Is the price per carat or per bag?

Both: round melee is sold in 1-carat bags, one size per bag, so the bag price is the per-carat price. From 3 mm up a bag is made up as close to 1 carat as whole stones allow.

What does one melee stone cost?

Bag price divided by the stone count: about $0.53 at 0.7 mm, $1.15 at 1.0 mm, $1.99 at 1.3 mm, $2.75 at 1.5 mm, $5.97 at 2.0 mm, $9.31 at 2.5 mm, $14.90 at 3.0 mm and $24.83 at 3.6 mm. Counts are approximate.

Why is 1 mm melee more expensive per carat than 3 mm?

Labour. Every stone is cut, polished, sorted and inspected individually whatever its size, and a carat of 1.0 mm is about 200 stones while a carat of 3.0 mm is about 10. Per stone, the small sizes are far cheaper.

Is there a minimum order?

One 1-carat bag, or one single stone. Larger quantities ship at the same listed price.

Do the prices include shipping and duties?

Shipping is $20 flat worldwide and free over $100. Import duties and taxes are prepaid to the US, the EU and the UK and refunded against the receipt in Switzerland and Norway; to other countries they are paid by the recipient on arrival.

Are the stones certified?

Melee and single stones under 1 ct are sold to the parcel specification, DE colour and VS–VVS clarity, without a grading report, as melee is handled throughout the trade. Stones of 1 ct and above can be supplied with a report.

Do these prices change?

The product pages are always current and are the prices you pay. This page was checked on 13 October 2026.

Lab-Grown Diamond Melee Price per Carat (2026): $149–279 by Size, and What a Stone Costs

Short answer: laboratory-grown diamond melee costs $149 to $279 per carat at Caratura in 2026 — DE colour, VS–VVS clarity, Hearts & Arrows cut, sold by the 1-carat bag with every price published. Per carat, the price falls as the stones get bigger: $279 at 0.7–0.9 mm, $229 at 1.0–1.2 mm, $199 at 1.3 mm, $179 at 1.4–2.0 mm and $149 at 2.1–3.6 mm. Per stone, it runs the other way: about $0.53 for a 0.7 mm stone, $1.15 at 1.0 mm, $2.75 at 1.5 mm, $5.97 at 2.0 mm and $14.90 at 3.0 mm. Fancy-shape melee is $249–329 per carat and single round stones of 0.19–0.99 ct are $55–198 each, about $210–230 per carat. Prices were checked on 13 October 2026; the product pages are always current.

Price per carat, by size

Round melee is sold in 1-carat bags, one size per bag, so the bag price is the price per carat. Stone counts are approximate and assume stones at the nominal size with normal proportions.

Laboratory-grown diamond melee, round, DE colour, VS–VVS — price per carat by size (October 2026)
Size	Per carat (1-ct bag)	Stones per carat (approx.)	Per stone (approx.)
0.7–0.9 mm	$279	≈530 to ≈270	$0.53 to $1.03	Buy
1.0–1.2 mm	$229	≈200 to ≈120	$1.15 to $1.91	Buy
1.3 mm	$199	≈100	$1.99	Buy
1.4–2.0 mm	$179	≈80 to ≈30	$2.24 to $5.97	Buy
2.1–3.6 mm	$149	≈26 to ≈6	$5.73 to $24.83	Buy

All 30 sizes, 0.7 to 3.6 mm in 0.1 mm steps, with the count and per-stone price for each, are on the lab-grown diamond melee size chart. From 3 mm up, where one stone weighs 0.10 ct or more, a bag is made up as close to 1 carat as whole stones allow and can run slightly over or under.

What one stone costs

Bag price divided by the approximate count. Use it to cost a job: a 16-stone halo in 1.3 mm is about $32 of melee, a half carat of 1.0 mm (about 100 stones) about $115, a 22-stone eternity band in 2.0 mm about $131.

Approximate cost per stone at common melee sizes
Size	Weight per stone (approx.)	Stones per carat (approx.)	Per carat	Per stone (approx.)
0.8 mm	0.0027 ct	≈370	$279	$0.75
1.0 mm	0.005 ct	≈200	$229	$1.15
1.2 mm	0.008 ct	≈120	$229	$1.91
1.3 mm	0.01 ct	≈100	$199	$1.99
1.5 mm	0.015 ct	≈65	$179	$2.75
1.8 mm	0.025 ct	≈40	$179	$4.47
2.0 mm	0.033 ct	≈30	$179	$5.97
2.5 mm	0.06 ct	≈16	$149	$9.31
3.0 mm	0.10 ct	≈10	$149	$14.90
3.5 mm	0.14 ct	≈7	$149	$21.29

Fancy shapes and single stones

Fancy-shape melee is also sold by the 1-carat bag, in two price tiers set by the weight of each stone. Single round stones are sold by the piece in 0.1 ct weight bands.

Laboratory-grown diamond, DE colour, VS–VVS — fancy-shape melee and single stones
Line	Price	What that is per stone
Oval, pear, emerald, asscher, radiant, princess, cushion, baguette, trapezoid melee	$249 per carat for stones of 0.04 ct and up; $299 per carat under 0.04 ct	An oval of 3 × 2 mm (≈0.05 ct) is about $11; 2 × 1.5 mm (≈0.02 ct) about $5	View
Marquise and heart melee	$279 per carat for 0.04 ct and up; $329 per carat under 0.04 ct	A marquise of 4 × 2 mm (≈0.06 ct) is about $16	View
Triangle side stones	$399 per carat	A 3 × 3 mm triangle (≈0.09 ct) is about $36	View
Single round stones, 0.19–0.99 ct	$55 to $198 per stone in eight weight bands, about $210–230 per carat	0.19–0.29 ct $55 · 0.30–0.39 ct $76 · 0.40–0.49 ct $98 · 0.50–0.59 ct $114 · 0.60–0.69 ct $135 · 0.70–0.79 ct $156 · 0.80–0.89 ct $177 · 0.90–0.99 ct $198	View

Per-stone figures for fancy shapes are for well-proportioned stones; deeper stones weigh more. Each fancy-shape product page has a size-to-weight guide, and we confirm the tier with a photo before you pay. Stones of 1 ct and above are quoted per stone from current stock.

Why 1 mm costs more per carat than 3 mm

In mined diamond, price per carat climbs with size because large rough is rare. In laboratory-grown melee the rarity is gone and labour takes over. Every round brilliant carries the same 57 facets whether it is 0.7 mm or 3.6 mm, and every stone has to be cut, polished, sieved, sorted to ±0.1 mm and inspected one at a time. A carat of 0.7 mm is about 530 of those operations; a carat of 3.6 mm is about six. Weight loss in cutting is also proportionally higher on tiny stones. So the per-carat price rises as the stones shrink, while the per-stone price falls — the two columns in the table above move in opposite directions.

Above melee sizes the curve flattens: our single stones run at roughly $210–230 per carat all the way from 0.19 to 0.99 ct, because at those sizes the cutting cost per carat is small and the material cost dominates.

What the price includes

The stones as specified. DE colour, VS–VVS clarity, graded as a parcel to the supplier's standard; rounds are Hearts & Arrows cut; one size per bag, sorted to within ±0.1 mm of the stated size, backed by the calibration and matching guarantee.
A photo or video of your actual stones before dispatch. Every parcel is hand-inspected and recorded.
Shipping $20 flat worldwide, free over $100 — so a single $149 bag ships free.
Duties on us in the US and Europe. Import duties and taxes are prepaid (DDP) to the US, the EU and the UK; in Switzerland and Norway any charge on delivery is refunded in full against the receipt. To other countries, import charges and customs clearance are the recipient's.
14-day guarantee and PayPal Buyer Protection. Not as described, or damaged in transit? Replaced or refunded at our cost.
No minimum beyond one bag, no account, no quote. Every price is on the product page.

Not included: a grading report. Melee and single stones under 1 ct are sold to the parcel specification, as they are throughout the trade. Stones of 1 ct and above can be supplied with a report; ask when you enquire.

How to compare melee quotes

Two quotes for "lab-grown melee" can be $100 per carat apart and still be for the same thing — or $10 apart and not. Line them up on these points before comparing the number.

What to pin down before comparing a per-carat price
Check	Why it moves the price	Here
Per carat, per stone or per bag?	Per-stone prices look small at 1 mm and large at 3 mm; convert everything to per carat using the stone count.	Per 1-carat bag, which is per carat; counts published.
Colour and clarity of the parcel	DE / VS–VVS costs more than G–H / SI; a quote without a grade is not comparable.	DE colour, VS–VVS clarity, parcel-graded.
Sorting tolerance	Sieve-sorted parcels mix sizes across a range; calibrated parcels are sorted to a stated tolerance, which costs labour.	One size per bag, ±0.1 mm, guaranteed in writing.
Cut	Hearts & Arrows rounds cost more to produce than a commercial cut and set up more evenly in pavé.	Hearts & Arrows on all rounds.
Minimum order	A low per-carat price behind a 10-carat or 50-carat minimum is a different offer from one bag.	One bag.
Shipping and duties	Duties, import taxes and courier brokerage fees on arrival vary by country and are easy to leave out of a quote.	$20 flat, free over $100; duties on us in the US and Europe.
Seeing the parcel first	A photo or video of the actual stones before payment removes the usual risk with an overseas supplier.	Photo or video of your stones before dispatch.
Lead time	Made-to-order parcels can take weeks; a quote should say whether the stones are in stock.	Usually ships within 3 business days.

Questions jewelers ask

How much is lab-grown diamond melee per carat?: At Caratura, $149 to $279 per carat for round melee in October 2026, depending on size: $279 at 0.7–0.9 mm, $229 at 1.0–1.2 mm, $199 at 1.3 mm, $179 at 1.4–2.0 mm and $149 at 2.1–3.6 mm. DE colour, VS–VVS clarity, Hearts & Arrows cut, sold by the 1-carat bag.
Is the price per carat or per bag?: Both: round melee is sold in 1-carat bags, one size per bag, so the bag price is the per-carat price. From 3 mm up a bag is made up as close to 1 carat as whole stones allow.
What does one melee stone cost?: Bag price divided by the stone count: about $0.53 at 0.7 mm, $1.15 at 1.0 mm, $1.99 at 1.3 mm, $2.75 at 1.5 mm, $5.97 at 2.0 mm, $9.31 at 2.5 mm, $14.90 at 3.0 mm and $24.83 at 3.6 mm. Counts are approximate.
Why is 1 mm melee more expensive per carat than 3 mm?: Labour. Every stone is cut, polished, sorted and inspected individually whatever its size, and a carat of 1.0 mm is about 200 stones while a carat of 3.0 mm is about 10. Per stone, the small sizes are far cheaper.
Is there a minimum order?: One 1-carat bag, or one single stone. Larger quantities ship at the same listed price.
Do the prices include shipping and duties?: Shipping is $20 flat worldwide and free over $100. Import duties and taxes are prepaid to the US, the EU and the UK and refunded against the receipt in Switzerland and Norway; to other countries they are paid by the recipient on arrival.
Are the stones certified?: Melee and single stones under 1 ct are sold to the parcel specification, DE colour and VS–VVS clarity, without a grading report, as melee is handled throughout the trade. Stones of 1 ct and above can be supplied with a report.
Do these prices change?: The product pages are always current and are the prices you pay. This page was checked on 13 October 2026.

By Leilei, founder of Caratura — I source, inspect and pack every order myself. Every price is published on the product pages — no price list, no quote. Message me on WhatsApp with your spec for a stock check.