How low can they go?

[TiffanyBlue]

So, I’m not an expert in lab or natural diamonds, or luxury goods in general. But I am from Gen X where some of us are in the mined-only camp and others are gung ho with lab diamonds. I, myself, have both and love both, but I can’t help but think to myself, hmm…if lab diamonds prices start getting much much lower, will I still think they’re admissable for me? Or will they eventually reach a price, say $1200.00 for a 4 carat diamond, that will borderline (for me) as costume jewelry prices and they won’t feel “as” special?

I feel like, a little bit of cost adds to the luxury feel of the jewelry, but I know lots of others that are like, nope that’s too much, I only paid $700 for my 2 carat lab diamond and wouldn’t mind them to be even lower in price. I mean, I wouldn’t want them to go back to, 2011 prices, but don’t want them to be in the Claire’s category! Lol!

Does that make sense and does anyone else feel that way? I’d love to hear other’s thoughts.

 

[DejaWiz]

Hello,TiffanyBlue!
My thought is that certain growers will continue to find ways to make them at less cost.
Quality growers (uncheated/unaccelerated growth process producing the highest quality rough) can only reach a certain point of lowering costs.
There is also the added labor of crafting a quality diamond from quality rough, then the cost to grade it with a reputable lab.
We're already seeing ungraded junk (mixed amongst the graded junk from the unscrupulous growers) out there, so the "race to the bottom" growers are, sadly, gaining some foothold.
Thankfully, there are beloved sellers known quite well to the PriceScope community that offer fully curated and vetted LGDs...that only helps the industry overall to keep the quality growers relevant.

Fee Schedules

A list of fees by service in 7 currencies.

www.gia.edu

 

[0-0-0]

I think there’ll be a pretty firm price floor for good material and good cutting. Even if the grown material is free there’ll be costs associated with cutting, grading, and marketing. At a certain price point it’ll no longer be feasible economically for manufacturers to produce and vendors to market. In the natural market it’s rare to see graded colorless H&A rounds under $500, regardless of size. In the lab market it’s rare to see graded colorless H&A rounds under $250, regardless of size. So my guess is a price floor somewhere between $250-$500 for graded colorless rounds. If you consider pricing for commissioned precision cuts for colored stones, there’s also typically a minimum charge of $250-$500 regardless of material or size.

I don’t know if that means we’ll be able to buy a 4 ct for $500, but $1200 is very likely. This 3.38 ct G VS1 has a recent low price of around $1500.

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Price and quality scores for IGI Number LG572365076

View the fair price estimate, Cut Score® and price history for IGI Certified Diamond LG572365076. Everything you need to know to buy this diamond.

www.stonealgo.com

 

[TiffanyBlue]

I think there’ll be a pretty firm price floor for good material and good cutting. Even if the grown material is free there’ll be costs associated with cutting, grading, and marketing. At a certain price point it’ll no longer be feasible economically for manufacturers to produce and vendors to market. In the natural market it’s rare to see graded colorless H&A rounds under $500, regardless of size. In the lab market it’s rare to see graded colorless H&A rounds under $250, regardless of size. So my guess is a price floor somewhere between $250-$500 for graded colorless rounds. If you consider pricing for commissioned precision cuts for colored stones, there’s

I don’t know if that means we’ll be able to buy a 4 ct for $500, but $1200 is very likely. This 3.38 ct G VS1 has a recent low price of around $1500.

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Price and quality scores for IGI Number LG572365076

View the fair price estimate, Cut Score® and price history for IGI Certified Diamond LG572365076. Everything you need to know to buy this diamond.

www.stonealgo.com

All great points, thank you! Is there a price point, for you, where you would think of them as less special to carry the name diamond if the prices dip too low? Or is that still just me hanging on to the supposed value of diamonds, which I know is mostly intrinsic?

Like, right now I would be happy to pay about $4k for a good quality 3ct diamond. Some would say that’s hogwash. But I think if that price dropped down to 1000 for a 3ct, I wouldn’t think it was “special” enough.

 

[DejaWiz]

I think $3-4k for an extremely well cut and proportioned diamond bearing a higher degree of material quality carrying a GIA/GIA+AGS/GCAL 8X report is in-line with current market conditions.

Example: this one is around $3700 and looks to be quite outstanding.

https://www.gia.edu/report-check?reportno=1489082478

Loupe360

loupe360.com

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

well i had to google who or what Clairs are
and i think i found the answer to your question in the thread title

 

[TiffanyBlue]

well i had to google who or what Clairs are
and i think i found the answer to your question in the thread title

Well shoot, I was just kidding about Claire’s but there it is!

 

[0-0-0]

All great points, thank you! Is there a price point, for you, where you would think of them as less special to carry the name diamond if the prices dip too low? Or is that still just me hanging on to the supposed value of diamonds, which I know is mostly intrinsic?

Like, right now I would be happy to pay about $4k for a good quality 3ct diamond. Some would say that’s hogwash. But I think if that price dropped down to 1000 for a 3ct, I wouldn’t think it was “special” enough.

A diamond is a diamond to me regardless of price. Buying well cut good quality diamonds for $500 each regardless of size would free up so much budget to spend on higher quality settings!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Well shoot, I was just kidding about Claire’s but there it is!

becareful what you wish for
over the years ive seen people mention them so i was super curious
it looks like the kind of place where at lunchtime one could have a lot of fun with $20 at their sales table (i once had a workmate who also wore necklaces and we tried to outdo each other just for fun, from down the mall)

 

[dk168]

Personally, I doubt and hope LGDs will not be as cheap as simulants such as CZ and Moissanites.

Having said that, I would not spend money on big LGDs right now, big as in over 2ct for me personally, as I believe the top end of the price spectrum is still very unstable.

I have opted for LGDs in the two CS rings I commissioned in 2023 to cut down on setting cost. One of them is a flower cluster with a 7mm pink Sapphire requiring 4.5mm LGDs as petals. It would have cost a lot more had I opted for earth-mined stones.

DK

 

[0515vision]

To me costume jewelry is jewelry which will tarnish, scratch and no longer be wearable after a certain amount of time. As someone with a degree in organic chemistry, a lab diamond has the durability and refractive index of a gemstone. As such, lab diamonds, no matter the cost, will never be costume jewelry to me.

Industrial diamonds have always been around, and industries treat them as diamonds. They just aren't diamonds that I would suggest people wear.

I also buy luxury brand items off sites like ThredUp for a fraction of the cost. Why? The fabric and cuts are high quality. If you can read fabric, you know the good stuff when you see it.

Just from the cutting costs alone, high quality LGD will never go down to Claire's prices. But as GenXer with immigrant parents, I'm always looking to stretch my dollar. I love that LGDs are dropping in price. I have an inherent love for the atomic structure of a diamond, and now I might get to judiciously partake a little more.

Maybe we're talking about a difference in how people perceive diamonds vs jewelry. To me, the diamond outweighs the other.

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

All great points, thank you! Is there a price point, for you, where you would think of them as less special to carry the name diamond if the prices dip too low? Or is that still just me hanging on to the supposed value of diamonds, which I know is mostly intrinsic?

Like, right now I would be happy to pay about $4k for a good quality 3ct diamond. Some would say that’s hogwash. But I think if that price dropped down to 1000 for a 3ct, I wouldn’t think it was “special” enough.

These threads are always interesting regardless of how they start.

A low quality LGD set in silver is like a low quality EGD set in silver. Or a LG colored gem set in silver. None of those seem like high end luxury items. People still buy them and cherish them. A well grown, specialty cut LGD will remain a luxury item, albeit maybe not a high end one, because they take skill and resources; when we get to the point where consumers can access made-to-order services for top notch colors and cuts, LGD might be like bespoke suits. Finally, high end vendors will continue to produce goods that are high end luxury items regardless of the diamond’s source. Think designer settings - sought-after custom work by certain well-known names, and (maybe even more so), recognizable signature settings. Some designers already do this and they are not cheap. Those could continue to be high end luxury items, especially combined with bespoke LGD.

well i had to google who or what Clairs are
and i think i found the answer to your question in the thread title

Yassss!

Personally, I doubt and hope LGDs will not be as cheap as simulants such as CZ and Moissanites.

Agree; there is no other colorless, single refraction, hard-to-scratch gem that I am aware of. Eventually, LGD might come very close in price to moissanite, but some moissanite is highly sought after, so being close in price to moissanite sometimes is not an insult to LGD.

Having said that, I would not spend money on big LGDs right now, big as in over 2ct for me personally, as I believe the top end of the price spectrum is still very unstable.

Good advice. Also the specialty cuts and newer pretty colors.

But would not recommend delaying an engagement. If Honey wants a 3-carat oval, get it!

 

[0-0-0]

I’ll add that if your preferences on color and cut align with market demand (currently colorless rounds mostly), prices are still likely to drop for bigger sizes. But if your preferences are outside of market norms and more specific like CVD as grown with pink/brown tint, or HPHT as grown with blue tint, or warmer colors and less popular specialty cuts, I would not wait to buy them if they are well cut good quality material going for reasonable prices. As manufacturers get more efficient at producing colorless material these accidental color oddballs may become harder to find, and some specialty cuts may not be economically feasible to cut again.

 

[Inked]

I don't know how low they can go, but for me personally, it's a diamond.

I love how a diamond looks and acts and I dont care if it's expensive. It's not less special to me because it cost less.

I feel like they are around where they're going to be now if you want something good. Im sure you can find cheaper but like @DejaWiz said, I worry about the cutting corners and trying to 'grow faster' or using not as quality rough. I feel like Im glad I am done buying (im up to almost 5.5 ct, i am out of finger space lol) because i do fear exactly what Deja was talking about in the coming months (lower price possibly equating lower quality)

 

[TiffanyBlue]

Personally, I doubt and hope LGDs will not be as cheap as simulants such as CZ and Moissanites.

Having said that, I would not spend money on big LGDs right now, big as in over 2ct for me personally, as I believe the top end of the price spectrum is still very unstable.

I have opted for LGDs in the two CS rings I commissioned in 2023 to cut down on setting cost. One of them is a flower cluster with a 7mm pink Sapphire requiring 4.5mm LGDs as petals. It would have cost a lot more had I opted for earth-mined stones.

DK

Ooooh…Are the rings posted in this forum? I’d love to see them!

 

[dk168]

Ooooh…Are the rings posted in this forum? I’d love to see them!

Yes they are in their own thread.

DK