Whats the difference? (Comparing two diamonds)

[Dr_Smith]

So I have been looking at loose stones and I've hit a wall I can't seem to figure out. If I select a specific CCC and filter down to a list of LG diamonds, then sort by price high-to-low and low-to-high, I find what appears to be the exact same diamond, but one may be $15,000 and the other $900. I have compared manufacturing methods, certifying labs, all the specific dimensions (T/D/S/F/LWR) and they both compare exactly. I can find nothing in the details of each diamond that says "this diamond is 15X more expensive because of this: ____________". Nor can I find "This diamond is 15X less expensive because this is what's wrong with it: _____________"

It's because of this that gives me great pause in purchasing a LG diamond. It is like the show "Whose Line is it Anyway": All the prices are made up and none of the certificates matter.

Can anyone shed what is the "secret sauce" that makes a diamond with the same stats as a $900 diamond cost $15,000? Here's an example:

#27198968, 3ct F VVS2 IGI Excellent Excellent Excellent: $957 B2C
#25751190, 3ct F VVS2 IGI Excellent Excellent Excellent: $15,000 Blue Nile

You can repeat this with any CCC combination. It's always the same result... one that's cheap and one that's insanely expensive, both identical stats. Help! I'm going crazy.

 

[Dr_Smith]

I hate to belabor the point, but here's two more. Both from loosegrowndiamond, both identical. One is $6600 and the other is $770. Anyone want to weigh in here? Anyone? I mean, I just want to know what I'm missing. There must be something HUGELY different between these two diamonds to account for the difference in price. Am I just not seeing it? Is everybody being quiet because you know something I don't?

 

[ShawnaRoss]

There's a lot of variation, some of it due to cut quality and others due to differences in how much the vendor is asking for, which can be random in the sense that it doesn't correlate directly to quality. With the huge volume of labs coming into the market, it's not feasible for companies to do lots of intensive interpretations of stones to make the price match the light return, beauty, etc.

I wouldn't consider the second one because there isn't a 360 video. You'd want to ask the website to fetch you a video from the cutter/lab/vendor who actually has possession of the diamond physically right now. The first one looks pretty nice, to be honest: https://loupe360.com/diamond/617454560.

 

[ShawnaRoss]

(Wanted to add, though, that there is no reason in the world to pay $6,000 for a 3-carat lab. Insanity.... perhaps even a mistake.)

 

[molecule]

Some prices may be errors as well

 

[Azusa]

@Dr_Smith i was searching for a LGD recently and had the same question. The ones I looked at didn’t have as crazy price differences as yours but easily doubled or tripled the lower end of the price range. Stats on paper very similar if not the same. In some cases the more expensive has lower color (E vs D).
Apart from pricing error or just different vendor/supplier I can’t understand what would drive the difference either.

To make it even more confusing this week when I search using the same filters now I am served with mostly the higher priced range ones. So either the cheap ones were snapped up or just pricing changing.

 

[Chelsea Palmer]

I know this thread has gotten a couple of responses so far, but I really hope more are forthcoming. Because what you have found is indeed head-scratchingly perplexing

 

[MMtwo]

I cannot open reports from IGI right now, but was curious if there was a wide date range in the certificates, which would point to the recent drop in lab prices.

Noticed the same thing myself. At times would Google search lab report numbers and see wide differences for the same stone. This was a couple of years ago. But, why pay natural prices for a lab diamond?

A couple of ideas on what could be an issue. All of these Web systems attach to a wholesaler's inventory, then a formula applied at the website then served to the viewer. Issues are bound to happen as maybe something was miss-keyed.

Mistakes happen. I pointed out a $100.00 .75 natural diamond to Ritani the other day, who verified that was an error. Oh well.

I just sort by price once the specs are set and ignore those overpriced diamonds. I cannot fathom spending over 2k for anything lab anymore, and that would be a hefty diamond.

 

[freddyboston]

I just sort by price once the specs are set and ignore those overpriced diamonds. I cannot fathom spending over 2k for anything lab anymore, and that would be a hefty diamond.

It's wild how much the prices have dropped... $1k will get you 3ct+ colorless vvs HTHP method H&A LGD....

 

[MMtwo]

That is a nice stone. I am happy for anyone buying right now.