How Much is a 20 Carat Diamond Worth? (Diamond Prices)

Do you know how much a 20 carat diamond worth is? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.

You always hear about notorious characters, like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, adorning a ring with a freakishly whopping 20-carat diamond.

Truly, the monstrous size is nearly as big as their head!

But, how much is a 20 carat diamond worth? There are many factors that go into the worth of a diamond. So, a 20 carat diamond could cost $2 million to as much as $5 million dollars. But the price of a specific diamond doesn’t just rely on the carat alone but also on cut, clarity, color, overall beauty, official certification, and shape, among a few others.

About Diamond Evaluation

To understand how much a 20k diamond is worth, you have to know all the factors that go into its valuation. The carat size isn’t the only thing that counts. Carat is only one component. Three other Cs play into the equation: cut, clarity, and color.

Other elements are the stone’s overall beauty, certification, shape, and origin. Ever since the introduction of lab-created diamonds to the market, the value plays into whether the diamond is natural or lab-created.

The cost per gram of a diamond relies entirely on the diamond and these physical characteristics. This is why the price range is so huge for a single 20k stone, between $2 million and $5 million.

What’s more, nothing about these components are standard, so you’re at the mercy of whoever is evaluating the stone.

The Four Cs

The essence of understanding how much a diamond is worth is to know the four Cs. These are standard and a major part on how gem certification organizations base their grading.

Any given diamond’s properties of these four points are what plays into other aspects of evaluation.

Carat

Most people understand that carat refers to the size of a diamond. It actually translates the weight into its own metric based per 200 milligrams of the stone (1 carat = 0.2 grams).

Each carat classification divides into 100 points for precision to a hundredth of a decimal, which can express as a fraction for smaller sizes.

However, carat size is different than carat weight and is a completely different measurement altogether.

Yet, the total carat weight is what determines the price. The larger a carat, the more expensive a diamond is.

20 carats is getting into rarer and more ginormous sizes, which definitely plays into how expensive it is. Essentially, a 20-carat diamond weighs 4 grams. For the sake of comparison, it’s roughly the same weight as a nickel.

Cut

The cut of a diamond relates to how it sparkles and shimmers in the light. This is not the same as shape, which is what most people mistake for cut.

Cut equates to the facets and their light interaction. This component depends on the person who cut the stone, requiring fine skill and artistry.

The cut must have appropriate proportion, polish, and symmetry to imbue that classic magnificence and brilliance.

What’s more, the resulting cut is what determines the stone’s overall beauty. There are three separate components to a diamond’s cut:

• Scintillation: Pattern and play of light versus dark caused by reflections and the amount of sparkle produced
• Fire: Amount of scattered light to produce a rainbow effect
• Brightness: The way a diamond reflects light externally and internally 

These additional variables are going to affect a 20-carat diamond’s worth. Ones with low fire and scintillation will probably be closer to $2 million while ones encapsulating all three will be at the more expensive end.

Clarity

Clarity refers to blemishes and inclusions within the stone. Natural diamonds are a product of intense pressure and heat within the earth on a single piece of carbon.

They develop marks and lines within the stone, called inclusions. Bumps, nicks, and other marks on the surface of the stone are “blemishes.”

The number, size, position, relief, and nature of these markings along with how they impact the stone’s overall appearance plays a significant role in how much it costs.

The more pure a diamond is, the more expensive it is. But larger diamonds, like a 20-carat one, are rare to find pure and part of their high price tag.

This is because larger gemstones are far more likely to have inclusions develop during formation. So, to get a 20-carat diamond that’s pure, clear, and free of natural markings means a steep price tag that will come closer to $5 million.

Color

When they talk about color in terms of a diamond, it actually means the absence of color. Pure and perfect diamonds are colorless, appearing almost like a piece of galvanized water.

There are degrees of colorlessness that range from a translucent yellow to no hue at all. Ones without a hue are on the more expensive end of things.

Another component to color comes from the lab created kinds of diamonds. They can fashion a diamond to have unusual colors like pink, purple, green, blue, orange, and black.

This means 20-carat diamonds with a yellowish hue will not be nearly as costly as ones that are purely clear and translucent.

Colored lab-created diamonds will cost even less than natural ones because of how readily available they are.

Other Factors

Of course, there are a number of other components that factor into the value and worth of a diamond. So, the process of evaluation becomes very complex and highly detailed.

• Overall Beauty: The four Cs are what determine a stone’s overall beauty, which influences the price. The closer to ideal perfection, the higher the diamond’s cost.
• Shape: Shape influences price by how much waste comes from the cut. Round is the most desirable but also the most expensive. There’s also oval, cushion, pear, princess, emerald, radiant, marquise, and heart.
• Origin: The place where a stone comes from definitely impact a diamond’s value and weight. Stones with a stated place of origin will cost more than diamonds without that information.
• Lab vs. Natural: Scientific advancements can create diamonds in the lab. There is a lot of bad publicity around natural diamonds, from child labor mining operations in Africa to DeBeers hoarding stockpiles to force price increases. So, lab grown diamonds are much less expensive and becoming more desirable.
• Certification: Not all diamonds have a certification, and these don’t cost as much as ones that have certification from places like GIA and AGL. Certification does increase the price, but it also ensures that what you’re getting is bona fide and real. It mitigates fraud and ensures quality.

Price versus Value

The physical qualities of a diamond are what determine the stone’s value. But the price comes down to a retailer’s discretion. For example, you may find a diamond at Zales and another one at Cartier, with both diamonds being near identical to one another. But, the prices are worlds apart.

Therefore, price refers to an arbitrary cost decided by the retailer. Value, in contrast, identifies whether that diamond is worth the money set on the price tag.

The idea of “worth” brings in both price and value depending on all the factors outlined above.

So, when shopping around for a diamond, wise consumers make a point to understand the details of value. This is incredibly helpful when looking at diamonds and what a retailer charges, which aids in getting the right gemstone for the right price.

Diamond Value FAQ

What does 20 carat mean?

Something that’s 20 carat will have different meanings depending on if it’s a gemstone or a precious metal.

Stone carats refer to the weight while metal carats detail the purity. However, to distinguish the two, metal usually accompanies the spelling “karat.”

How much does a 20 carat ring weigh?

A 20-carat ring will weigh at least four grams but the weight can increase to as much as 10 grams. This depends on the metal and other stones.

However, on average, a 20-carat ring weighs about five to six grams.

How much does 20 carat gold cost?

As of March 2023, an ounce of 20-carat gold costs $1,657.53. This translates to $53.29 per gram. However, this could change at any moment because of market fluctuations.

Visit a gold authority showing price changes in real time.

Which is better 20 carat or 22 carat?

Knowing whether 20 carat or 22 carat is better depends on if you’re referring to metal or diamonds. For things like gold, 22 carat is better because it means the gold is purer than 20 carats.

In terms of diamonds, the difference will depend on the stone and it’s physical characteristics. These vary greatly.

Conclusion

So, to solve the mystery around how much a 20-carat diamond is worth, it costs between $2 million and $5 million dollars. Several complex factors determine the price and no stone is the same, so the price can range greatly.

But, understanding the four Cs along with the other determiners will help you identify a diamond’s value versus its price tag. This means studying every detail of evaluation to become a wise diamond connoisseur.

References

https://www.creditdonkey.com/diamond-price-chart.html

https://www.gia.edu/diamond-quality-factor