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3 ct Brilliant Earth lab grown diamond studs

amillionstars

amillionstars

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 8, 2011
Messages
34
Hi. I will be purchasing diamond stud earrings in the very near future and am very interested in the lab-grown. I would like 3 carat total weight and perhaps G, H or even I color, VS1/VS2 or SI1, super ideal cut.

I've found diamonds on Brilliant Earth to match these specs and the pricing seems quite good compared to mined diamonds. So does anyone think I can find fiery white bright eye clean sparklers here or is there a more preferred vendor to shop the stones through?

Any input is really appreciated. I've looked at many threads here regarding lab-grown diamonds but there's so much information it's a little overwhelming.

Thank you!:wavey:
 
Buying MRB MMDs is basically the same as buying MRBs from a Mined source - it's all about the cut, so looking for stones within the PS-recommended parameters (as below) and then using the HCA tool to check the angles work on potential options is an excellent idea :)

Table 54-58 %
Depth 60-62.4 %
Pavilion angle 40.6-40.9 degrees
Crown angle 34-35 degrees (up to 35.5 with a 40.6 pavilion)

There are stones outside of this range that the HCA tool will show to have scores under 2 (and therefore angles that work) but you will need to be aware of potential implications for light return and performance in both low crown and high crown options.
 
My main reservation with MMD is how they will “hold value / be resellable” in another 5 or so years.
When Charles and Colvard started selling their Moissanite the prices were a lot higher in the beginning and once their patent expired others started manufacture and the availability increased and prices went down, a lot!
I’d worry that in 5 years time there’ll be more players in the market and cheaper processing so the MMD price will then fall away significantly.
 
I agree with @Bron357 . Though the prices right now might seem "quite good compared to mined diamonds", my concern is the prices for lab diamonds will continue to decline. Aside from that concern, I think they can be a good option for fashion jewelry. Since most lab diamonds are not graded by GIA, you might want to stick to a higher color grading (D, E or F) since IGI and other labs tend to be softer on grading. GL
 
I agree with the need for caution :) and aiming for higher colours!

I guess that anyone looking to purchase MMDs should do so with the approach that any money spent is gone forever, rather than being a 'store of value' that a Mined diamond is seen as (rightly or wrongly, of course) :)


(Ooh, and it could be worth dropping Rhino a line at his August Vintage Inc. site, to see if he is able to source anything with really great cut for the budget!)
 
‘Prices quite good compared to mined diamonds’ seems irrelevant. It seem far more important how they compare to other synthetics. It seems like a Hyundai dealer promoting themselves as having better prices than Ferrari. That may be true, but the real question is how they compare against other Hyundai dealers.
 
The resale market for diamonds is full of troubles, both mines and grown. Don’t go into any diamond deal expecting to ever see your money again. This isn’t entirely correct, diamonds do have salvage value, and most mined stones are marginally better than most synthetics but it’s a mistake to let this be an important part of the decision.
 
The main reasons people seem to be hesitant to purchase MMD is because they will lose value, or they don’t hold value. I have read this on the argument against MMD also. This is due to the fact that in a few years they will be mass produced in factories at little expense. I have two trains of thought on this concept. 1) An expensive luxury gift (to yourself or someone else) is not a resale item, the intent is not to sell it. When I bought my wife’s engagement ring it didn’t cross my mind how much money she could get for it at a pawn shop one day. Or how much she could sell it on ebay for. So really, if the intent is to keep, treasure and love a gift forever like an engagement ring, the resale value has no meaning. 2) Value is not based on mass production numbers, it is based on public perception. I have a mass produced wrist watch, manufactured in a factory assembly line, made of common stainless steel, no precious metal at all. I just got it appraised at $10,500 ($2K more than I paid) I buy my wife small charms to put on her bracelet, mass produced, stainless steel. I could get more stainless steel in a hardware store bolt for a buck. But I paid $75 for it. I bought her a necklace made of silver, probably $15 worth spot price silver, for over $1000, it still hold value although she will never sell it. Why? Because they said Rolex, Pandora, and Tiffany on the label. That’s all. So my point is the value is in the designer label attached to the stone. If major jewelers start to sell MMD as some exclusive collection branded line item, keep the price high, the public perception will follow and keep the market value high.
 
I have Lightbox MMD studs. I do fear they will lose value as the technology continues to improve, even though they’re the cheapest MMDs on the market right now. So if I buy more, it will be small stones like an eternity band, not a big purchase like 3 cttw studs.
 
I've been seriously shopping for a MMD of about 2 ct size, EC shape. I bought one , with return option,, from Brilliant Earth. It was graded as "super ideal " cut but IGI, F color and VS2 clarity. In person, I liked it but didn't love it. To my untrained eye, it was nice but didn't blow me away, which I expected a "super ideal" cut to do. Does IGI grade too generously in the cut department ?
Also, the company trade up policy does not extend to MMD, only earth mined ones. That didn't seem right to me. If you believe in your product, why not stand behind it?
So far, the customer service at Brilliant Earth seems pretty good. Be aware though, if you purchase anything, you have a one time return for refund option in that particular category. After that, you may only return for merchandise credit. That means you really can't purchase and compare until you find "the one" for you.... unless you have them send you a whole bunch in one order .:lol: .... not sure if that would even be allowed. I think the company is trying to avoid the "just looking" shopper but it kinda puts a damper on shopping at Brilliant Earth, IMHO. IDK how other companies are handling returns. This has been my only venture into the world of MMD.
 
Thank you all for the input, I really do appreciate the specs to guide me and the opinions. Diamonds can be complicated without a doubt. I was hoping to find a brilliant pair for the pricing of MMD and I’m not necessarily thinking they would need to hold value for selling them so...I’m mulling it over. Perhaps mined stones would be the better choice if it’s too difficult to find the sparklers I’m looking for as MMD.

Thank you again. I’ll keep researching as I’m going to be purchasing very soon. I’ll post once I decide =)2
 
jeaniefish said:
I've been seriously shopping for a MMD of about 2 ct size, EC shape. I bought one , with return option,, from Brilliant Earth. It was graded as "super ideal " cut but IGI, F color and VS2 clarity. In person, I liked it but didn't love it. To my untrained eye, it was nice but didn't blow me away, which I expected a "super ideal" cut to do. Does IGI grade too generously in the cut department ?
Also, the company trade up policy does not extend to MMD, only earth mined ones. That didn't seem right to me. If you believe in your product, why not stand behind it?
So far, the customer service at Brilliant Earth seems pretty good. Be aware though, if you purchase anything, you have a one time return for refund option in that particular category. After that, you may only return for merchandise credit. That means you really can't purchase and compare until you find "the one" for you.... unless you have them send you a whole bunch in one order .:lol: .... not sure if that would even be allowed. I think the company is trying to avoid the "just looking" shopper but it kinda puts a damper on shopping at Brilliant Earth, IMHO. IDK how other companies are handling returns. This has been my only venture into the world of MMD.
Click to expand...
Was the grade of 'superideal' the BE cut grade they give stones? That is not really based on anything scientific, from what I can tell :lol: so it's not really a guarantee of a good performer. Stepcuts and other fancy shapes also can't really be bought by the numbers, it's all about how they perform when moving, so videos and ASETscope images are perhaps the most important assessment tool for consumers buying them.

As for why there's no unlimited Returns policy... I think you are correct in saying they are looking to limit 'window shoppers' with no real intention to purchase, but I think that's fair enough for any company selling anything - staff time costs money, shipping costs money, moving inventory around and insuring it costs money, and no company has unlimited budget to cater for vacillating consumers that may well not buy anything in the end! lol (Not saying that's you!! but there are some people in this world who think nothing of creating a massive fuss and then walking away :rolleyes:)

One-time-only is pretty restrictive, though, especially when fancy cuts are hard to nail down to 'the one' due to individual stones' characters and performance!


The trade up policy being for Mined stones only right now is just a reflection of the market being so new, I would say. I don't think any company wants to be guaranteeing, say, a $10k diamond can be traded up at 100% value because in one years' time the value of MMDs could have dropped by half and they would have to take the hit.

I think it will be interesting to see if the PS-recommended vendors make any changes to their (mined) diamond upgrade/buyback policies as the markets for both MMD and Mined change - Mined are effectively just the same as MMD (or any other product) when it comes to supply and demand and wider markets determining prices, so if Mined also take a bit of a hit to their prices, the PS-recommended vendors might be on a sticky wicket!
 
OoohShiny said:
Was the grade of 'superideal' the BE cut grade they give stones? That is not really based on anything scientific, from what I can tell :lol: so it's not really a guarantee of a good performer. Stepcuts and other fancy shapes also can't really be bought by the numbers, it's all about how they perform when moving, so videos and ASETscope images are perhaps the most important assessment tool for consumers buying them.

As for why there's no unlimited Returns policy... I think you are correct in saying they are looking to limit 'window shoppers' with no real intention to purchase, but I think that's fair enough for any company selling anything - staff time costs money, shipping costs money, moving inventory around and insuring it costs money, and no company has unlimited budget to cater for vacillating consumers that may well not buy anything in the end! lol (Not saying that's you!! but there are some people in this world who think nothing of creating a massive fuss and then walking away :rolleyes:)

One-time-only is pretty restrictive, though, especially when fancy cuts are hard to nail down to 'the one' due to individual stones' characters and performance!


The trade up policy being for Mined stones only right now is just a reflection of the market being so new, I would say. I don't think any company wants to be guaranteeing, say, a $10k diamond can be traded up at 100% value because in one years' time the value of MMDs could have dropped by half and they would have to take the hit.

I think it will be interesting to see if the PS-recommended vendors make any changes to their (mined) diamond upgrade/buyback policies as the markets for both MMD and Mined change - Mined are effectively just the same as MMD (or any other product) when it comes to supply and demand and wider markets determining prices, so if Mined also take a bit of a hit to their prices, the PS-recommended vendors might be on a sticky wicket!
Click to expand...
Hi OohShiny,
Thanks for all your input. Even though I can confidently say that I am one of the oldest ( in birthdays:Up_to_something2:) PS members, I am just a babe-in-the woods when it comes to diamonds. While I do have some gorgeous colored gemstones and diamond eternity bands,( and my lovely little original .25ct RB diamond bought at the base exchange store decades ago and priceless to me) I’ve always wanted an EC ( vintage Krupps actually) of 2+ carats. Such a diamond has never been within our budget and was just a “want”, not a need. I’ve never posted much on PS because I didn’t have much knowledge to share . I have, however, learned so much by reading other members posts and drooling over :lickout: your beautiful jewelry, mostly the rings. When I read about MMD, I had hope that ,finally, there was an EC waiting for me somewhere out there! What I’m actually finding is that the prices are as tightly controlled, and almost as high as earth mined diamonds. sad :((
The BE diamond had an IGI report but there’s no cut grade on it so it must be a “super ideal” according to BE. When I put it side-by-side with a BTD EC Asha( remember those? ), that was never set or scratched, the MMD didn’t look any better to my untrained eye than the Asha. I jumped on it because of the color,clarity & measurements ( for a setting I already have) and the price. Unfortunately, when I got the MMD, I just couldn’t justify spending almost $6000 on a stone that seemed to perform about the same as an Asha of same cut, size ,color,clarity. Also, the “ no trade up” policy didn’t seem right to me. I’m pretty sure that Ada diamonds allows trade ups.Not sure about Miadonna, Clean Origins or others.
I’m close to giving up on a 2 + ct. step cut MM diamond. I know that $ 8-9000 and up is very affordable for many PS members. Most of you are much younger and have incomes that will continue to grow. That’s as it should be.
We just can’t spend $9000 for a MMD , or any diamond for that matter. I got my hopes up but now I’m trying to adjust my attitude regarding a diamond substitute. I know it won’t be the same but it will be eminently more affordable than a MMD...unless Lightbox starts to produce larger carat sizes . Wouldn’t that be wonderful!
 
amillionstars said:
Hi. I will be purchasing diamond stud earrings in the very near future and am very interested in the lab-grown. I would like 3 carat total weight and perhaps G, H or even I color, VS1/VS2 or SI1, super ideal cut.

I've found diamonds on Brilliant Earth to match these specs and the pricing seems quite good compared to mined diamonds. So does anyone think I can find fiery white bright eye clean sparklers here or is there a more preferred vendor to shop the stones through?

Any input is really appreciated. I've looked at many threads here regarding lab-grown diamonds but there's so much information it's a little overwhelming.

Thank you!:wavey:
Click to expand...
Hi amillionstars,

I hope I didn’t hijack your thread and that you find some gorgeous MMD diamond studs. I would just caution you to be aware of the various return policies. As OooShiny said, it’s just so hard to know if the diamond, or diamonds , will be keepers until you actually see them. Good luck on your search!
 
jeaniefish said:
Hi OohShiny,
Thanks for all your input. Even though I can confidently say that I am one of the oldest ( in birthdays:twisted2:) PS members, I am just a babe-in-the woods when it comes to diamonds. While I do have some gorgeous colored gemstones and diamond eternity bands,( and my lovely little original .25ct RB diamond bought at the base exchange store decades ago and priceless to me) I’ve always wanted an EC ( vintage Krupps actually) of 2+ carats. Such a diamond has never been within our budget and was just a “want”, not a need. I’ve never posted much on PS because I didn’t have much knowledge to share . I have, however, learned so much by reading other members posts and drooling over :lickout: your beautiful jewelry, mostly the rings. When I read about MMD, I had hope that ,finally, there was an EC waiting for me somewhere out there! What I’m actually finding is that the prices are as tightly controlled, and almost as high as earth mined diamonds. sad :((
The BE diamond had an IGI report but there’s no cut grade on it so it must be a “super ideal” according to BE. When I put it side-by-side with a BTD EC Asha( remember those? ), that was never set or scratched, the MMD didn’t look any better to my untrained eye than the Asha. I jumped on it because of the color,clarity & measurements ( for a setting I already have) and the price. Unfortunately, when I got the MMD, I just couldn’t justify spending almost $6000 on a stone that seemed to perform about the same as an Asha of same cut, size ,color,clarity. Also, the “ no trade up” policy didn’t seem right to me. I’m pretty sure that Ada diamonds allows trade ups.Not sure about Miadonna, Clean Origins or others.
I’m close to giving up on a 2 + ct. step cut MM diamond. I know that $ 8-9000 and up is very affordable for many PS members. Most of you are much younger and have incomes that will continue to grow. That’s as it should be.
We just can’t spend $9000 for a MMD , or any diamond for that matter. I got my hopes up but now I’m trying to adjust my attitude regarding a diamond substitute. I know it won’t be the same but it will be eminently more affordable than a MMD...unless Lightbox starts to produce larger carat sizes . Wouldn’t that be wonderful!
Click to expand...
I am hopeful that the predictions that the market will get more transparent, and that costs for MMDs will therefore come down, are accurate - as you say, dropping 9-grand on an MMD with currently questionable future value is a somewhat brave thing to do, and not possible for those of us with modest budgets!

I think we just have to wait a little longer to see what happens - the benefits of the worldwide community sharing information instantly on the internet is that, arguably, changes happen a lot more quickly than they ever have done before!
 
Since De Beers will be opening a huge MMD manufacturing plant in Gresham, Oregon next year, I am hopeful that larger diamonds , various colors , and lower price per carat( as in the current De Beers pricing at $800/carat), will be part of their future production plans. That would certainly shake up the other MMD producers/sellers and force prices downward, which would be a very good thing.:kiss2:
 
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