Are lab diamonds the equivalent of handbag Superfakes?

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#136
n335hap said:
I agree with you on the natural diamonds and it being way pricier. I've just realized that if I put money into things, I'd like them to hold their value - e.g.: Dior bags, where you pay a bunch and get barely anything back. That to my mind, is a bit of a waste esp if the price point (to purchase) is high to begin with. I'm not constantly re-selling any jewelry but yes, I do sell things I fall out of love with and would like to recoup some of that value to put into something else.
with regards to others questions - they didn't even look at the diamond when they realized it was lab -- said they don't accept anything other than natural stones, so did not matter what size/ cut/ clarity it was. It was a very good stone but it sits in my drawer now, barely used. :(
ps: i put the money I would have put into VRAI (which you correctly mentioned as overpriced), into a Tiffany 18k gold bracelet that I know will hold it's value well.
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Fair enough. To each their own but I will say most things lose a huge amount of their value (Tiffany, cartier included) when trying to resell. People want a big discount when purchasing second hand, rightfully so.
 
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#140
I picked out a ring with a lab diamond for my Christmas gift and my husband was startled, as I've preferred mined diamonds up until now.
But I'm not planning on selling my rings, they really only have sentimental value to me. I was having an awful time finding what I wanted with a mined diamond, but the lab ones were far easier to get in the shape/ring that I wanted. So that's what I chose.
 
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#143
I’m really excited about lab grown diamonds and now that they can be produced in larger sizes I see they are finally negatively affecting the price of mined diamonds. My jeweler told me very few of his customers even want mined diamonds anymore. We’ve all been ripped off by the marketing mystique of “Diamonds are Forever”. If anything is fake, it’s the inflated prices of mined diamonds and the proposition that one’s engagement ring should cost multiple months’ salary!
 
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#144
n335hap said:
Just an interesting tidbit - I went to the largest resale house in Canada and tried to sell them a lab diamond - they would not even accept it. Said it has 0 resale value (yes, zero). I was en route to purchasing a tennis bracelet from Vrai (lab diamonds) and so glad this experience happened prior to that purchase, as the bracelet was not cheap by any means. The guy at the resale house told me to avoid lab diamonds as there's practically 0 market for it... so essentially you pay a bunch (if it was cheaper there would be a worthwhile argument) and it actually has no intrinsic or holding value.
Since then I decided to shelve the idea of lab diamonds unless I had extra cash to burn (literally).
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Lab diamonds don’t cost that much anyway and one stands to lose far more reselling mined diamonds. It’s understandable that for now a jeweler doesn’t accept lab trade-ins or resales because the price is still declining. Possibly when the price stabilizes you’ll see more resales accepted. Honestly, just reset the stone. I just purchased 6.8 TCW lab diamond studs for $1000 per carat. My mined engagement ring diamond was $17K per carat, 4 carats and I would get less than half if I were to resell it. It’s all relative.
 
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#145
sdkitty said:
If I were shopping for diamonds and wanted a large stone, I'd like to see a lab diamond next to a mined one. If you have a limited budget and can't afford the size you want in mined, lab might be the way to go. Also I guess they will vary with cut, etc.
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To the naked eye, even a gemologist’s naked eye, you will not be able to tell the difference between the two if all stats are the same. Now, the diamond nerds may chime in here and nerd out on this particular point but I posit that the only difference you’ll see is on the price-tag!

Chanel1965 said:
This may sound wacky to some....but I think that diamonds and gemstones of all kinds have an energy from the earth. I love that energy. Lab made do not. So I prefer mined. That said, I see both sides of the "super fakes" debate...there are differences, but also similarities with that comparison.
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Correct, sounds wacky. A diamond is not going to emit an energy that you can feel.

Mishella said:
Bad quality 1ct lab costs around $200, good quality one $400. So I guess he is giving away those “for free” to the people who buy natural diamonds from him with hundreds percent markup.
Jewelers are feeling really bad towards lab, because their average sales drop dramatically and their earnings with them. I totally understand, it’s not a pleasant feeling when you can not continue getting tens or sometimes hundreds of thousands from ignorant customers.
Industry is getting disrupted and sour jewelers are definitely not the people who one should listen to when making a decision natural vs lab.
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My jeweler has gone heavily into watches to compensate for the sales drop. He was an early adopter in the lab diamond business and saw the handwriting on the wall. He is also promoting beautiful gold jewelry and that will be the trend when diamonds begin to lose their lustre.

sdkitty said:
had insomnia early this morning and turned on QVC....they were selling lab grown diamonds...since they are huge in CZ's, this kinda cheapens the lab grown diamonds for me. they had them in various shapes and sizes. starting at 1 ct and the most expensive was $4200 for I think 3 ct...pendants
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Can’t imagine buying any kind of diamond from QVC! I would want to see a GIA or IGI certificate and I would want to look at the diamond with a loup - mined or lab. $4200 is a lot to spend without first-hand inspection.

GraffS said:
Of course things are subject to change. As we discussed in the Zombie apocalypse bag choice, nobody would grab their Himalayan Birkins with or without diamonds if they had to run away from zombies. Clearly different cultural standards lol

But if we ignore the possibilities of zombie apocalypse and just assume regular life I would say that value of a lab grown diamond would drop significantly. In 10 years it’d cost nothing.
Also a super fake Birkin would also cost nothing in 10 years. In contrast to real diamonds and a real Birkin.
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That would be so awesome if lab diamonds cost nothing - that would mean mined diamonds wouldn’t cost much more than nothing and no one will be impressed by ginormous diamonds anymore. They would no longer be a status symbol. It could be a lesson in what is truly important in life.

L etoile said:
I think that lab diamonds are like fast fashion... not for me but they're for people that can't afford couture. I'm curious about how many people touting ethics as their reason for buying lab diamonds are posting from a device made in a sweat shop in Asia.
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You’d have to live in a cave to avoid consumer goods that are so-called ethical. I think lab diamonds certainly appeal to the wallet but not necessarily to what one can afford. So many people are wealthy because they’re not in the habit of wasting money.
 
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#146
neecy_lynn said:
It’s an interesting topic and I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s responses. For an engagement ring, I would not wear a lab grown diamond. As someone else commented, it might be generational. I prefer a mined diamond. I don’t think a lab diamond is exactly the same as a superfake. They’re not illegal. I just wouldn’t claim it to be a mined stone. That’s being dishonest. In my opinion, they are not on the same level as mined stones. I don’t believe they hold the same value. I’m not sure if I would ever consider owning any jewelry with lab diamonds even though some of the cocktail earrings I have seen look very pretty and the prices are reasonable. Having said that, I really don’t care what anyone else chooses to buy or wear. Lab diamonds are just another option. In the end, you have to go with what makes you happy and is within your budget.
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I agree!
 
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#147
I’m a natural diamond lover myself, and would only buy them. As others of you have said, I think they are the more prestigious and luxurious option and I don’t care if others cannot tell if the diamond is lab or mined, it’s important to me that I know it’s mined. Labs are a totally valid choice, just not for me. But what bothers me is when I say this to certain people they are pretty anti natural diamond and give me a 100 reasons why they’re not worth it. Why can’t we just say “each to their own” and let it be. I find it weird how defensive some are of labs, not just as a personal choice but as the best choice for everyone. Has anyone else experienced this? Anyway interesting topic!
 
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#148
Mini M said:
I’m a natural diamond lover myself, and would only buy them. As others of you have said, I think they are the more prestigious and luxurious option and I don’t care if others cannot tell if the diamond is lab or mined, it’s important to me that I know it’s mined. Labs are a totally valid choice, just not for me. But what bothers me is when I say this to certain people they are pretty anti natural diamond and give me a 100 reasons why they’re not worth it. Why can’t we just say “each to their own” and let it be. I find it weird how defensive some are of labs, not just as a personal choice but as the best choice for everyone. Has anyone else experienced this? Anyway interesting topic!
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If you can afford and prefer mined diamonds that's great. As you said it's a personal preference and you shouldn't have to defend it to anyone. But I can understand why more people are opting for good quality lab grown diamonds. The DeBeers "A diamond is forever" slogan has to be one of the most effective marketing campaigns ever but times have changed. If you have the choice between spending $5K for a nice lab grown ring versus $50K for a mined one, and putting the difference into a longer term investment like a house or the stock market, it makes more sense to a lot of young people today. One of my daughters has a mined solitaire and the other has a lab grown one and they're both beautiful.
 
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