Pendant Choice Dilemma

[Pearl19]

I’m thinking of a diamond solitaire pendant to celebrate a milestone and I would be interested to gain some opinions please:



Option 1: Bezel set 0.85 carat lab-grown, E/F minimum VS1 excellent cut, price £2k

Option 2: Bezel set 0.82 carat earth mined, H SI2 excellent cut, price £2k

Option 3: Four prong floating 1 carat lab grown, H-J minimum VS2, price £1.4k



I’m thinking the bezel setting on the first two options will make the stone look a little bigger than the 1 carat stone in option 3. A bezel set stone might be the better choice for everyday wear as it may look slightly less formal than the prong set?

Would you take some steps down in colour and clarity to have an earth mined diamond? I’m thinking of yellow gold on all the options.

I’m wondering if the prong setting in option three might cause the diamond to fall forward onto its face (all these options have fixed chains and I don’t mind the prospect of neck creep).

 

[bludiva]

not knowing anything else than what you've posted, i'd go with #2, i think there's a risk lab grown prices will come down if holding its value matters to you and the bezel will make it look bigger. i don't think either will look more or less formal, a simple diamond pendant goes w/ any outfit imho.

i think the back of the setting is what will determine if it flips or not

this is beautiful in its simplicity but looks to me like it won't sit flat




this has a flat back, looks less likely to flip

 

[missy]

Agree with @bludiva as the price difference isn’t that great and earth mined diamonds are the better “investment”. IMO. With the caveat diamonds for the layperson are generally not a good investment except for one’s own enjoyment.

 

[bludiva]

Agree with @bludiva as the price difference isn’t that great and earth mined diamonds are the better “investment”. IMO. With the caveat diamonds for the layperson are generally not a good investment except for one’s own enjoyment.

yes good point and if the cut on the earth mind is subpar, and the cut on the lab diamond is fantastic, that adds another consideration point

 

[Pearl19]

Thank you bludiva and missy - those are excellent points. I'm guessing that on a pendant the colour and clarity difference probably won't be noticeable, especially in yellow gold. It will certainly be interesting to see how lab diamond prices change over time (and how or if that affects the price of mined diamonds too).

 

[Pearl19]

yes good point and if the cut on the earth mind is subpar, and the cut on the lab diamond is fantastic, that adds another consideration point

On paper they both have an 'excellent' cut. The lab diamond has an IGI cert (I don't get to choose the stone, but the seller only uses the very top lab stones). I believe the mined stone is graded by the seller (who also has a good reputation).

Both have good return policies, however the lab stone is in Europe and returns are free - the mined stone is in the USA and returns from the UK are extortionately expense.

The more 'stress free' purchase would be the lab stone, for a near perfect diamond albeit man made with the potential loss of value you mention.

 

[dk168]

Personally, if there is not much difference in price between lab/MMD and mined diamonds, I would be prepared to drop the colour and clarity to get mined diamonds.

I went through the same exercise recently with regard to a pair of 7-stone cluster earrings.

The price for mined dimaonds at H/I SI quality in 14K WG version is significantly higher than the one in 10K WG with E/F VS/SI lab stones, as in more than double the price! Hence I am going with lab stones.

I am wary that the prices for lab/MMD may fall, especially for the larger sizes as in 1ct or more. Therefore, I am holding out from getting anything bigger than small earrings at the moment.

DK

 

[bludiva]

On paper they both have an 'excellent' cut. The lab diamond has an IGI cert (I don't get to choose the stone, but the seller only uses the very top lab stones). I believe the mined stone is graded by the seller (who also has a good reputation).

Both have good return policies, however the lab stone is in Europe and returns are free - the mined stone is in the USA and returns from the UK are extortionately expense.

The more 'stress free' purchase would be the lab stone, for a near perfect diamond albeit man made with the potential loss of value you mention.

i get that, i mention it b/c there's a wide range of how stones look within the excellent grade...some more excellent than others i guess you could say. many threads on pricescope focus on how minute details in the angles make a difference in how sparkly the stone is.

there's something to be said for stress free also and if you're planning on keeping it/wearing it forever the resale value may not matter. i do agree with missy that jewelry is a purchase that depreciates.

 

[AprilBaby]

Why not get a Lightbox 1 ct for $800 and have it reset into a bezel?

 

[Pearl19]

i get that, i mention it b/c there's a wide range of how stones look within the excellent grade...some more excellent than others i guess you could say. many threads on pricescope focus on how minute details in the angles make a difference in how sparkly the stone is.

there's something to be said for stress free also and if you're planning on keeping it/wearing it forever the resale value may not matter. i do agree with missy that jewelry is a purchase that depreciates.

Yes - it's quite a broad range, as you say. For me it will come down to how much it makes me smile when I see it (hence the preoccupation with ease of return).

I've had to sell my jewellery once or twice over the years, but I'm hoping I won't have to with this one. Historically I haven't taken too much of a hit because I'd originally bought those items on sale. The minded diamond in this case is somewhat reduced (10%) off.

 

[Pearl19]

Why not get a Lightbox 1 ct for $800 and have it reset into a bezel?

I wish I could do that, but Lightbox (and their sellers such as Bloomingdale's) don't ship to the UK unfortunately. We get a rough deal on this side of the pond with both availability and price (and huge taxation if we buy from overseas).

 

[Pearl19]

Having encountered a glitch with ordering Option 2, I've ordered Option 1. Expensive for a lab piece, but hopefully very good quality and with easy shipping and (if necessary) returns, and no VAT+Duty aggravations.

I'll update when it arrives - probably around 2 weeks.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts, these decisions aren't easy and can often come down to practicalities.

This is to celebrate/reward a huge milestone and I hope it will be a 'forever' piece, something I can wear all the time and love.

 

[bludiva]

Having encountered a glitch with ordering Option 2, I've ordered Option 1. Expensive for a lab piece, but hopefully very good quality and with easy shipping and (if necessary) returns, and no VAT+Duty aggravations.

I'll update when it arrives - probably around 2 weeks.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts, these decisions aren't easy and can often come down to practicalities.

This is to celebrate/reward a huge milestone and I hope it will be a 'forever' piece, something I can wear all the time and love.

congrats to you, i'm sure the reward was very deserved

 

[Lisag103]

Having encountered a glitch with ordering Option 2, I've ordered Option 1. Expensive for a lab piece, but hopefully very good quality and with easy shipping and (if necessary) returns, and no VAT+Duty aggravations.

I'll update when it arrives - probably around 2 weeks.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts, these decisions aren't easy and can often come down to practicalities.

This is to celebrate/reward a huge milestone and I hope it will be a 'forever' piece, something I can wear all the time and love.

Hey, just wondering If you can share where you ordered the lab diamonds from in Europe. I’m struggling to find places and don’t want to be dealing with customs and duty etc!

 

[Pearl19]

Lisag103: this is the pendant I ordered (in the 0.85ct version): https://uk.kimai.com/product/soul-necklace

I also ordered the matching semi-hoop earrings: https://uk.kimai.com/product/semi-hoop-earring

I already own the Clover necklace.

 

[Pearl19]

My new pendant and earrings have arrived from Kimai in Antwerp, and they're lovely. The packaging is gorgeous as well.

The pendant is a 0.85ct IGI cert F colour, VS2, Ideal cut. 3 tiny dots are noted on the certificate, but I can barely find them in the stone, it's incredibly clear. I've never had an ideal cut before (usually very good to excellent) and it almost looks unreal because it's so bright and perfect.

The stone is 6.19mm and in its bezel it's 7.43mm. I feel it's a good size for any occasion, it's a little bigger than my 1ct basket set top grade CZ (which I've never worn due to feeling it was too big - probably because of the different social conditioning on this side of the pond).

In the UK, this would be considered very large for a solitaire diamond pendant. In bezel setting pendant terms I started out with a mined diamond at 0.3ct, then developed DSS after following jewellery forums (ahem). I had my 0.5ct marquise bezel set and it looked huge (until DSS set in), and finally this 0.85ct mmd.

The earrings are 0.37ct each, F, VS1.

Quick snaps:

 

[123ducklings]

My new pendant and earrings have arrived from Kimai in Antwerp, and they're lovely. The packaging is gorgeous as well.

The pendant is a 0.85ct IGI cert F colour, VS2, Ideal cut. 3 tiny dots are noted on the certificate, but I can barely find them in the stone, it's incredibly clear. I've never had an ideal cut before (usually very good to excellent) and it almost looks unreal because it's so bright and perfect.

The stone is 6.19mm and in its bezel it's 7.43mm. I feel it's a good size for any occasion, it's a little bigger than my 1ct basket set top grade CZ (which I've never worn due to feeling it was too big - probably because of the different social conditioning on this side of the pond).

In the UK, this would be considered very large for a solitaire diamond pendant. In bezel setting pendant terms I started out with a mined diamond at 0.3ct, then developed DSS after following jewellery forums (ahem). I had my 0.5ct marquise bezel set and it looked huge (until DSS set in), and finally this 0.85ct mmd.

The earrings are 0.37ct each, F, VS1.

Quick snaps:

Those are lovely! Thank you for the review and for sharing your sources and perspective asa UK shopper!

 

[AprilBaby]

Gorgeous!