finest quality diamonds, backed by decades of industry expertise and dedication to your satisfaction.

Table of Contents

Published on February 22, 2024
Updated on August 27, 2024

We all have been in a situation when a beautiful piece of diamond jewelry is not needed anymore or just doesn’t fit our taste. But there is always a solution — you can sell your diamond. The great news is all diamond jewelry, be it a necklace, earrings, or a ring, has its own resale value.

What makes us your trusted partner

With over 40 years of expertise, Diamond Registry’s CEO and owner, Nissan Perla, is your trusted guide in the diamond-buying world. Recognized by prestigious publications like The Washington Post and Chicago Tribune, Nissan’s extensive knowledge and experience in evaluating, buying, and selling diamonds are unparalleled. Our commitment to integrity, transparency, and delivering exceptional value ensures that you make an informed decision when acquiring your timeless treasure. Choose Diamond Registry for personalized guidance, education, and a curated selection of the finest quality diamonds, backed by decades of industry expertise and dedication to your satisfaction.

If you need more info, our website covers all diamond prices. Let’s dive in.

wedding ring engagement ring diamond jewelry

Do diamonds appreciate in value?

While diamonds can increase in value over time, they don’t typically offer short-term gains. Like other physical commodities, diamond prices fluctuate, and their long-term appreciation depends on various market factors. Diamonds are generally not considered a liquid investment, and their resale value is often significantly lower than the retail purchase price.

What Is My Diamond Worth?

The only true answer here, it depends. Diamonds have one value when they are sold in a retail shop and an absolutely different one when you are trying to sell them. To get an idea of why gemstones differ in price, consider these 3 values:

  • Purchase Value: It stands for the price you pay when you get your jewelry in a store.
  • Appraisal Value: It assesses a jewelry piece based on the setting and the diamond itself.
  • Resale Value: That’s the diamond price at the moment when you decide to resell it.

All these values are equally important in the diamond evaluation. And by examining the details about the gemstone’s supply chain, you will understand why the purchase value is always higher than its wholesale price and cannot serve as an indicator for a diamond’s price. In its turn, the appraisal value is perfect proof of the stone’s quality and helps to identify how much your diamond is worth based on its key characteristics. Finally, the resale value enables you to set a price for the jewelry and successfully sell it.

Purchase Value

The bitter truth is that the actual market value differs from the purchase value of any jewelry with diamonds. This happens because of retail markups. They can reach from 100% to 200%, depending on the store that sold you diamonds. Why are they so high? Let’s have a closer look at the gemstone’s supply chain.

Retailers purchase diamonds from wholesalers. The latter buy them from their manufacturers. Everyone wants to get money from the deal, increasing the purchase price higher and higher. Besides, retailers add their part to the final cost, as they need to cover utilities, space rent, and wages.

In the end, the piece of jewelry that is presented in the store costs double the price. The only way to omit this rule is to purchase diamonds online. As a rule, the markup there is 18-20%, which is far better and saves you some money.

wedding ring engagement ring diamond jewelry

Appraisal Value

To assess diamonds, industry professionals give it an appraisal value. It describes the worth of the entire piece of diamond jewelry, including the diamond and the setting. Such appraisals usually undergo inflation at over 100% of the retail price and do not showcase the true diamond value.

People who receive their first appraisal value consider getting a real deal, but only retail shops benefit from it. Also, when jewelers close the desired deal, insurance companies get higher premiums. That’s why the appraisal value may misguide those who rely on the resale value of their gemstones, as the offered price will be nowhere near the appraisal. It rather serves insurance and quality proof purposes.

Resale Value

When you plan to find a buyer for your jewelry with diamonds, expect a huge difference between the initial cost and the resale price. Diamonds resell for 25% to 50% of their purchase value. So if you purchased your diamond jewelry for $1500, the resale value will be somewhere near $855-900, depending on the buyer’s preferences. That’s why only rare and big diamonds are good for investments. For other stones, you need to cut down expectations in terms of resale value.

Pin Tips: All diamond jewelry, be it a necklace, a pair of earrings, or an engagement ring, has a resale value.

Diamonds Resale Value

You will be overwhelmed but the minute you leave the jewelry shop with a perfect diamond piece, it becomes half the price than it was literally 5 minutes ago. You say unfair? The diamond marketplace is tough but there is always a great demand for gemstones.

Factors that impact the diamond resale value are:

  • basic parameters and quality grade
  • market value
  • the place you are planning to sell gemstones

Due to retail markup, the resale price is at least twice cheaper than the initial value in the jewelry shop. Besides, diamonds do not get more value with time, so never hope to get a fortune when selling one. However, despite the above, we will share all the information needed for you to receive good money on reselling your diamond jewelry.

Diamonds Resale Value Chart

To make things easier, we prepared a diamond resale value chart, where you can compare the differences among different diamonds and their approximate value on resale.

Retail PriceOnline PricePeer-to-peerGemstone BuyerGemstone Buyer
$12,500$9,500$6,700$5,500$4,850
CaratColorCutClarityLab
1.0FRoundVS2Gia
Retail PriceOnline PricePeer-to-peerGemstone BuyerGemstone Buyer
$4,100$3,150$2,250$1,830$1,610
CaratColorCutClarityLab
0,9GPrincessVS2Gia
Retail PriceOnline PricePeer-to-peerGemstone BuyerGemstone Buyer
$4,100$3,150$2,250$1,830$1,610
CaratColorCutClarityLab
0,5FEmeraldVS2Gia

Lab Grown Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are made in a lab instead of being mined from the earth, and the cost to create them has been going down in recent years. When they first became popular in the jewelry market, they were priced similarly to mined diamonds because of their high manufacturing costs. But as technology has improved, prices have dropped significantly. In the past, lab-grown diamonds were typically priced 10%-20% less per carat than mined diamonds. By 2024, the difference had grown, with lab-grown diamonds costing 30% to 40% less. There’s some debate about the resale value of lab-grown diamonds, with some sources claiming they have no resale value. However, these claims often come from people who have a vested interest in promoting mined diamonds.

Do Diamonds Decrease Or Increase In Value Over Time?

Diamond prices can be quite unpredictable. Over the past ten years, they have gone up and down. After the Great Recession, prices rose for a while, but since 2012, they have been slowly decreasing. Many people think diamonds are a great investment, but this belief doesn’t always hold true.

For most diamonds, their value doesn’t go up much over time. Only a few rare or colored diamonds may become more valuable. Generally, diamonds have lost a bit of value recently, so they might not be the best choice if you’re looking for a good investment.

If you look over a longer period, diamond prices have increased. From 1960 to 2024, the price per carat went up more than ten times. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that diamonds are a great investment.

Investing in other things, like the S&P 500, has usually been more profitable. For example, $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 1960 would have grown to about $284,912 by 2024, much more than what you’d earn from investing in diamonds.

Inflation also affects diamond values. Although diamond prices have gone up since 1960, inflation has increased by over 700% during the same time. When you add in the extra cost you pay when buying a new diamond and the difficulty of selling it for a good price, it becomes clear that diamonds aren’t likely to appreciate much in real terms.

How Can I Get A Price For My Diamond?

While we already know that diamonds have different market values, a decent price for each particular stone is set individually. Here are these specific factors for you to consider:

  • Diamond 4Cs,
  • Market Value,
  • The exact place you buy and sell.

The above factors are equally important. They will help you know how much your gemstone is worth and let you understand whether you can ask for a higher price. We will tell you why the grading certificate is crucial when selling your stone, and what places are best to find a buyer and get the best resale value.

Diamond 4Cs

First and foremost, know the basics. By estimating the stone’s cut, its clarity, weight in carat, and color, which are the 4Cs, you will get a clear picture of the amount of money the buyer will be ready to pay you. The higher the grade, the more exclusive the diamond. Besides, bigger diamonds with higher weight always cost more, both in a shop or when they are resold. When you know all of the stone’s 4Cs, you can compare the prices, and calculate their resale value by multiplying the retail cost by 20-40% to get your approximate estimate.

You should be probably asking yourself “How do I evaluate the quality of my diamond?” You will easily find the answer in the grading certificate which is given upon purchase. It mentions all of the 4C’s of diamonds to help a diamond specialist determine its quality. Grading certificate is the passport that validates 4C’s are true.

In case there is no grading certificate, the stone should be sent to the grading laboratory (usually, it’s GIA). Industry professionals will assist with certifying the diamond there. The certificate shows the quality grades and serves as proof that the gemstone is of high quality and ready to be sold.

Tips: When defining the diamond value, consider 4Cs, market value, and the place from where you got the stone.

Market Value

Also, a certified professional can appraise your diamond and state its value on the market. Although the document is of little help to raise the selling cost to its purchase value, it serves as an additional proof of the stone’s quality and allows you to ask for more money during the bargain. An appraisal is valuable when it comes to the whole piece of jewelry, and has a detailed overview of the stone’s grades and a report on its final value.

The Buying and Selling Places

When people come to the shop to purchase a delicate piece with diamonds, they do not pay its market value. It is usually a double price with a markup which might be slightly less in an online store and is around 20% add-on. It means that when you want to find a buyer for the diamond, you won’t get a great profit as different jewelers set their own markups that can reach 200%.

While you cannot change the way you purchased the stone, you can make a smart choice while selling it. There exist several options to consider:

  • Cash Sale: Being one of the options, it has minor advantages when it comes to selling your gemstone for cash. Not every jeweler agrees to accept the offer. But if they do, the amount they are ready to pay is ridiculous and will not justify the bargain.
  • Asking for an exchange: If you choose to exchange your gemstone for another jeweler piece, rather than to sell your diamond, you will get a great resale value. Jewelers usually give you a credit that can be utilized to make another purchase. Not only is the credit higher than the cash equivalent, but it also allows you to make another great deal and get a beautiful piece of jewelry.
  • Direct Sale: Another option is finding a person who will buy directly from you. They will most often pay more than any jeweler, and save you from the hassle. However, you should be ready to present all the required certificates and appraising documents to prove the resale value.

In general, a wholesaler, knowing the actual price for gemstones, will always offer less than a retailer. However, retail buyers don’t always agree to buy and pay the price you expect. Those retailers who are ready to buy your diamond offer a ridiculously small price. You will need some time and patience to find the right buyer to finally sell your diamond.

To avoid the headache, consider diamond selling services, like Diamond Registry. We will connect you with the direct buyers and ensure you leave with the highest resale price possible.

Tips: Diamonds, unless they are exceptional and rare, do not grow in value and are unlikely to bring any profit.

Ready to sell your Diamond?

Remember, all pieces of jewelry with a diamond always have resale value, so having all the knowledge and required documents, you will succeed in finding a proper buyer. To define the actual value, know the basic parameters of your stone, and ensure to have the relevant proof of top-notch quality confirmed by appraisals.

You have several places where you can search for buyers, but to save your time, Diamond Registry is ready to take the hassle of selling your diamond and connect you with buyers that offer a great market deal. Get in touch and we will assist with any related questions and make the final sale happen.

Have any questions? Contact us!

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Client Reviews

Rebecca Schott
Rebecca Schott
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Nissan, David and his team were extremely accommodating, understanding and patient with our purchase. They took the upmost care to find the best solution for our needs and went above and beyond normal ‘customer service’ standards. I have absolutely no qualms recommending their products and services. Both were absolutely flawless. I will continue to sing them praises and will most definitely purchase from them again in the future. Thank you again!
Gershom Menachem
Gershom Menachem
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Great team of diamond experts who show personal care for the client’s needs and aftersales service. They really go the extra mile to make it happen no matter the challenges ahead. Rush orders, international shipping, upgrade service, jewelry repair, large diamonds, small items, precious stones. Very honest and open information to the clients. You will feel like talking to a friend.
Thom P.
Thom P.
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Bought a beautiful stone here for an engagement ring. I was a little apprehensive since you’re buying something unseen. But Cid made it easy. In fact, Nissan, the owner also gave a call to make me more comfortable. They sent me the stone to take to a local jeweler with only my Amex in case I bailed on them.
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