Ring Advisor · Free AI tool
A 1-carat lab diamond with identical specs costs $223 at one retailer. $856 at another. Find out what you should actually pay.
Free, neutral AI tool. No affiliates. No sponsored results. Built on 259,656 real listings.
Free to start. Answers in seconds.
Lab Diamond Prices
Lab Grown Diamond Price Per Carat
The Rings.com Lab-Grown Diamond Price Index: monthly benchmark prices across 7 major U.S. online retailers. Published August 30, 2026. Updated every month.
Market median at 1.5ct
$1,005
Price range at 1ct
$223 to $856
Listings analyzed
259,656
Free Valuation
What's your ring actually worth?
A realistic resale range built from current market prices, reviewed by a person. No lowballing and no flattery: the verdict says what the evidence says.
What it costs
Free
Verdict turnaround
2 business days
Built from
Current market prices
Diamond Rarity Score · Free tool
Every diamond gets called rare. Find out if yours actually is.
Enter a diamond's carat, color, clarity, cut, and origin. Get a 1–100 rarity score grounded in USGS, GIA, and Kimberley Process production data. Right here, in about 30 seconds.
Free. No account needed. Read the methodology and FAQ
August 2026 · Edition 4 · AI Shopping Study
The AI Jewelry Leaderboard Has Its First Statistically Decisive Leader
3,000 AI responses across five sources: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews. Four months in, the study has its first statistically decisive #1: Brilliant Earth retook the top spot from Blue Nile by a margin larger than measured noise can explain. Last month's mall-chain slide split apart, with Kay Jewelers still falling while Zales snapped all the way back, and 54% of answers still include James Allen, almost always with no hint that it now redirects to Blue Nile.
What to do differently when using AI to shop for a ring
Three things that change what you find, and what to look for when the lists disagree (now including Google's answer box). No methodology required.
Read the guideJune 2026 · Buyer Protection Study
Policy Audit
What most jewelry retailers don't publish before you pay
We read the fine print across 20 major jewelry retailers so you don't have to. Here's what we found on deposits, warranties, returns, and what happens when something goes wrong.
At most retailers we reviewed, there is no written policy explaining what happens to your deposit if a custom order falls through.
Some of the biggest names in jewelry retail publish no rules at all governing custom order disputes, at any stage of production.
At more than half the retailers we reviewed, your warranty is voided the moment any other jeweler touches your ring.
See who protects buyers →Brand Research
The Best & Worst Engagement Ring Brands in 2026
Independent verdicts on 12 brands, based on real buyer experiences across Reddit communities, not sponsored rankings. Most buyers don't regret the ring. They regret how they bought it.
Best overall
Local jewelers
Best online value
Blue Nile
Best for lab-grown
Ritani
Best budget option
Costco