lab grown vs earth grown in a nut shell

[Rafael Jackson]

I've been doing my homework and finally made my purchase, my wife is now the proud owner of a super ideal cut 1.46ct ,color-E, clarity VS2 "lab grown" vs2 diamond as her center stone. The stone shines like hell as it post a 1.1 on the HCA. I compared the exact stone in an earth grown diamond and the price turned out to be $16k, I paid $3200.00 for her lab grown. Some might say "lab grown diamonds are worthless after purchase", which I feel is sheer panic by overpriced earth grown diamond owners and dealers. Honestly, they're right to be afraid, they should be very afraid that the 100+yrs of beautiful, overpriced, blood mined diamonds are coming to an end ,and that's coming from a traditional 45yr old male. No one can argue that most natural diamonds retail purchased will depreciate somewhere between 30 and 50% after a yr or 2 after of purchase. If my lab diamond is worth absolutely nothing ,I loose $3200-$3200=$0 , in comparison to the comparable earth diamond being worth 50% of it's original purchase $16k -$8= -$8k!Would you rather loose $8k or $3200? hmmm...Others might argue, but the love I have for my wife has nothing to do with how much I pay for a stone ,but the beauty of the stone has a direct correlation. Considering her lab grown is as beautiful or maybe even more beautiful ,I'm going to error on the side of saving thousands of dollars, which isn't an error at all as the masses will easily prove.https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=aVNuaVpXYVAzNGE3YmdvWnJiS2RYT3h1cUgxNWFn

 

[DejaWiz]

I hold a very similar viewpoint: a diamond is a diamond, no matter its origin.
However, I have great appreciation for the mystique and allure of 900+ million year old natural grown diamonds.

 

[luvmysparklies]

What a beautiful diamond and overall ring! I have both earth mined and lab diamonds. While not all earth mined are blood diamonds, I take, what I believe is your greater point. As with many things, man (humankind) will find ways to differentiate what should be just viewed as fully acceptable differences into "mine is better than yours because of x..."

I am glad for the choice we have of labs. I have seen plenty other earth mined diamonds that my mind and heart wants ...but, my wallet says

Congratulations!!

 

[dk168]

I have earth-mined diamonds and have not considered another another significant earth-mined stone; however, I would like an lab/MMD OEC about 1ct when budget allows.

DK

 

[Philmc99]

I was really, really conflicted about a gift for my wife. I went back and forth and back and forth between lab and mined. I ended up going with higher color lab (F color) over lower natural (h - k) and I can honestly say that it was the best decision I could have made. My wife prefers a colorless stone and she was over the moon with the lab diamonds. I know that if I had gone with the natural ones she would not been as happy. I think Lab diamonds are a no-brainer.

 

[lanz88]

I 100% agree with what you say. However the resell value for lab diamonds IS there.
A few days ago I sold my 1.6ct hvs2 lab diamond platinum pave ring for $4500 Australian dollars. I paid $6000 Australian dollars for it! That’s a loss of only 25%, which is better resell value than mined diamonds. So if it’s a beautiful diamond and a beautiful ring I believe the market is there.

 

[Rafael Jackson]

I have no doubt there will always be a market for earth grown diamonds, but I also feel they will not fetch the historical premiums from the past. The earth grown diamond industry will probably have to get with the program, or get gone as not only the millennials have made their choice ,but even myself at 45yrs old had to cave into the fact that earth grown diamonds are not better physically as both diamonds are exactly the same ,but way, way, better financially. I place no sentimental value on the stone because of it's age or original, I can use the platinum setting for that, I concentrate on the beauty of the stone, and then I go where we all go, cost! Here's another post of the ring, I still cant get over the cost of this thing vs lab grown. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=ZENfS1FROFgwaUhuRlYyek43YXl0SFNOTTBuTTBB

 

[Rafael Jackson]

I 100% agree with what you say. However the resell value for lab diamonds IS there.
A few days ago I sold my 1.6ct hvs2 lab diamond platinum pave ring for $4500 Australian dollars. I paid $6000 Australian dollars for it! That’s a loss of only 25%, which is better resell value than mined diamonds. So if it’s a beautiful diamond and a beautiful ring I believe the market is there.

got any pics of that ring?

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

I like both but I do believe people have underestimated how popular lab grown diamonds will be for engagement rings.

We’ve never had a cheap diamond substitute like LGD until now. Moissanite is really pretty but it doesn’t look like a diamond. Cubic zirconia dulls fast with daily wear. But lab diamonds look just like earth diamonds, which I think many people misunderstand until they see LGDs in real life.

 

[jaysonsmom]

I've been doing my homework and finally made my purchase, my wife is now the proud owner of a super ideal cut 1.46ct ,color-E, clarity VS2 "lab grown" vs2 diamond as her center stone. The stone shines like hell as it post a 1.1 on the HCA. I compared the exact stone in an earth grown diamond and the price turned out to be $16k, I paid $3200.00 for her lab grown. Some might say "lab grown diamonds are worthless after purchase", which I feel is sheer panic by overpriced earth grown diamond owners and dealers. Honestly, they're right to be afraid, they should be very afraid that the 100+yrs of beautiful, overpriced, blood mined diamonds are coming to an end ,and that's coming from a traditional 45yr old male. No one can argue that most natural diamonds retail purchased will depreciate somewhere between 30 and 50% after a yr or 2 after of purchase. If my lab diamond is worth absolutely nothing ,I loose $3200-$3200=$0 , in comparison to the comparable earth diamond being worth 50% of it's original purchase $16k -$8= -$8k!Would you rather loose $8k or $3200? hmmm...Others might argue, but the love I have for my wife has nothing to do with how much I pay for a stone ,but the beauty of the stone has a direct correlation. Considering her lab grown is as beautiful or maybe even more beautiful ,I'm going to error on the side of saving thousands of dollars, which isn't an error at all as the masses will easily prove.https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=aVNuaVpXYVAzNGE3YmdvWnJiS2RYT3h1cUgxNWFn

I hear ya OP! Even though I had a healthy bling budget to "Upgrade" my 1.8ct H natural diamond for my 20th anniversary, I decided that the trade in value of my 1.8ct H to my family jeweler (who has lifetime trade-in) plus another 20k still would not get me the size and color I wanted for my 20th anniversary ring. So, I took the 20k upgrade budget and got a custom cut Distinctive Gem OEC+ plus a custom made setting by their master bench+ plus a couple of stacking rings. Bonus is that I still have my 1.8 ct Natural diamond, which I made into a 3-stone RHR. Win, win all the way around. I will never pay for what I can't (origin) see ever again. I'm a convert, and if I ever get earth-mined diamonds from here on forth, it would be from upgrading my current earth mined diamonds from vendors who are not jumping on the lab grown bandwagon.

 

[Alybetter]

I hold a very similar viewpoint: a diamond is a diamond, no matter its origin.
However, I have great appreciation for the mystique and allure of 900+ million year old natural grown diamonds.

Agree and have basically fully transitioned to MMD. Yet I can’t resist antique stones. I love the periods and I love the idea of wearing something that many others have worn before me, imagining their lives, their troubles. Fascinates me.

 

[Alybetter]

I 100% agree with what you say. However the resell value for lab diamonds IS there.
A few days ago I sold my 1.6ct hvs2 lab diamond platinum pave ring for $4500 Australian dollars. I paid $6000 Australian dollars for it! That’s a loss of only 25%, which is better resell value than mined diamonds. So if it’s a beautiful diamond and a beautiful ring I believe the market is there.

Not really for me, unfortunately. I spent $1200 for 3 lab stones, well cut, well performing IGI Ideal cuts, threw them into a custom yellow gold trellis 3 stone setting that was just gorgeous. Changed tack, decided to liquidate the ring and promptly lost 60% of the total cost

You’re in Australia, isn’t it a bit different there in terms of the diamond market??

 

[Kim N]

Not really for me, unfortunately. I spent $1200 for 3 lab stones, well cut, well performing IGI Ideal cuts, threw them into a custom yellow gold trellis 3 stone setting that was just gorgeous. Changed tack, decided to liquidate the ring and promptly lost 60% of the total cost

You’re in Australia, isn’t it a bit different there in terms of the diamond market??

Losing "only" 60% of the total cost still sounds quite good to me, considering people have been saying lab diamonds have *no* resale value, and you're accounting for the setting cost as well, which are always difficult to sell on the secondary market.

 

[luvmysparklies]

Losing "only" 60% of the total cost still sounds quite good to me, considering people have been saying lab diamonds have *no* resale value, and you're accounting for the setting cost as well, which are always difficult to sell on the secondary market.

I am really hoping that the negative mindset on MMD is able to be overcome though. I have seen so many gorgeous stones on this subforum. No one should lose more than half of their investment just because of a preconceived notion. I have seen ebay listings with verbiage stating, "this is real diamond, not lab, moissanite or cz."
The eyeroll is toward the ebay verbiage, and just the bolded part your post.

 

[Alybetter]

Losing "only" 60% of the total cost still sounds quite good to me, considering people have been saying lab diamonds have *no* resale value, and you're accounting for the setting cost as well, which are always difficult to sell on the secondary market.

I am really hoping that the negative mindset on MMD is able to be overcome though. I have seen so many gorgeous stones on this subforum. No one should lose more than half of their investment just because of a preconceived notion. I have seen ebay listings with verbiage stating, "this is real diamond, not lab, moissanite or cz."
The eyeroll is toward the ebay verbiage, and just the bolded part your post.

That may have been my listing for the three stone. That’s exactly what I wrote, in any event. I wasn’t getting any bites and I was worried that people may have thought the stones were other simulants. It’s unfortunate that so many sellers on eBay use the word ‘diamond’ in their listing titles and descriptors, and only when you read the fine print do you find that the stones are indeed simulants and not MMD or mined…

Oddly enough, it wasn’t too long after I edited my description that I got it sold. Incidentally, when I had the stones listed as loose I had only really, really low ball offers; I couldn’t compete with folks selling MMD for dirt cheap on eBay, Etsy, etc. Bummed me out because I wanted to keep that setting.

 

[luvmysparklies]

That may have been my listing for the three stone. That’s exactly what I wrote, in any event. I wasn’t getting any bites and I was worried that people may have thought the stones were other simulants. It’s unfortunate that so many sellers on eBay use the word ‘diamond’ in their listing titles and descriptors, and only when you read the fine print do you find that the stones are indeed simulants and not MMD or mined…

Oddly enough, it wasn’t too long after I edited my description that I got it sold. Incidentally, when I had the stones listed as loose I had only really, really low ball offers; I couldn’t compete with folks selling MMD for dirt cheap on eBay, Etsy, etc. Bummed me out because I wanted to keep that setting.

It was not your listing -- it wasn't a three stone where I saw that verbiage. I think someone must have seen what you wrote and just copied it. The wording in that listing just stuck out to me because of the "not lab" part, when it is. If you did accidentally include the "not lab" part, at least you changed it up. These people still have the same wording even though it is "lab."

I do still feel it is ridiculous the type of loss you sustained though, on real diamonds! Crazy!

 

[swaye2010]

We have several resale sites now that makes selling lab grown diamond’s possible. I paid $3400 and resold mine for $3000. I then bought a higher quality 2.28 OEC G VS1 precision stone for around $4000. I have a lot of stones, both mined and lab. I still like the appeal of old antique cuts and if I could afford to, I probably wouldn’t pass up a ‘dream’ stone. For those of us that make a lot of rings and like the variety, lab diamonds are a great alternative.

People that are buying lab stones for engagement jewelry are not immediately thinking of resale value either. It is a lot easier to resell a lab grown diamond in the price range they are now then a $10-15K mined diamond. It is a huge amount of money for an online transaction. From what I have seen running a resale page is that people will spend up to $3K for an online transaction but the ones over that, will sit there. There is distrust and people don’t want to get scammed. Unless people have grossly overpaid, the lab grown diamonds are going quite easily.

 

[Alybetter]

It was not your listing -- it wasn't a three stone where I saw that verbiage. I think someone must have seen what you wrote and just copied it. The wording in that listing just stuck out to me because of the "not lab" part, when it is. If you did accidentally include the "not lab" part, at least you changed it up. These people still have the same wording even though it is "lab."

I do still feel it is ridiculous the type of loss you sustained though, on real diamonds! Crazy!

No, I didn’t include the ‘not lab’ part. I put that they were lab diamonds in the title and description. I just also later noted that they weren’t moissanite, cz, etc. I misread your post, skimmed right over the ‘not lab’ thing. I guess it was too early

It has been a little expensive trying to find what I like, that’s for sure.

 

[luvmysparklies]

We have several resale sites now that makes selling lab grown diamond’s possible. I paid $3400 and resold mine for $3000. I then bought a higher quality 2.28 OEC G VS1 precision stone for around $4000. I have a lot of stones, both mined and lab. I still like the appeal of old antique cuts and if I could afford to, I probably wouldn’t pass up a ‘dream’ stone. For those of us that make a lot of rings and like the variety, lab diamonds are a great alternative.

People that are buying lab stones for engagement jewelry are not immediately thinking of resale value either. It is a lot easier to resell a lab grown diamond in the price range they are now then a $10-15K mined diamond. It is a huge amount of money for an online transaction. From what I have seen running a resale page is that people will spend up to $3K for an online transaction but the ones over that, will sit there. There is distrust and people don’t want to get scammed. Unless people have grossly overpaid, the lab grown diamonds are going quite easily.

This is encouraging!

 

[swaye2010]

This is encouraging!

Yes, it is. The whole resale argument is a bit bizzare to me. When you go to buy a new car, you buy what you like or what you can afford. You don’t start a conversation with, what is my car going to be worth in 10 years when I go to resell it?

If anything, Lightbox has demonstrated how keen the lab diamond market is. The LD’s wouldn’t be selling out within hours if they weren’t. There will probably always be a market for both just like other goods - cars, clothes, handbags, jewelry. There is a resale market for pretty much everything now. We are not just limited to ebay like we once were. Mined diamond companies mostly seem to be behind articles that highlight the resale value of LD’s.

 

[Philmc99]

I think a lot of people new to the idea of MMD/LGD go back and forth so I thought this could help.

Giving a diamond as a gift requires two peoples preferences, the giver, who has to be happy with their purchase and analyze the 4cs and the receiver, whose preferences are hopefully known and the giver is trying to satisfy. This post is written from my perspective as the person giving a gift. A big part for me, excluding my wife's preference for colorless stones, was removing the marketing messages that we've all been exposed to over time. First I had to ask myself if what I was buying was still a diamond. Of course we know a MMD is chemically the exact same, so I checked that box. Even if type 2a stones are rare in nature they still exist so this fact further supported a MMD purchase. This said to me that MMD did not require a new category of diamond to accommodate MMDs as type 2a already existed. Plus the fact that highly trained jewelers need to invest in specialized equipment to determine the difference only gave more support to MMD. The origin and rarity argument for natural is, in my opinion, more romanticized than factual. Yes natural come from the earth but diamonds being rare is more marketing than anything else.

Then I had to wrestle with the idea of value. The value of natural diamonds is based on man made valuations, so to say MMD have no value is funny but I know it's an old industry that has based millions (maybe billions) of sales on these valuations. But also we know if MMD have no value, natural resale is half so its a wash; Spend 2x on natural and get half back if I were to ever sell, or buy an MMD for half and get 0.....a wash. Plus I have no intention to ever sell so this point moot. Never selling was a very big driver for me because it made the whole value argument irrelevant for me personally.

My final issue was how my gift would be received. Would it be viewed as a diamond or something less than? Based on my wife's reaction it was received no different than other diamond jewelry she's received. All she cared about was the sparkle and beauty... Origin was a non-issue. I had asked her quite a while ago if she would prefer a diamond made in a lab that was near perfect or a natural stone with lower specs and she said LGD, but this was several years ago when I first started reading about LGDs and we've never discussed it since.

Though this was my analysis, for me it made LGD a clear choice for value, quality and what matters most, making my wife happy.

I know everyone is different but I do think that if you can do the analysis of LGD vs natural based on the facts and your personal preferences, less the marketing messages we've been exposed, to you'll find LGD is the way to go.

 

[OdetteOdile]

We have several resale sites now that makes selling lab grown diamond’s possible. I paid $3400 and resold mine for $3000. I then bought a higher quality 2.28 OEC G VS1 precision stone for around $4000. I have a lot of stones, both mined and lab. I still like the appeal of old antique cuts and if I could afford to, I probably wouldn’t pass up a ‘dream’ stone. For those of us that make a lot of rings and like the variety, lab diamonds are a great alternative.

People that are buying lab stones for engagement jewelry are not immediately thinking of resale value either. It is a lot easier to resell a lab grown diamond in the price range they are now then a $10-15K mined diamond. It is a huge amount of money for an online transaction. From what I have seen running a resale page is that people will spend up to $3K for an online transaction but the ones over that, will sit there. There is distrust and people don’t want to get scammed. Unless people have grossly overpaid, the lab grown diamonds are going quite easily.

I believe I have seen lab grown diamond rings for sale on The RealReal. Would you mind sharing the other resale sites you have found? It has never made any sense to me when people say there is no resale market for lab growns.

 

[Rafael Jackson]

I really enjoy the conversions here regarding the topic, never thought so many like minded individuals would respond. Having said that ,I'm quiet curious what a lifetime mined diamond owner/dealer would say regarding the topic, on a friendly and respectable not of course.

 

[Pearl19]

I am really hoping that the negative mindset on MMD is able to be overcome though. I have seen so many gorgeous stones on this subforum. No one should lose more than half of their investment just because of a preconceived notion. I have seen ebay listings with verbiage stating, "this is real diamond, not lab, moissanite or cz."
The eyeroll is toward the ebay verbiage, and just the bolded part your post.

Agree. What annoys me on eBay is seeing so many sellers referring to their cheap low grade CZ pieces as 'lab grown diamonds'. That is blatant misrepresentation, but eBay never does anything about it.

I sold a Lightbox pendant to an acquaintance a few months ago for close to what I paid for it. Seeing was believing, so to speak, and the recipient was delighted. I might get less on eBay, but I'm confident it would still be in line with the kind of hit a diamond piece might take - or perhaps a bit better, given that LGDs currently have novelty value and are growing in credibility.

I've never understood those who adopt the logic of 'LGDs have no resale'. That isn't how the sale of jewellery works - it simply comes down to original market value less depreciation, plus desirability and design (and brand name, if relevant).

 

[TinsieCat]

I saw

Agree. What annoys me on eBay is seeing so many sellers referring to their cheap low grade CZ pieces as 'lab grown diamonds'. That is blatant misrepresentation, but eBay never does anything about it.

I sold a Lightbox pendant to an acquaintance a few months ago for close to what I paid for it. Seeing was believing, so to speak, and the recipient was delighted. I might get less on eBay, but I'm confident it would still be in line with the kind of hit a diamond piece might take - or perhaps a bit better, given that LGDs currently have novelty value and are growing in credibility.

I've never understood those who adopt the logic of 'LGDs have no resale'. That isn't how the sale of jewellery works - it simply comes down to original market value less depreciation, plus desirability and design (and brand name, if relevant).

another person on Reddit had an engagement that didn’t work out and needed advice on what to do. He ended up selling the LGD for around 40% what he paid originally. Post

the only ppl I see talking about how worthless lab growns are, are sellers that are scared about how their own earth mined diamonds are going to hold up with new competition.

I’ve even talked with a seller that talked shit about lab diamonds when I initially met her, and now she makes videos on how great they are. Money talks.the change was only a matter of months.

if they’re really worth pennies, where can I buy these used LGDs for pennies?!!! I’d love to swoop them all up!!!

 

[DejaWiz]

I saw


another person on Reddit had an engagement that didn’t work out and needed advice on what to do. He ended up selling the LGD for around 40% what he paid originally. Post

the only ppl I see talking about how worthless lab growns are, are sellers that are scared about how their own earth mined diamonds are going to hold up with new competition.

I’ve even talked with a seller that talked shit about lab diamonds when I initially met her, and now she makes videos on how great they are. Money talks.the change was only a matter of months.

if they’re really worth pennies, where can I buy these used LGDs for pennies?!!! I’d love to swoop them all up!!!

When sellers can buy new stock of LGDs as low as 90-97 back of Rap, it really limits their ability to offer 60-80 back for walk-ins selling used, then incur further expenses for fresh grading, carrying costs, insurance, etc.
Consumer to consumer seems to be the most effective route for the secondhand LGD market.

 

[princessk]

We have several resale sites now that makes selling lab grown diamond’s possible. I paid $3400 and resold mine for $3000. I then bought a higher quality 2.28 OEC G VS1 precision stone for around $4000. I have a lot of stones, both mined and lab. I still like the appeal of old antique cuts and if I could afford to, I probably wouldn’t pass up a ‘dream’ stone. For those of us that make a lot of rings and like the variety, lab diamonds are a great alternative.

People that are buying lab stones for engagement jewelry are not immediately thinking of resale value either. It is a lot easier to resell a lab grown diamond in the price range they are now then a $10-15K mined diamond. It is a huge amount of money for an online transaction. From what I have seen running a resale page is that people will spend up to $3K for an online transaction but the ones over that, will sit there. There is distrust and people don’t want to get scammed. Unless people have grossly overpaid, the lab grown diamonds are going quite easily.

Can you direct to those sights? Thank you

 

[luvmysparklies]

I saw


another person on Reddit had an engagement that didn’t work out and needed advice on what to do. He ended up selling the LGD for around 40% what he paid originally. Post

the only ppl I see talking about how worthless lab growns are, are sellers that are scared about how their own earth mined diamonds are going to hold up with new competition.

I’ve even talked with a seller that talked shit about lab diamonds when I initially met her, and now she makes videos on how great they are. Money talks.the change was only a matter of months.

if they’re really worth pennies, where can I buy these used LGDs for pennies?!!! I’d love to swoop them all up!!!

This.
These are NOT worthless by any stretch. People are getting great values with labs, and it's gravy when they can get them with top cuts/light return, no blue nuance, etc. Additionally, I am hoping that this sort of condescending attitude toward them just because they were lab created and not earth grown will fade. Money does talk and if more and more people get to enjoy a beautiful diamond that they would not have otherwise been able to afford, I don't see the issue. I have seen/heard caveats from some that are not happy that labs have gained popularity such as, "as long as it is disclosed," etc. Of course folks have a right to make fully informed purchases, but it would be better (attitude-wise) for the caveat to be conveyed in a way less like these stones are inferior and more like just giving full info--the way we might speak of Chatham rubies or sapphires. I think I remember seeing a beautiful listing on LT where the seller stated something to the effect of, "due to its age, assumed to be synthetic" and it was no big deal. It was a beautiful piece!

 

[TinsieCat]

When sellers can buy new stock of LGDs as low as 90-97 back of Rap, it really limits their ability to offer 60-80 back for walk-ins selling used, then incur further expenses for fresh grading, carrying costs, insurance, etc.
Consumer to consumer seems to be the most effective route for the secondhand LGD market.

Oh Dayum! 90-97%?!! That’s an amazing return!

ppl need to remember that wholesale vs consumer prices are very different for EVERYTHING. I’m sure those $10,000 Chanel purses didn’t cost them $9000 to make. Medium quality fashion brands are paying factory workers dollars a day to make clothes that are $50-$300. I used to sell luxury makeup brushes, and I was able to sell them around 3x-7x what I paid. Sephora charged 2-3x what I was selling them for. It’s just the way of commerce.

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

if they’re really worth pennies, where can I buy these used LGDs for pennies?!!! I’d love to swoop them all up!!!

Cripes no kidding!