My Intro to Labs? What’s Yours?

[dnfd]

A trusted local jeweler mentioned that they’ll be carrying a lab line. I said no thanks at the time thinking I wouldn’t be drawn to larger diamonds that would benefit me to buy lab.
When I got the e-mail showing the pieces, i really liked the look of one of the necklaces: 0.5 tcw, E/F color, VS clarity, 5 round brilliants. I was drawn to the design, but the fact that it’s more affordable than a mined equivalent doesn’t hurt! (Kinda crossposted from Rocky Talk where I was comparing this piece with a similar necklace and asking for opinions.)
I might be purchasing it tomorrow. What led you to buy your first lab piece?

 

[Calliecake]

The necklace is beautiful @dnfd. I hope you go back and get it. It will go with everything and is such a pretty design. I haven't purchased a lab diamond yet but they are definitely in my future.

I tend to feel guilty a few months after I spend a lot on jewelry and that takes away from my joy. I see labs diamonds as the perfect solution for getting what I want without any of the guilt.

 

[Inked]

Love this necklace! I embraced labs wholeheartedly!! I jumped in and havent looked back! I love the ability to have so much more pretty jewelry now than I would have had, and also the larger diamond sizes i can get !

 

[sabinameister]

I wanted bigger and higher quality specs. Sometimes I regret trading in my original set because of the sentiment attached to it so MAYBE one day, we will reset my stone to a new Tacori setting like the one my hubby proposed with. Got studs as a bday gift last year and that was the gateway.

 

[dk168]

Earrings!

The first pair was the top one on the left, and I bought 3 more pairs from this vendor.

I also purchased 6 x 4mm unset LGD from @Dandi and had them set into heart-shaped drops to be worn as interchangeable dangles with my tiny earth-mined diamond huggies:

DK

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I had my heart set on a final upgrade. I wanted as close to a 3 carat OMC diamond and was searching pre-loved and found a gorgeous Peruzzi diamond on JBG. It was a little smaller than I wanted. Hubby and I set a budget of 40k. I was hoping to keep it at 35K. So I was on the hunt.

Right at that time a forum member had posted an OMC lab diamond they purchased from Ritani. It was spectacular! So I thought why not try it out and buy the OMC that looked like JBG's Peruzzi for $2400, and while I'm there get a gorgeous, truly ideal cut, great clarity and icy white RB lab diamond. My thought was I would return one of them and keep one.

When they arrived I was blown away. Just absolutely gorgeous. I kept them both. Then I had Ashley form SW diamond cutters cut me a beautiful 3.36 carat OEC and had the diamond factory (right next store to SW diamond cutters, they actually handed the diamond over for setting and placed it in a sturdy setting that I sent them an inspiration pic of. Such and easy and pleasant buying experience.

So all total I spent 10k and got 3 beautiful diamond rings. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not find any mind clean issues with buying lab diamonds. There was no reason to search for a 3 carat earth mined OMC or OEC any longer. I did find a couple pre-loved earth mined, old cut diamonds on Ebay around 2 carats that I reached out to buy since then just because I really loved them from pics. But both sellers refused a return policy and did not have lab reports so we could not come to terms. I would have taken either or both if they at least had recent lab reports. Interestingly they never sold on Ebay and the sellers eventually let the listings expire.

 

[BoulderGal]

My gateway was round brilliant lab grown studs from IDJ, just over 0.5 ct each.

Then I really wanted to make a graduated five stone ring from a pair of earth mined sapphires that I had purchased to make earrings. I kept hearing good things about Lab Grown Diamonds I decided to take a chance, and I'm glad I did! Sapphires from Desert Rose are 4.5mm each, center diamond is 5.2mm, sides are 3.5mm each, ring size is 8.25. Setting by the always amazing David Klass.

I'd love to have a transitional someday....

 

[BoulderGal]

A trusted local jeweler mentioned that they’ll be carrying a lab line. I said no thanks at the time thinking I wouldn’t be drawn to larger diamonds that would benefit me to buy lab.
When I got the e-mail showing the pieces, i really liked the look of one of the necklaces: 0.5 tcw, E/F color, VS clarity, 5 round brilliants. I was drawn to the design, but the fact that it’s more affordable than a mined equivalent doesn’t hurt! (Kinda crossposted from Rocky Talk where I was comparing this piece with a similar necklace and asking for opinions.)
I might be purchasing it tomorrow. What led you to buy your first lab piece?

I think it's very pretty, and could be worn with just about anything. Go for it!

 

[vintage diamond]

My first lab diamond purchase was a few years ago. I bought a pair of 1.5ctw pink diamond cushion studs from Lightbox. I know the reviews for Lightbox have been mixed over the years, but my pink lab diamond studs are very pretty! I wore them a lot for two years. Then this fall I purchased a pair of 2ctw round diamond studs from Whiteflash. They are very sparkly!

Charles & Colvard currently has their flowerette lab diamond necklace 50 percent off. It's almost identical to op's necklace. I received it as a Christmas gift from hubby in yellow gold.

 

[seaurchin]

Here's mine, a 2.5 carat marquise lab diamond that I plan to have set in a solitaire e-ring.

I don't want any more larger mined diamonds. The meltdown I had the time I temporarily misplaced the one I already have made me decide that one larger mined diamond is enough for me!