CaratBrands

Index

The terms, read in full

What each retailer commits to in writing, as against what the landing page implies. Every page here records the date the policy was read.

Check live prices — we don't print them here, because they change daily.

Illustration of a four-prong solitaire diamond engagement ring

Rings

The centre stone is where nearly all the money goes. Compare the same specification at each — shape, carat, colour, clarity, cut grade and grading laboratory held identical, or you are not comparing anything.

Illustration of a pair of four-prong round brilliant diamond stud earrings

Earrings

Sold by total carat weight across the pair, so a 1ct pair is two half-carat stones. Cheap enough to make a sensible first purchase from a retailer you have not used before.

Illustration of a classic diamond tennis bracelet

Bracelets

Check the clasp and the safety catch before the stone quality. A tennis bracelet that springs open on the wrist is the most common way people lose one.

Illustration of a solitaire diamond pendant on a fine chain

Necklaces

The chain matters more than buyers expect. Check the gauge and the clasp — a heavy pendant on a thin chain is a repair waiting to happen.

Links open each retailer's own category page. Rare Carat links are affiliate links and earn us a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. The other three are plain links that earn us nothing today; if that changes, this line changes with it. Every relationship is listed on the disclosure page.

Why these pages exist

Policy terms are the part of a diamond purchase nobody reads and everybody relies on. They are also the part retailers change quietly. Each page here is built from the retailer's own published terms, records the date of reading, and says plainly where a term is ambiguous rather than smoothing it over.