Rare Carat Review 2025: Is It Really The Best Way To Find Affordable Diamonds Online?

We all know that we can save money by buying online. Cutting out retail middlemen, doing away with physical store costs; all of these things have helped sellers to provide products for less. This is true whatever you’re buying, from books to clothes, and of course, diamonds. 

On average, buyers can save somewhere between 20-50% by buying diamond jewelry online. That’s great news, but there’s one problem – you’re no expert, meaning that you have no way of knowing whether that price is reasonable, or whether that diamond is actually going to look great on your finger, or could serve to enhance your relationship when you give it to someone else. 

This was an issue that Rare Carat founder, Ajay Anand, experienced when buying his wife’s engagement ring. He saw the appeal of online bargains, but his fear surrounding his lack of knowledge meant that he turned to an in-person appraiser even for his online purchase. Anand’s dilemma led him to ask one question – What if there was a way to guarantee that the diamond you’re buying long-distance is as good a bargain as it seems to be? 

Anand’s #1-rated managed diamond marketplace, Rare Carat, was born from this simple question. In this review, we’ll consider whether Rare Carat’s service is the answer Anand, and countless other buyers were looking for. 

Rare Carat: What is it and Why Does it Matter?

Rare Carat has been changing the way we buy diamonds online since 2016, when it entered the market as a search engine-style platform that allowed buyers to ‘kayak for diamonds’. Designed off the back of an impressively detailed Excel spreadsheet that Anand designed during his own engagement ring quest, Rare Carat made it possible for users to search across multiple diamonds at once based on data such as affordability. 

In 2021, Rare Carat took those modest beginnings a step further, and became what can most easily be termed as a ‘managed marketplace’. Instead of simply allowing consumers to browse diamond bargains, this shift saw Rare Carat integrating elements of traditional retail models, such as in-house expertise and guidance, to truly lead buyers towards the best diamonds at all times. 

As well as benefiting from the expertise of in-house GIA-trained gemologists, Rare Carat provides AI reports, including the iconic ‘Deal Score’, which serves to indicate just how much of a bargain any chosen diamond could end up being. This information comes from what’s arguably the largest dataset in the industry, and accurate algorithms make it far easier for diamond buyers at every level to make more financially savvy long-distance buying choices. 

Understand the Rare Carat Buying Process

Whether you’ve bought diamonds in the past or not, it’s worth taking a little time to understand Rare Carat’s buying process. As stated, these guys do things a little differently! The site is especially designed towards customization, and it’s possible to have a lot of fun here and end up with a great product, if you know what you’re doing, or work with Rare Carat’s great customer service to guide you. 

Unless you’re buying from Rare Carat’s existing jewelry catalog (which includes ready-set rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets), you’ll either begin your purchase by choosing a ring (ring setting, metal, etc.), or choosing a natural or lab diamond, which you can do according to everything from shape and color, to clarity and cost. 

Rare Carat’s diamonds are sourced across quality wholesalers, and all natural diamonds come with GIA or IGI certification, while lab diamonds are all certified by IGI, GIA, or GCAL. For further peace of mind, once you’ve chosen your diamond, you can enter the GIA report number, or link directly to the diamond in Rare Carat’s AI software for a free report that lets you know whether that diamond is actually the bargain it seems to be. 

Pros: Rare Carat Goes Above and Beyond to Provide Peace of Mind

Rare Carat is the #1 rated American jeweler on Trustpilot, and a lot of that is because Rare Carat’s entire business model is all about providing you with vital peace of mind. Unlike many online sellers, where it can feel like you’re taking an inevitable risk, there are various trust-building touchpoints through the Rare Carat journey, including – 

• Professional Insight: Rare Carat provides something you’ll find from very few other online diamond sellers – GIA-trained in-house gemologists for unbiased advice. 
• Great reviews: In just under ten years, Rare Carat has amassed an impressive 2,974 five-star reviews on Trustpilot and more than 3,409 five-star reviews on Google, with customer satisfaction ratings that are consistently better than its competitors. 
• AI reports: Rare Carat’s AI reports use 50 data points to compare your diamond to the larger market, making sure that you’re getting a good price, as well as making you aware of potential quality issues. 
• Customer-focused policies: Rare Carat puts its customers first with policies that include 30-day money-back guarantees, free insured shipping and returns, and even one-year complementary resizing. 

Cons: A ‘Good’ Deal Score Doesn’t Necessarily Mean A Great Diamond

As mentioned, Rare Carat’s AI deal scores are one of its best-selling points, and use a larger data set for comparison than any other company in the business. But, consumers who don’t take the time to understand what a ‘good’ deal score means may end up buying something other than what they bargained for. 

This is because, while Rare Carat reports do consider quality criteria like cut, color, and symmetry, the deal score itself largely considers price. As such , a ‘good’ Rare Carat deal score is designed to inform you of whether or not your diamond is a good bargain compared with other options on the market, rather than whether it’s a high-quality product. 

This needn’t be a deal breaker, especially considering that it’s literally stated on the Rare Carat website, but as great as this tool can be, buyers certainly shouldn’t jump into a purchase based on a good deal score alone. For that, you’ll also want to speak closely with the readily available Rare Carat team to ensure this is your best option. 

Rare Carat: Affordable Diamonds you can Trust

Rare Carat may be one of a number of online diamond sellers right now, but few other companies offer the depth of expertise, comparison, and generally great service that Rare Carat puts on the table. If you like great people and great products, then these guys seem like a pretty safe jewelry-buying bet!

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