Lab Diamond Future Cost Projection?

[seaurchin]

I'm wondering if we'd expect lab diamonds to keep coming down in price or not. I want one but am not in a hurry so I'd be happy to wait a couple of years if a steep price decrease is likely. Thoughts?

 

[bearycute]

No crystal ball, but if you aren’t in a rush and have no real calling to buy, just wait? I doubt they’re going to increase in price significantly other than perhaps catching up with inflation. But no clue about decrease. Supply chain can always impact, and if we knew the future, we’d all be investing.

My perspective is to spend what you’re comfortable with now, and that’s it! If you want a guaranteed “$ back”, pay higher retail for a jeweler that does trade up. To me, it isn’t worth paying the higher premium for “fun jewelry”, but YMMV.

 

[denverappraiser]

I don’t expect to see them get much cheaper but we may see them getting bigger and possibly better. A significant fraction of the costs, like more than half, have to do with things like cutters, setters, shippers, taxes, grading labs, and so on. Even if the rough material gets cheaper, those things don’t. Where they may drop is stones like D/IF 2 caraters. Those are currently twice the price of otherwise similar E/VVS1/1.95’s and I can see that spread shrining as the growers get better. How much and when? Who knows? That’s a job for a psychic, not an appraiser.

 

[yssie]

I feel like 1-2ct generically-cut RBs are probably at their lowest now. But I think larger stones - 4ct+, say? - will decrease substantially as the growing process improves.

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

IMHO variety and quality will grow. Prices are subject to supply chain issues.