Jewelry

[Effie54]

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@lil sophie wrote:

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WOW! I love this! Where was this sold? 

[patbz]

One of my favorite rings is a nickel sized synthetic Alexanderiteto(as opposed to a simulated stone).  Natural Alexanderites are much smaller and this one has so much color changing fire.  If I was in the market for a diamond, I'd definitely consider synthetic.

[SilleeMee]

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@AngelPuppy1 wrote:

@candys mine 

So, then are the lab grown ones cheaper??? 

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Lab diamonds are cheaper. You can buy top-grade lab diamonds for significantly less money. Lab diamonds are graded just like natural diamonds are graded...the four Cs...and as with any graded stone comes a higher price tag with a certification of grade.

[Love to Run]

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@Abrowneyegirl wrote:

Diamonds or lab-grown are not an investment.  I would gladly pay MORE for a great quality lab created than a naturally mined stone.   The diamond market is terribly corrupt and with an awful history.

Naturally mined stones have at least a 120% mark-up so the value is only on paper.  I laugh when people think they can sell diamonds at their appraised value. 

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@Abrowneyegirl while you probably won't be able to sell a natural diamond for its appraised value, you can insure it and recoup any loss with the appropriate rider.

[Remar]

I can only go by the reasearch I've done on both. It takes a lot of natural energy to create a lab diamond. They will come down in price and they don't hold their value like a nauturly mined diamond.

Things are very different from what they used to be when mining natural diamonds. They're doing their best to give back to the land where they're mining natural diamonds. 

I'm not a gemologist. I've just done a great deal of reasearch on both of these, natural and lab.

It's just my personal preference but I own no stones that aren't natural. No gemstones and no diamonds. All of my stones are real, and that's what I want. My husband buys most of my jewelry and he knows about the lab stones. He's done the research too. He's already said he will never buy me a lab stone or any lab created gemstone.

We all have our own preferences. If you want to buy a lab made diamond there are so many beautiful choices out there. And you will save around 30% on average compaired to a mined diamond. 

Other than a few pieces of gold we bought when the prices starting rising, none of my other jewelry was bought as an investment. I wear my pieces, I enjoy them, and they mean a great deal to me because most pieces were gifts. 

Before you make a big investment on either of these stones it wouldn't hurt to do the research and of course shop around. Prices can widely vary on both. 

[AngelPuppy1]

I don't know --- at this point I am not convinced about this lab grown diamond thing.  Of course, I have not done any research on it yet.  But as of now, if I want a diamond and can afford it, I want the, what I consider a "real" diamond.  And if I want a diamonique or other faux diamond, then I will buy that.  

[gertrudecloset]

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@patbz wrote:

One of my favorite rings is a nickel sized synthetic Alexanderiteto(as opposed to a simulated stone).  Natural Alexanderites are much smaller and this one has so much color changing fire.  If I was in the market for a diamond, I'd definitely consider synthetic.

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Hi @patbz Synthetic and Simulated still are not the real deal.  Synthetic would infer artificial.  Simulated infers "similar."  Alexandrites have been mined out of existence.  I would buy one if it was lab created only.  I'd want the real thing if I could.  Lab grown is as close to the real deal as you can get.

I think some sapphires are now lab grown.  I think I'll research more about them when I can.

[SilleeMee]

@gertrudecloset 

Many jewelry stores sell a lot of lab sapphires, in all colors. Unless it says it's natural then assume it's a lab creation. Even a lot of the rubies you see under the glass at department stores are lab created. I really don't think stores today can sell natural gems that look decent. Most are so included, lack good color and cost too much.

[FiddleDeeDee]

Let us not forget that not only are many of the colored stones now sold (ruby, emerald and sapphire) lab created, many are color enhanced/glass filled.  This does reduce their value....dramatically.

I like diamonds, I really do. I learned a long time ago (courtesy of my mother and her involvement in the gem industry) that unless I owned a large/unique diamond, the actual value was pretty ******-poor. There are countless articles, reports on why this is so not going to go into it. The same can't be said for emeralds, sapphires or rubies because you simply can't get them anymore (the REAL stuff). The competition from jewelers and resellers at estate sales/auctions is HUGE because they too are looking for the real stuff in order to satisfy the demand of clients who choose to spend their money on these stones vs diamonds.

I have a good pair of Moissanite studs that, IMHO, look better than lab created diamonds and are set in 14K white gold. Paired with my great grandmothers diamond earring jackets, they look like the real thing.  I inherited her diamond studs but I need the backings replaced and NO jeweler in my area does the work in store, in front of you. I'm not giving them to someone to then ship them out, not happening. Too many people have had their stones swapped for junk or fakes. I have many items I'd love to have repaired or worked on but until I find someone who does it in house in front of me, they'll stay tucked away. In the meantime, I mix good fake diamond look-alike with the real stuff; it works for me in my world.

[songbird]

I agree that lab produced diamonds lose value.  Yes, the diamond industry was and is still very corrupt, but I think looking down the future, they industry will get better. People are still fascinated and continue to desire diamonds more then ever.  Other then corundum, I personally dislike colored gems. But I still love diamonds. I do own more coundum than I do diamonds. In fact, I wanted a sapphire engagement ring.  My husband eventually got me one, long after I got a diamond.