Lab diamonds are now a majority of US ring sales

[missy]

My DH shared this with me and maybe it's already been shared on PS but if not here you go
Interesting but not surprising IMO

https://twitter.com/x/status/1867072136076202125

 

[missy]

I have contributed to the lab diamond movement

 

[tyty333]

Yep, I'm not surprised! My SIL just informed me that my niece wants a 3.5-4 carat radiant so it will have to be a lab stone. She is
in dentistry school and has major student loans (not sure what her future DH does). They don't need to spend big bucks on
a diamond. I think this pattern will continue.

I have not purchased any lab stones, yet. I'm not against them though. I need to figure out where they fit into my life as
somewhat of a jewelry minimalist.

 

[molecule]

I continue to be surprised at how much social media changes people's perception - apparently I am slow to adapt.
The norm or reach goal is no longer 1ct. With social media and LGD availability, 2cts almost seems like the new minimum, which is natural grown is a decent part of a house downpayment.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I think people prefer to spend 3 months salary on a travel experience, money towards a down payment on a house, or savings. And they can do that with a beautiful diamond on their finger, albeit a lab diamond. So it's not unexpected that the market for natural diamonds has changed.

When I first bought and wore my 1.73 carat OEC natural diamond ring it got so much attention because people in my area were wearing diamonds around the 1 carat size. Now there are so many people wearing diamonds 2 carats and up and it's just another diamond in a sea of big diamonds.

Personally, I love seeing all the big diamonds people are wearing. To me it is eye candy and I love looking at them. There's something special about being able to see sparkle across a room. I love it.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I’m not sure people buying labs are spending less. They are spending the same but using their money to buy a 4ct lab rather than a .70ct natural. I’m looking forward to the analyses by social scientists about the class and other factors that influence these choices. Because it isn’t just “economics”.

 

[AdaBeta27]

I'm not surprised. People haven't been very sentimental about their e-ring diamond(s) for a long time. Just think back on how many Pricescopers traded theirs in on an upgrade, even 15 or 20 years ago. Many people want a nice ring but don't want to spend a fortune on it. If a lab diamond is cut as well and has the same beauty as a mined stone, I think a lot of people are going to opt for a lab diamond, or three (haha) and mined diamonds will continue to have an increasingly limited and shrinking customer base. Lab diamonds started to appeal to more of us when the cutters started cutting them with similar precision to mined diamonds.

 

[LilAlex]

Looks like almost everything for sale on LT is lab diamonds. Big, little, one-off sellers, vendors, etc. I do not recall it being like this. Either that is what the market wants or that is what nobody wants -- hard to tell on a re-sale forum.

 

[molecule]

Looks like almost everything for sale on LT is lab diamonds. Big, little, one-off sellers, vendors, etc. I do not recall it being like this. Either that is what the market wants or that is what nobody wants -- hard to tell on a re-sale forum.

I think with LGD's cheaper prices, people spend less time thinking about what they want long term

 

[jaqjaqjaq]

Our rent is astronomical because of the school district we choose to live in…we have three kids, two of which graduate high school in the next two years, two need braces, my son had a recent medical event requiring specialists, we plan to help the kids get their first car, and somewhere in there we’d like to retire when the time comes. Lab diamonds suit my want for big, blingy baubles that I don't want to spend tons of money on My previous diamond jewelry was all earth mined but as the kids got older and our plans changed, it just didn’t make sense anymore. I love the many options I have now - I just wish gold prices would go down so I can start new projects.

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

I think with LGD's cheaper prices, people spend less time thinking about what they want long term

Yes, for the price of a 2 carat natural you could get ten lab diamonds in different cuts and colors.

I love natural diamonds from a rock collection perspective but these days there has to be something special about a particular natural diamond for me to spend the extra money.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I saw a popular YouTube style blogger taking about jewelry trends for 2025 and she said natural diamonds are O-U-T! But antique and vintage is IN! lol

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i wonder if this will change in other parts of the world, where tradionally diamond rings are more modest

 

[Bron357]

I love diamonds because they are so pretty and sparkly throwing rainbow colours. That’s why I also love Moissanite and Strontium Titanite.
Diamonds aren’t rare and there will always be a market for exceptional natural diamonds but now at least the “average punter” can afford to enjoy something big enough to see without it being “frozen spit”.
And I will add how I think it’s weird that people consider “lab” diamonds perfectly acceptable but a “lab” sapphire or ruby always gets a HUGE thumbs down.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I saw this coming.
Natural Diamond sellers who think that trashing lab diamonds is effective are just shooting themselves in the foot.
Lab diamonds and mined diamonds (vetted) are identical to the human eye- even with magnification.
When dealers use the financial aspects, it just makes it worse.
The resale value on both is terrible compared to retail. Since naturals cost so much more, the losses are far greater.
From my perspective- people are thrilled to use 5-10% of their budget and get the same thing- leaving so much for a down payment, vacation, you name it.
I have not found people spending anywhere near as much on lab diamonds.
We are talking about people who can spend much higher sums if they chose to.
We still sell natural diamonds. But a fraction what we used to.
I’m sure other dealers are seeing the same thing

 

[PIKAPIKA988]

With the lower price of lab diamonds, I can enjoy colors other than white diamonds at a more affordable price. I really like champagne color a lot

 

[purplesilk]

i wonder if this will change in other parts of the world, where tradionally diamond rings are more modest

I live in a country where engagement rings are, carat wise, very modest: the market hasn't been strongly impacted by lab diamonds, people here still buy modest natural diamonds

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I live in a country where engagement rings are, carat wise, very modest: the market hasn't been strongly impacted by lab diamonds, people here still buy modest natural diamonds

we are a real mix of cultures here
like we have our British heritage and that is still very strong in many areas
but then since WW2 we have also been greatly influenced by the US
it will be interesting to see what happens

 

[glitterata]

From my perspective- people are thrilled to use 5-10% of their budget and get the same thing- leaving so much for a down payment, vacation, you name it.
I have not found people spending anywhere near as much on lab diamonds.
We are talking about people who can spend much higher sums if they chose to.
We still sell natural diamonds. But a fraction what we used to.
I’m sure other dealers are seeing the same thing

David, are dealers still able to make a living, if buyers are spending 5-10% of their former budgets? Are you selling more lab diamonds than you used to sell natural diamonds, or has your revenue dropped by 90-95%? Oh, maybe natural diamonds cost YOU so much that the profit on a lower-priced lab diamond is similar to the profit on a higher-priced natural diamond--is that it?

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

David, are dealers still able to make a living, if buyers are spending 5-10% of their former budgets? Are you selling more lab diamonds than you used to sell natural diamonds, or has your revenue dropped by 90-95%? Oh, maybe natural diamonds cost YOU so much that the profit on a lower-priced lab diamond is similar to the profit on a higher-priced natural diamond--is that it?

Good questions! I was wondering the same thing.

 

[Un_Petit_Rayon_de_Soleil]

I have contributed to the lab diamond movement

Looks so beautiful on you!

 

[Arthur Kennedy]

I love diamonds because they are so pretty and sparkly throwing rainbow colours. That’s why I also love Moissanite and Strontium Titanite.
Diamonds aren’t rare and there will always be a market for exceptional natural diamonds but now at least the “average punter” can afford to enjoy something big enough to see without it being “frozen spit”.
And I will add how I think it’s weird that people consider “lab” diamonds perfectly acceptable but a “lab” sapphire or ruby always gets a HUGE thumbs down.

I must confess I know next to nothing about lab rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. With lab diamonds they are visually/physically identical to natural Earth mined diamonds (especially when all things are essentially equal in terms of cut quality, color, and clarity). But what about laboratory colored stones? Are they visually and chemically the same as natural ones? My assumption was that much of the laboratory colored stones were basically colored glass. Am I wrong? And if so, are the prices as dirt cheap for nice laboratory rubies, emeralds, and sapphires as high quality lab diamonds are?

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

i wonder if this will change in other parts of the world, where tradionally diamond rings are more modest

I live in a country where engagement rings are, carat wise, very modest: the market hasn't been strongly impacted by lab diamonds, people here still buy modest natural diamonds

Maybe the cultures with smaller diamonds that also value high color/clarity? They might still buy a few natural diamonds but expand their collection more than they otherwise would. Whereas the cultures with smaller diamonds that don’t care so much about color/clarity might just get whatever is easiest to buy. But they, too might end up buying more diamond jewelry pieces. Diamonds are too darn pretty.

And I will add how I think it’s weird that people consider “lab” diamonds perfectly acceptable but a “lab” sapphire or ruby always gets a HUGE thumbs down.

Totally agree! Absolutely no judgment on colored stone lovers. Unlike diamonds I have rarely spent $$$$$ on natural colored gemstones.

Some of my gemstones I can tell are lab because when I look at them closeup, they are too perfect. With my lab diamonds, the only tell is that I could never afford a one-carat deep blue natural colored diamond!

 

[LilAlex]

For colored stones, mentioned a few times above, it's that that's how they came out of the ground -- hence the appeal of untreated ones. I don't care if a factory can make a pretty sapphire. I like the silk and the subtle inclusions that make each one unique and a slightly different hue.

For man-made, there is not much difference between a pretty 1-ct and 100-ct "gem." If we could make fake golden-colored alloy that looked exactly like the real thing, I would have no interest in that. (Yes, I know synthetic sapphire is the same, chemically, as natural but it would not have existed without us.) This is also part of the reason that I like cabs and simple facet patterns. I'm basically a grown-up rock collector.

 

[missy]

Looks so beautiful on you!

Aww thank you. Here's a profile pic

 

[Rockdiamond]

David, are dealers still able to make a living, if buyers are spending 5-10% of their former budgets? Are you selling more lab diamonds than you used to sell natural diamonds, or has your revenue dropped by 90-95%? Oh, maybe natural diamonds cost YOU so much that the profit on a lower-priced lab diamond is similar to the profit on a higher-priced natural diamond--is that it?

Really great questions. As far as the industry…. I’m scratching my head in a way. Like, how can these huge companies survive with such diminished income.
But I also notice that nowadays the majority of the large diamond companies on 47th street are owned by people in India.
Oligarchy at its finest. The people working in these offices in NYC stand 0 chance of working their way up the ladder. So sad. Some seem like virtual slaves.
So the owners of these companies can afford to wait- and take losses while the market settles.
Kind of like the huge vacant lots sitting some of the most valuable real estate in NYC. Fifth Avenue from 47- 46th streets - all the buildings have been razed.
The corner building used to have the nicest window on 47th street. Millions of dollars of gorgeous diamonds and jewelry in that window. The rent for that window? $50k a month!
Yet they tore that building down about two years back. And I see no plans of equipment to build something there as of yet.
Who could afford that?
But here we are.
For us - DiamondsbyLauren as a company ….
I’m the luckiest guy in the world.
We have a small office - the rent is pretty much what it was 10 years ago. I didn’t expand when we could have. I preferred to stay small and comfortable. That’s really paying off today.
We do a fraction of the volume we did years back but we’re still viable.
We now sell a lot more “regular “ engagement rings. Still some fancy colors… but now a lot more colorless lab diamonds.
Thanks for asking!!!

 

[glitterata]

Really great questions. As far as the industry…. I’m scratching my head in a way. Like, how can these huge companies survive with such diminished income.
But I also notice that nowadays the majority of the large diamond companies on 47th street are owned by people in India.
Oligarchy at its finest. The people working in these offices in NYC stand 0 chance of working their way up the ladder. So sad. Some seem like virtual slaves.
So the owners of these companies can afford to wait- and take losses while the market settles.
Kind of like the huge vacant lots sitting some of the most valuable real estate in NYC. Fifth Avenue from 47- 46th streets - all the buildings have been razed.
The corner building used to have the nicest window on 47th street. Millions of dollars of gorgeous diamonds and jewelry in that window. The rent for that window? $50k a month!
Yet they tore that building down about two years back. And I see no plans of equipment to build something there as of yet.
Who could afford that?
But here we are.
For us - DiamondsbyLauren as a company ….
I’m the luckiest guy in the world.
We have a small office - the rent is pretty much what it was 10 years ago. I didn’t expand when we could have. I preferred to stay small and comfortable. That’s really paying off today.
We do a fraction of the volume we did years back but we’re still viable.
We now sell a lot more “regular “ engagement rings. Still some fancy colors… but now a lot more colorless lab diamonds.
Thanks for asking!!!

Thank you for that fascinating reply, David. It sounds like a difficult time! As it is for many of us in many industries. I'm glad you're able to keep your business going, and I hope you're one of the ones who prospers when it settles down (if it ever does settle down).