Questions about lab created diamonds

[KLC]

My fiance purchased a sapphire from James Allen and had it set in an oval halo setting at Zales. The sapphire and halo itself are beautiful but it has gold beading on the shank that is supposed to look like it has diamonds in the band when it actually doesn't. The end result looks pretty terrible. I talked to a local jeweler who suggested that I purchase two 14K white gold bands with lab created diamonds because I could get better color and clarity for less money. He's going to cut the halo off of my ring, and use it and the two bands to create a custom set. Each band has 12 round brilliant G SI1 diamonds totalling 0.12ct per band. He's selling them to me at his cost (supposedly) of $250 each. He said he'd cut me a deal because of the labor expenses. My questions are:
1. Do lab created diamonds perform like earth mined?
2. Will it be obvious they're lab created?
3. Is that a fair price for the bands?
I realize that doesn't sound like much but when I add the considerable labor costs, plus what was spent on the original, it ends up being quite a bit and I don't want to spend that much and end up with something that looks fake.

 

[Ada Diamonds CEO]

1. Do lab created diamonds perform like earth mined?
2. Will it be obvious they're lab created?
3. Is that a fair price for the bands?

Congrats on your engagement.

1. Yes and no. Both are crystals of carbon, and lab diamonds are, on average, far higher purity than mined diamonds. That being said, there are many different producers of lab diamonds, using different production methods.

2. Some growers produce wonderful quality goods that are indistinguishable from mined diamonds without expensive scientific equipment. Others produce goods with unnatural defects that are fairly obvious to even untrained eyes.

3. Not sure. FWIW, labor costs for what I think you are seeking is far more than the cost of the stones themselves.

Going back to #2 - there might be an option for you in lab diamonds that really piques your interest - fancy blue diamonds. 3 years before I started a lab diamond company, I purchased, as a consumer, fancy light blue diamonds from PSer @EEFranklin to pair with a mined sapphire for my wife's engagement ring.

 

[KLC]

Congrats on your engagement.

1. Yes and no. Both are crystals of carbon, and lab diamonds are, on average, far higher purity than mined diamonds. That being said, there are many different producers of lab diamonds, using different production methods.

2. Some growers produce wonderful quality goods that are indistinguishable from mined diamonds without expensive scientific equipment. Others produce goods with unnatural defects that are fairly obvious to even untrained eyes.

3. Not sure. FWIW, labor costs for what I think you are seeking is far more than the cost of the stones themselves.

Going back to #2 - there might be an option for you in lab diamonds that really piques your interest - fancy blue diamonds. 3 years before I started a lab diamond company, I purchased, as a consumer, fancy light blue diamonds from PSer @EEFranklin to pair with a mined sapphire for my wife's engagement ring.

Thank you for your reply. Yeah the labor is going to be kinda pricy. He wants to split the band so there's 6 diamonds on each side and open it up and put my halo in the gap. Then split the 2nd band and add some gold between the diamonds (no point in hiding diamonds underneath the halo and this way they'll match). He'll then have to resize them both and solder them together so they don't rub against each other. That's a lot of work so it's not cheap.
I guess I'll just have to see the bands when they arrive to see if the stones look good. I have very little knowledge about diamonds and even less with lab created and wasn't sure what to expect.

 

[OoohShiny]

Lab vs Mined costs at the one-pointer size might well be pretty similar, if I understand things correctly - it is the cutting that is the majority of the cost at that size, I believe.

Contact David Klasse as I understand that he is happy to use MMDs and can also provide 'ideal cut' melee (or at least melee that looks better than generic melee!).

HPD and WF both also have what is reported to be good melee, but they don't sell them loose, unfortunately.

 

[KLC]

Lab vs Mined costs at the one-pointer size might well be pretty similar, if I understand things correctly - it is the cutting that is the majority of the cost at that size, I believe.

Contact David Klasse as I understand that he is happy to use MMDs and can also provide 'ideal cut' melee (or at least melee that looks better than generic melee!).

HPD and WF both also have what is reported to be good melee, but they don't sell them loose, unfortunately.

Thank you. I'll do that!

 

[OoohShiny]

Thank you. I'll do that!

Cool - please do report back!

 

[KLC]

The bands came in and they really do look amazing. Sorry for the lousy photo. I couldn't get my cell phone to focus on the melee stones. I'll have to wait until the work is done to get better pictures.

And this is the halo he's cutting off.

 

[OoohShiny]

Excellent, I'm glad the bands look good. Please do come back with pictures when the work is done!

 

[KLC]

Finally got it back today. It's perfect.

 

[OoohShiny]

Finally got it back today. It's perfect.

That looks great! Congratulations

 

[AprilBaby]

Wow that’s gorgeous!

 

[Redwoods-hiker-girl]

Beautiful! I'm glad everything turned out well in the end.

 

[MeowMeow]

Wow that turned out beautifully!

 

[OdetteOdile]

This is stunning!!!