shape
carat
color
clarity

Lab grown diamonds will make good natural diamonds way more expensive

FL_runner

Brilliant_Rock
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Cut and size would be the biggest factors right now- LB caps out at 1ct. Also the ability to be selective about the parameters of the stone. I like my LB studs but for a ring I wanted to be able to choose a specific stone within specific cut parameters.
 

Big Fat Facets

Brilliant_Rock
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Jun 7, 2019
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as a consumer, i'd be happy to pay more than $1000 a carat for a laboratory diamond if it was high color, high clarity and available in ideal makes.

ideal old mine brilliant/antique cushion
ideal old european/circular brilliant
large faceted, old style oval, pear, moval, marquise

at the moment, i understand that this is available, by going custom. i'd rather there be stocked inventory instead of going the custom route.
 
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pearaffair

Ideal_Rock
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So... I have a bit of an ignorant question about MMDs

Why would anyone pay more than what lightbox is selling for?

I got a price sheet from a MMD supplier today with 1ct VS1/G stones for $1500, but a retail client can buy the same stone for $800 + a pendant setting for another $200 here: https://lightboxjewelry.com/collect...oducts/necklaces-1carat-drilled-pendant-white

Am I missing something?

Availability, maybe. The lightbox diamonds are not always available.
 

mrsthirdcharms

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 19, 2018
Messages
233
So... I have a bit of an ignorant question about MMDs

Why would anyone pay more than what lightbox is selling for?

I got a price sheet from a MMD supplier today with 1ct VS1/G stones for $1500, but a retail client can buy the same stone for $800 + a pendant setting for another $200 here: https://lightboxjewelry.com/collect...oducts/necklaces-1carat-drilled-pendant-white

Am I missing something?

Cut, for one. LB caps out at 1 carat, and if you’re lucky enough to get one of these carefully controlled releases from them, you have no control over the cut, color, exact size, etc. You’re going to pay more for an ideal cut, anything over 1 carat, or for fancy shapes.

Also, LB colored MMD are Meh imo. Their blue is not saturated at all. There are vendors such as New World Diamonds offering a wide array of colors, and more interesting styles, cuts, etc. at very reasonable price points.
 

MeowMeow

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 27, 2009
Messages
1,645
So... I have a bit of an ignorant question about MMDs

Why would anyone pay more than what lightbox is selling for?

I got a price sheet from a MMD supplier today with 1ct VS1/G stones for $1500, but a retail client can buy the same stone for $800 + a pendant setting for another $200 here: https://lightboxjewelry.com/collect...oducts/necklaces-1carat-drilled-pendant-white

Am I missing something?

Agreed with the others. Cut. The Lightbox stones have decent cuts thankfully but I would also like to see if any of the vendors I've grown to love who cut lab grown coloured stones end up doing diamonds as well over the next few years. (I don't expect to be able to make any lab diamond purchases before our 10 year and I still have several years to go before we hit that lol) The vendors I love do lovely and well cut stones and for reasonable prices. I am sure some say lab gemstones aren't worth more than 50 dollars a carat but I would pay up to 400 a carat if I know it will be a beautiful stone. Same for lab diamonds. I would happily go to 1k to 1.5k a carat, maybe even 2 if i know for sure the cutting is great instead of 800 per carat for good cutting.
 

123ducklings

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 10, 2020
Messages
914
So... I have a bit of an ignorant question about MMDs

Why would anyone pay more than what lightbox is selling for?

I got a price sheet from a MMD supplier today with 1ct VS1/G stones for $1500, but a retail client can buy the same stone for $800 + a pendant setting for another $200 here: https://lightboxjewelry.com/collect...oducts/necklaces-1carat-drilled-pendant-white

Am I missing something?

The particular pendant you linked has a hole drilled through it, so most (on this board at least) avoid it. They also have a 1ct without a hole in it for $1,000 so maybe you intended to link that one.

For 1ct rounds, LB has some of the best quality for the price, and you can find LB on sale often. For smaller sized stones you can often find better deals elsewhere. Larger stones or most fancy shapes simply aren’t available from LB.
 

sprinklesparkles

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
283
So... I have a bit of an ignorant question about MMDs

Why would anyone pay more than what lightbox is selling for?

I got a price sheet from a MMD supplier today with 1ct VS1/G stones for $1500, but a retail client can buy the same stone for $800 + a pendant setting for another $200 here: https://lightboxjewelry.com/collect...oducts/necklaces-1carat-drilled-pendant-white

Am I missing something?

Same reason people pay more for any other goods in order to buy from a small business or craftsman vs walmart.
 

OoohShiny

Ideal_Rock
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Buttercookies

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2020
Messages
850
So... I have a bit of an ignorant question about MMDs

Why would anyone pay more than what lightbox is selling for?

I got a price sheet from a MMD supplier today with 1ct VS1/G stones for $1500, but a retail client can buy the same stone for $800 + a pendant setting for another $200 here: https://lightboxjewelry.com/collect...oducts/necklaces-1carat-drilled-pendant-white

Am I missing something?

It is very difficult for consumer right now to obtain that holy grail 1ct from LB. As soon as inventory is there, it will be gone in 5 minutes. Also the cut is only VERY GOOD according to GIA. So for ring, most people will prefer a better cut and willing to pay more for it.
 

VDK1

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2017
Messages
198
So... I have a bit of an ignorant question about MMDs

Why would anyone pay more than what lightbox is selling for?

I got a price sheet from a MMD supplier today with 1ct VS1/G stones for $1500, but a retail client can buy the same stone for $800 + a pendant setting for another $200 here: https://lightboxjewelry.com/collect...oducts/necklaces-1carat-drilled-pendant-white

Am I missing something?

We assume that Light Box offer retail price of 800 usd for 1ct VS1/G Very good cut ( GIA standards)

Other supplier retail price should be at least 2 000 usd (base on the wholesale price of 1.5k usd).Assume that it is an EX cut (GIA standards?)
So many customers accept to pay 250% price just becsuse of "cut"!!!. I suggest you to check with yout supplier , ask them to get GIA report EX cut. Then you would starting another business to sell costume jewelery besides your highend one!
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

Super_Ideal_Rock
Trade
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Garry H (Cut Nut)

Super_Ideal_Rock
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18,422
We assume that Light Box offer retail price of 800 usd for 1ct VS1/G Very good cut ( GIA standards)

Other supplier retail price should be at least 2 000 usd (base on the wholesale price of 1.5k usd).Assume that it is an EX cut (GIA standards?)
So many customers accept to pay 250% price just becsuse of "cut"!!!. I suggest you to check with yout supplier , ask them to get GIA report EX cut. Then you would starting another business to sell costume jewelery besides your highend one!

What does the cut of Lightbox rounds look like?
I expect most CVD diamonds to be on the shallow side which works better in my strongly held opinion - especially for body jewels (rather than rings) which is where most Lightbox diamonds willl end up me thinks.
Assuming one diamond is cut from each CVD platelet the main constraint will be depth. When I was at the Vegas JCK show 18 months ago almost all the larger (likely CVD) diamonds I checked passed Ideal-scope examination (as opposed to less than 20% of GIA XXX natural diamonds).
 

Daisys and Diamonds

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2019
Messages
22,510
@missy some interesting "fact check" of the "echo friendly" of MMD, "the smaller physical footprint lab diamonds offer as one advantage?"


"The US Federal Trade Commission issued a warning to eight companies last April over their misleading marketing of lab-grown diamonds. The admonition exposed a simmering war of words between the producers of those diamonds and the miners of natural stones, a row that centres on claims around environmental standards and sustainability"

. ..
Trucost estimated that, in 2016, greenhouse gas emissions associated with lab-grown diamond production are approximately three times greater than natural diamonds produced by DPA members. This was probably an underestimate, it noted, due to a lack of publicly available information.
..

"Jean-Marc Lieberherr, who stepped down in December after almost four years as chief executive of the DPA, accuses some growers of making false claims about using renewable energy. “Some say that they have no carbon footprint, but given the incredibly high temperatures they need to run their reactors, solar or wind energy is not sufficient,” he says.

“Only hydropower would deliver that. How many have access to hydropower? They may have some renewable energy in their grid or buy solar credits but that is not quite the same.”

Given the high temperatures inside the reactors in which the diamonds are grown “15m litres of water are needed every year to cool them off”, Mr Lieberherr says. “In areas where there are already water shortages, that is not great. You have to hold people to account on the claims they make.”

...
"the importance for diamond growers to focus on becoming carbon neutral but, as Mr Mathuram points out, it will not be an easy process. “Many growers are based in China, which has caused market instability, undercutting prices,” he says, questioning “how would they qualify for sustainability"

So shift production to a country that has mostly hydro power
I nominate the South island of NZ
 

ForteKitty

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
5,239
What does the cut of Lightbox rounds look like?
I expect most CVD diamonds to be on the shallow side which works better in my strongly held opinion - especially for body jewels (rather than rings) which is where most Lightbox diamonds willl end up me thinks.
Assuming one diamond is cut from each CVD platelet the main constraint will be depth. When I was at the Vegas JCK show 18 months ago almost all the larger (likely CVD) diamonds I checked passed Ideal-scope examination (as opposed to less than 20% of GIA XXX natural diamonds).

Hmm. Is that why lab oec pricing is much higher? because they have to use a much larger rough (due to depth) to cut the same diameter oec, vs rb?

I only have one pair of lab diamond earrings and they're the pink lightbox. Cut is decent, maybe 56% table and not too shallow, but I hate that they laser inscribe the table.
 

VDK1

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2017
Messages
198
So shift production to a country that has mostly hydro power
I nominate the South island of NZ

Unfortunately it is not the case!
Many MMDs are made in China or India due to the cheap labour cost and enviroment cost!
 

Daisys and Diamonds

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2019
Messages
22,510
Unfortunately it is not the case!
Many MMDs are made in China or India due to the cheap labour cost and enviroment cost!

Well there for a my idea for kick starting the economy
 

PM83

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 23, 2019
Messages
83
Natural or lab created... resale value sucks either way and you’ll never get back what you paid for it! I went with mmd and saved a ton. However, everyone’s preferences and lifestyles vary and that’s OK. Personally, I value that I get to put that extra cash that we saved towards my down payment, while also enjoying my gorgeous lab diamond on my finger, and that’s what worked for ME! ;-)
 

Daisys and Diamonds

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2019
Messages
22,510
How can you compete against the dirt cheap sources?

You can't
Not when all most people care about is the price to them
not that all the people along the supply line are being paid descent
 

VDK1

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2017
Messages
198
You can't
Not when all most people care about is the price to them
not that all the people along the supply line are being paid descent

That' s ideal.
But the diamond industry is business. It's the law of supply and demand. How to survive and still to make money when many suppliers enter the market!
 

GreenPapaya

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 25, 2016
Messages
506
Hmmm. Personally I want to know when I can get a diamond glass watch or a diamond glass phone! Are we there yet? I'm not talking about that spray on "diamond" stuff. I want to be blinded when I check my phone on a sunny day:lol:

If lab grown diamonds make good diamonds more expensive, will people turn more and more to lab diamonds? And mines will eventually close, or will there always be a market for those diamonds regardless of price? Will there be a point where mined are just too expensive for regular people? Will mined diamonds become "investment" pieces then? I'm interested in seeing where this will go, but also sad for livelihoods that may be affected. Darn technology, destroying and creating jobs. Who would have thought that playing video games in your parents' basement could be so lucrative? I shouldn't have discouraged my brothers :???::lol:
 

mrsthirdcharms

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 19, 2018
Messages
233
We assume that Light Box offer retail price of 800 usd for 1ct VS1/G Very good cut ( GIA standards)

Other supplier retail price should be at least 2 000 usd (base on the wholesale price of 1.5k usd).Assume that it is an EX cut (GIA standards?)
So many customers accept to pay 250% price just becsuse of "cut"!!!. I suggest you to check with yout supplier , ask them to get GIA report EX cut. Then you would starting another business to sell costume jewelery besides your highend one!

LB diamonds aren’t really $800 per carat, because you cannot purchase them loose. Factor in at least $200 for a 10K gold setting, or more for the new 14k gold jewelry offerings. The least expensive options are set in silver, +$100. You won’t be able to recoup anything but scrap metal costs for these if you reset LB stones. It is true that you can get LB items on sale, but very rarely any of the larger carat stones that are in high demand. Straight from the source, the cheapest LB diamond is $900/carat.

A search on rarecarat.com will serve up plenty of MMD stones below $1K per carat, albeit usually smaller ones. The bigger, better quality, cut, clarity & fancy cuts command higher prices, but it definitely pays to comparison shop.

I paid ~$1400 per carat for my ideal cut RB MMD, 1.7 carats, 7.7mm round. I don’t really care if prices drop, or rise. I’m thrilled with my stone, and get immense pleasure from it.
 

VDK1

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2017
Messages
198
Hmmm. Personally I want to know when I can get a diamond glass watch or a diamond glass phone! Are we there yet? I'm not talking about that spray on "diamond" stuff. I want to be blinded when I check my phone on a sunny day:lol:

If lab grown diamonds make good diamonds more expensive, will people turn more and more to lab diamonds? And mines will eventually close, or will there always be a market for those diamonds regardless of price? Will there be a point where mined are just too expensive for regular people? Will mined diamonds become "investment" pieces then? I'm interested in seeing where this will go, but also sad for livelihoods that may be affected. Darn technology, destroying and creating jobs. Who would have thought that playing video games in your parents' basement could be so lucrative? I shouldn't have discouraged my brothers :???::lol:

First synthetic ( lab grown) ruby was made in 1837. Those lab grown rubies are priced at 20 usd to 40 usd/ ct nowaday.

How about good nature unheated faceted or pigeon blood rubies? Their prices seem become more and more expensive. After almost ... 2 centuries, the intrest of "lab grown" rubies are not as hot as those of MMD now.

Hopefully in the very near future we can have diamond glasses watches like the sapphire glasses now
 

VDK1

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2017
Messages
198
LB diamonds aren’t really $800 per carat, because you cannot purchase them loose. Factor in at least $200 for a 10K gold setting, or more for the new 14k gold jewelry offerings. The least expensive options are set in silver, +$100. You won’t be able to recoup anything but scrap metal costs for these if you reset LB stones. It is true that you can get LB items on sale, but very rarely any of the larger carat stones that are in high demand. Straight from the source, the cheapest LB diamond is $900/carat.

A search on rarecarat.com will serve up plenty of MMD stones below $1K per carat, albeit usually smaller ones. The bigger, better quality, cut, clarity & fancy cuts command higher prices, but it definitely pays to comparison shop.

I paid ~$1400 per carat for my ideal cut RB MMD, 1.7 carats, 7.7mm round. I don’t really care if prices drop, or rise. I’m thrilled with my stone, and get immense pleasure from it.

Yes. We have to say " Thank you Light Box. You have done a great job of adjusting the market price: 800 usd+- 30% / 1ct MMD. That benefits to consumers!"
 

mrsthirdcharms

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 19, 2018
Messages
233
I don’t know... I think that synthetic gems, like hydrothermal rubies & corundum in all its various rainbow colors, are a great medium for very talented lapidaries who use them to make wonderful precision cuts. They’re different than natural gems, but definitely have the appeal of perfect clarity, and striking, saturated colors.

Natural gemstones have a different type of appeal. It’s not an either/or. There’s plenty of room on the spectrum for both.
 

VDK1

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2017
Messages
198
I don’t know... I think that synthetic gems, like hydrothermal rubies & corundum in all its various rainbow colors, are a great medium for very talented lapidaries who use them to make wonderful precision cuts. They’re different than natural gems, but definitely have the appeal of perfect clarity, and striking, saturated colors.
Natural gemstones have a different type of appeal. It’s not an either/or. There’s plenty of room on the spectrum for both.
They "are" rubies! ( same aluminium oxide, Al2O3 .....)
 
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