A lab grown diamond price in Hong Kong starts at HK$999 for a 0.5ct solitaire stud in platinum-plated silver and runs to HK$43,000 for a single 5.0ct stone in 18K White Gold. Cost per carat falls as you go up to 2.0ct, then climbs steeply above 3.0ct. The efficient zone sits between 1.0ct and 2.0ct.
What does a lab grown diamond cost at each carat weight?
Below are live Carat Club Co. prices for a single solitaire stud in 18K White Gold. The metal is held constant so the stone is the only thing moving. Stones from 0.5ct to 2.0ct are from the Essential range, 3.0ct and above are Statement.
| Carat | Single stud, 18K White Gold | Cost per carat |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5ct | HK$2,900 | HK$5,800 |
| 1.0ct | HK$3,800 | HK$3,800 |
| 1.5ct | HK$5,500 | HK$3,667 |
| 2.0ct | HK$6,700 | HK$3,350 |
| 3.0ct | HK$18,500 | HK$6,167 |
| 4.0ct | HK$27,000 | HK$6,750 |
| 5.0ct | HK$43,000 | HK$8,600 |
Read the right-hand column. Most people read the middle one, decide 5.0ct is eight times the money of 0.5ct, and stop there. The useful number is what each carat costs you, and it is not a straight line. It falls by 42 percent between 0.5ct and 2.0ct, then more than doubles by 3.0ct.
Why does cost per carat fall before it rises?
Two forces pull in opposite directions.
The first is fixed cost. A setting, a pair of backs, the bench labour, the quality check and the box do not shrink when the stone does. At 0.5ct those costs are spread over half a carat. At 2.0ct they are spread over four times as much stone. That is why small stones look expensive per carat: you are paying for the workmanship either way.
The second is growth difficulty. Large rough is harder to grow clean. A reactor run that yields a 3.0ct stone at D colour and VVS2 takes longer than one yielding a 1.0ct, and more of those runs fail or come out with inclusions that push the stone out of the grade. Scarcity at the top end is real, even in a laboratory. The step from 2.0ct to 3.0ct is one extra carat and it costs HK$11,800, which is more than the entire 2.0ct stud.
Show the working: HK$6,700 at 2.0ct is HK$3,350 a carat. HK$18,500 at 3.0ct is HK$6,167 a carat. Same metal, same setting style, same brand. The per-carat rate nearly doubles for one extra carat of weight.
None of this contradicts the headline that lab-grown sits well below mined. It just means the discount is not evenly spread. We covered the reason for the gap itself in why lab-grown diamonds are so much cheaper than mined diamonds.
Where is the efficient zone?
Between 1.0ct and 2.0ct, at roughly HK$3,350 to HK$3,800 per carat. If your budget lands anywhere near HK$3,800 to HK$6,700 for a single stone, buying up within that band buys you more carat for each dollar, not less. Below 0.5ct you pay a premium for the labour. Above 3.0ct you pay a premium for the growth. In the middle, you are paying close to what the stone itself is worth.
Practical version: if you are choosing between 1.0ct now and 1.5ct later, the 1.5ct is not 50 percent more expensive. It is HK$1,700 more, and the rate per carat goes down.
Why does the same 0.5ct stone come in at three different prices?
Hold the stone size still and change only the metal and the paperwork. The price roughly triples.
- HK$999: Origin, 0.5ct in S925 Sterling Silver Platinum-plated, no certificate as standard.
- HK$2,300: Essential, 0.5ct in 9K White Gold, IGI-certified.
- HK$2,900: Essential, 0.5ct in 18K White Gold or PT950 Platinum, IGI-certified.
The stone is not what moved. Gold content and the independent grading report account for nearly all of the difference. That is worth knowing before you assume a higher price means a better diamond, and it is the same arithmetic we set out in how much the metal actually adds to the price of a diamond piece.
What does a pair cost?
Roughly double the single, with a small break at the smaller sizes. Origin 0.5ct singles are HK$999 and the pair is HK$1,998. Origin 1.0ct is HK$1,799 single, HK$3,499 the pair. A 2.0ct pair in 18K White Gold is HK$13,000 against HK$6,700 for the single. At the top: 3.0ct pair HK$37,000, 4.0ct pair HK$53,900, 5.0ct pair HK$85,900.
Buying one stud is normal and we price it that way on purpose. A single ear is a real order, not a half order.
Why is a tennis bracelet priced differently?
The Current Diamond Tennis Bracelet runs HK$6,999 to HK$14,500, with stones of 0.05ct to 0.2ct each and lengths from 15cm to 20cm. Total carat weight is not what drives that price. Setting dozens of small stones in a line, each with its own seat and prongs, is where the hours go. Per carat, a bracelet of small stones will always look worse than a 2.0ct stud. You are buying a different object.
Four pieces, four price points
Origin Diamond Solitaire Studs
A low-profile 4-prong setting with friction backs, in platinum-plated S925. The stone is lab-grown, D colour, VS1, cut to Ideal or Excellent. It ships without an IGI certificate as standard, which is how the price holds at this level. Certification is available on request, message us on WhatsApp for a quote.
From HK$999
Essential Diamond Solitaire Studs
Available in 9K White Gold, 14K White Gold, 18K White Gold or PT950 Platinum, with La Poussette locking backs. Stones run 0.5ct to 2.0ct each, sold single or as a pair. Every stone is individually graded by IGI and laser-inscribed, D colour, VVS2, and the report comes with the piece.
From HK$2,300
Statement Diamond Solitaire Studs
3.0ct, 4.0ct or 5.0ct per stone in 18K White Gold or PT950 Platinum, held in a reinforced 4-prong setting with a La Poussette locking back. No halo, nothing padding out the look. Each stone is individually graded by IGI with a laser-inscribed serial, D colour, VVS2 to VS1.
From HK$18,500
Current Diamond Tennis Bracelet
A continuous line of small round brilliants, 0.05ct to 0.2ct per stone, in platinum-plated S925, from 15cm to 20cm. Because every stone sits well under 0.5ct, the stones are not individually certified by default: independent grading would cost more than the stone. IGI certification is available on request at HK$350 per stone.
From HK$6,999
What the price includes
Every piece is made to order in 2 to 3 weeks. You get one year of free repair and a 7 day exchange if the piece arrives defective. There are no returns, so ask us anything before you order rather than after. We ship to Hong Kong and 14 other Asian markets. Parcels are tracked and require a signature, with declared-value cover to the maximum the carrier permits for fine jewellery.
Lab grown diamond price: common questions
What is a fair price for a 1.0ct stud in Hong Kong?
A single 1.0ct solitaire stud in 18K White Gold is HK$3,800 at Carat Club Co., with the stone graded by IGI at D colour and VVS2. In 9K White Gold the same stone size is HK$2,900. If you are quoted several times that for a comparable lab-grown stone, ask what the extra is buying.
Is a man made diamonds price different from a lab-created one?
No. Man made, lab-grown and lab-created describe the same stone, grown in a reactor rather than mined. The words change, the price does not. What changes the price is carat weight, colour, clarity, cut, the metal it is set in and whether an independent grading report is included.
Why does 3.0ct cost so much more than 2.0ct?
A 2.0ct stud in 18K White Gold is HK$6,700 and a 3.0ct is HK$18,500. Large rough is harder to grow without inclusions, so fewer runs produce a clean stone at that size and grade. You are paying a scarcity premium at the top of the range, and the jump per carat goes from HK$3,350 to HK$6,167.
Which stones come with an IGI report?
Stones of 0.5ct and above are individually graded by IGI and the report ships with the piece. Below 0.5ct, stones are not certified by default because independent grading costs more than the stone itself. Origin studs ship without a certificate as standard and certification is available on request. For the Current Diamond Tennis Bracelet, IGI certification is HK$350 per stone on request.
