Lab grown Diamonds - Thoughts?

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#362
Onebagtoomany said:
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, no one said otherwise. However, you have already made it abundantly clear on this thread that you don’t like labs (neither do I, for the record), so I don’t understand why you would link to an article which is essentially rehashing things that have already been covered at various points under the guise of informing people ‘who don’t know about them’. Of course they know - they clearly don’t care and want to buy labs anyway.

As for my ‘friend’, what on earth do you mean?
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Your quote ”Of course they know - they clearly don’t care and want to buy labs anyway.” How do you know what people do and don’t know? For that matter how would I know? I certainly don’t read minds. I haven’t read this entire thread. Maybe other people are like me, and read the last few pages, and therefore wouldn’t be privy to all the information here.
What I do know is, I only found that piece yesterday, and my whole point in yesterday’s initial post was that it wasn’t based upon my personal opinion, but others opinions. I was citing another source to show that I wasn’t just talking rubbish the last time I spoke about them, but that other people are saying the same things.
Regardless of my opinion or yours, lab diamonds are still being sold for a ridiculous amount of money, even if they are a lot cheaper than regular diamonds. If at any time money was needed, and jewellery had to be sold (and I’ve been in that position myself), whilst you can get anywhere from 20% - 70% back on your original price for natural diamonds, you’re going to get zero for lab-grown, just the price of the metal.
Many people are being told that they are exactly the same as natural diamonds - just cheaper, when they aren’t. When you have information, I think it’s good to share it. I used to be in the jewellery business, and I don’t like seeing people who think lab-grown is the same as natural. To my mind it’s a con. If I can help just one person, then I’m glad.
Your words not mine: “I undermined her, and rained on her parade.” I did neither. Thing is, we can’t see inflection on here, or you would’ve known I was being sincere.
Other people repeat themselves to get their point across. Well yesterday I also did it, but with another source to back my previous posts up. Simple as that.
 
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#364
limom said:
It is pure bologney. There are several very active Reddit subs dedicated to lab diamonds resale and if sellers ask a reasonable price are able to recoup a good amount of money.
jewelry is not a sure investment.
people are taking things way to seriously around here.
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The jewellers, etc. are making great profits for lab-grown right now, yes, but it won’t last forever. My guess would be within the next few years the retail/resale price of them will be next to nothing/nothing.
Of course jewelry isn’t a sure investment, but I’ve been in a position where I had to sell a lot of my own jewellery before, and having quality does make a difference to the prices you get paid.
All I want is for people to make an informed choice. If you know the pros and cons of lab-grown diamonds and you still choose to buy them, that’s great, I’m not knocking you. Buy what you want and be happy, just know what you’re buying first.
When it comes to money, then things are about as serious as they can get. When you skimp and scrape to save for something, getting proper value for money is a huge deal.
My last comment to @gourmetgirl back in September was sincere. I said “Good for her, and that I was happy for her.” Unfortunately I believe she took it as sarcasm as she laughed. My first reply to her yesterday was also sarcastic. Unnecessary, I know. I could have taken the high road and ignored her, but after September’s spat, and the comment I was replying to, I wasn’t willing to back down and play nice. Basically we’re both as bad as each other.
Now, I’m not saying any more on this subject. I’ve had my say, and I’m finished. I’m just not the type of person to stay quiet when someone is sardonic, sarcastic or rude to me. I will however, admit when I’m in the wrong, and apologise.
Unfortunately with a written forum we all know we cannot necessarily read the inflection behind someone’s comment, and therefore cannot necessarily know if what is said is said with sincerity, or with sarcasm - unless it’s blatantly obvious.
 
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#365
@gourmetgirl First of all please know that this is not sarcasm, this is me being 100% sincere with you. I would like to apologize for my part in our disagreement. I hope that we can come to common ground where we can agree to disagree, and let bygones be bygones.
Again, my sincere apologies.
 
#367
I’m not sure if one nuance has been discussed or not: HPHT vs CVD. Some people might think it’s a silly distinction, but HPHT feel more “real” to me because they’re made in a way that’s more similar to natural diamonds. I also don’t like the grainy-ness that can be present in some CVD diamonds.

So if $100/carat is the price for grainy, poorly cut, more included CVDs, that doesn’t make me feel unhappy about what I paid for my labs ($300 each for two .9 HPHT, colorless, only very slightly included, and truly excellent cut) that I made into studs.

Just trying to offer another perspective! I think it’s great that there are so many options at so many price points :flowers:

Relatedly, I am worried that my favorite option might disappear! I think manufacturers might stop making and selling HPHTs because CVDs are so much cheaper to make and most buyers probably don’t care about the difference. And I’m worried that manufacturers will stop caring about cut for labs, if that becomes the biggest expense in creating them and getting them ready to sell. So I kinda wanna horde a bunch of excellent cut HPHTs while they’re available!

If the only labs available in the future are poorly cut CVDs, I will probably go back to natural diamonds for myself. But there will still be people who want cheap diamonds so I’ll be glad they will still have an option.
 
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#368
I think you may be misinformed? The CVD method is more chemically pure and actually has less graining. There are pros and cons to both methods but the bottom line is how the diamonds look under 10X magnification and to the naked eye. And to add to the confusion many CVD’s are finished with an HPHT process to improve the color. Eventually there may be a value difference between one or the other but they’re all so inexpensive now, does it really matter?
 
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#369
But lab diamonds are not expensive. They’re sold expensive by some brands because they’re so new and people don’t understand they can buy them super cheap at jewelers directly. So yeah brands make very good money on jewelry with lab diamonds, it’s more profitable for them. Real diamonds are always expensive and will get higher in price. While lab diamonds will be dropping in price each year due to the technology development.
 
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#370
Gourmetgal said:
I think you may be misinformed? The CVD method is more chemically pure and actually has less graining. There are pros and cons to both methods but the bottom line is how the diamonds look under 10X magnification and to the naked eye. And to add to the confusion many CVD’s are finished with an HPHT process to improve the color. Eventually there may be a value difference between one or the other but they’re all so inexpensive now, does it really matter?
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Thank you for correcting me; it is the straining in some CVDs that I don’t care for :flowers:

Even though they are all inexpensive and the differences might not be visible to the naked eye, I still care about what I care about, unfortunately for me! :lol: Maybe it’s similar to other diamond characteristics? Some people are fine with SI for studs, but I wanted VS2 or better. And some people are fine with J color but I wanted G or whiter. The differences may be very subtle and I might not be able to tell without looking closely, but it’s a “mind clean” thing for me; I know my preferences are pretty silly!

I think jewelry especially is one of those things where feelings can be stronger than logic, at least for me :heart:

I kind of hope my preferences will change in the future; that would certainly make things easier and would save me more money! :yahoo:
 
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#371
GraffS said:
But lab diamonds are not expensive. They’re sold expensive by some brands because they’re so new and people don’t understand they can buy them super cheap at jewelers directly. So yeah brands make very good money on jewelry with lab diamonds, it’s more profitable for them. Real diamonds are always expensive and will get higher in price. While lab diamonds will be dropping in price each year due to the technology development.
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You must be speaking of mined diamonds and you are right, the same way marketers have created an image of mined diamonds being such treasures for mined diamonds some are attempting the same with lab. When you go to a jewelry mart and see literally thousands and thousands of mined diamonds in one day they sure don’t seem so rare and precious anymore - it’s all smoke and mirrors and those of us who’ve spent thousands of dollars on mined diamonds don’t like seeing that lux image begin to fade. That’s what’s happening to the overall diamond market unfortunately. Mined diamond prices are being affected negatively by the influx of lab grown.
 
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#372
Gourmetgal said:
I think you may be misinformed? The CVD method is more chemically pure and actually has less graining. There are pros and cons to both methods but the bottom line is how the diamonds look under 10X magnification and to the naked eye. And to add to the confusion many CVD’s are finished with an HPHT process to improve the color. Eventually there may be a value difference between one or the other but they’re all so inexpensive now, does it really matter?
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I didn’t realize I had spelt your name wrong, so you might not have read what I wrote to you last. This is not me being sarcastic, this is me being 100% sincere with you. Please accept my apologies for my part in our disagreement. I hope that we can come to common ground where we can agree to disagree, and let bygones be bygones. Again, I’m sorry.
 
#373
Mm, I personally don’t think lab diamonds will replace natural diamonds. Other gemstones have been synthesized, such as sapphires, rubies, alexandrite, emeralds, etc. Pearls have been farmed from oysters for decades now.

However, the price of natural pearls, natural emeralds, natural rubies, etc. continues to rise. Provenance has always been important to people.

A perfect print of Starry Night does not stop people from visiting MOMA to see the work created by Van Gogh himself. Seeing a tiger in a zoo is different than seeing a tiger in a jungle. Picking a flower in a meadow is different than buying that flower from Whole Foods. A dress made by hand is different than a dress sewn by a machine. Visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris is different than visiting the replica in China.

If you lost your childhood teddy bear and your parents replaced it with another one from Costco, I doubt they’d feel the same.

Maybe the final products are impossible to distinguish based on physical appearance or chemical composition, but emotionally, they are not interchangeable.

Sometimes, it’s not about the ends and it’s not about the means. It’s about the source and the circumstances surrounding something’s origins.

I think it would be disingenuous to say that lab diamonds are exactly the same as natural diamonds. When the public refers to natural diamonds as “real” diamonds, I think what they mean to say that lab diamonds lack some type of legitimacy compared to a diamond produced by the earth. Whether that’s nostalgia, sentimentalism, or some other innate appeal, the psychological factors are reduced in the public’s mind when considering lab grown diamonds.
 
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#375
sosauce said:
Mm, I personally don’t think lab diamonds will replace natural diamonds…
... Whether that’s nostalgia, sentimentalism, or some other innate appeal, the psychological factors are reduced in the public’s mind when considering lab grown diamonds.
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I feel like there are maybe 3 markets:
1) People who want only natural
2) People who mix (choose labs for some jewelry and natural for other pieces)
3) People who prefer lab

I think you’re right that naturals have the most emotional appeal for most people.

So maybe instead of replacing natural diamonds, labs are mostly creating a new market. Like some people would just never feel psychologically comfortable spending thousands of dollars on jewelry (even if they could afford to) so the idea of spending less for a lab diamond overrides any other factor (factual, practical or emotional).

That would make a lot of sense to me and it aligns with what you’re saying (labs won’t replace naturals).

If “natural only” is the biggest market (I’m guessing it is), I wonder which is smallest, mixed or lab only?
 
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