Advice on choosing a lab grown diamond

[sheezacowgurl]

Hi everyone! First post here. I've read several threads where you all have been great with giving advice and helping users choose a great lab grown diamond. A little back story, we ordered a 1.53ct round ideal cut hearts and arrows HPHT lab diamond. D color VS1 clarity and excellent polish, symmetry. No florescence and no where on the cert did it list blue nuance or faint blue etc. On the super zoomed 360 degree video, nor did it have a blue hue. When I received it, I was in my house with no lights on, so just natural daylight. The diamond was super white and bright. However, outside, in the car, and in most stores, it went dark and/or had a blue hue to it. It was set in a platinum solitaire. I will admit I'm very color sensitive, so I didn't want to see any yellow in the diamond against the platinum solitaire setting. Everything I've read says natural and lab diamonds with the same cut, color, clarity, and carat will be identical to the naked eye. Well, after getting this diamond and not knowing how I felt about it, I went into a local jewelry store. The person who helped me was GIA certified and had been working with diamonds for many years. She was able to tell the diamond was a lab diamond, just by looking at it on my hand. She said after years of working with natural diamonds and seeing lab diamonds, lab diamonds just have a certain look to them. Now this made me very paranoid that someone could spot it just by being on my hand. I also spoke to the jeweler there and he said that even natural D color diamonds can have a blue hue to them because they are so white. Even looking at the GIA color chart they had there, I could see a blue hue in the picture of a D diamond on the chart and I could see the warmth in the G color diamond on the chart. I don't know if what I experienced with that particular stone was normal or not. We ended up sending it back and getting a refund. I would really like to try another lab diamond, perhaps I would be completely happy with one that's not a D color. If anyone could give some advice I would greatly appreciate it! I also have a screen shot of the IGI cert and photos and videos I made of it if that would help!

 

[mayaINaU]

Definitely post your cert and photos. That will help people make more informed comments. I believe that blue nuance should be listed on the cert, but is not always. I think people with sharp eyes, such as @DejaWiz or @Kim N will be able to make some suggestions of stones that do not appear to have any blue nuance. There are a few threads on this that you can search on PriceScope.

Blue nuance

Hello, First time diamond shopping and trying to find my way through it! I've actually already purchased a stone and setting through James Allen, thought I had done my research and found a good stone. It wasn't until after that I noticed the blue nuance comment on the cert. Now comparing the...

www.pricescope.com

 

[DejaWiz]

Hello and welcome to PriceScope, sheezacowgurl!

Would you mind sharing the grading report number for your diamond?

 

[Kim N]

Yes, please share your report number and photos and videos (videos will need to be uploaded to an external site like Imgur). We'll be happy to help you look for a new stone as well.

 

[sheezacowgurl]

Hi! I don’t have Imgur, so I’ll start with photos. This is it in various lighting showing what I see as a blue hue to it. I also posted pics with a diamond band and against natural diamond solitaire in yellow gold. Again, to my eyes when it was right next to natural diamonds they looked white and the lab diamond I could see blue. A couple of photos show how dark it could look too. Wondering if this is due to being a lab diamond, or maybe just not a great one even thought he cert looks great.
Here is the link to the diamond to see the 360 video. https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...at-d-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-13461133

Thanks so much!

 

[DejaWiz]

A few observations/thoughts based on your pictures:

A well cut and proportioned diamond will go dark in sunlight.

The blue appearance outside is likely from the diamond gathering and reflecting the blue of the sky.

Indoors, the blue may be environmental: is there anything blue nearby (including phone/camera case, clothing, wall paint, artwork/decor, etc)?

If it always appears grayish-blue, then it's not inherently because it's a lab grown diamond, but because it may very well be a Type IIb diamond which can occur either natural or lab grown.

If it bothers you, then are you still in the return period?

If you can return it, then we can and will assist with finding some extremely well proportioned Type IIa alternatives for you to pick from.

 

[Kim N]

Hi! I don’t have Imgur, so I’ll start with photos. This is it in various lighting showing what I see as a blue hue to it. I also posted pics with a diamond band and against natural diamond solitaire in yellow gold. Again, to my eyes when it was right next to natural diamonds they looked white and the lab diamond I could see blue. A couple of photos show how dark it could look too. Wondering if this is due to being a lab diamond, or maybe just not a great one even thought he cert looks great.
Here is the link to the diamond to see the 360 video. https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...at-d-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-13461133

Thanks so much!

I can see the blue in your photos even though it's so, so subtle in the 360 video. Here's the profile of your stone compared to another one on James Allen's website. I would have had a hard time seeing the blue nuance without a comparison stone right beside it. Even with the comparison stone, it's difficult to see.

 

[Kim N]

Here are two perfect-proportioned, H&A stones I'd recommend which appear to have no blue nuance.

diamond-LGA259202JA | Frank Darling

Sustainably grown lab diamonds and conflict-free natural diamonds. Shop competitively priced GIA diamonds in every shape, from emerald cut to round brilliant.

frankdarling.com

Gem Certification & Assurance Lab

www.gcalusa.com

diamond-LGA1115315JA | Frank Darling

Sustainably grown lab diamonds and conflict-free natural diamonds. Shop competitively priced GIA diamonds in every shape, from emerald cut to round brilliant.

frankdarling.com

Gem Certification & Assurance Lab

www.gcalusa.com

 

[sheezacowgurl]

Thank you both for the info. Yes! I did return it already as I just felt so uneasy about it. @Kim N, In the photo of my stone compared to the other option You posted , I honestly can’t see blue in mine in your posted photo, but there were a TON of videos when I was looking where I saw the blue in the lab diamonds. What color diamond is the comparison photo u posted? That one looks warmer to my eyes. @DejaWiz I did read previously what u said about diamonds cut well can look blue outside, but to me mine just didn’t look “right” as in different from what I’m used to seeing on friends and family. I know theirs are all lower colors and Not D color. It’s almost like the D didn’t look natural to me in the way that I’m not used to seeing D color diamonds. I’m thinking maybe if I selected a warmer diamond that would look more like a natural diamond that I used to seeing. James Allen representative recommended this diamond after I told them about mine and initiated a return. What are your thoughts on this one? https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...at-g-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-12466292

 

[Kim N]

A few observations/thoughts based on your pictures:

A well cut and proportioned diamond will go dark in sunlight.

The blue appearance outside is likely from the diamond gathering and reflecting the blue of the sky.

Indoors, the blue may be environmental: is there anything blue nearby (including phone/camera case, clothing, wall paint, artwork/decor, etc)?

If it always appears grayish-blue, then it's not inherently because it's a lab grown diamond, but because it may very well be a Type IIb diamond which can occur either natural or lab grown.

If it bothers you, then are you still in the return period?

If you can return it, then we can and will assist with finding some extremely well proportioned Type IIa alternatives for you to pick from.

DejaWiz, this one's still a bit of a puzzle to me. I'm looking at the video in isolation and I wouldn't have pegged it as having blue nuance. The concentrated color areas seem to have a yellow hue, not blue. Any thoughts?

 

[Kim N]

Thank you both for the info. Yes! I did return it already as I just felt so uneasy about it. @Kim N, In the photo of my stone compared to the other option You posted , I honestly can’t see blue in mine in your posted photo, but there were a TON of videos when I was looking where I saw the blue in the lab diamonds. What color diamond is the comparison photo u posted? That one looks warmer to my eyes. @DejaWiz I did read previously what u said about diamonds cut well can look blue outside, but to me mine just didn’t look “right” as in different from what I’m used to seeing on friends and family. I know theirs are all lower colors and Not D color. It’s almost like the D didn’t look natural to me in the way that I’m not used to seeing D color diamonds. I’m thinking maybe if I selected a warmer diamond that would look more like a natural diamond that I used to seeing. James Allen representative recommended this diamond after I told them about mine and initiated a return. What are your thoughts on this one? https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...at-g-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-12466292

The comparison diamond I found is another 1.53 D VS1.

I'm not a big fan of the proportions of the one the representative recommended. Would you be open to buying from a different vendor? We can find you perfectly cut H&A stones for less on other sites.

 

[Kim N]

One more suggestion, F color.

diamond-LGA1213326JA | Frank Darling

Sustainably grown lab diamonds and conflict-free natural diamonds. Shop competitively priced GIA diamonds in every shape, from emerald cut to round brilliant.

frankdarling.com

Gem Certification & Assurance Lab

www.gcalusa.com

 

[sheezacowgurl]

The comparison diamond I found is another 1.53 D VS1.

I'm not a big fan of the proportions of the one the representative recommended. Would you be open to buying from a different vendor? We can find you perfectly cut H&A stones for less on other sites.

Oh wow! Can’t believe there are both D color because they do look different to me! Yes, I’d be open to another vendor as long as they have a return policy. I would have hated to have been stuck with the one I returned! James Allen customer service was great. In my previous photos, the diamonds in the diamond band looked white and my solitaire diamond looked kinda blue. I didn’t think they matched and that would bug me. The jeweler said even a natural D color diamond will look blue, So if that’s the case I’m thinking maybe I’d prefer a F or G color, but I don’t want it to look yellow in the platinum solitaire I would choose. I also wasn’t a fan of the prongs on the ring. They were chunky and flat on top vs coming up the side of the diamond and hooking onto the diamond. The height of the prong was gone(See photo). The diamond actually looked nice and bright white here!

 

[Kim N]

Oh wow! Can’t believe there are both D color because they do look different to me! Yes, I’d be open to another vendor as long as they have a return policy. I would have hated to have been stuck with the one I returned! James Allen customer service was great. In my previous photos, the diamonds in the diamond band looked white and my solitaire diamond looked kinda blue. I didn’t think they matched and that would bug me. The jeweler said even a natural D color diamond will look blue, So if that’s the case I’m thinking maybe I’d prefer a F or G color, but I don’t want it to look yellow in the platinum solitaire I would choose. I also wasn’t a fan of the prongs on the ring. They were chunky and flat on top vs coming up the side of the diamond and hooking onto the diamond. The height of the prong was gone(See photo). The diamond actually looked nice and bright white here!

I agree, the diamond looks white with no blue in this last set of photos.

Adiamor is another Pricescope-vetted vendor with a great return policy. What do you think of the F color I linked in the previous post?

 

[sheezacowgurl]

I agree, the diamond looks white with no blue in this last set of photos.

Adiamor is another Pricescope-vetted vendor with a great return policy. What do you think of the F color I linked in the previous post?

In the last photos, it only looked bright white like that inside my house during the daytime with no lights on. It was at night with lights or lamps on, outside, and anywhere else I went where I could see the darkness and or blueness. I was just looking through your three recommendations. Not sure why, but the last one u linked, F color, is my favorite of the three I believe. I had read not all grading labs note blue nuance or faint blue on their certs. Mine was IGI and nothing was on the cert, but I saw many IGI certs that had blue nuance or faint blue listed. Any idea why it wasn’t on mine? I don’t see any blue listed on the options u linked. Does GCAL list it if it has blue?

 

[Kim N]

In the last photos, it only looked bright white like that inside my house during the daytime with no lights on. It was at night with lights or lamps on, outside, and anywhere else I went where I could see the darkness and or blueness. I was just looking through your three recommendations. Not sure why, but the last one u linked, F color, is my favorite of the three I believe. I had read not all grading labs note blue nuance or faint blue on their certs. Mine was IGI and nothing was on the cert, but I saw many IGI certs that had blue nuance or faint blue listed. Any idea why it wasn’t on mine? I don’t see any blue listed on the options u linked. Does GCAL list it if it has blue?

I usually only see it described as faint blue or blue nuance if it's G color or below. I don't know that I've ever seen that note on a D or E color, which explains why you didn't see it on yours.

If you like the F but are still thinking about it, I recommend putting it on hold so a lurker doesn't get it. It was the only HPHT F color with no blue nuance I could find. Frank Darling comes highly recommended as well on the forum.

 

[sheezacowgurl]

I usually only see it described as faint blue or blue nuance if it's G color or below. I don't know that I've ever seen that note on a D or E color, which explains why you didn't see it on yours.

If you like the F but are still thinking about it, I recommend putting it on hold so a lurker doesn't get it. It was the only HPHT F color with no blue nuance I could find. Frank Darling comes highly recommended as well on the forum.

I will definitely reach out to them tomorrow! Thank u so much for your help. Would u say all three options u listed are just as good as the other or is there one that sticks out to you as a winner?
I take it u were unable to find a F with no blue to it in the 1.5 ct range?

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

A natural D color diamond should not look blue. We say things like icy white, but really it should be totally devoid of any body color (graded face down in a controlled environment), like pure clear water. However, they will pick up blue from the sky, the environment, etc. Actually, diamonds can pick up many colors. Sorry if this is repeat info. I didn't have time to read through the whole thread. HPHT, while beautiful, may have subtle blue nuance. Kim N and DejaWiz are really good at picking that up. Good luck with your search. Oh, and IMHO, LGDS should not look different than natural diamonds, although there are different quality levels of LGDS, so that can be an issue. I wouldn't let the salesperson's comment dissuade you from buying one.

 

[sheezacowgurl]

A natural D color diamond should not look blue. We say things like icy white, but really it should be totally devoid of any body color (graded face down in a controlled environment), like pure clear water. However, they will pick up blue from the sky, the environment, etc. Actually, diamonds can pick up many colors. Sorry if this is repeat info. I didn't have time to read through the whole thread. HPHT, while beautiful, may have subtle blue nuance. Kim N and DejaWiz are really good at picking that up. Good luck with your search. Oh, and IMHO, LGDS should not look different than natural diamonds, although there are different quality levels of LGDS. I wouldn't let the salesperson's comment dissuade you from buying one.

Thank you! I appreciate your advice. When u say different quality levels for lab diamonds how do you know what quality u are getting? By looking at the grading report and selecting excellent cut, polish, and choosing a higher color and clarity? Kinda of like mall jewelry stores have bad quality as in I2 clarity, lower colors and only good for cut grade?

 

[Kim N]

I will definitely reach out to them tomorrow! Thank u so much for your help. Would u say all three options u listed are just as good as the other or is there one that sticks out to you as a winner?
I take it u were unable to find a F with no blue to it in the 1.5 ct range?

The only F and G stones in the 1.5 range were CVD (which can have its own issues like a brownish hue or striations) rather than HPHT. HPHT with no blue nuance will look closer to natural.

I like the F and D more than the E as they seem to have higher odds of having no blue nuance.

 

[DejaWiz]

Snag the G from JA or the F from FD...both look amazing!

Price per carat along with all the GCAL 8X goodness, the larger F from FD wins me over.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

Thank you! I appreciate your advice. When u say different quality levels for lab diamonds how do you know what quality u are getting? By looking at the grading report and selecting excellent cut, polish, and choosing a higher color and clarity? Kinda of like mall jewelry stores have bad quality as in I2 clarity, lower colors and only good for cut grade?

I'm definitely not an expert, but my understanding is that they are not all created equal. It's about the quality of the rough material. Some manufacturers are more careful about their growing process. You can tell a lot from images, like if a diamond has undisclosed blue nuance, stria, etc. I didn't really trust myself enough to do it on my own, so I chose to work with Jon of Distinctive Gem. He vets the diamonds for his customers. If you prefer to do it on your own, DejaWiz and Kim N are really great at choosing beautiful diamonds. I would be comfortable taking advice from them as well as the other PS recommended vendors.

Edited to add that yes, it's similar to how you would evaluate earth mined diamonds. Basically the same concept.

 

[Jax172]

Sometimes I think we get in our own heads with lab diamonds. We are looking for some way people can tell it’s a lab diamond and then we get freaked out.

Your pictures all look very similar to my mined diamond G color GIA and hand picked by Jonathon way back when he was at GOG. I’ve worn that diamond since 2003 and it does all those things - go dark in direct sunlight, look blue when it reflects sky, look gray in some indoor lighting situation, etc. Well cut (mined and lab) diamonds can do all those things. Diamonds will not appear bright white and sparkly in all situations. They are reflect light so different lighting conditions will give them vastly different looks.


I think the stone you had was absolutely fine. I think we sometimes are a bit in our heads looking for something to be wrong because it’s a lab diamond. That jeweler is full of crap that she can tell simply by looking at it on your hand. She wanted to sell you something and was hoping to make you feel your stone was inferior.

If you were not pleased with the stone you had that’s fine but remember that what you saw was pretty normal even across mined super ideals.

 

[sheezacowgurl]

Sometimes I think we get in our own heads with lab diamonds. We are looking for some way people can tell it’s a lab diamond and then we get freaked out.

Your pictures all look very similar to my mined diamond G color GIA and hand picked by Jonathon way back when he was at GOG. I’ve worn that diamond since 2003 and it does all those things - go dark in direct sunlight, look blue when it reflects sky, look gray in some indoor lighting situation, etc. Well cut (mined and lab) diamonds can do all those things. Diamonds will not appear bright white and sparkly in all situations. They are reflect light so different lighting conditions will give them vastly different looks.


I think the stone you had was absolutely fine. I think we sometimes are a bit in our heads looking for something to be wrong because it’s a lab diamond. That jeweler is full of crap that she can tell simply by looking at it on your hand. She wanted to sell you something and was hoping to make you feel your stone was inferior.

If you were not pleased with the stone you had that’s fine but remember that what you saw was pretty normal even across mined super ideals.

Thank you. That makes me feel better after visiting the jewelry store.

 

[jewels2]

Sometimes I think we get in our own heads with lab diamonds. We are looking for some way people can tell it’s a lab diamond and then we get freaked out.

Your pictures all look very similar to my mined diamond G color GIA and hand picked by Jonathon way back when he was at GOG. I’ve worn that diamond since 2003 and it does all those things - go dark in direct sunlight, look blue when it reflects sky, look gray in some indoor lighting situation, etc. Well cut (mined and lab) diamonds can do all those things. Diamonds will not appear bright white and sparkly in all situations. They are reflect light so different lighting conditions will give them vastly different looks.


I think the stone you had was absolutely fine. I think we sometimes are a bit in our heads looking for something to be wrong because it’s a lab diamond. That jeweler is full of crap that she can tell simply by looking at it on your hand. She wanted to sell you something and was hoping to make you feel your stone was inferior.

If you were not pleased with the stone you had that’s fine but remember that what you saw was pretty normal even across mined super ideals.

100% This

 

[Inked]

I find it very hard to believe that the jewelry store woman knew it was a lab diamond by eye. I think maybe she noticed it looked dark in the jewelry store lighting or didn't perform 'normally' and then when you said it was lab she said "I knew". A diamond is a diamond according to the courts LOL!!

Myself and another poster had this "going dark" issue in the car and in certain lighting, she posted about it, and another poster had a GCAL go dark and a frank darling GIA that didn't, she also posted about it with side by side pics, so I think there may be some subpar labs going around now that they're more popular.

I posed the question in another thread of basically are all labs using the same 'rough' material... because why are some $3,000 and some $6,000 with what seems to be the exact same specs. Why are some doing this 'grey' thing and some not? Like, I wondered if perhaps the dark/grey came from subpar starting point. So I just ordered a $8k lab to compare it and see - because I'm insane... LOL. I'll report back on Monday when it supposedly comes

 

[sheezacowgurl]

I find it very hard to believe that the jewelry store woman knew it was a lab diamond by eye. I think maybe she noticed it looked dark in the jewelry store lighting or didn't perform 'normally' and then when you said it was lab she said "I knew". A diamond is a diamond according to the courts LOL!!

Myself and another poster had this "going dark" issue in the car and in certain lighting, she posted about it, and another poster had a GCAL go dark and a frank darling GIA that didn't, she also posted about it with side by side pics, so I think there may be some subpar labs going around now that they're more popular.

I posed the question in another thread of basically are all labs using the same 'rough' material... because why are some $3,000 and some $6,000 with what seems to be the exact same specs. Why are some doing this 'grey' thing and some not? Like, I wondered if perhaps the dark/grey came from subpar starting point. So I just ordered a $8k lab to compare it and see - because I'm insane... LOL. I'll report back on Monday when it supposedly comes

Interesting! The is when I first noticed it looked "off" to me was in the car it went dark. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on yours you ordered!

 

[sheezacowgurl]

Snag the G from JA or the F from FD...both look amazing!

Price per carat along with all the GCAL 8X goodness, the larger F from FD wins me over.

That's what I thought too about the F! I contacted Frank Darling today and they are bringing both the D and the F in to view that @Kim N suggested. She next early next week they should have it in hand and will inspect it for any color etc.

@DejaWiz and @Kim N, I thought the video of the 1.53 ct diamond I ordered looked good and the cert looked great. Would you say after seeing the video and viewing the cert that the D or F color diamond you found will be a better stone? I'm so nervous to try this again! Thank u both for your help!

 

[Kim N]

That's what I thought too about the F! I contacted Frank Darling today and they are bringing both the D and the F in to view that @Kim N suggested. She next early next week they should have it in hand and will inspect it for any color etc.

@DejaWiz and @Kim N, I thought the video of the 1.53 ct diamond I ordered looked good and the cert looked great. Would you say after seeing the video and viewing the cert that the D or F color diamond you found will be a better stone? I'm so nervous to try this again! Thank u both for your help!

I do think the F and D have a high chance of having no blue nuance. The F, being a bit warmer, might work out really well for you since it might be partly the icy whiteness of a D that you were responding to.

 

[GiveMePerfect]

Any updates?