2-3 carat engagement rings

[waffle]

I would love to discuss-do you think due to the availability of lab diamonds, brides are going to sport 2-3 carat rings instead of the standard on carat?

 

[DejaWiz]

I would love to discuss-do you think due to the availability of lab diamonds, brides are going to sport 2-3 carat rings instead of the standard on carat?

Yep... definitely!

 

[geckodani]

Already seeing it. I have some younger friends recently engaged and they are both rocking 2 carat labs.

 

[waffle]

Already seeing it. I have some younger friends recently engaged and they are both rocking 2 carat labs.

That’s really funny.

 

[geckodani]

That’s really funny.

Why funny?

 

[waffle]

Why funny?

Because they can be college kids without jobs yet. If my friends got large engagement rings when we were 22, I knew their parent purchased them. Most did not get over 1.5 carat.

 

[geckodani]

Because they can be college kids without jobs yet. If my friends got large engagement rings when we were 22, I knew their parent purchased them. Most did not get over 1.5 carat.

I think it's great. Shoot, for what my husband paid for my .75 back in 2005, I could have (and would have if they had been available) been rocking a 2ct.

 

[Jax172]

Bring a bridal MUA I can tell you that they definitely are. My clients usually look like they have between 2 and 2.5 carats on. And WHITE diamonds. These are not super wealthy people so you can allots certainly guarantee these are lab diamonds. When I was getting engaged it was considered big if you got a carat.

 

[AprilBaby]

Half carat was HUGE when I got my .35, was $365 with setting.

 

[tkyasx78]

yes, lab diamonds are the new normal IMO.

 

[breanne]

With that said, I still don't think you are going to see any better cut stones because it still takes a good amount of effort to figure it out. I had mentioned in another similar post that when I was looking at settings in-person, the store also offered lab-diamonds. There was still no discussion on anything other than the 4Cs, and the price was overinflated. A 3 carat god-knows-what was priced at 16k, while that is certainly a lot less than what you'd pay for an earth mined stone, that is quite a bit of money regardless. So, sure, you'll see larger diameter stones, but on the lower end of optimal symmetry, so, while we may see a bump in first time diamond sizes from 1 to 3 carats, very few will actually be appealing to the eye in my opinion.

 

[monarch64]

I remember 20 years ago (or so) 2 carats seemed enormous. But I grew up in a place with very low COL and then moved to a major metropolitan area with no intention of ever wearing a diamond ring. Seeing how others at that time were allocating their money between rings, homes, cars, luxury items had me incredulous. Just wasn’t used to the scale, even having grown up with money myself.

I think there will be some resentment and shitty attitudes between older and younger gens over this. Some women waited decades for an upgrade to 2-3 carats and put up with a lot of shit during those years, and to see younger women walking around with that size diamond has got to be at least a little frustrating.

The younger crowd is more concerned with experiences, work/life balance, heck finding a home to buy, than they are with spending a ton of money on earth-mined diamonds. Many of them are going for the “look for less” or as some would say “dupes.”

There’s a market and product for everyone. It wasn’t all that long ago that I thought lab created colored stones would never catch on, but they certainly have. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. I have a feeling we as a society are on the verge of seeing engagement rings fall by the wayside altogether. It is a very outdated concept and a lot of the younger crowd is starting to eschew those in favor of progress and equality.

Sorry for the soliloquy.

 

[Septemberwedding]

I think 2ct will be the new norm for “average” in the states. However all over Europe I still see small diamonds. London, now and again, I will see a big rock in Knightsbridge or soho.

 

[DejaWiz]

I think 2ct will be the new norm for “average” in the states. However all over Europe I still see small diamonds. London, now and again, I will see a big rock in Knightsbridge or soho.

This has been my experience with helping Redditors that are based in UK/EU...they vast majority are shopping for 0.5-1.25 carat range with very few exceptions of those wanting larger.
They are highly motivated to get an LGD with stricter proportions, angles, and cut precision in D-E color VS1 or better clarity for less than NGD in the G-K color SI1 or better clarity with run of the mill GIA 3X.

 

[geckodani]

I remember 20 years ago (or so) 2 carats seemed enormous. But I grew up in a place with very low COL and then moved to a major metropolitan area with no intention of ever wearing a diamond ring. Seeing how others at that time were allocating their money between rings, homes, cars, luxury items had me incredulous. Just wasn’t used to the scale, even having grown up with money myself.

I think there will be some resentment and shitty attitudes between older and younger gens over this. Some women waited decades for an upgrade to 2-3 carats and put up with a lot of shit during those years, and to see younger women walking around with that size diamond has got to be at least a little frustrating.

The younger crowd is more concerned with experiences, work/life balance, heck finding a home to buy, than they are with spending a ton of money on earth-mined diamonds. Many of them are going for the “look for less” or as some would say “dupes.”

There’s a market and product for everyone. It wasn’t all that long ago that I thought lab created colored stones would never catch on, but they certainly have. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. I have a feeling we as a society are on the verge of seeing engagement rings fall by the wayside altogether. It is a very outdated concept and a lot of the younger crowd is starting to eschew those in favor of progress and equality.

Sorry for the soliloquy.

Even amongst those that know I'm adding a lab to my ring, the comments are generally negative. Showed someone the stone today and they were all, "hard to believe it's not real!"

Um. It is real. It's just not old. LOL

 

[DejaWiz]

Um. It is real. It's just not old. LOL

Hang onto it for a couple billion years then see how they change their tune when they realize it holds up the exact same as any other diamonds.

 

[geckodani]

Hang onto it for a couple billion years then see how they change their tune when they realize it holds up the exact same as any other diamonds.

LOL!

 

[Alexiszoe]

Given the uptick in lab diamonds (and thus cost savings), I wonder if that means more buyers will splurge on a more substantial or custom setting rather than the super duper thin bands.

One of my youngish coworkers has already had her ring warped and another's pave diamonds fell out within a couple months.

 

[Scooba116]

So you’re saying my 40 year old self can wear a 5ct without looking like I’m trying too hard?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Given the uptick in lab diamonds (and thus cost savings), I wonder if that means more buyers will splurge on a more substantial or custom setting rather than the super duper thin bands.

One of my youngish coworkers has already had her ring warped and another's pave diamonds fell out within a couple months.

i hope so
i find those skinny bands all out of proportion even on a smaller stone

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

So you’re saying my 40 year old self can wear a 5ct without looking like I’m trying too hard?

who cares what others think
but my grandma's depression era ER need a hug after reading this thread

 

[monarch64]

Here’s an exchange I saw recently on Instagram. This was in response to a creator talking about the cost effectiveness of lab vs mined diamonds.



I mean heaven forbid you live in a modest home and drive a car that cost $50k and also wear a $50k diamond… I got a good laugh out of this. The gatekeeping is insane when it comes to lab vs mined.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

In my conservative area one carat and under diamonds are popular. My 1.73 carat OEC natural diamond created a lot of attention at work a few years back due to it's size. Now I see some co-workers wearing 2 carat diamond rings. And today I was gifted with seeing a co-worker wear a 3 carat radiant diamond engagement ring. So a lot has changed in the last 2 years and I am pretty sure I am seeing gorgeous lab diamonds. The radiant diamond took my breath away. I didn't know how beautiful this cut of diamond could be.