Lab grown Diamonds - Thoughts?

[Gourmetgal]

What size stones did you use?

Have you bought any other lab pieces?

The lab-grown stones are getting bigger and better. I was able to buy 2 x 3.3ct triplex/ideal F color vvs1 for earrings from my local jeweler at 1k per carat. That was a year ago and they’re probably even less expensive now. But no cares…they’re stunning.

 

[GraffS]

What size stones did you use?

Have you bought any other lab pieces?

2.11 and 2.15 carats F color stones. I wanted a pair of drop diamond earrings in RG for a while but they’re quite expensive. I’ll post them when they’re ready. So far it costs me less than $2K where with real diamonds would be 10-15 times more.

I’m not buying any other lab diamonds, I don’t see them as something that would make me feel good knowing they’re not real and prices dropping each month. But I had this want for these earrings for many years and I don’t see myself paying so much money for the real diamonds at this stage of my life. If someone wants to gift them to me I’ll take them lol

 

[kemilia]

This past weekend I was out walking gathering signatures for a petition and it was pretty sunny. Two women came over to sign my pages and one kiddingly said "better be careful with those sparkling jewels"--I was wearing a multi-stone Lab ring and tennis bracelet and they were sparkling for sure. Keeping my jewelry super clean really helps--I love those steam cleaners the jewelers use.

 

[Gourmetgal]

2.11 and 2.15 carats F color stones. I wanted a pair of drop diamond earrings in RG for a while but they’re quite expensive. I’ll post them when they’re ready. So far it costs me less than $2K where with real diamonds would be 10-15 times more.

I’m not buying any other lab diamonds, I don’t see them as something that would make me feel good knowing they’re not real and prices dropping each month. But I had this want for these earrings for many years and I don’t see myself paying so much money for the real diamonds at this stage of my life. If someone wants to gift them to me I’ll take them lol

They are real!

 

[GraffS]

They are real!

If they were real they would hold the same value as the real ones. But they’re getting super cheap and will get cheaper every year.
Diamonds are investments. Lab diamonds are not, good luck with reselling them.

 

[Gourmetgal]

If they were real they would hold the same value as the real ones. But they’re getting super cheap and will get cheaper every year.
Diamonds are investments. Lab diamonds are not, good luck with reselling them.

That’s a false equivalency. Value is only determined by the market. I don’t consider losing money on a trade-in by having to pay more per carat for the replacement an investment. That’s just a device that benefits the jeweler. Diamonds bought at retail are not an investment and it’s so great that lab stones are becoming less expensive because most people who buy them do not care if they ever get their money back - they love the intrinsic beauty of the stones. Historically the allure of diamonds included the perceived price that may have been paid thus creating an image of wealth. That image is no longer part of the equation.

 

[cecchetti]

2.11 and 2.15 carats F color stones. I wanted a pair of drop diamond earrings in RG for a while but they’re quite expensive. I’ll post them when they’re ready. So far it costs me less than $2K where with real diamonds would be 10-15 times more.

I’m not buying any other lab diamonds, I don’t see them as something that would make me feel good knowing they’re not real and prices dropping each month. But I had this want for these earrings for many years and I don’t see myself paying so much money for the real diamonds at this stage of my life. If someone wants to gift them to me I’ll take them lol

I can’t wait to see them!❤️
Diamonds must be less expensive in Dubai, as you couldn’t buy a 2 carat F colour pear diamond from my jeweller (let alone a pair) for £25,000 let alone $!!

 

[prettylittlethings2]

I have lab earrings. I wouldn’t want a lab engagement ring, it feels not special to me.

 

[GraffS]

I can’t wait to see them!❤️
Diamonds must be less expensive in Dubai, as you couldn’t buy a 2 carat F colour pear diamond from my jeweller (let alone a pair) for £25,000 let alone $!!

ok to be honest I’m not sure how much they would be lol. I saw those earring in 2019 and remember only that they were out of my budget.
But dubai does have a big market for diamonds and a lot of lying resellers. lol it’s not Antwerp off course but the main one for the Middle East.

That’s a false equivalency. Value is only determined by the market. I don’t consider losing money on a trade-in by having to pay more per carat for the replacement an investment. That’s just a device that benefits the jeweler. Diamonds bought at retail are not an investment and it’s so great that lab stones are becoming less expensive because most people who buy them do not care if they ever get their money back - they love the intrinsic beauty of the stones. Historically the allure of diamonds included the perceived price that may have been paid thus creating an image of wealth. That image is no longer part of the equation.

That’s naive. Image of wealth will always be a part of the equation. Value of the Diamond is one of the main reasons people have been buying them for centuries. My great grandmothers survived several wars and revolutions by exchanging their diamonds for food, escape or someone’s life.
It’s not just about beauty of stones and its jewelry. It’s knowing that it would hold its value and even increase with time. Otherwise we all here would just wear shiny Swarovski and be happy with it.

 

[cecchetti]

ok to be honest I’m not sure how much they would be lol. I saw those earring in 2019 and remember only that they were out of my budget.
But dubai does have a big market for diamonds and a lot of lying resellers. lol it’s not Antwerp off course but the main one for the Middle East.


That’s naive. Image of wealth will always be a part of the equation. Value of the Diamond is one of the main reasons people have been buying them for centuries. My great grandmothers survived several wars and revolutions by exchanging their diamonds for food, escape or someone’s life.
It’s not just about beauty of stones and its jewelry. It’s knowing that it would hold its value and even increase with time. Otherwise we all here would just wear shiny Swarovski and be happy with it.

My great grandmothers too!
They left Poland and Russia and came to the U.K. (well maybe it wasn’t quite as bloodthirsty as that, but they were involved!)

 

[papertiger]

I can’t wait to see them!❤️
Diamonds must be less expensive in Dubai, as you couldn’t buy a 2 carat F colour pear diamond from my jeweller (let alone a pair) for £25,000 let alone $!!

Be careful, illegal Russian diamonds (manufactured in India - along with legal stones from elsewhere) are being sold through Dubai. That's one reason they're 'good value'.

They are real!

Composite Rubies are real (i.e. test as ruby). The price difference between composite and naturally mined stones are not comparable.


A lot of people are just going to wear LG diamonds as fun, fashion pieces as the price continues to drop. There are HUGE factories in India and China that are churning stones out as fast as possible. With the development of testing equipment it's going to be harder to equate LG with natural so I think there'll be two totally different markets.

 

[GraffS]

Russian diamonds are about 35% of the world market, Russia has the biggest stock of diamonds in Yakutia, and there’s no child or slave labour there unlike in Africa. Russian Alrosa is a huge company with its employees making very good money, I know people working for them. If anything these diamonds are the most ethical in my understanding.

The lab diamonds I bought are from UAE company and were delivered from India, with IGI certificates, and they’re cheap because it’s cheap to produce them.

 

[GraffS]

My great grandmothers too!
They left Poland and Russia and came to the U.K. (well maybe it wasn’t quite as bloodthirsty as that, but they were involved!)

Oh a bunch of my family was killed for their jewelry and a bunch of them survived because of their jewelry. I still have some pieces but not as many. But I did wear a 19 century diamond and pearls tiara for my wedding, and a pic of my great grandmother in this tiara my dad has in his office. They managed to save some of the jewelry, carpets and even furniture but jewelry was the easiest to keep. I also have a mirror in my house that came from my family and I think it keeps the beauty of those years. And horrors of them too.
Obviously jewelry was the easiest to run away with or hide during those times. When I think what it took them to save these items, all these sacrifices and hardships, and it makes me to appreciate it so much more.
Because of that my cousin who owns a jewelry company loves only new jewelry and new diamonds without any history. But he doesn’t like lab ones either.

 

[cecchetti]

Oh a bunch of my family was killed for their jewelry and a bunch of them survived because of their jewelry. I still have some pieces but not as many. But I did wear a 19 century diamond and pearls tiara for my wedding, and a pic of my great grandmother in this tiara my dad has in his office. They managed to save some of the jewelry, carpets and even furniture but jewelry was the easiest to keep. I also have a mirror in my house that came from my family and I think it keeps the beauty of those years. And horrors of them too.
Obviously jewelry was the easiest to run away with or hide during those times. When I think what it took them to save these items, all these sacrifices and hardships, and it makes me to appreciate it so much more.
Because of that my cousin who owns a jewelry company loves only new jewelry and new diamonds without any history. But he doesn’t like lab ones either.

I’m a qualified gemmologist and used to work in Bond Street, my specialities (which I wear and collect) are Type 11a and Type 11b(blue) diamonds.

The only old piece I have is my paternal grandmothers.

I also wouldn’t wear lab diamonds-but I’m keen to see your earrings!

 

[papertiger]

Russian diamonds are about 35% of the world market, Russia has the biggest stock of diamonds in Yakutia, and there’s no child or slave labour there unlike in Africa. Russian Alrosa is a huge company with its employees making very good money, I know people working for them. If anything these diamonds are the most ethical in my understanding.

The lab diamonds I bought are from UAE company and were delivered from India, with IGI certificates, and they’re cheap because it’s cheap to produce them.

I agree with you on both counts. It's cheap to make and buy LG, but they still have to be cut and polished (which granted is all done by lasers and machines) many are outsourced in India, handed on through highly regulated companies and outsourced to smaller communities that may not have such strict labour regs on labour practices, not know them or disregard them. Lab-grown are absolutely NOT the ethical choice many believe them to be - and that's not including the vast amount of energy needed for HPHT/CVD.

Russian diamonds are illegal to buy for many people because there are sanctions against the country in many parts of the world, including where @cecchetti and I live. That is all. It is illegal for us to buy them even from third parties, or sell them (Reg '24). Likewise the EU, perhaps the US too.

I think if anyone buys diamonds informed and from traceable means there should be no problem, LG or natural. There is a lot of fear of buying LG unwittingly, but soon that will be a thing of the past with the new testing equipment obtainable.