$20-30k, but only because I can't imagine spending more on a piece of jewelry, period.
$20-30k, but only because I can't imagine spending more on a piece of jewelry, period.
It would not worry you that it will cost 1/4 in 5 years time?
What is the most you would spend on a lab created diamond? I saw an insane asscher for 9 grand. Almost 4 carats. I don’t have that kind of money, but how high would you go?
I always think of this analogy when people go back and forth on the lab vs. natural topic. 10 years ago flat screens were thousands, but that didn't stop many people from getting them. 10 years later, I still have and enjoy the 52" we paid 2k for and now we have a 70" that cost $650. It bothers me none that we "overpaid" for that first TV.Lab diamonds are kind of like a flat screen TV. Prices will go down. Hard to say how much or when. if you want a good one now, you pay.
I know its been discussed here but why are LGD viewed differently than cultured pearls. Aren't cultured pearls viewed as valuable a not like flat screen TVs?
I know its been discussed here but why are LGD viewed differently than cultured pearls.
I love pearls and understand a little about them, although I do not consider myself to be an expert.
Cultured pearls are grown by live oysters. Salt water pearls are grown after a seed pearl is implanted in the body of the oyster. For the smaller pearls, the seeds are smaller and there may be many implanted in the body of the oyster. For the larger pearls, there will be fewer and fewer in the body of the oyster, and the mortality rate for the oysters growing the larger pearls will be higher.
The growth of the cultured pearl takes place over time. A cheap cultured pearl with thin nacre may only be allowed to grow for one year or a little more. A top quality pearl with thick nacre will have grown around three years in excellent conditions. If the water is too warm, the nacre will grow quickly and have a poor luster. If the water is polluted, there will be poor quality pearls also.
With global warming, and horrible pollution in the areas where many oysters are raised, the quality of the cultured pearls available on the market has plummeted over the years. Thus, while the quantity and quality of the natural pearls is ever more scarce, so too is the quantity and quality of the cultured pearls.
I believe that much of the reason for the difference in the way LGD are viewed and the way that cultured pearls are viewed is that nature is involved in growing the cultured pearl, once humans have given the heavy lifting over to the oysters.
Wink
Interesting discussion!
To those who feel certain what prices will do....may I borrow the crystal ball you're using
I also have considerations about larger Lab Grown diamonds, yet I would never feel comfortable making specific predictions...out loud.
As a dealer, I'm forced to make predictions, which allow us to purchase goods.
It seems that in certain segments, we've hit a sustainable level of prices.
Maybe I'm spoiled by all the years of being used to Natural diamond pricing....but the prices for stones smaller than about 3-4cts, in general, seems sustainable.
Does the fact that jewelers can't offer LGD without purchasing them first for their inventory like they do with natural have any bearing on the anti-LGD comments within the industry? I believe the term is "Memo" for when a jeweler can borrow a diamond without having to pay for it while they attempt to sell it. If this is true i have to imagine it would make thing more expensive for jewelers unless they can get LGD on memo as well.
Hey Phil!
You're confusing a few aspects....
Memo is when a cutter or dealer "loans" a diamond to another cutter or dealer.
For example, if we want to see a given diamond, we call the cutter or dealer and they will bring us the diamond to hold onto for an agreed upon period of time.
But this is generally limited to dealers who actually own diamonds.
Far more common are websites that use a published database list of many thousands of diamonds. These lists are compiled by companies ( such as Rappaport) or distributed by cutters themselves.
The lists contain all the data about- and many times a video of the stone.
In these cases, the sellers do not invest in diamonds at all. They only act as a portal.
Both Lab Grown and Earth mined diamonds are being sold this way- by the largest websites you can find. In these cases, the value is irrelevant to the sellers- they have nothing invested.
Far less common are sellers that actually invest in the diamonds they are offering.
$1K/carat