Lab diamonds, does it really matter?

amother

Trillium

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:44 am

amother Mint wrote:

Lab grown is 'real'.

Just curious what you think of lab-grown embryos. Are they any less real that human embryos? Is there a difference between IVF babies and natural babies?

The difference is that IVF babies are actually more precious in a way- much more effort involved and they are much more expensive and rare. (And accompanied by many more tefillos/prayers.)

Buying a 5 or 10 k lab Diamond piece that will be valued at 0 when I leave the store just scares me. I would like to gift my jewelry to children and grandchildren one day. It’s like a sheitel. I hate buying sheitels because it’s the Wild West, you pay $3-4000 and it’s worth almost zero when you leave (and there’s no quality control but that’s unique to sheitels, not the case with lab diamonds)

I’m curious- is it insured the same way regular diamonds are insured?

amother

DarkMagenta

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:46 am

amother Trillium wrote:

I know that. My husband’s family is very wealthy and my mother in law wears 30k real Diamond studs. Hers look real bec I know they are lol
She’s also over 70 so it doesn’t look as tacky as they would on a 30 year old

But if I see you on the street and don’t know your financial status but I see you like ostentatious displays of wealth ie designer clothes I will assume your jewelry is lab because you value big and showy.

So it doesn’t really matter what others think, right? We buy jewelry that we love for ourselves.

But as an aside, It’s not less than for me if someone assumes my diamond is lab

It just means I spent the same money as they did on jewelry- but my piece is bigger and prettier for me

And again-cue the chorus- ITS THE SAME EXACT THING😀😀😀

amother

Brass

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:46 am

amother DarkMagenta wrote:

Regarding the bolded - I find that interesting.

We’re wealthy bh and big diamonds on me make so much sense. As do many of my husbands friends diamonds.
I know people that aren’t wealthy but they love jewelry and spend tons in this area

You can never know

It’s a matter of taste though. Large diamonds (3 carat earrings! 4.5 carat ring) is tacky to me. It’s nouveau Riche. It’s the opposite of class. JAs the old adage says, money tells but wealth whispers. So while it’s wonderful that you and your friends are wealthy, it’s about much more than having and spending the money

amother

DarkMagenta

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:48 am

amother Trillium wrote:

A lab grown diamond is not valued at 0 when u leave the store! Who told u that?

It’s worth less than real CUZ YOU PAID LESS😀
The ratio is proportionate to how much you spent

Btw, mined jewels are also not worth the same the minute you wear the piece.

amother

Mint

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:49 am

amother Trillium wrote:

amother

Lilac

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:50 am

amother Mint wrote:

Yup, lol. But the concept is the same. Instead of things starting to grow the natural way, we take the same set of materials and artificially initiate the process. The end result is the exactly the same.

I agree that the end result is the same. I've just had many conversations with dh of the frustrations of having to pay thousands for something most people take for granted and get for free (and paying all that money for it not to work).
I don't really get what the big deal is about lab grown/naturally mined. I personally prefer jewellery that I won't care as much if it gets lost or broken. I guess I've never been into things for status symbols or how much they cost. I will wear my $5 necklace just as much as my diamond necklace, because it's about what it looks like rather than how much it costs.
The only time I think it matters is if it's a gift. For a chosson not to tell his kallah her engagement ring is lab grown is wrong. It could be the kallah wouldn't care, but she shouldn't be 'mis-sold', as some would care.

amother

DarkMagenta

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:52 am

amother Brass wrote:

That’s an opinion

When I grew up it was far different than what you’re saying.

There was much more separation between classes. Those that were wealthy had huge diamonds and lots of jewelry. And the poor didn’t.

Today unfortunately everyone feels the need to impress and so every girl needs that moncler coat.

But at the end of the day , a very large percent of wealthy people are dripping in jewels. So I’m not so sure your post is that accurate.

Gorgeous jewelry , and lots of it, is not necessarily a lack of class.

amother

Cantaloupe

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:54 am

faigie wrote:

Your chart shows that the value of the lab grown diamond tanked, and the value of the real diamond fluctuated very little over the same period of time….the light blue lines are natural stones, the dark blue represent the reproductions.
You can buy stock in diamonds on the stock market. There is no stock or value in reproductions.

Correct. My chart shows that a 1 carat natural diamond that sold for around $6600 in 2016 will sell for around $5700 today. When factoring in inflation (CPI) $100 in 2016 is worth approximately $129 of todays dollars. This means that a natural diamond went from being worth around $8500 of todays dollars in 2016 to $5700 of todays dollars today. A significant loss.

If you had invested the $6600 in an S&P 500 index fund in 2016, at the end of the same period you would have over $17,000! Diamonds are a lousy investment per se.

The chart also shows that in 2016 lab diamonds cost almost as much as natural, so if you were going to get a diamond to wear, it made sense to get a natural diamond which retained more of its value over time. After all you can’t wear the S&P index fund on your finger.

Today the price of the lab diamond is less than a quarter of a natural diamond. It makes far more sense to wear the lab diamond, and invest the difference in price in something that goes up over time, not in a natural diamond that looses value.

To illustrate, if todays lab diamond prices were available in 2016, and you had gone for the lab diamond, and put the $5000 difference in the S&P, then even if your lab diamond went down to ZERO you would have an investment worth $13,452 today (plus a nice piece of jewelry to wear.) That’s an investment that can’t be beat.

amother

DarkMagenta

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:54 am

[quote="amother Mint"]With the introduction of lab grown diamonds and possibly new tech down the road, the value of mined diamonds is now in question in itself. There is quite the possibility that its value will be significant reduced as the other diamonds gain foothold in society.

So even if you buy a 'real' diamond now, it may not be worth much down the road. Bottom line is that you don't know, so it's no longer a safe investment as it once was.[/quote

This is very true. People don’t realize that lab is truly making its way to the top and diamonds will fall in value.

On the other hand gold is more stable. While it can be chemically engineered, to do so is way for expensive than to mine gold, although we never know if that might change.

amother

Hunter

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:56 am

amother Cantaloupe wrote:

So much misinformation on this thread. Natural diamonds are not holding their value. They have lost almost half their value when considering inflation over the last decade.

There is no way for even a jeweler with a magnifying glass to tell the difference between a lab created and mined diamond. That’s how identical they are. It takes specialized equipment and makes no practical difference in durability, shine, or any other properties whatsoever. Anyone who says differently is thinking of CZ which is entirely different and not a chemical diamond at all.

Why spend four times the price on the identical thing. In the non Jewish world close to 80% of engagement rings have switched to lab created. It’s only a matter of time.

Wait, this graph makes no sense.

We just bought a diamond for our new daughter in law bh, and we did not spend even close to that amount for a one carat diamond. They certainly do not cost six thousand dollars!!!

amother

DarkMagenta

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:57 am

amother Amaryllis wrote:

I did not read the whole thing
IMHO- if I was getting the jewelry
I would opt for either the real thing or cz
I don’t think lab grown is worth the price

So can you please read the real thing?

I’m so curious if once you’ll have an education on lab diamonds you’ll say the same

I used to say the same mantra. Till I researched a ton and watched YouTube videos about lab diamonds.

amother

Trillium

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 8:58 am

[quote="amother DarkMagenta"]

amother Mint wrote:

With the introduction of lab grown diamonds and possibly new tech down the road, the value of mined diamonds is now in question in itself. There is quite the possibility that its value will be significant reduced as the other diamonds gain foothold in society.

So even if you buy a 'real' diamond now, it may not be worth much down the road. Bottom line is that you don't know, so it's no longer a safe investment as it once was.[/quote

This is very true. People don’t realize that lab is truly making its way to the top and diamonds will fall in value.

On the other hand gold is more stable. While it can be chemically engineered, to do so is way for expensive than to mine gold, although we never know if that might change.

And I think lab diamonds will fall in value because they’ll be even more mass produced etc

amother

Trillium

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 9:02 am

amother DarkMagenta wrote:

Obviously you don’t mind if people assume it’s lab, because it is lab.

To you it’s the same

To me it’s not

I get a lot of satisfaction knowing my jewelry is real (and btw dh as a chosson paid with his own money for my $9000 Diamond ring and $1000 diamond earrings- another thing I value- the chosson himself paying vs the in laws)

Librarian

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 9:04 am

amother Trillium wrote:

My lab grown diamond ring came with a certificate and appraisal which I sent in to my insurance company. It is insured for the amount I paid for it.
My earrings came with an appraisal and is insured for the appraisal price which is more than I paid. The jeweler that made them for me said he significantly undercharged me because he never did this before. My earrings were appraised for what it would cost to replace them.
Earth diamond jewelry does not retain it's value when you walk out of the store either. You will get some value for the gold (which keeps going up up up) but nothing for small stones. I bought my dil a diamond necklace for the yichud room from Allegra 7 years ago. When I went to buy my new daughter in law a yichud room necklace a few months ago, I saw the exact same necklace for the exact same price. You do the math. In the end I bought her a "tennis" style earth diamond necklace directly from a diamond wholesaler for the same price. I also bought my new dil a 5 carrot earth diamond bracelet for the same price I paid 7 years ago, though my new dil picked a chunkier gold setting for the bracelet than the first dil. Again, do the math. My new dil's earth diamond ring cost $1000 less than the previous one although it is 1.9 carat vs 1.81. Do the math.

amother

Pansy

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 9:05 am

amother DarkMagenta wrote:

I just bought myself a three carat pair of studs. $1900. Stunning and gorgeous.

Way more than fifty percent discounted from ‘real diamonds’

I did some research. If people will be able to get stunning diamonds at a third of the price then these diamonds will become super popular.

Actually, they are already

Which means that way more people are walking around with huge diamonds and those with small ones will feel the need to increase their sizes too with future purchases.

Mostly they’ll end up with lab because the w size they’ll want will be unaffordable in blood diamonds.

So they’ll buy lab… and slowly blood diamonds will lose value.

As a btw they hardly make one carat lab grown diamonds, if at all.

For the record, to echo most knowledgeable posters, they are THE EXACT SAME THING. The difference is in HOW THEY WERE MINED!

Regarding resale, if I want to resell my kallah bracelet purchased for $1100 years ago it is now $100.

And the Point is obviously if you pay less for an item you will get back less.

There is so much misinformation on this thread.

I got $400 for my 3k kallah bracelet. Small diamonds are worth nothing. Only ones that can retain some value are large solid diamonds.

Natural diamonds have no utility and are artificially worth money but the Debeers company. They are not a scarce commodity but artificially made scare by them to be able to control the market.

As lab diamonds get cheaper and cheaper to produce, the Debeers conglomerate will collapse and diamonds won't be worth anything.

amother

DarkMagenta

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 9:05 am

amother Trillium wrote:

And I think lab diamonds will fall in value because they’ll be even more mass produced etc

It remains to be seen. It’s possible. However it may not fall as much as simply take the place of mined diamonds.
And small diamonds will cease to be purchased.

Meaning it may fall in value just as mined diamonds have fallen in value over time.

Say small mined diamonds- technically the cheaper ones are mass produced because people can afford those- right? So yes there are more of those and then there are also bigger ones. And sure , over time they fall in value.
But the trend is still that the smaller diamonds are less than the big ones. And I believe that the lab diamonds will replace this trend. The smaller lab stones will be cheaper and the larger more expensive

At the end of the day it’ll simply be that small diamonds will not be worn. Because those buying small diamonds now will afford a bit bigger and prettier. And those that can afford will wear huge diamonds. Spending the same as they always did- and getting much bigger.

amother

Cantaloupe

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 9:05 am

amother Hunter wrote:

Diamonds have many different levels of cut, color, and clarity. The higher end diamonds do go for close to 6k. You probably bought a stone that is nice, but not perfect, hence the lower price. Lab cut diamonds tend to rival the highest quality mined diamond since the process is controlled. They will look nicer than a mid level natural diamond.

Librarian

Mon, Mar 25 2024, 9:06 am

amother Lilac wrote:

I agree. Tell the kallah.