Costs in Manufacturing Diamonds

• "The cutting and polishing step contributes the least to the cost of manufacturing."
• According to 2016 report published by Statista, India had the lowest cutting and polishing costs for diamonds at $30 per carat.

Pricing of Diamonds

• The pricing for polished diamonds is determined by shape (such as round or cushion), carat (weight), color, GIA cut grade, and fluorescence.
• "The price of a cushion cut diamond is typically significantly less than the cost of a round brilliant diamond," while "the emerald cut diamonds have lower price per carat than most shapes."
• As an illustration for comparison, "diamonds with a clarity grade of SI2 or better and a color grade of K or higher," and of 1 carat are priced as: round brilliant cut- $2,500 ($3,000) to $16,500; emerald cut- $1,600 ($1,750) to $10,500; and cushion cut -$1,600 ($2,000) to $9,500 

Yields in the Diamond Cutting Process

• Only about 40% of a rough diamond is used when cutting a round diamond because an uncut/rough diamond is naturally cubic.
• "The least amount of weight is wasted when cutting a rough diamond into a polished emerald cut as compared to the other cuts."

Summary of Findings

• In the first hour of research we were able to determine that information on the diamond cutting and polishing process is available, specifically on pricing especially on 0-5 carats weights, yields and wastage, and some associated costs of manufacturing.