Diamonds and Gems

Diamonds are by far the most popular center stones, and there’s a lot of variation within diamond prices, particularly when it comes to The “4 Cs”: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat. Bigger diamonds cost more than smaller diamonds, and even at the same size, diamonds with higher grades cost more than diamonds with lower grades.

If you’re interested in a non-diamond center stone, the gem type you choose will be a big factor in the final price tag of your ring: a mined ruby costs more than a lab-created ruby, which costs far more than a garnet of the same size.

Pricing for rings with diamond center stones (and diamond alternatives)

If you've been picturing a diamond center stone, here's a bit more information about the costs of mined diamonds, lab-created diamonds, and popular alternatives like moissanite. In each case, we've given a ballpark of where ring prices start with that center stone. As we'll discuss below, there are trade-offs you can consider to bring the cost of your dream ring in line with your budget, such as a switching from a mined diamond to a lab-created diamond, or upgrading the center stone size by switching to moissanite.

Mined diamonds

Pricing for mined diamonds varies quit a bit, depending on the shape and quality characteristics. But for common choices, we've indicated the price range you can expect for a ring with a diamond of that size.

Lab-created diamonds

Lab-created diamonds are chemically identical to mined diamonds, and offer all of the same beautiful sparkle at a more affordable price. For typical choices at each size, here's how much you can expect to pay for a ring with this center stone.

Moissanite

Moissanite is by far our most popular diamond alternative, and for good reason! So we've given price ranges based on the typical pricing of top-quality moissanite in sizes equivalent to 1ct and 2ct diamonds.

Pricing for rings with colored gem center stones

The world of colored gems is broad, and we've grouped popular gem choices into several pricing tiers below. For those on a budget, some of the trade-off options are straightforward — for example, switching to the lab-created version of the same gem, or one of the more affordable gems with that color. But there's also a lot of nuance to the pricing, so we'd encourage you to talk to our gem specialists if you're trying to make the best choice. For example, classic blue sapphires are often quite a bit more expensive than yellow or green sapphires, and our ballpark prices below represent the most common blue color.

$2000+

Among the more expensive gemstones are the big three: natural sapphire, ruby, and emerald. But this category also includes natural alexandrite, which is often more expensive than a comparable diamond. And we've also included several types of colored diamond here, including fancy colored diamonds (blue and yellow are among our most popular) and salt & pepper diamonds. Prices for these gems are among the most unpredictable, but the numbers below should give you a sense for the starting point of a ring with each center stone.

$1100

Lab-created sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and alexandrites offer the beauty of these popular gems at a significantly lower price. This price tier also includes popular options like aquamarine and morganite. We've outlined typical starting prices for a ring with each center stone below.

$825+

Some of our most popular center stones are also among the most affordable: amethyst, white opal, moonstone. The prices below reflect the typical starting cost of a ring with each of these center stones.