1 carat emerald diamond: size, price and what it really resells for
A 1 carat emerald diamond measures about 7 × 5 mm face-up and costs roughly $3,575–$4,625 at retail for a G color, VS2, well-cut stone.
If you sold it, you would realistically be offered $1,025–$1,625 — about 35% of what it cost. A lab-grown stone of the same size and grade costs about $575.
How big it actually looks
7 × 5 mm is the face-up measurement — what sits above the finger — giving a visible area of about 35 mm². Step cut, so it flashes rather than sparkles. Inclusions show more readily. That is 17% less face-up area than a round of the same weight.
Carat is a measure of weight, not size, and weight rises with the cube of the length. Doubling the carat makes a stone only about 1.26 times longer, so a 2 carat emerald would be roughly 8.8 mm across, not 14.0.
Price by color and clarity, 1 carat emerald
Retail mid-point for each grade, Very Good cut, GIA-graded, natural. The range on this page runs from $1,950 (J color, SI2) to $7,200 (D color, VVS1) — a 269% spread for stones that are the same size to the tenth of a millimeter.
| Color | VVS1 | VS1 | VS2 | SI1 | SI2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | $7,200 | $6,088 | $5,538 | $4,762 | $3,988 |
| F | $6,125 | $5,188 | $4,712 | $4,050 | $3,388 |
| G | $5,325 | $4,500 | $4,100 | $3,525 | $2,950 |
| H | $4,788 | $4,050 | $3,675 | $3,175 | $2,662 |
| I | $4,162 | $3,512 | $3,188 | $2,750 | $2,300 |
| J | $3,512 | $2,975 | $2,700 | $2,325 | $1,950 |
Above about G color and VS2 clarity, almost nothing you pay for is visible without a loupe. Cut is the one grade worth protecting: a badly cut emerald looks dull whatever else is true of it.
Blue NileOur pick of 1 ct emerald diamonds worth paying forNatural · pre-filtered to G and up, VS2 and up — the point where tint and inclusions stop being visible · live stock at Blue Nile→The price step just below 1 carat
A 0.95 carat emerald of the same grade costs about $2,988 — 27% less than this stone — and is only 1.7% shorter across, a difference no one can see on a finger. Weights just under a round number are priced in a lower bracket because the round number itself is what buyers ask for.
We measured the step at every magic weight, and at the one carat line the saving is large enough to buy two color grades: the carat cliff.
The same money, spent differently
At about $4,100, these are the honest alternatives to this exact stone.
| Option | Price | Size |
|---|---|---|
| This stone — 1 ct emerald, G / VS2, natural | $4,100 | 7 × 5 mm |
| A 1.49 ct round, J / SI1, natural | $4,450 | about 8.0 mm long |
| A 3.73 ct lab-grown emerald, G / VS2 | $4,712 | about 10.9 mm long |
| Lab-grown twin — 1 ct emerald, G / VS2 | $575 | 7 × 5 mm |
The lab-grown figure is not a typo. Lab-grown prices fell by roughly 85% between 2022 and 2025 and resale is 5–12% of retail, so the saving is real at the counter and is gone the day after. Buy lab-grown to wear it; never as a store of value.
Blue NileThe same selection, lab-grownLab-grown · pre-filtered to G and up, VS2 and up — the point where tint and inclusions stop being visible · live stock at Blue Nile→Links to Blue Nile earn CaratBase a commission if you buy. It costs you nothing and does not change the figures on this page — every number here comes from our own model, not from the retailer.
Price and the resale gap
| Where you sell | Typical offer | Share of retail |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn shop or "we buy gold" counter | $1,025 | 25% |
| Online diamond buyer (mail-in) | $1,325 | 32% |
| Private sale or consignment | $1,625 | 40% |
The gap is not a criticism of buying jewelry — it is simply the number nobody mentions at the counter. A jeweler's price carries rent, staff, insurance and margin, and none of that comes back to you when you sell.
1 carat in every shape
| Shape | Face-up mm | Area mm² | Retail (G / VS2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | 6.5 × 6.5 | 42 | $5,250 |
| Oval | 7.7 × 5.7 | 44 | $4,475 |
| Princess | 5.5 × 5.5 | 30 | $3,938 |
| Cushion | 5.6 × 5.6 | 31 | $3,938 |
| Emerald | 7 × 5 | 35 | $4,100 |
| Pear | 8 × 5.5 | 44 | $4,200 |
| Marquise | 10.5 × 5 | 52 | $3,938 |
| Radiant | 6.2 × 5.4 | 33 | $3,938 |
| Asscher | 5.6 × 5.6 | 31 | $4,100 |
| Heart | 6.4 × 6.4 | 41 | $4,100 |
Every weight in emerald
| Weight | Face-up mm | Retail (G / VS2) | Resale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 ct | 4.41 × 3.15 | $275 | $88 |
| 0.5 ct | 5.56 × 3.97 | $1,062 | $350 |
| 0.75 ct | 6.36 × 4.54 | $2,012 | $650 |
| 1 ct | 7 × 5 | $4,100 | $1,325 |
| 1.25 ct | 7.54 × 5.39 | $5,112 | $1,650 |
| 1.5 ct | 8.01 × 5.72 | $7,688 | $2,475 |
| 2 ct | 8.82 × 6.3 | $13,400 | $4,312 |
| 2.5 ct | 9.5 × 6.79 | $16,738 | $5,388 |
| 3 ct | 10.1 × 7.21 | $27,175 | $8,750 |
| 4 ct | 11.11 × 7.94 | $44,125 | $14,200 |
| 5 ct | 11.97 × 8.55 | $55,150 | $17,750 |
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