Lab diamonds, does it really matter?

amother

Cantaloupe

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 10:15 am

Librarian wrote:

My mother in law gave my granddaughter her mother's pre war double layer diamond stud earrings that we had appraised for $17000 (would have been more if they upgrade the out dated cut). It probably went down in value by now. But these were pre war Europe diamonds.

Diamonds existed and were used in jewelry but were not the standard to give for engagements at all. By 1947 diamonds had crashed in value so much that the marketing campaign was started out of desperation.

amother

Starflower

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 10:50 am

Jeweler here.

Did not go through all responses, but let me shed some clarity:

Reasons to get mined diamonds:
1. you get your unique rare diamond that was mined for you. You wont find the same ever.
2. You are making an investment, though you are taking a risk as the market fluctuates.
3. You have a feeling for diamonds that were mined and worked for.
4. You appreciate spending money, you feel special wearing something expensive.

Reasons to get lab grown diamonds:
1. You are looking for something pretty to wear and quality matters, it is way easier to get a nice quality clean diamond for the price.
2. You don't care about the investment. For you it is a purchase to wear, not thinking about your inheritance or long term.
3. You want to get the most out of your buck. Lab grown diamonds are way less. Ranging from 40 to 85 percent cheaper, depending on the size of the diamond. Educate yourself and dont let yourself be ripped off.

Another very important factor: Lab grown diamonds are equal chemically, optically and in every other way. They are 100% real diamonds. Compare it to IVF babies, they are real people, arent they? Very Happy

Mined diamonds might "feel" more special, which is super important to some, and less to others.
It is very important to get certified diamonds. Especially in lab grown. And educate yourself in diamond qualities. It breaks my heart to see diamonds of low quality being sold to uneducated clients.
If you're considering buying a diamond: Consider the color, clarity, cut and proportions of every diamond. They are not made equal.

Librarian

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 10:53 am

amother Starflower wrote:

As someone who has purchased both earth diamonds and lab diamonds in the past 6 months, and done tons and tons of research I feel very validated by your post. Thanks!

amother

Starflower

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 10:57 am

faigie wrote:

Though I get that ur paying for the setting also, I really feel that lab grown is probably way marked up. I’m hoping that they flood the market to such a degree, that the prices go down a lot.

The market is definitely flooded and the prices have come down. Bottom line, do your research ladies! Don't fall for shrewd salespeople!
The cutting and producing prices have gone up though due to inflation, so it is not as low as we would have loved it to be.

Librarian

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 10:57 am

faigie wrote:

Though I get that ur paying for the setting also, I really feel that lab grown is probably way marked up. I’m hoping that they flood the market to such a degree, that the prices go down a lot.

They have and will continue to go down further. I paid $2100 (not including setting) for a 4 carat G color cushion cut lab grown diamond. That is pretty darn cheap as it is. Next year, the jeweler thought it may be down to $1000. But I am enjoying it now.

Librarian

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 11:00 am

My earrings were crazy expensive but the labor itself was worth $5000. Most lab grown selling jewelers will not make intricate jewelry using lab grown stones. The exception I found was Hostess International. And I paid for it. But it is still 1/3 the price of earth grown and they will sparkle and shine and look gorgeous for just as long as earth grown.

amother

Blush

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 7:45 pm

my uncle is a jeweler and I saved up some money to get myself a necklace for everyday. He told me he can do lab grown and I can get something much bigger than if it were a mined diamond. my mother said something about resell value but I dont plan on selling it. my eternity ring I got mined since I udnerstand wanting to upgrade when I am married many more years iyh. but is it crazy if I go with lab grown for my necklace and get a bigger stone?

amother

Emerald

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 7:50 pm

amother Blush wrote:

Not at all!!! It will be beautiful. I have lab earrings and a bracelet. I get compliments all the time!! Share a picture of the style you want!

amother

DarkMagenta

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:14 pm

amother Caramel wrote:

People who buy lab grown think they got a great deal because they are getting a bigger diamond than they would be able to afford in mined stones. Whether the diamond is really worth the money they paid is another story. And that stone will probably go down in value. But if it was worth it for you and you are happy with what you got then go for it.

It’ll go down in value and so will the mined one.

And whether the mined diamond is worth the money is the real question at this point.
People buying lab grown did get a great deal- a stunning piece for a stunning price😀

amother

DarkMagenta

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:17 pm

amother Starflower wrote:

Thanks for sharing!

Mostly, reasons to buy mined diamonds are emotional. Which is why it’s hard to shift our thinking to the lab grown direction.

amother

Blush

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 9:05 pm

amother Emerald wrote:

Not at all!!! It will be beautiful. I have lab earrings and a bracelet. I get compliments all the time!! Share a picture of the style you want!

either something like this:
https://www.mollysjewelers.com.....59013 or https://www.instagram.com/stor.....1149/

Not sure if I want to do a halo stone on a plain chain, or a halo stone on a chain with 2 smaller diamonds on the chain, or a regular big stone on a chain. I want to go to a store to try on but I need to ask a shaila if I can do that if I dont plan on buying from that store

amother

Ecru

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 9:21 pm

As someone with connections in the industry -

What matters is what kind of lab diamond it is. 1- Not all lab diamonds are created equal.
There are two different growth processes. CVD and HPHT. CVD seem to have some possible issues that can cause a stone to subtly look fake - be it a bluish cast or striations. HPHT grown are pretty foolproof.
2- you need to avoid post growth treatments. Post growth treatments are sometimes not disclosed because they can be included as part of the overall synthetic growth process. However, post growth treatments can either not be permanent (like color treatment) or have a negative impact on the structural integrity of the stone (like a laser clarity treatment)

It is worth getting a certified stone with reputable paperwork like a GIA certificate to ensure that what you see is what you get.

An HPHT stone with no post growth treatments is a yes for me.

ETA, In general, I find it shocking how many people buy diamonds of any kind as though it is a tee shirt , with no knowledge of any specs whatsoever. Too many people have full trust and overpay.

groisamomma

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 10:37 pm

amother Ecru wrote:

Are you comfortable PMing me? People keep saying to do research but I don’t know where to start!

amother

Emerald

Tue, Mar 26 2024, 4:20 am

amother Blush wrote:

A couple of ideas
1. You could do a "cluster" look which is smaller diamonds to make the look of a bigger diamond and that's more affordable if you want earth diamonds
2. You could do the center stone as a lab diamond and the surrounding stones as earth diamonds because they are smaller and therefore it won't be too costly

Beautiful!

amother

Blush

Tue, Mar 26 2024, 6:35 am

amother Emerald wrote:

1- do you have a pic for example?
2- are halo necklaces out of style? should I rather do one large stone instead?
3- if I am anyway doing lab grown why the need for small earth diamonds as the halo?