Thoughts on eternity band

amother

↑ Burntblack ↓

Sun, Sep 22 2024, 9:17 pm

ittsamother wrote:

But why is that relevant to the analogy? The point is that if I place two rings down in front of you, you would never know which is lab and which is mined because chemically they are the exact same, they will react the same way to all circumstances, their makeup is the same. It just so happens that one took a very long time deep in the earth to come into being and one took a very short time in a lab to come into being but end result, they are the same item.

It's not like a CZ or moissanite which is inherently a different creation and therefore cannot compare to a diamond. These are both 100% diamonds, they were just formed through a different procedure.

I think the people who are getting offended at the IVF analogy are only doing so because in their minds they still feel lab diamonds are somehow inferior and therefore it's insulting, while to those using the analogy it's not insulting at all because their entire point is that a lab diamond is no different than a mined diamond.

I actually think lab diamonds are superior.

The are usually more sparkly, better color, better clarity, less inclusions.

amother

↑ Springgreen

Sun, Sep 22 2024, 9:58 pm

ittsamother wrote:

It’s relevant because that’s what makes mined diamonds retain more resale value than lab grown diamonds. Lab grown diamonds look beautiful and sparkly but do they have inherent value? Not really. I cannot bring myself to spend money on lab diamonds for this reason. It’s just a meaningless sparkly rock. I bet in a few years they will be the same price as CZs. On the other hand, mines diamonds have an element of exclusivity. (And yes, I know the DeBeers backstory).

amother

↑ Chicory

Sun, Sep 22 2024, 10:03 pm

amother Springgreen wrote:

This exactly. And it's the law of supply and demand. Since you can constantly manufacture lab grown diamonds (the supply keeps increasing), the price is continuously dropping. This is a fact whether you think lab grown are better or not. Go research the prices in the not frum world. Also, spending 2k on a lab eternity band might be cheaper than what you would spend on mined diamonds, but it doesn't mean you got a great deal...you are paying for a different product!!

↑ ittsamother ↓

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 12:53 am

amother Springgreen wrote:

But the price of mined diamonds never really reflected their supposed rarity! They're not rare at all, it's a jacked up price unrelated to their actual availability. So it's very possible that as lab diamonds flood the market, and every joe shmoe has beautiful large real ones that function and last as well as diamonds always have, diamonds in general will be downgraded and just start being a common jewel that just doesn't hold much value to anyone beyond their beautiful sparkle. Maybe the oilam will move on to some other jewel for those special occasions.

↑ chanatron1000 ↓

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 3:07 am

amother Tuberose wrote:

Not really.. IVF babies are arguably more “precious” because years of tears sweat and money went into the process.
And no one at all can tell the “difference” between IVF vs not while an expert jeweler can often tell the diff between lab and mined.

An expert jeweler can tell with specialized equipment. It's not like a diamond simulant a jeweler can recognize on sight.

↑ chanatron1000

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 3:20 am

writinggirl wrote:

Just the opposite- I would think regular diamonds will become even more valuable, desirable and exclusive as the lab grown industry continues to grow. Other lab grown gems have been around for a while (ie ruby, sapphire, emerald) and they haven’t affected the price of natural gems.

Other lab grown gems have affected the price and perception of natural gems, but to a lesser extent than might be expected with diamonds. This is partly because many lab grown gems, while they are made of the same material as the natural gem, don't always look identical even to the naked eye, depending on the type of gem. For example, natural inclusions can look different than those formed in a lab. Some processes produce more natural looking stones than others.

Diamonds have also been commoditized differently from other gemstones. They can't really be compared, especially when used in engagement rings, where it's become standard (thanks to a very successful marketing campaign) to have a diamond, and usually not a particularly interesting one; people prefer a purer, clearer one of a decent size. And an engagement ring is never meant to be resold.

Because clear diamonds are kind of "generic," they're already relatively common, and you can't tell whether the diamonds someone is wearing are lab grown, there's really no advantage to wearing natural. If lab grown diamonds become really cheap, people will just assume the natural diamonds they see are lab grown too. Maybe people will become more interested in diamonds that have features that are harder to replicate, rather than the perfect clear ones. Maybe diamonds will lose their places as "the" gemstone, and something else will become it. Or some other feature might come to indicate status and luxury. Maybe someone will come up with a new, expensive process of diamond cutting that can't be imitated.

amother

↑ DarkOrange ↓

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 8:51 am

chanatron1000 wrote:

An expert jeweler can tell with specialized equipment. It's not like a diamond simulant a jeweler can recognize on sight.

That's not true my dear. Dh and his friend did hands on research on this at a highly popular jewlery store. They went in with a piece of jewelry asking whether it's real or not. Only a gemologist can figure that out and also not in a moment.

↑ ittsamother ↓

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 10:03 am

amother DarkOrange wrote:

I assume you mean they asked if it's mined/natural or not. It's real, all right : )

I read though that some certifications require lab grown diamonds to have a laser inscription on the girdle of the diamond, which would say LG before the certificate number.

amother

Nasturtium

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 11:38 am

First of all you arent a fraud second who cares. If you like it and are happy thats all that matters.

Ill tell you what happened to my aunt. My aunt and uncle are very very wealthy. They could afford expensive.
She bought a beautiful large diamond ring that was a CZ (no lab grown back in the day) she for sure could afford the real in the size she got but she didnt want to be afraid of loosing it so she bought fake.
A friend came up to her one day and said OMG that ring is gorgeous is it real?
My aunt was speechless for a second and said "would I wear anything that wasnt?" and just walked away.
So wear it and be happy.

↑ kenz ↓

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 11:46 am

amother DarkOrange wrote:

It is. It's very expensive but you can't judge. The last time I got a real piece of jewelry was 10 years ago. Dh wanted to spend 5k on me now. He wanted to use it on something else. I hinted to him I'd rather do jewelry.
Now, I had the choice of 1 magnificent eye catching piece or divide it. I decided that I don't must have the nicest and most expensive whatever. For me it's alot more worth to get something a drop less stunning and 2 things. I did. I bought 2 pieces of jewelry and good watch. I always had $100 watches. I got a brand. The 2 pieces I got are gorgeous and I love it just as much even though I didn't spend 5k on each.

Wear them and enjoy them in good health!

amother

↑ DarkOrange ↓

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 12:09 pm

ittsamother wrote:

On the certificate it clearly says lab grown spelled out but not on the diamond

amother

Goldenrod ↓

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 12:27 pm

amother Skyblue wrote:

The fancy bugaboo used to be the luxury item after the baby. Today the Bugaboo and the doona are just expected, the eternity band is the new item that 'got me through pregnancy'.
I guess this is to be expected when becoming kollel inspired in the first place costs 30K in Israel...

Right, no one cares if this specific OP gets a gift or not. But it’s a little shocking to watch standards rise and rise every 5 years. And then those standards become expected and de rigeur.

↑ kenz

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 12:45 pm

amother Chicory wrote:

I think it depend why you’re getting the jewelry. I personally get something (rarely😉) because I will enjoyed wearing it. I don’t really enjoy wearing costume jewelry so I don’t usually go that way, but I don’t really need the item to be inherently more valuable to enjoy it since I’m wearing it for my own enjoyment. In that case, lab grown would be fine for me. My diamond from my engagement ring has an obvious flaw and although I’ve been told by jewelers that it’s a good quality diamond regardless, I would have preferred a lab grown without the visible flaw.

↑ ittsamother

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 1:01 pm

kenz wrote:

I could have written this exactly, down to my engagement ring diamond having an obvious flaw too. Smile

amother

↑ DarkOrange ↓

Mon, Sep 23 2024, 2:32 pm

amother Daffodil wrote:

My lab half ring eternity band makes me happy every single day that I wear it. It was $1900 and it is super meaningful to me because I got it after going through a really really hard time (which I thought was over but is now very much still going on). It was totally worth it because that’s why I got it for me to enjoy!

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