Just the Labgrown Diamond vs Labgrown Diamond and setting?

[Diamond Elite]

Dear fellow labgrown diamond enthusiasts,

My name is Mark and I write to you from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. I have been active in the field of labgrown diamonds for quite a while now and I am currently exploring to futher professionalize my activities. I read through the many posts on this forum and learned a great deal from you guys. What I notice here and in the market is that we have people buying a loose stone, sometimes for a setting they already have, and people seeking to find their perfect finished ring.

I am curious to find out what the challenges are that you have or may have had when looking for a labgrown diamond, and if you prefer(red) to purchase a loose stone or a finished ring.

Looking forward to your valuable insights and hopefull a fruitfull discussion.

 

[MelloYello8]

I’ve done it both ways, but I prefer buying a completed ring so there’s not so much time and money spent shipping the stone.

 

[OoohShiny]

For me, one of the main issues is lack of transparency re: pricing.

The Mined diamond industry is not exactly crystal clear, lol, but only one MMD-selling company is listing wholesale pricing + commission = retail price.

I don't mind companies making a profit, that's how they exist, but not knowing if one is paying 20% or 200% profit on a lab stone is... off-putting...

 

[MelloYello8]

For me, one of the main issues is lack of transparency re: pricing.

The Mined diamond industry is not exactly crystal clear, lol, but only one MMD-selling company is listing wholesale pricing + commission = retail price.

I don't mind companies making a profit, that's how they exist, but not knowing if one is paying 20% or 200% profit on a lab stone is... off-putting...

Is this different from buying mined diamonds from the mall vs Blue Nile vs a preferred vendor? I noticed lab diamonds available in virtual inventories of different vendors but haven’t seen a 10 fold difference in prices. Ball parking 20% differences at most. I imagine where the vendors source their diamonds from makes the biggest difference. Eg WD or Chatham vice a fledgling company in Asia.

 

[OoohShiny]

Is this different from buying mined diamonds from the mall vs Blue Nile vs a preferred vendor? I noticed lab diamonds available in virtual inventories of different vendors but haven’t seen a 10 fold difference in prices. Ball parking 20% differences at most. I imagine where the vendors source their diamonds from makes the biggest difference. Eg WD or Chatham vice a fledgling company in Asia.

I think perhaps I'm just wishing for a PS Search Engine for MMD, as it means one doesn't have to trawl a million sites, many of which don't have an inventory and require one to contact them!

 

[MelloYello8]

I think perhaps I'm just wishing for a PS Search Engine for MMD, as it means one doesn't have to trawl a million sites, many of which don't have an inventory and require one to contact them!

Yeah, I’m not a fan of the trend away from using inventory databases! On the upside if you’re seriously looking, there really aren’t as many vendors and they don’t usually have that many choices once you start narrowing searches so it’s not a ton to cull through. There was a recent post here about VG cuts possibly having low HCA scores and I did happen upon one of those recently so that does open the aperture a bit.

 

[Diamond Elite]

I’ve done it both ways, but I prefer buying a completed ring so there’s not so much time and money spent shipping the stone.

I understand. Timewise it could be costly but I do believe that if you purchase a stone and you know a good jeweler who can help you with the setting, it could save you money. The loose stone and loose setting do not have to cost a lot, it is the total markup that makes our beloved jewerly so expensive

 

[MelloYello8]

I understand. Timewise it could be costly but I do believe that if you purchase a stone and you know a good jeweler who can help you with the setting, it could save you money. The loose stone and loose setting do not have to cost a lot, it is the total markup that makes our beloved jewerly so expensive

In the completed rings, the stones and settings were invoiced as separate items, but the stone was set when shipped. So, it really just mattered if the jewelers who sold both had marked up each by a lot. Since there weren’t as many vendors selling lab diamonds when I had gone that route, the availability was more important than the perceived mark ups. When I’ve purchased a stone and ring separately I’ve had to add both the extra shipping/ insurance costs and the setting fees which would normally be included in the cost of completed rings. There are normally other perks with completed rings like free or cheap ring resizing within reason, warranties against the stone falling out and free cleanings and prong inspections.

 

[Diamond Elite]

For me, one of the main issues is lack of transparency re: pricing.

The Mined diamond industry is not exactly crystal clear, lol, but only one MMD-selling company is listing wholesale pricing + commission = retail price.

I don't mind companies making a profit, that's how they exist, but not knowing if one is paying 20% or 200% profit on a lab stone is... off-putting...

Haha you got me there with the transparancy and crystal clear

Margins in this sector can be pretty crazy. I as a seller always keep an eye on the prices of natural stones offered by the online giants and physical jewelry stores, and I try to offer lab diamonds for around 50% of the price of natural diamonds. Following this strategy, with hpht diamonds you can have pretty good margins but with cvd its gets tighter. For me it depends on the producers and their prices tend to fluctuate constantly. In terms of percentages of prices of natural diamonds, how much would you be willing to spend?

 

[Diamond Elite]

Is this different from buying mined diamonds from the mall vs Blue Nile vs a preferred vendor? I noticed lab diamonds available in virtual inventories of different vendors but haven’t seen a 10 fold difference in prices. Ball parking 20% differences at most. I imagine where the vendors source their diamonds from makes the biggest difference. Eg WD or Chatham vice a fledgling company in Asia.

I know in The Netherlands there used to be some sort of unwriten rule to offer jewelry times 1.4 of the costprice. I think was more of an average and was most likely influenced by many factors but I did noticed a similarity in proces. If I look at sourcing, it really depends on the type of labgrown and the size of the company.

 

[Diamond Elite]

I think perhaps I'm just wishing for a PS Search Engine for MMD, as it means one doesn't have to trawl a million sites, many of which don't have an inventory and require one to contact them!

True that, and I can tell from experience that the great Ali Baba will cost you money. In my beginning times of trading I tried 10 vendors, got scammed by 8

 

[OoohShiny]

Haha you got me there with the transparancy and crystal clear

Margins in this sector can be pretty crazy. I as a seller always keep an eye on the prices of natural stones offered by the online giants and physical jewelry stores, and I try to offer lab diamonds for around 50% of the price of natural diamonds. Following this strategy, with hpht diamonds you can have pretty good margins but with cvd its gets tighter. For me it depends on the producers and their prices tend to fluctuate constantly. In terms of percentages of prices of natural diamonds, how much would you be willing to spend?

haha Puns were not intended!

There has been previous discussion on here (and by Rapaport, IIRC) about whether MMD should be tied to Mined values or set on another basis, such as Cost Plus.

The (mined sector's) argument is that they should be their own entity and compete between themselves, rather than linking themselves to Mined values, because in their eyes, they are not the same product.


Personally speaking, I just want a colourless VVS 2.5-3ct Asscher to come in at about $3k

 

[Diamond Elite]

haha Puns were not intended!

There has been previous discussion on here (and by Rapaport, IIRC) about whether MMD should be tied to Mined values or set on another basis, such as Cost Plus.

The (mined sector's) argument is that they should be their own entity and compete between themselves, rather than linking themselves to Mined values, because in their eyes, they are not the same product.


Personally speaking, I just want a colourless VVS 2.5-3ct Asscher to come in at about $3k

I am still in the middle with this, I focus on the 50% rate because people will inevitably compare prices with that of natural diamonds. To be fair I even agree with the mined sector, let the labgrown diamond market develop and we will see how it goes..

I took the liberty of checking it out but carats rate alone are already around 4k haha so 2.5-3 for 3k for now will be a challenge

 

[Voldemort]

Dear fellow labgrown diamond enthusiasts,

My name is Mark and I write to you from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. I have been active in the field of labgrown diamonds for quite a while now and I am currently exploring to futher professionalize my activities. I read through the many posts on this forum and learned a great deal from you guys. What I notice here and in the market is that we have people buying a loose stone, sometimes for a setting they already have, and people seeking to find their perfect finished ring.

I am curious to find out what the challenges are that you have or may have had when looking for a labgrown diamond, and if you prefer(red) to purchase a loose stone or a finished ring.

Looking forward to your valuable insights and hopefull a fruitfull discussion.

I want only the unset stone because I want my jeweler to set it for me. \

I have zero problem owning one.. or.. more.. I've seen only a few places that will allow you to purchase the stone on its own, which is a shame but in the same breath, I get it, too. Having said that.. I would still prefer to choose my jeweler versus being forced to have someone I don't know creating the ring or pendant, earrings, etc.. that I want.