Interesting thought experiment.
Last week, in a middle-class area, I saw a mid 20's woman wearing a huge diamond: probably 6 carats and more or less colorless. It was a massive oval and looked great. But totally out of character for this shopping mall, what she was wearing, what she was driving...hair, makeup. All of it.
Last Saturday, wifey and I stopped by Neiman Marcus as she needed some makeup (they have great service BTW; we even got introduced to the store manager!). A couple enters the store; early 70's gentleman and his mid 30's wife; they stood next to us as while they said hi to our salespeson. OK, enough about the jokes there; we've all seen it. Yet she was a very attractive woman wearing great jewelry: what looked to be a thick diamond and gold Cartier cuff, Rolex Lady President, and 10 carat tennis bracelet. She was wearing a Balmain dress, Louboutins, and carrying a Birkin (my wife is a fan of these brands-the Birkin is on her holy grail list). She had a RBC diamond on, also 6 carats, looked to be G/H color.
It got me thinking: the first woman I'll assume had a lab grown diamond on. The second woman may or may not have had one on, but my mind went "wow, that's a helluva stone". She and her husband looked to be easily wealthy enough to afford such a stone.
For those of you who've seen this or are in this situation, do you use your perceived status and looks to "cheat" and wear lab-grown diamonds without anyone being the wiser? I can see lots of potential benefits: you can buy more jewelry in different cuts and styles than you normally may be able to afford, or you can wear pseudo-expensive jewelry without the risk of losing it or being robbed. If you are the other person and you wear jewelry that people assume you can't possibly afford, what are the reactions that you get?
I know; stereotyping isn't cool and as a consultant, I don't tend to jump to conclusions for a living. Yet, it does save time and there is something to be said for appearances.
Last week, in a middle-class area, I saw a mid 20's woman wearing a huge diamond: probably 6 carats and more or less colorless. It was a massive oval and looked great. But totally out of character for this shopping mall, what she was wearing, what she was driving...hair, makeup. All of it.
Last Saturday, wifey and I stopped by Neiman Marcus as she needed some makeup (they have great service BTW; we even got introduced to the store manager!). A couple enters the store; early 70's gentleman and his mid 30's wife; they stood next to us as while they said hi to our salespeson. OK, enough about the jokes there; we've all seen it. Yet she was a very attractive woman wearing great jewelry: what looked to be a thick diamond and gold Cartier cuff, Rolex Lady President, and 10 carat tennis bracelet. She was wearing a Balmain dress, Louboutins, and carrying a Birkin (my wife is a fan of these brands-the Birkin is on her holy grail list). She had a RBC diamond on, also 6 carats, looked to be G/H color.
It got me thinking: the first woman I'll assume had a lab grown diamond on. The second woman may or may not have had one on, but my mind went "wow, that's a helluva stone". She and her husband looked to be easily wealthy enough to afford such a stone.
For those of you who've seen this or are in this situation, do you use your perceived status and looks to "cheat" and wear lab-grown diamonds without anyone being the wiser? I can see lots of potential benefits: you can buy more jewelry in different cuts and styles than you normally may be able to afford, or you can wear pseudo-expensive jewelry without the risk of losing it or being robbed. If you are the other person and you wear jewelry that people assume you can't possibly afford, what are the reactions that you get?
I know; stereotyping isn't cool and as a consultant, I don't tend to jump to conclusions for a living. Yet, it does save time and there is something to be said for appearances.