How We Price Our Diamonds

This page sets out, in one place, how we price every diamond we sell. Each loose diamond is priced against the Rapaport list, the benchmark the whole trade reads from, and its page shows both figures side by side so you can see the method rather than take it on trust. Ring settings are priced separately and quoted on WhatsApp. To see the result across our whole stock, open today’s diamond prices.

Quick answer: diamonds.com.lb prices every natural diamond against the Rapaport list, the trade’s asking-price benchmark for a stone’s shape, carat weight, colour and clarity. Each diamond’s page shows the Rapaport list price, our price beside it and the gap as a percentage below Rapaport. Cut, fluorescence, eye-clean clarity and proportions decide where a stone sits. Ring settings are quoted separately.

What every diamond page shows

Open any stone in our stock and the price box shows three things:

The Rapaport list price for that stone’s shape, carat weight, colour and clarity: the per-carat figure from the list, and the total for the stone’s exact weight.
Our price: the figure you actually pay for that stone.
The difference: a badge reading “N% below Rapaport”, where N is that stone’s own discount from the list.

For loose diamonds, nothing sits behind a request for a quote. You can compare two of our stones on the same terms, or hold a quote from any other seller up against the same benchmark.

What the Rapaport list is, and what it is not

The Rapaport list is a price sheet published weekly for the diamond trade. It gives a figure per carat for natural diamonds by weight bracket, colour and clarity, with one table for round brilliants and another used for fancy shapes such as ovals, cushions and hearts. Dealers everywhere read the same sheet, which makes it the common language of diamond pricing.

What it is not matters just as much:

It is not a sale price. The list is a benchmark of asking prices in the trade, and most diamonds change hands below it. That is why a price is expressed as a percentage below the list.
It does not know the stone. The list has no column for cut quality, fluorescence, where the inclusions sit or how lively the diamond looks.
It is not a valuation or a resale promise. It tells you where a grade sits in the market, not what any one stone will fetch later.
It does not change with the laboratory. A GIA stone and an HRD stone of the same grades start from the same line.

Our article on the Rapaport price list, explained goes deeper into how the trade uses it.

What moves a stone’s price within its grade

Two diamonds can share the same shape, weight, colour and clarity, and therefore the same Rapaport line, yet sit at very different distances below it. That distance is set by what the grade alone does not capture:

Cut quality. How well the stone returns light. On a round brilliant this means the cut grade with polish and symmetry; on a fancy shape, the overall make of the stone. A well-cut diamond sits closer to the list; a dull one sits further below it.
Fluorescence. How the stone reacts under ultraviolet light. It is usually harmless and sometimes flattering, yet it tends to lower the price, and in the few stones where it causes a hazy look it lowers it further. Our note on diamond fluorescence explains when it matters.
Eye-clean clarity. Where the inclusions sit and what they are. A stone whose marks hide near the edge looks clean to the eye and is worth more than one of the same grade with an inclusion under the table. See eye-clean diamonds.
Proportions. Depth, table and girdle decide how large a stone looks face-up for its weight and, on fancy shapes, how pleasing its outline is. A stone that hides weight in its depth looks smaller than its carats suggest, and is priced accordingly.

This is why a bigger discount is not automatically a better buy. A deep discount is usually information about the stone, not generosity. The useful question is never only “how far below Rapaport?” but “why there?”

How ring settings are priced

A ring setting is priced on its own, separately from the diamond, and built from three parts:

Metal. The weight of 18K gold or platinum in your chosen design, at the day’s gold price (or platinum price, for a platinum ring).
Labour. The bench hours needed to craft the ring by hand, to order, in Beirut.
Small diamonds. Any pavé, halo or side stones the design carries, priced by their weight and quality.

Because the metal price moves with the market and every ring is made to order, we quote the finished ring on WhatsApp, usually the same day, once you have chosen the diamond and the setting. Browse engagement rings in Lebanon, or pair a stone with a setting in the ring builder and ask for your ring price on WhatsApp.

Why we publish our method

A price you cannot trace is a price you have to take on trust. A seller who keeps the benchmark hidden removes the buyer’s only way of checking the price, and that is where most diamond stories that end badly begin. By printing the list figure beside our own price on every stone, we hand you the reference the trade itself uses, and invite the comparison.

It also holds us to a standard. Every price on the site has to make sense against a public benchmark and against the stone’s cut, fluorescence, clarity and proportions, because the comparison sits on the page for anyone to read.

See the method at work

The diamond price index lists today’s prices across our stock by carat band and shape, built automatically from the stones we hold. Each stone in the loose diamond collection shows its own Rapaport list price and discount. And for how to judge a quote from anyone, ourselves included, read diamond prices in Lebanon: a buyer’s guide.

Common questions

What does “below Rapaport” mean on a diamond’s page?

It shows how far our price for that stone sits below its Rapaport list price, the trade’s benchmark for a diamond of the same shape, carat weight, colour and clarity. The list figure and our price are printed side by side, so the percentage is simply the gap between them, worked out for that one stone.

Is the Rapaport price what a diamond is worth?

No. The Rapaport list is a benchmark of trade asking prices by grade, not a sale price or a valuation. Most diamonds trade below it, and two stones of the same grade can sit at quite different distances from it because of cut quality, fluorescence, eye-clean clarity and proportions.

Is a bigger discount from Rapaport always a better deal?

No. A deep discount usually reflects something about the stone: a weaker cut, strong fluorescence, a visible inclusion or proportions that make it look small for its weight. Compare discounts between stones you have actually looked at, using the 360° video and the certificate, rather than chasing the largest number.

How are engagement ring settings priced?

A setting is priced separately from the diamond: the metal weight of your chosen design at the day’s gold price, the labour to craft it by hand, and any small diamonds the design carries. Because the gold price moves and each ring is made to order, diamonds.com.lb quotes the finished ring on WhatsApp, usually the same day.

Can I compare your prices with another seller’s quote?

Yes, and we encourage it. Ask any seller where their price sits against the Rapaport list for the same shape, weight, colour and clarity, and check that the stone is certified by GIA or HRD. Then compare like with like, remembering that cut, fluorescence and proportions explain much of any gap.