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5 Carat Diamond Ring Buying Guide

How to get a stunning 5 carat diamond for an engagement ring that rocks!

By Mike Fried,

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.

5ct Fancy Yellow Princess Cut diamond in a halo setting
5ct Fancy Yellow Princess cut diamond in a halo setting from Abe Mor
To help you with the diamond buying process we lean on our expertise and experience. The author of this article, our CEO, Mike Fried has over 20 years of experience in the diamond industry. Mike started from the bottom, sorting and evaluating hundreds of thousands of diamonds to learn every facet (pun intended) of diamond quality and value. Mike followed that up by spending years buying and selling diamonds on the wholesale market as well as selling tens of millions of dollars worth of diamonds to diamond retailers.

What will we cover in this article:

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

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5 Carat Diamonds Ring Price

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.

5 Carat Diamond Price Chart – Updated March 2024

TypeTotal CostDiamond CostSetting CostSpecs
5.01 carat round solitaire ring$85,310$84,730 ($16,912/ct)$5805.01ct round I color VS2 clarity
5.25 carat round pavé set ring$111,600$110,140 ($20,979/ct)$1,4605.25ct round I color VS1 clarity
5.00 carat cushion cut halo ring$86,980$84,430 ($16,886/ct)$2,5505.00ct cushion cut G color VVS2 clarity
5.02 carat asscher cut solitaire ring$81,900$80,930 ($16,122/ct)$9705.02ct asscher H color IF clarity

5 Carat Diamond Ring Prices Explained

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.

How Large is a Five Carat Diamond?

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.

All cuts size comparison of 5ct diamonds

Diamond carat weight and diamond size are correlated but not the same.

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 ShapeApproximate Measurements for 5 Carat
Round brilliant cut11.00×11.00×6.70mm
Princess cut9.50×9.50×6.80mm
Emerald cut 11.50×8.50×5.50mm
Asscher cut9.60×9.60×6.25mm
Radiant cut 10.00×9.00×6.30mm
Cushion cut10.50×9.00×6.37mm
Oval diamond14.00×9.50×5.65mm
Pear shaped diamond 15.00×10.00×5.70mm
Heart shaped diamond11.00×11.00×6.73mm
Marquise diamond 17.00×8.50×5.40mm
Trillion diamond13.25×13.25×5.30mm

Where To Buy a 5 Carat Diamond Ring

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.

5 Carat Custom Engagement Ring by Abe Mor
5ct custom engagement ring from Abe Mor

 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:

Abe Mor Diamonds

Think You’re A Diamond Pro?

Think you’re a Diamond Pro and can save 40%?
Choose the diamond that you like better.
Is it the J color for $3,400 or the G color for $5,820?

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

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

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).

Brian Gavin Diamonds

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.

5 carat diamond ring in a vintage setting
A gorgeous 5.63ct Old European Cut Diamond in a Vintage Style Setting by Abe Mor

When selecting a diamond from your vendor, follow these expert recommendations:

  • Make sure any 5 carat diamond you’re considering comes with a GIA certificate.
  • Strictly consider diamonds with an ideal cut or GIA grade of Excellent only. Diamond cut is the largest indicator of a diamond’s beauty, brilliance and fire.
  • Review comparable diamonds across dealers to ensure you recieve an excellent price.
  • Ask for the help of a diamond expert in searching for and solidifying an exceptional 5 Carat Diamond.

How To Get The Best Value For a 5 Carat Diamond Ring

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.

examples of 5ct diamond shapes
5ct marquise, pear, and oval shape diamonds

To ensure your 5 carat diamond is truly stunning, follow our expert recommendations:

  • Diamond shape: Choose the diamond shape that’s most appealing to you and the wearer. Select a jewelry setting that provides stability.
  • Diamond cut: Only select diamonds with an ideal cut or Excellent grade on the GIA scale. An exceptionally cut diamond optimizes the brilliance and fire of the stone.
  • Diamond clarity: Look for diamonds of either VS1 and VS2 clarity grade. These grades will give you the best value for what can be seen with the naked eye. In other words, imperfections are unnoticeable in these grades.
  • Diamond color: Consider diamonds in the nearly colorless range of G to I. These stones appear clear to the naked eye and cost much less than diamonds in the D to F color range.
  • Diamond vendor: Purchase your diamond from a respected diamond seller like Brian Gavin Diamonds, Abe Mor Diamonds, James Allen and Blue Nile.

Five Carat Engagement Ring Setting Styles

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.

white gold solitaire setting with round diamond
2.45mm Solitaire Nouveau Ring Setting
yellow gold French pave ring with emerald cut diamond
Pavé style ring setting in yellow gold
halo setting with baguettes and oval diamodn center
Halo style ring setting with baguettes on sides
rose gold setting with a princess cut diamond center
Vintage style ring setting in rose gold
bar setting with baguettes and round cut diamond center
Straight baguette row ring setting

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.

FAQs About 5 Carat Diamonds

Is a five carat diamond big?

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.

How much does a five carat lab-grown diamond cost?

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.

Can I buy a five carat diamond online?

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.

Bottom Line Recommendation:

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. 

What to look for:
What to avoid:
Make sure you purchase from a reputable jeweler. GIA certified diamonds only.
Don't chase 5 or 10% in savings when you are risking a $100,000 purchase.
For a 5 carat diamond, focus on G-H color. Depending on the setting, you can drop to I-J color.
Avoid diamonds that have strong or very strong blue fluorescence. For diamonds this size it will drop the value of the diamond quite a bit.
Having trouble navigating the diamond buying minefield? We are happy to help. CONTACT US
 

Here are more carat size topics to browse:

James Allen James Allen is the leader in online diamond sales. Their imaging technology is the same as inspecting a diamond with a jeweler's loupe. They have the largest exclusive loose diamond inventory online and fantastic prices. They also have the nicest collection of lab-created diamonds online.
What we love about them:
  • No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Free International Shipping
  • Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
  • Provide insurance appraisals
  • One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
  • Free ring inscriptions
  • Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • Best-in-class packaging
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Blue Nile Blue Nile is the largest and most well known internet jewelry seller. They have a very large exclusive online inventory. Their high quality images are catching up to James Allens' and their prices are amazing.Save 25% on settings at Blue Nile!

Please enter your email address to receive your 25% off coupon code:

What we love about them:
  • No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Free Shipping
  • Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
  • Provide insurance appraisal
  • One free resizing within the first year of purchase
  • High quality images of about half of their diamonds
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
  • Best in class fulfillment
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About the author

Mike Fried Mike Fried Mike Fried has over 25 years experience in the diamond industry working with Leo Schachter Diamonds, Moshe Namdar Diamonds, and joining The Diamond Pro in 2007. He is recognized as an industry expert and has been quoted in publications such as Us, People, Page Six, The Next Web and more.

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