Long time lurker - Now it's go time. Please help a newbie find an engagement stone.

[Kim N]

I am leaning towards the 1.55

It'ss HPHT which @DejaWiz, has said is their preference.

Smaller makes it look more realistic, so people wont ask if its lab.

Better clarity and colour.

Only think that worries me is there are alot of streaks in it.

What are the streaks that you mean?

 

[-Genuine-]

What are the streaks that you mean?

On the IGI Report under CLARITY CHARACTERISTICS.

They are visable when you watch the video.

 

[Kim N]

On the IGI Report under CLARITY CHARACTERISTICS.

They are visable when you watch the video.

Those seem quite small and in all likelihood not visible in person. While you're still thinking about it, I suggest putting it on hold so it doesn't get sniped from under you.

 

[DejaWiz]

On the IGI Report under CLARITY CHARACTERISTICS.

They are visable when you watch the video.

Here's a better video of it...play around with the zoom feature to gauge the tiny growth remnants.

1.55 Carat E VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond IGI Certified 534236832 Affinity Cut - D50958674

1.55 carat, Round, E Color, VS2 clarity, IGI Certified Diamond, Affinity Cut Lab Grown Diamond, D50958674

www.adiamor.com

 

[dadan]

Sorry! I ordered the better deal from Adiamor a couple days ago! I’ve placed my order thru Adiamor and am waiting for the custom setting to be done and shipped to Canada.

I noticed this GCAL8X graded one from Adiamor for a little bit more $. (I know it's out of your price range, but posted just in case you wanted to see another option)

It’s slightly more $$ than the one I got for the same cut, clarity, F colour vs E, and higher carat. HCA score of 0.6!

https://www.adiamor.com/Lab-Diamonds/1.53-ct-F-VVS2-Affinity-Cut-Round-Diamond/D50033124

@DejaWiz probably can give advice if this is reasonable for its price?

I noticed it’s $1600 USD cheaper than RC offers for the same diamond.

 

[DejaWiz]

Sorry! I ordered the better deal from Adiamor a couple days ago! I’ve placed my order thru Adiamor and am waiting for the custom setting to be done and shipped to Canada.

I noticed this GCAL8X graded one from Adiamor for a little bit more $. (I know it's out of your price range, but posted just in case you wanted to see another option)

It’s slightly more $$ than the one I got for the same cut, clarity, F colour vs E, and higher carat. HCA score of 0.6!

https://www.adiamor.com/Lab-Diamonds/1.53-ct-F-VVS2-Affinity-Cut-Round-Diamond/D50033124

@DejaWiz probably can give advice if this is reasonable for its price?

I noticed it’s $1600 USD cheaper than RC offers for the same diamond.

Hi, dadan!
Very nice diamond...no drawback save for one: the extreme clarity grade is driving the price way up. Well, that's subjective.

There are quite a few GCAL 8X graded D-F color VS2-SI1 clarity diamonds available north of 1.55 carats for about the same or even a couple/few hundred dollars less. The optical performance will be spectacular with any of them.

1.57 Carat D VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312780638 Affinity Cut - D49726248

www.adiamor.com

1.58 Carat E VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313070758 Affinity Cut - D49726077

www.adiamor.com

1.60 Carat E SI1 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312220659 Affinity Cut - D48647653

www.adiamor.com

1.78 Carat F VS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 312780745 Affinity Cut - D49725003

www.adiamor.com

 

[-Genuine-]

Sorry! I ordered the better deal from Adiamor a couple days ago! I’ve placed my order thru Adiamor and am waiting for the custom setting to be done and shipped to Canada.

Whats the better deal?

 

[DejaWiz]

Whats the better deal?

He was able to snag an E VVS2 with a GCAL 8X report for about the same price as E-F VS2-SI1 also with GCAL 8X reports - heck of a deal for the color and clarity.

1.44 Carat E VVS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313160581 Affinity Cut - D51006681

www.adiamor.com

 

[-Genuine-]

He was able to snag an E VVS2 with a GCAL 8X report for about the same price as E-F VS2-SI1 also with GCAL 8X reports - heck of a deal for the color and clarity.

1.44 Carat E VVS2 Round Brilliant Lab Grown Diamond GCAL Certified 313160581 Affinity Cut - D51006681

www.adiamor.com

That is a beautiful stone!

 

[DejaWiz]

That is a beautiful stone!

It really is!

How's your hunt faring?

 

[-Genuine-]

At what size, would someone question that your diamond is a Lab Stone?

If someone showed me a 2+ carat stone, and I knew their husband was entry level, I would question it as Lab or even think moissanite or CZ. And please don't think i am putting any of these stones down. You make the best with what you can, and I'm sure your partner is extremely happy.

I'm just wondering now if 1.55 is too big? Should I be looking at the 1.25 - 1.5 realm?

Again, my partner knows, but I wouldn't ever want someone look down. Not all people are happy for others joy.

 

[-Genuine-]

It really is!

How's your hunt faring?

It's going! Haha! Thanks again for all your help. I thought about it last night, and those growth streaks were just to much for me in the end. I really appreciate your help. but I think I found one I REALLY like.

 

[DejaWiz]

At what size, would someone question that your diamond is a Lab Stone?

If someone showed me a 2+ carat stone, and I knew their husband was entry level, I would question it as Lab or even think moissanite or CZ. And please don't think i am putting any of these stones down. You make the best with what you can, and I'm sure your partner is extremely happy.

I'm just wondering now if 1.55 is too big? Should I be looking at the 1.25 - 1.5 realm?

Again, my partner knows, but I wouldn't ever want someone look down. Not all people are happy for others joy.

There is no size that would cause question, unless there are some obvious indicators (blue or brown twinge of hue, haziness, birifrengence, etc) from severely poor quality rough, but even then it would take a very experienced set of eyes in a rather controlled viewing environment to detect most potential issues, if any are present at all. Those are issues that can even occur naturally in earth grown diamonds.

Simply put: LGD and EGD are 100% identical in regards to chemical composition, atomic structure, hardness, refractive index, optical performance, etc. They are both even graded by the same criteria and standards by each of the different labs. The only difference is how they each came into existence.

 

[mrs-b]

Hi @-Genuine-

Just one question - has your girlfriend specifically said she wants a lab diamond? Does she know her ring will be a lab diamond? (I'm assuming a 'yes' here and apologize if you've already answered that question.) You said you don't want your ring to look "unrealistic" so people won't "ask if it's lab". Does that mean you're hoping to pass it off as an earth mined diamond?

You mentioned that she was afraid of losing it and the value inherent in it. But if your budget is fixed, a 2k lab and a 2k mined diamond are still the same amount. And I'm assuming you'd get her ring insured either way.

Lab diamonds have poor resale value on the whole, so if you ever plan to upgrade, you'll find it to be a false economy. Just throwing this out there but - would you be better off buying something like a .8ct mined diamond, which is an elegant size for an engagement ring, isn't so expensive that it's a budget breaker, and would be a ring you don't have to be concerned people will question?

In general, I'm all for lab diamonds and am happy to recommend them - but normally for other pieces of jewelry, like pendants and earrings. For engagement rings I always recommend a mined diamond, unless the couple has some sort of ethical constraint against mined diamonds. Having to go through life being concerned whether people will ask if it's 'real' is a bit deflating and something a newly engaged young lady might want to avoid. And believe me - given the growth in popularity of lab diamonds, someone *is* going to ask her if it's lab or earth mined. I'm also not aware of *any* lab diamond upgrade services - and upgrading is one of those things that's increasingly popular.

There can be visible issues with lab diamonds that mean you'd probably benefit from some help from someone within the industry. PriceScope offers a concierge service, which is free - but I'm not sure if its available for lab diamonds. It would be worth finding out, tho, and running your stone past them.

Wishing you the best of luck with your purchase!

 

[DejaWiz]

To echo what mrs-b stated: make sure you are both 100% onboard with buying, owning, and wearing an LGD if the desire to have EGD is still lingering.

I could debate the resale value point: diamonds are not an investment and it would take years (probably a decade or more) to reach the break even point for an EGD trade/wholesale value to catch up to today's retail price that you pay.

Simple way to circumvent that is to buy from a seller that will give you a lifetime upgrade program for 100% of the purchase price...but there are many sellers that provide that for both EGD and LGD, so your purchase is protected, either way. Keep in mind that many sellers do have some stipulations for upgrading: the most common is that they require at least double the price of the diamond being traded in. As a couple examples, Whiteflash and Victor Canera have no minimum requirements as stipulations for their EGD upgrade programs.

 

[-Genuine-]

Hello @Mrs B,

Thank you for taking the time to message me, and for all that amazing feedback. Yes, my partners 100% knows that I am looking at LGD. She actually doesn't mind, and thinks its a good trade off. Value for Size. We went shopping at costco (regular food and quickly looked at the rings there, and a simple 1 carat was 6K, and she said she doesn't want me 1. to spend that much and 2. would be scare of even wearing that. So we discussed it and LGD works perfect for us.

We know someone will ask, and we are happy to say its a LGD, it was more a question towards moissanite or CZ. We aren't trying to "fool" anyone, but just don't want something freakishly big.

 

[-Genuine-]

To echo what mrs-b stated: make sure you are both 100% onboard with buying, owning, and wearing an LGD if the desire to have EGD is still lingering.

I could debate the resale value point: diamonds are not an investment and it would take years (probably a decade or more) to reach the break even point for an EGD trade/wholesale value to catch up to today's retail price that you pay.

Excellent point both. and thank you for that.

My partner is to sentimental, so reselling and upgrading will not option.

But this is great to know.

I have started looking again. and have closed the window to 1.3 to 1.5. Still a large window, but once you narrow it down to Hearts and Arrows it shrinks dramatically.

Then its a trade off on Colour vs, Clarity.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

I don't know if this might help for visual cue but I am one who personally does not find bigger is better and wouldn't want more than say 7.5mm (1.5ct) round tops for an everyday ring.

 

[-Genuine-]

I don't know if this might help for visual cue but I am one who personally does not find bigger is better and wouldn't want more than say 7.5mm (1.5ct) round tops for an everyday ring.

This was really helpful. I will now 100% stay below 1.5.

I have 5 in my cart now, that are 1.28 to about 1.41 that i will investigate further. Once i narrow it down I hope the expect eyes won't mind assisting once again!

I truly appreciate.

 

[MightyDucks]

At what size, would someone question that your diamond is a Lab Stone?

If someone showed me a 2+ carat stone, and I knew their husband was entry level, I would question it as Lab or even think moissanite or CZ. And please don't think i am putting any of these stones down. You make the best with what you can, and I'm sure your partner is extremely happy.

I'm just wondering now if 1.55 is too big? Should I be looking at the 1.25 - 1.5 realm?

Again, my partner knows, but I wouldn't ever want someone look down. Not all people are happy for others joy.

My last diamond was a mined 1.5 ct ACA. In my area 1.5ct is not very common and ideal cut diamonds are even less common. Most diamond ER I see are low quality diamonds from mall stores. I had gotten a few comments from people on why my diamond was so sparkly and theirs wasn’t and if it was a real diamond . I did get way more compliments on how beautiful it was!

 

[MightyDucks]

Hi @-Genuine-

Just one question - has your girlfriend specifically said she wants a lab diamond? Does she know her ring will be a lab diamond? (I'm assuming a 'yes' here and apologize if you've already answered that question.) You said you don't want your ring to look "unrealistic" so people won't "ask if it's lab". Does that mean you're hoping to pass it off as an earth mined diamond?

You mentioned that she was afraid of losing it and the value inherent in it. But if your budget is fixed, a 2k lab and a 2k mined diamond are still the same amount. And I'm assuming you'd get her ring insured either way.

Lab diamonds have poor resale value on the whole, so if you ever plan to upgrade, you'll find it to be a false economy. Just throwing this out there but - would you be better off buying something like a .8ct mined diamond, which is an elegant size for an engagement ring, isn't so expensive that it's a budget breaker, and would be a ring you don't have to be concerned people will question?

In general, I'm all for lab diamonds and am happy to recommend them - but normally for other pieces of jewelry, like pendants and earrings. For engagement rings I always recommend a mined diamond, unless the couple has some sort of ethical constraint against mined diamonds. Having to go through life being concerned whether people will ask if it's 'real' is a bit deflating and something a newly engaged young lady might want to avoid. And believe me - given the growth in popularity of lab diamonds, someone *is* going to ask her if it's lab or earth mined. I'm also not aware of *any* lab diamond upgrade services - and upgrading is one of those things that's increasingly popular.

There can be visible issues with lab diamonds that mean you'd probably benefit from some help from someone within the industry. PriceScope offers a concierge service, which is free - but I'm not sure if its available for lab diamonds. It would be worth finding out, tho, and running your stone past them.

Wishing you the best of luck with your purchase!

I posted this in another thread. I see better value in lab diamonds over mined diamonds:
Everyone seems to say natural mined diamonds hold better resell value than lab diamonds. I have a different perspective. Vendor offers both ideal cut natural diamonds and ideal cut lab diamonds. Vendor also offers one year buyback of certified natural mined diamond within one year at 70% buyback. Natural mined diamond is a 2.5 ct F VS1 AGS Ideal at roughly $60k or so. Lab diamond is a 2.5 ct F VS1 GCAL 8X (similar cut parameters as AGS Ideal) at $5800 which equates to roughly 10% the purchase price of the natural mined diamond. Lets say I decide to sell either diamond within the year. Natural mined diamond: $60k-70%=$42k at a $18k loss. Even if i get lucky and get 80% its still a $12k loss. If i get zero dollars for the lab diamond second hand I still come out financially ahead with a $5800 loss versus a $18k or $12k loss. You could also take some of the $54k difference you would of spent on a natural mined diamond versus a lab diamond and invest it for long-term value return.

After owning both a mined ACA and a lab GCAL 8X I will never own another mined diamond. My GCAL 8X is more sparkly and fiery with better color and clarity at less than 10% the price. I can’t recommend a GCAL 8X lab diamond enough for a engagement ring!

 

[Kim N]

This was really helpful. I will now 100% stay below 1.5.

I have 5 in my cart now, that are 1.28 to about 1.41 that i will investigate further. Once i narrow it down I hope the expect eyes won't mind assisting once again!

I truly appreciate.

I came across this HPHT with beautiful proportions and cut, not sure if it was already on your shortlist.

1.30 Carat Round Lab Diamond IGI LG532237325 | Ritani

1.3 Carat Round Lab Diamond ID Cut F Color VS1 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG532237325

www.ritani.com

 

[DejaWiz]

I came across this HPHT with beautiful proportions and cut, not sure if it was already on your shortlist.

1.30 Carat Round Lab Diamond IGI LG532237325 | Ritani

1.3 Carat Round Lab Diamond ID Cut F Color VS1 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG532237325

www.ritani.com

That's one gorgeous diamond - nice find, Kim N!

 

[-Genuine-]

What are your thoughts on China Diamonds?

I have been reached out to buy a supplier that I inquired with a year ago, and they wanted to provide me with an update on my request.

They have a Lab Grown Diamond that now meets my request.

The lab report is below, and I have requested a video.

Only problem is... It's the same price as what I can get on Ritanti. So I'd rather have the free return, if for whatever, the diamond looks different in person.

 

[Kim N]

What are your thoughts on China Diamonds?

I have been reached out to buy a supplier that I inquired with a year ago, and they wanted to provide me with an update on my request.

They have a Lab Grown Diamond that now meets my request.

The lab report is below, and I have requested a video.

Only problem is... It's the same price as what I can get on Ritanti. So I'd rather have the free return, if for whatever, the diamond looks different in person.

I don't love the proportions on this one. If you can get something similar for the same price on Ritani, then definitely stick with Ritani for the free return.

 

[DejaWiz]

I don't love the proportions on this one. If you can get something similar for the same price on Ritani, then definitely stick with Ritani for the free return.

Ditto...the proportions and angles are outside of the recommended ranges for being ideal.

 

[-Genuine-]

@DejaWiz and @Kim N

Hope all is well. and Thanks for everything.

Both are Bought, but very similar... Which do you think is better?

1.30 Carat Round Lab Diamond IGI LG532237325 | Ritani

1.3 Carat Round Lab Diamond ID Cut F Color VS1 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG532237325

www.ritani.com

https://www.ritani.com/products/1-2...-vs1-clarity-igi-lg526289401-sku-d-2az4hjp0xl

Happy to pay $20 more to say it's 1.3. but if the 1.28 is the better looking then i'll do that.

I can cancel the order for one before it ships.

Thanks so much!!!!

 

[DejaWiz]

@DejaWiz and @Kim N

Hope all is well. and Thanks for everything.

Both are Bought, but very similar... Which do you think is better?

1.30 Carat Round Lab Diamond IGI LG532237325 | Ritani

1.3 Carat Round Lab Diamond ID Cut F Color VS1 Clarity with diamond report number IGI #LG532237325

www.ritani.com

https://www.ritani.com/products/1-2...-vs1-clarity-igi-lg526289401-sku-d-2az4hjp0xl

Happy to pay $20 more to say it's 1.3. but if the 1.28 is the better looking then i'll do that.

I can cancel the order for one before it ships.

Thanks so much!!!!

I like the looks of the 1.30 better.

 

[-Genuine-]

I like the looks of the 1.30 better.

Thanks so much.

Im so excited.

 

[DejaWiz]

Thanks so much.

Im so excited.

You're welcome - please post lots and lots of pictures and videos when you get it!