Lab Diamonds in Canada: Where to Buy, What a 1 Carat Costs, and What the Border Adds
Four kinds of seller, one honest price benchmark, and the charges a US order picks up on the way. Everything you need to buy well, in plain terms.
The author is the founder of Draco Diamond, a Canadian lab grown diamond brand that prices in CAD and ships delivered duty paid. Prices come from StoneAlgo and CBC; border rules from CBSA and Justice Laws. Read October 19, 2026.
Where can you buy lab diamonds in Canada?
You have four options: a national mall chain, an independent jeweller, a Canadian online brand or a US website. All of them now sell lab grown diamonds.
| Where | What you get | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| National mall chains | Try it on in store, financing, local service | Price per carat against online sellers |
| Independent jewellers | Custom work and a relationship | The grading report, and who made the setting |
| Canadian online brands | CAD prices, often delivered with no border charges | Return terms and who pays return shipping |
| US websites | The widest selection | Tax, courier and card fees at the door, and cross border returns |
Mall chains let you try a ring on and often offer financing. The national chains now carry lab grown: Michael Hill Canada, for example, has a dedicated laboratory grown engagement ring collection.4
Independent jewellers can make a ring to order and look after it for years. Ask which lab graded the stone and where the setting was made.
Online brands usually cost less, because they skip the showroom. A Canadian brand that prices in CAD and delivers duty paid also removes the border from the price.
US websites offer the widest choice, but the price you see is not the price you pay. Section 04 explains what gets added at the door.
How much does a 1 carat lab diamond cost?
A loose 1 carat lab grown diamond averaged US$503 online on October 18, 2026. That is roughly CAD 715. Shape moves it a little; the seller and the setting move it a lot.
StoneAlgo's live index tracks hundreds of thousands of loose lab diamonds for sale online. On October 18 the 1 carat average was US$503, and the 2 carat average US$1,020.1
What a loose 1 carat lab diamond costs, by shape
Average online price of a loose 1 carat lab grown diamond, US dollars, October 18, 2026. Loose stone only, before any setting.
Source: StoneAlgo live lab grown diamond price index, snapshot of October 18, 2026. Prices move weekly.
Prices are still falling. The same index showed 1 carat prices down about 11 percent in the previous month alone, so any price you read has a date on it.1
At the October 13 Bank of Canada rate of 1.4222, US$503 is about CAD 715 and US$1,020 about CAD 1,451. Retail sellers in Canada add their own margin to that.2
Grade matters too. A higher colour, a higher clarity or an excellent cut costs more than the average stone in the index.
"A loose 1 carat lab diamond averaged about US$500 in October 2026. What you pay above that is the setting, the metal, the seller and the border."
Garrett McMartin, Founder, Draco Diamond
A finished ring costs more than the loose stone, and here is why
A loose diamond is only part of a ring. The setting, the metal, the small side stones and the labour to make and set it are all added to the price of the centre stone.
Real purchases show the gap. CBC Marketplace bought a loose 1 carat D colour, VS1, ideal cut round from a large US website. It cost CAD 1,639.23 delivered, with shipping and taxes.3
In the same report, a Toronto couple said their whole 2.33 carat D VVS2 lab ring, setting included, cost them under CAD 6,000.3
Draco's own 1 carat pieces show how far finished prices can come down when the stone is small and the design is simple. A pair of 1 carat total weight studs starts at CAD 711, and a 1 carat two stone ring at CAD 1,081, set in metal.5
So decide which you are pricing. Compare loose stones with loose stones, and finished rings with finished rings in the same metal.
A ring from a US website costs more at the door than at checkout
A US price in US dollars is a starting point. By the time the ring reaches a Canadian address, tax, a courier fee and a card fee are added, and sometimes duty.
| Charge | When it applies | How much |
|---|---|---|
| GST or HST | On almost every order above CAD 40 by courier | 5% to 15%, by province |
| Courier fee | When the courier pays the tax for you | DHL: CAD 18 or 2.75% of the tax |
| Card fee | When you pay in US dollars | About 2.5% at many card issuers |
| Duty | Only if the ring was made outside North America | 6.5% gold or platinum, 8.5% silver |
Tax is the largest charge. GST or HST applies at your province's rate, from 5 percent in Alberta and the territories to 15 percent in three Atlantic provinces.109
Duty depends on where the ring was made. A personal purchase marked as made in the US or Canada, or unmarked, enters duty free under CUSMA. One marked as made elsewhere pays 6.5 percent in gold.78
Fees come on top. DHL charges CAD 18 or 2.75 percent of the tax it pays for you, whichever is higher, and many cards add 2.5 percent for the currency.1112
The full arithmetic, province by province, is in our guide to duty on jewellery from the US to Canada.6
The 2025 surtax explains the large bills you may have read about
If you have read about Canadians paying huge charges at the door on US rings, most of those stories come from 2025, when a temporary surtax applied. It no longer does.
From March 4 to August 31, 2025, Canada charged an extra 25 percent on jewellery made in the US. The surtax was repealed on September 1, 2025.13
A new surtax order took effect in September 2026, but it does not include jewellery or diamonds.14
So the rules in section 04 are the ones that apply today. An old bill on a forum is a record of 2025, not a forecast.
Rules can change again. Check the date on any landed cost you read, including ours.
What should you check before you buy?
Five checks cover most of the risk: the grading report, the delivered price, who pays at the door, the return policy and the after sale service.
Get the IGI or GIA report number and look it up on the lab's own website. The number should match the laser inscription on the stone.
Compare what lands at your door in Canadian dollars, including tax, delivery and any border charges, not the sticker price.
Ask whether the seller collects tax at checkout and delivers duty paid, or whether the courier will bill you on delivery.
Check the return window, who pays return shipping, and whether a refund goes back to your card or becomes store credit.
Ask how many free resizes are included and where repairs are done, especially for a ring bought from outside Canada.
The report check matters most. Our guide to verifying an IGI report walks through it step by step.
Ask every seller the same questions, in writing. A clear answer is a good sign; a vague one is worth noticing.
Returning a US ring means claiming the duty back yourself
A return across the border has a second step. The seller refunds the price, but the duty and tax you paid at the door come back only if you claim them from CBSA.
CBSA refunds duty and tax on goods returned to a seller outside Canada. You must show the goods left Canada and that the seller refunded you.15
Brokerage fees, shipping and amounts of CAD 2 or less are not refunded. The claim goes on Form B2G within four years, and only the person who paid can claim.1516
Buying from a seller that delivers duty paid in CAD avoids this step. Draco is a Canadian brand that prices in Canadian dollars and ships every order delivered duty paid; nothing is collected at delivery.17
Every Draco piece carries 30 day returns, the Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee, free resizing, and free insured worldwide shipping to 25 markets, delivered duty paid with nothing collected at the door, and signature on delivery. Each piece is IGI certified, E to F colour and VS2 or better, with a report you can verify free at IGI.org.
Returns run for 30 days from delivery, refunded to the original payment method. The buyer covers return shipping, and there is no restocking fee.
Browse lab grown diamond engagement rings, tennis bracelets and pieces under CAD 2,000.
Buying in Canada, answered
Where can I buy lab diamonds in Canada?
From national mall chains, independent jewellers, Canadian online brands and US websites. Mall chains offer try ons and financing, independents offer custom work, and online sellers usually cost less.
How much does a 1 carat lab diamond cost in Canada?
A loose 1 carat averaged about US$500 online in October 2026, roughly CAD 715. A finished 1 carat ring costs more, because the setting, metal and labour are added, and prices vary widely by seller.
Is it cheaper to buy a lab diamond ring from a US website?
Sometimes, but compare the delivered price. A US order adds GST or HST, a courier fee and a card fee at the door, and duty if the ring was made outside North America. A US$3,000 ring lands at about CAD 4,946 in Ontario.
Do I pay duty on a lab diamond ring from the US?
Not if the ring is marked as made in the US or Canada, or is unmarked. A ring marked as made elsewhere pays 6.5 percent in gold or platinum and 8.5 percent in silver. Tax applies either way.
Should I buy a loose lab diamond or a finished ring?
Buy loose if you already have a jeweller to set it; buy a finished ring if you want one price for the whole piece. Compare loose stones with loose stones and rings with rings.
Can I get the duty back if I return a US ring?
Yes, by claiming from CBSA on Form B2G within four years, with proof the ring left Canada and a refund from the seller. Brokerage and shipping fees are not refunded.
References
- StoneAlgo, Lab Grown Diamond Prices, October 18, 2026.
- Bank of Canada, Daily exchange rates, US dollar to Canadian dollar, October 13, 2026.
- CBC News, Marketplace, Are you overpaying for a lab-grown diamond?, January 16, 2026.
- Michael Hill Canada, Laboratory-Grown Diamond Engagement Rings, accessed October 19, 2026.
- Draco Diamond, Draco Diamond catalogue, October 19, 2026.
- Draco Diamond, Duty on Jewellery From the US to Canada: 2026 Landed Cost, October 14, 2026.
- Justice Laws Website, CUSMA Rules of Origin for Casual Goods Regulations (SOR/2020-156), accessed October 19, 2026.
- Canada Border Services Agency, Customs Tariff 2026, Chapter 71, January 1, 2026.
- Canada Border Services Agency, Low value shipments: duty and tax thresholds under CUSMA, November 25, 2025.
- Canada Border Services Agency, Memorandum D2-3-6: Non-commercial Provincial Tax Collection Programs, April 8, 2026.
- DHL Express Canada, Customs Services, DHL Express International Customs Clearance Services, accessed October 19, 2026.
- CIBC, CIBC Mastercard consumer pricing, April 10, 2026.
- Justice Laws Website, United States Surtax Order (2025-1), SOR/2025-66, accessed October 19, 2026.
- Canada Gazette, Part II, United States Surtax Order (2026), SOR/2026-186, September 23, 2026.
- Canada Border Services Agency, What is eligible for a refund or adjustment, January 5, 2026.
- Canada Border Services Agency, Memorandum D6-2-6: Refund of Duties and Taxes on Non-commercial Importations, March 27, 2015.
- Draco Diamond, Shipping policy, accessed October 19, 2026.
Send us a comparable band and we will beat it almost every time
Same IGI certified specification, direct pricing, about half the listed price of Blue Nile and Brilliant Earth on bridal sets (55 percent below at the median, October 2026). Founder reviewed, no obligation, a quote back in one to three business days. Every Draco band is IGI certified, E to F colour, VS2 and better, with 30 day returns, a Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee, free resizing, free insured worldwide shipping to 25 markets, and signature on delivery.
