I have a milestone birthday coming up and for the longest time, I had planned on splurging on a pair of classic natural diamond studs. I know I would wear them all the time and would never plan to sell them, but as I’ve been doing more research, I’m a little hesitant to spend so much $ on natural diamonds when the whole natural/lab dynamic hasn’t really settled and my POV may change down the line.
What I mean by that is: today I feel like lab diamonds are not for me, but I’m worried that down the line I’ll regret having spent so much on natural diamond studs (I’m looking for just under 3ctw, so they would be very pricey from Whiteflash’s ACA range - around 20k, but labs are obviously much more “affordable,” around 3.5k), if my POV on lab changes.
I can totally see the appeal of lab - exact same material for a much lower price, and if I’m honest with myself, I really just don’t want lab because it feels like I’m cheating somehow. I’ve been wearing CZ studs for the last few months to confirm the exact size diamond studs I want, and every time I put them on, I feel like I’m trying to trick people into thinking I’m wearing something more luxurious/expensive than I am. But even as I type this, I realize how absurd it sounds to have that POV about lab diamonds. The rational side of my brain says that it’s ridiculous to spend so much on something that came from the earth (that is not rare) when I could save a ton and get the exact same product, just grown in a lab.
I do have other items on my long term jewelry wishlist, but most of them (besides a watch) are diamond pieces so it doesn’t really solve my dilemma.
I think I still do want to go the natural route, but I’m wondering what others would do in my situation. Would you get the natural studs and accept that you may have “overpaid” or just wait a few years to see how you feel and get something else (like a watch or a special bag) in the meantime?
