Following our Lab Diamond Journey

[xoxominks]

I wanted to share our Lab Diamond journey for anyone that may be interested in shopping for a lab diamond vs a mined diamond. My boyfriend and I decided to shop for the engagement ring together so we can both research and determine the best diamond/setting! We are mid-way in the stage and are currently anxiously waiting for our lab diamonds to arrive to our door. Our thought process below, a scoop into which vendor we used and what diamonds we are choosing from. Perhaps you can chip in on which one you think will be the winner!

Why Lab Diamond?
Lab diamonds are equally as beautiful and structurally the same as mined diamond! If we are able to get a better diamond at half the cost, why not? There are many vendors that price lab diamonds very close to the price of a mined diamond, so we strongly recommend doing your research!

Which Vendor did we use?
We went with Yadav Jewelry! They have very competitive prices and beautiful settings to pair with the ring. We found them on RareCarat and they have lots of positive reviews across this forum, Google, and Yelp (they have a showroom in SF). They have a 30 day no hassle return policy as well! We looked into many other lab diamond vendors (ADA Diamond, James Allen, Clear Origin, Better Than Diamonds, Dimend Scaasi, Brilliant Earth etc) but could not find the diamond we were looking for. We worked with Yadav to have both diamonds shipped to us as we could not decide between two diamonds. Once we decide which one we like, we will be shipping the diamonds back and they would place it on our desired setting (also from Yadav) with a free return label.

Pros of Yadav

• Well priced diamonds
• Easy online ordering
• Excellent reviews
• Excellent 30 day return policy
• Certificates available for review
• Great search functions
• Lots of settings to choose from
• Customer service on the online chat is quick to respond + received a coupon code for $100 off
• Gemologist available to talk and give their insight

Cons of Yadav

• Not all the diamonds have pictures/videos. You can request for videos and it takes about 1-2 days as they need to obtain it from their vendor. The videos were not HD but it gives you a general idea of the diamond. It is a bit of a blind buy as they do not have the diamonds in the store to share their visual insights. However, this is why we are having the two we narrowed down ship to us to make up for it!

What lab diamond were we looking for?

• 1.1-1.4 ct
• Ideal Cut
• VS2 +
• I+
• Table %: 53-58%
• Depth %: 59-62%
• Excellent Polish + Symmetry
• CVD Type IIa
• Has to have Hearts + Arrow emblem on the IGI Certificate - This is probably not needed but since we couldn't see the diamonds in person, this gave us some additional reassurance. This is also why we went with Yadav as they were one of the few places that had this emblem on the certificate. The emblem is a RARE find.

What 2 diamonds did we narrow it down to?

1.18 CT F VVS2 - Ideal Cut HCA Score 1



1.19 CT F VS1 - Ideal Cut HCA Score 1.4




Both videos of the diamond we received were not HD. However, overall they looked clean! We were mainly looking for "strains" which are common in CVD diamonds and we did not see them! Both diamonds are also very close in price, with the 1.18 ct being $100 more. Theoretically, the 1.18 ct would be the winner but we will really need to see this diamond in person to get the final result.

Would love to get your thoughts between the two diamonds!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

MM has my interest
I look forward to following along

 

[Blazecat]

Great choice on the Hearts and Arrows - I like how 1.18 doesn't have any inclusions on the table. I look forward to videos once it's delivered! I bet they will both look very nice.

Edit: how has working with Yadav been so far? I see they have a lot of good reviews on Yelp/Google, and am considering using them too. That's awfully nice of them to let you see both and send one back! I've never purchased a diamond online before and such a big purchase makes me a little afraid...

 

[xoxominks]

Great choice on the Hearts and Arrows - I like how 1.18 doesn't have any inclusions on the table. I look forward to videos once it's delivered! I bet they will both look very nice.

Edit: how has working with Yadav been so far? I see they have a lot of good reviews on Yelp/Google, and am considering using them too. That's awfully nice of them to let you see both and send one back! I've never purchased a diamond online before and such a big purchase makes me a little afraid...

Thank you! Excited for the 1.18 and will be stoked to figure out which of the two is the best. As for Yadav, it's still bit early for me to give a comprehensive opinion but we've been happy with them so far. I hear they are great 1:1 if you would like to customize the setting but I just went with the available settings they had.

 

[OoohShiny]

Not an expert...

... but my understanding is that the lower crown and larger table will reduce the potential for fire a little bit (when compared to a higher crown / small table combo) and instead tend towards giving more bright white light, but that's not a good or bad thing - it's personal taste - and I'm sure it will still be fire-y! (fiery? lol)

HCA scores show the angles work, which is good, and both look to be shallow, and therefore 'spread-y', stones

 

[xoxominks]

Thank you for your input! In that case, was that the 1.19 ct that you think would be better?

 

[OoohShiny]

I think that both have the potential to be good, going from the reports and the HCA score, and they are not that dissimilar to each other (IIRC - have closed the grading report windows down now, lol) so you need to go with what your heart wants in the end - trying to convince yourself to buy a 'logical' choice just means you won't love it!

Emotions - funny old things

 

[xoxominks]

During the waiting process, we found another diamond on Yadav that was 1.25ct, VVS1, F, Ideal Cut.

1.25 CT VVS1 F - Ideal Cut - HCA Score 1


This was our first time seeing all Excellent on the HCA Score + it was a little bigger! Though we know the HCA score is just a tool, we wanted to make it a bit easier for ourselves and opt out of getting the 1.19 ct and ask Yadav for the 1.18ct and 1.25ct. They were more than willing to make the change - what great customer service.

We received them today (took about 1 week after making the final order changes).

Video - the one closest to the finger nail is the 1.18 ct.

In person, both look very similar, even in size! This is an extremely difficult decision and we would love your thoughts!

 

[OoohShiny]

REPORT NUMBER	LG432026795
REPORT DATE	July 27, 2020
DESCRIPTION	LABORATORY GROWN DIAMOND
SHAPE AND CUT	ROUND BRILLIANT
CARAT WEIGHT	1.25 Carat
COLOR GRADE	F
CLARITY GRADE	VVS 1
CUT GRADE	IDEAL
POLISH	EXCELLENT
SYMMETRY	EXCELLENT
MEASUREMENTS	6.96 - 7.00 x 4.18 mm
TABLE SIZE	59%
CROWN HEIGHT	14% - 33.8°
PAVILION DEPTH	43% - 40.7°
GIRDLE THICKNESS	MEDIUM (FACETED)
CULET	POINTED
TOTAL DEPTH	59.9%
FLUORESCENCE	NONE
COMMENTS	HEARTS & ARROWS
INSCRIPTIONS(S)	LABGROWN IGI LG432026795

I can't get the video to work on this computer but it looks like it will be '60/60-esque' with lots of bright white light return - but the all-Excellent HCA score is uncommon so it might be that you've found an excellent choice that balances everything!

F VVS is also great in terms of minimising any potential worries about seeing tint or inclusions.

 

[xoxominks]

Thank you for the advice! I had no idea about the 60/60 diamond and that might explain why the diamond does not have as much fire as we had expected!
We stumbled upon a bigger diamond and wanted to get your thoughts. Out of the 3, which do you think is the best? Do you also have a preference on HPHT vs CVD ?

 

[PM83]

The proportions on the 3rd diamond that you posted above are similar to my lab diamond, and mine is on the more fiery side but can also be bright white. Do you prefer more fire or white/bright? Also mine is CVD and that’s the only experience I have had so I cannot compare to HPHT, but for what it’s worth I do not notice any stria or brown/grey tints in my diamond! Have you thought of a setting for it? I love the classic Tiffany set in your profile photo!

 

[xoxominks]

Thank you for your reply! I do prefer more fire! Would you say the inclusions on the 3rd diamond would be of any concern? There is a cloud marked in the center which I am not sure what effect it has on the diamond. Where did you purchase your lab diamond?

Yes! I am totally thinking of something like the classic Tiffany set

 

[xoxominks]

We cleaned the diamonds a bit and took better video footage of the 1.18 v 1.25

Link

 

[PM83]

Thank you for your reply! I do prefer more fire! Would you say the inclusions on the 3rd diamond would be of any concern? There is a cloud marked in the center which I am not sure what effect it has on the diamond. Where did you purchase your lab diamond?

Yes! I am totally thinking of something like the classic Tiffany set

It’s hard to say without seeing a photo or video of the diamond, but I would think vs1 is usually safe. Mine is a vs2 and I can’t see any inclusions, and the video for mine showed tiny black specks throughout which are not visible at all to the naked eye and it looks very clean in person. I purchased mine from brilliant earth, I was super picky in the process but I finally found “the one”. Good luck and can’t wait to see what you pick and the gorgeous Tiffany-like setting, so classic!