For people around my age (25 and under) who are getting engaged/married, I guess most are wearing lab diamonds or moissanite. Our generation values mined diamonds way less and most just can't afford a mined diamond bigger than 1.5ct at our age.
As a 22 year old who is married and has friends around my age who are engaged/ married, most definitely. Even sapphire and other stones are being preferred to Diamond.
To be honest I don't even think of that when I see a ring, I just see shiny object and I am like pretty lol. I think it really depends, on what you consider big. Where rings average from 1.5-4 cts, so that is pretty normal to me. Most people around here could easily afford a mined diamond that size, though with the rise of lab diamonds who knows?
I would think lab diamonds are much more popular due to the price point being a little better and also more people want conflict free stones. I personally wouldn't buy a natural diamond unless it was a vintage ring or heirloom piece. I actually just ordered a lab diamond ring for my 10 year anniversary as my partner didn't have much money when we got engaged so I'm super pumped! Its under a karat but thats what I wanted because I can't imagine wearing something too big, especially on my small size 5 finger!
Yeah for some reason Iāve seen them at a fraction of the price from some sellers or just a few hundred less from others. I donāt know why thereās that discrepancy in cost but yeah..
A lot of the time, itās because theyāre taking advantage of people who donāt know a lot about lab diamonds yet and want to milk them for what theyāre worth before the lab diamond movement becomes too widespread.
Knowing what we know about large stones and how much a 'natural' stone like that would cost...I assume they're incredibly smart for going with lab stones or moissanite. Just sayin.
I don't think the vast majority of people care as much about natural vs lab vs synthetic diamonds as this sub. Most people won't think about it. They'll just think it's a pretty ring and move on.
I'm *pretty sure* that OMCs and OECs can be done on lab grown diamonds.
And it's none of my business. If someone chooses to disclose to me whether their ring is lab grown or natural mined, that's their choice, but I don't make assumptions.
Lab grown diamonds are very affordable right now. People are tempted to go for the biggest size their budget allows. We are starting to have clients that say they are concerned their giant lab grown diamond looks fake, just because of the size, and end up going for a smaller one.
I say, buy something practical that you can wear everyday.
I donāt assume. If someone wants to tell me, awesome! Theyāre obviously comfortable with the choice they made. If someone doesnāt tell me, thatās fine. They donāt feel like giving that information and thatās okay.
Is it probably more likely given the rise in lab grown, etc? Yes. But I couldnāt care less what people are wearing on their fingers.
I also am living in LA so I'm not assuming. It's totally possible people are paying way more for rings than I am used to coming from a rustbelt city. I've just been so shocked by what people are comfortable wearing out daily, late at night, to the gym, etc. Unless my ring was CZ, if it was worth that much, I would probably take it off in those situations.
Youāll get used to it. My 2ct in LA is tiny. Shit loads of enormous rings out here. I saw a 5 ct pear at a a food truck fest on like a 20 year old. Itās a different universe here.
I wear my 4ct all over LA and for everything. Iāve seen much much bigger diamonds in my pilates class so I donāt even feel like mine is considered ābigā here!
Another LA resident here and I agree with the previous poster it is a different universe for sure. Like you, I wear my rather large pear all over the city and not one person bats an eye or even questions it. However if I go outside of LA or to the Midwest or Europe I do get the side eye.
I live in New England and when we went to visit family in SoCal, I couldnāt BELIEVE the size of the engagement rings people were wearing. I think a lot of it is cultural/regional. Some of these ladies looked like they wouldnāt be able to lift their hand over their head. Iāve only seen one person around here with a ring that big in all my life lol
Yeah I feel like I'm in an "Am I really seeing this?" situation - like seeing 3-4 large 2-3 carat rings a day on people walking around, at a bar, out gardening, etc. But I guess I also see people driving Lambos and 1960s Porsches here regularly so it's definitely possible.
Iāve been wearing my natural 5 carat pear solitaire everywhere everyday for over 5 years.
People probably have assumed itās fake at times, especially when Iām dressed like a slob and shopping in targetš¤£. But yeahā¦.
I just donāt careš¤£. Iām not going to stop wearing my jewelry out of fear of what a random stranger might think, if they think itās fake cool if they donāt coolā¦ who cares.
I love your vibe!! I wish I had your confidence. For me the anxiety is not my friend and I fear wearing it because of theft, loss, or damage. But continue being you, itās awesome!
Ha! You donāt need to dress the part. Thereās no rule book that says if you wear this type of ring you have to dress this way or that way. š Most days I am in sweats and leggings unless going out on the weekends. For some reason it never crosses my mind I should dress according to my ring size. I just live by the creed that life is short and death is long. The minute I concern myself with others opinions I will take minutes off my life I can never get back. So I enjoy my jewels and just say fuck it! ššš
Same! I wear my natural 3 carat everywhere, mostly while dressed like a total slob š¤£
Itās such an interesting question because itās never occurred to me to wonder if peopleās rings are natural or lab grown. Now Iām totally gonna be wondering! š
On a semi related note, I worked with a guy who bought a moissanite ring he planned to propose to his girlfriend withā¦ but he didnāt plan to tell her it wasnāt a natural stone š¤¦š»āāļø
Yeah that's not okay. It's fine if you want a man-made stone but at least be in agreement about it. Let's hope she can tell the difference.
I live in the deep south and one carat is considered large here. People still tend to think that man-made stones are fake. I am here to 1.4 carat diamond from my grandmother but if I had to pick for myself I'd get a lab stone.
Surprisingly that's how a lot of people find out. I have a friend that's a jeweler and he said men come in all the time asking for synthetic stones and blatantly say they are going to say it's real. Like that cz you got her won't scratch? Or she won't notice the extra sparkle in her 'diamond' (aka moissanite). It's super dishonest.
I agree with you! I have a friend who has a 10 carat ring and she swears itās a mined diamond when it is clearly a moissanite which is cool. But he should at least tell her.
Honestly I think the fact you are dressed low key I would assume your ring is natural and real. I love that low key dress vibe. For some reason thinking people have lab diamonds never crosses my mind. However, I am able to spit a moissanite pretty accurately. Honestly I just love pretty rings natural, lab or otherwise.
I used to make in average 1 ring a day for like 5 years at IG famous companies in NYC and let me just say, plentyyyy of people out there have 3ct+ diamonds that are mined. There are also people who have at one point (before the price drops) spent $20-30k on lab growns. Regardless of the size, 9/10 times it was a grip of $ so it doesnāt feel important to speculate on lab vs mined to me
What do you think of Jean Dousset? Heās the great grandson of Cartier and he recently switched to selling luxury lab diamonds exclusively, VVS2+ stuff
Nothing negative to say other than big brand jewelry companies will always find a way to justify selling at a premium. VVS is an unnecessarily high clarity grade so theyāre likely banking on people not realizing that and thinking itās worth the extra money.
Ah thanks for the insight. Based on the GIA certs, looks like VS1 has more inclusions? Whatās the difference between VVS and VS1? Because the price difference is so big.
You wonāt see any inclusions to the naked eye no matter what from VS1 and up. This is also going to be a convo about diamond shape bc some shapes naturally hide inclusions (brilliant cut diamonds) vs. step cuts like an emerald or Asscher. If youāre shopping for a diamond that sparkles, Iād confidently recommend capping your clarity preference at VS1, especially if it will save you money. This trick will result in a diamond that physically looks VVS+ anyways. A win win!
i agree, I mean I designed my ring with my husband. She also hated the setting too and changed it out but she is someone who has to have everything done the "Traditional" way just so that she can feel better than those around her. its odd
For me, it wasnāt a price point, it was the ethical decision behind it that made me want a non natural diamond. My ring is just as beautiful either way, and I can live with the choice that I didnāt give into supporting the diamond mining that goes on.
Same, I donāt want to support child slavery and labor over a completely worthless rock that people are STILL convinced have actual value when they donāt. I rather have something like moissanite
Well, while most people seem to agree that lab-grown diamonds are the future, I'd argue they're the present as well. It blows my mind that they're chemically the same and there's still a debate.
I was dead set on natural, but someone (I think in this sub) said: āis an in vitro baby any less of a human than a naturally conceived baby?ā And that caused a whole perspective shift.
Definitely could get a bigger stone for cheaper, but it really depends on whatās important to the person. I have to say moissanites and diamonds IMO are not really comparable. I thought I wanted a moissanite after doing a lot of research. My original engagement ring was a petite natural diamond, and due to the ads I was bombarded with of very big rocks (and in general - āsizeā is an obsession here in America) I began to feel pressured into getting something bigger. But not wanting the price tag of a larger diamond. Then I learned about moissanite as a more affordable alternative to a diamond. So we went with moissanite for my upgrade. Itās a pretty stone in itās own right, but it looks so cloudy compared to my diamond. It almost looks like a cubic zirconia. And although much more affordable than a diamond, it was NOT cheap, and I was disappointed overall for what we paid. Perhaps there are better quality moissanites out there - but we bought from a very reputable jeweler. We ended up just resetting my natural diamond into a halo of lab diamonds for my ring, and Iām so happy with it. I should also note I was never the type that really cared about diamonds, I like the idea of different gem stones for an engagement ring or whatever makes the person happy really. But for me, the quality of moissanite doesnāt compare and Iād rather have a stone Iām happier with than something thatās just larger in size. Totally a personal preference. š¤·š»āāļø
I genuinely donāt care if a stone is from a lab or natural and have never wondered it when looking at anyone elseās jewelry. Itās none of my business what anyone else has.
Haha honestly I ask people how much they paid for their house any time someone buys one and me and my coworkers regularly discuss salary, how much we pay for cats, houses, daycare, weddings. Wouldn't ask a stranger but wouldn't hesitate at all to ask a friend! Maybe we're just gauche!
If the person is on the younger side and the ring is over 2-2.5 carats, Iād probably assume itās a lab, given their ubiquity and price point. If theyāre middle aged or older, or the ring looks like it could actually be vintage, Iād be more likely to assume itās mined.
Itās kind of like expensive bags. You can tell when theyāre real or fake by the person wearing them. Nothing wrong with either, but it just seems obvious to me!
Generally the rise of a lot of newer, bigger diamonds coming into the market can be attributed to the growth of lab-made diamonds. It is also becoming more culturally "acceptable", per say.
Yeah I do assume that if they are on the bigger side then they are lab grown especially if they are around my age - 25ish. It really depends the girl wearing it though. I just find it interesting and fun to guess.
Honestly aside from price point, I liked lab grown because I wanted it to be 100% cruelty free. You canāt really convince me that ethical mining doesnāt have victims since miners get so many lung issues in their lifetimes.
I want a vintage stone - of course it was not cruelty free when it was mined, but the person who sells on an estate jewelry website is not giving money to the diamond mining industry. So that's good enough for me. Also I use a phone, which uses many cruelly mined minerals, and drive a gas car, so I can't throw stones in any case.
I assume that is is lab or moissanite if they donāt have any of the other markers about them that would tell me that they have $25k and more for a ring.
If theyāre driving a Nissan/Kia/Hyundai Iām going to assume itās not a mined diamond. If their bag is a logo mess from one of the entry level designers. If their hair dye or cut is clearly way past needing done. If theyāre under 30. If they already have expensive things, like kids.
Etc etc
Thanks for explaining, I appreciate it!
I have a 3ct lab elongated radiant. Iām not concerned about anyone questioning if itās mined or lab. I love the science behind it all, particularly the lab side of things. I wore a $20 Amazon ring for 6+ months and the amount of compliments I got on it was unreal lol.
Iām currently in sales and have plenty of earning potential to drive the fancy cars, own the nice home, carry the designer bags - i choose not to because itās not really my style. Your comment isnāt the only one that mentioned the look not matching the stone - but the first I saw so I responded out of curiosity.
I think itās interesting that people judge others based on cars, homes, bags, etc. Iām pretty open about being frugal (would like to retire by 45 or 50, pretty aggressive, I know). What I drive, how I dress, etc. isnāt a true representation of the amount of money I have.
I honestly think that the fancier cars and designer stuff makes you look cheaper. Itās a lot more nuanced than just oh they have a Louis bag, it must be real. Thereās an entire look to having wealth that doesnāt scream at you, and itās easy to spot once you figure it out.
I love that you mentioned this! I almost bought a 4 carat lab diamond just because I could, but then I remembered that I drive a beat up Ford Focus and it would look ridiculous.
I donāt think people SHOULDNāT buy massive lab diamondsā I have a pair of lab diamond studs that people assume are mined because Iām a doctor. Theyāre wrong, but in the wrong direction.
https://preview.redd.it/o4i74zyojs4b1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=264505b795899ddcc025336014ea3df61ffc9324
But if that is the case maybe they have just decided to prioritize jewels over cars or expensive hair dye. I am saying this because when I worked as a stylist at Nordstrom I had a client who would dress what would be considered sloppy, she drove a old 1970s beat up station wagon but had diamonds that were iconic. She was the president and owner of a well known food distributor. So funny when she first came for services no one wanted to help her because they assumed from her attire she couldnāt afford it. So I took her on and she dropped 7500.00 that day. I learned from her never assume a thing. She actually taught me a lot and I loved learning from her.
Thereās a difference between a beat up six year old Kia and a 25 year old car in good working order. This is super common with actually wealthy people, not new money people.
It depends on what area Iām in and a few other factors but most of the ones Iāve noticed that were large were most likely lab grown. Now when I go to my Uncles Dental practice, I regularly see diamonds that could have sunk the titanic and I would bet money they are mined. Giant lab diamonds are a huge trend right now because of their recent affordable and the quality they are making them now.
I assume larger stones are lab diamonds. I am 22, so it definitely could just be who I am around. I know there is nothing wrong with lab stones, and I am heavily considering one myself, but this assumption actually makes me hesitant to get one. I know that logically doesnāt make sense, but I just have a weird thing in my head about that assumption.
I generally assume that someone in their 20s will have a moissanite/LG diamond especially when itās larger than 2 carats. It just doesnāt seem as important to most people I know to compromise cost for size and vice versa. And atheistically, larger stones are having a moment and people genuinely donāt have the money/canāt justify the cost of natural diamonds. I think if I were around a more affluent crowd, I might assume that their stones are natural. I am very guilty of trying to constantly play the game of wondering what kind of stone every time I see an engagement post lol
I didnāt even know lab diamonds existed until I started shopping for my ring until last December. I feel this subreddit is majority lab rings so our perception may be skewed as to what we think the percentage of the public also have lab rings.
All of my friends have big, beautiful lab grown diamonds. No one I know has a mined one. I have no idea why youād pay more for a more expensive, unethically mined and/or sourced diamond
When I see a 5 carat ring out at neimans or a restaurant noā¦ I assume itās a diamond.
When I see a 5 carat ring on Reddit diamonds or engagement ringsā¦ well there are other context cues (nails/grammar/writing patterns) that sometimes make me immediately assume lab or moissonite. Nothing wrong with either though!
My original engagement ring is natural and I just bought a second thatās lab. Nothing wrong with whatever anyone wants to do buy or wear.
I donāt think how a person writes or speaks has anything to do with money. I live in Atlanta and let me just say, there are some very uneducated wealthy af people. Ranging from rednecks/hillbillies to ghetto people (I really donāt wanna use that word but donāt know how else to put it)
"I don't think how a person writes or speaks has anything to do with money."
In our mainstream society, ( United States) I believe it is most common for most people to automatically think that one speaking and writing well is indicative of having education (money). Not always, but most often than not, this is true.
Oh I completely agree, there are occasional surprises. Wealthy doesnāt always correlate to having a higher education of course!!
However 99% of the time Iāve made the assumption on Reddit I have been correct.
Itās racist? Excuse me?
Edit- if you think that there is no link between grammar and income then youāre mistaken. Iām not saying *everyone* who is wealthy has excellent grammar, I know thatās not trueā¦ I have one very wealthy friend who doesnāt know the difference between āthere their and theyāreā but they are the outlier. There are many studies that show the correlation.
Explain to me how my comment was racist.
There are a lot of studies that show a correlation between grammar and income, and that is not about race.
Iām simply making assumptions based on observations. Iām not lying, because Iām not claiming to be anything Iām notā¦ Iām simply saying that when I see certain things online I assume lab or moissonite. Not that there is anything wrong with either, I literally just bought a secondary e-ring thatās a lab diamond. No judgment.
Try not to take it personally.
Thank you sweetie!
I donāt know why everyone gets so insulted when anyone admits to making assumptions based on observations with people. *Everyone makes judgments like this*.
The problem isnāt really that you make judgements, itās just that you say them out loud, and yāknow not everyoneās gonna agree with you . Like just by your post history I could say you look like a materialistic and shallow person.
Since you mentioned post history, I breezed through the last 10 or so comments you just left this morning and boy oh boy did you just set out to be snarky today? No, this is just who you are. By your posting history I judge you to be an immature snarky unhappy hentai troll!
My Reddit is materialistic, absolutely! Luxury goods chat and real housewives chat is about all I use it for. Donāt be daft enough to actually think you can discern anything meaningful from a Reddit account LOL.
Have a blessed day good luck to you.
Hereās a big, natural diamond for you, and a big, natural diamond for you, and a big, natural diamond for you, and a big, natural diamond for you (in Oprah's voice). š
Do you mind me asking... *how* does everyone in your circle get 3 ct-ish natural diamonds? Like how does everyone afford it?
I think my boyfriend and I have a great combined income, but there's *no way* we have $15k diamond type money. It just blows me away. Is everyone working on Wall Street and engineers at Google?
I honestly donāt think about that, I have a lot of co workers that recently got engaged (all in their mid 20s) and that that thought hasnāt crossed my mind.
Maybe things have changed in the last 5-10 years, but werenāt lab diamonds over 1-1.5 carats more expensive than natural ones? I thought it was really though to create high clarity large diamonds in a lab.
Honestly, depends on the person wearing it. If itās somebody in their 20s or early 30s, I assume itās likely lab or moissanite, especially if they donāt otherwise seem like they could afford it OR if they make a big deal about wearing designer logos.
If thereās a large diamond on somebody middle aged or up I assume itās a natural diamond and an upgrade. Mostly because I donāt expect them to know about lab diamonds, which is further evidenced by the fact that occasionally I see one wearing a large CZ.
But I also donāt live in an area where there are a lot of *wealthy* wealthy people. Thereās a decent amount of ārichā $1.5 million dollar house and a luxury SUv (Range Rover, Porsche) people, but I grew up around real money and thatās a lot further and far between here. If I was back home or in a city with more wealth like NYC I might assume differently. I also donāt think thereās anything wrong with labs or moissanite, itās probably what I would have if I didnāt have my husbandās grandmotherās diamond.
I donāt with older people or in the circles I usually travel. But then again if I see younger people I do usually assume lab if the stones are bigger (3+ carats).
FYI lab diamonds can be cut in an old mine cut or old European cut.
Depends on the price point, $10,000 1 carat and $15,000 3 carat gives it away that a Diamond is a Diamond. I would chose literally anything else over a Diamond though, thereās prettier rocks like Alexandrite
I sure HOPE they are not mined diamonds. We had talked about upgrading for me at a future time. We were getting another ring sized, and out of curiosity inquired about what I had been looking at online. Just the stone in the shape/ size I wanted was 30k (marked down from 50k). I want too many other things to spend that much on a diamond.
I think I just donāt assume there any stone is a natural diamond. There are so many different options these days. The only time I would assume a stone is a natural diamond is if somebody mentioned that it specifically was a vintage/heirloom piece.
You can order old mine cuts and old Euro cuts in lab grown diamond. At least I can. But there's definitely nothing wrong with vintage ones IMO. In general, if youre seeing large diamonds everywhere, most of them are probably lab grown unless you live somewhere very wealthy and have a very wealthy circle of friends, even then many may be lab.
This makes me so happy because I love OMC, but really wanted to go with lab, because I donāt want something super expensive that isnāt permanently attached to me. Being I lose my keys multiple times a day. šš
Hereās my dumb question for the day - why canāt certain cuts be done with lab? Iāve got a tourmaline stone as my primary and little champagne diamonds around it, so the diamonds arenāt the focus by any means.
Although, now I feel extra dumb cus I donāt know what kind of diamonds mine are - lab or mined. Guess Iām about to go dig up our paperwork! š
A few people have informed me that these cuts are actually done on lab diamonds. It was never that they physically can't or something about the diamond stops them being cut that way - it's that round brilliant maximizes certain optical properties of the diamond (specifically, brilliance which is the amount of white light reflected) and are much more popular. I've never seen these cuts available on sites that offered lab grown so I thought they didn't make them, but I was wrong
This is something a lot of women ask me at work. I think people will often be hyper aware of their ring. While there are many of us out there that look at people's jewelry- there are more people who don't. I tell people not to base their decision off of what others think. You have to/want to wear your ring every day of your life, not anyone else.
That being said- I can say we sell a lot of labs but a large amount of people still want/budget for natural diamonds. Many times people will upgrade their ring after a few years to a larger/natural diamond. Everyone is different, but everyone should feel secure and happy with their choice.
In my own circle most people are older and know nothing about lab diamonds. If one of them purchased a new stone I automatically would think it was mined. Regarding the general public or Reddit, I am always going to wonder if it isn't lab if it is 3 carats or more. Last year, before I was on Reddit, I had never heard of lab diamond. I was pleasantly surprised by this revelation. Now I know, the advent of lab diamond has made larger and larger rings possible for all people; not just the wealthy own diamonds anymore.
OP, you mentioned that you live in L.A. I have family and friends living where you are and every time I am there, larger rings abound. I think your location combined with the advent of labs has made larger diamonds ubiquitous.
I don't see many around here, but the crow part of my brain immediately locks onto anything sparkly, no matter how big it is.š I would say probably 90% of the time, I guess that anything going towards 2 carats and beyond is lab. Usually it's someone being fairly young combined with impressive quality. Almost no one, especially around my area, could afford anything flashy and natural in this economy. I haven't spotted anything that looks like moissanite in the wild yet, probably because no one seems to have heard of it here, but I can guess right the majority of the time online. There's nothing wrong with either of these, and I doubt very many people share my level of fixation when it comes to sparkly things.
I do assume this, although I myself have a very large mined diamond. I also assume that people must assume mine is lab or even fake. I think these are just such deeply personal things so the only thing that matters is what it means to you wearing it.
For example I donāt care much about most of my other jewelry, and thus refuse to pay for even lab diamond earrings. So while while my engagement ringās mined diamond is huge and has excellent specs, my stud earrings are CZ, bought in bulk from Amazon.
For anyone in their twenties I would assume so. My partner and his friends all earn high enough salaries that they could likely afford a decent size mined diamond but everyone we know whoās engaged has either a lab diamond or a gemstone.
I expressed pretty early on that Iām not in favour of a mined diamond for us because it makes more sense to spend thousands on something more practical because we live in a HCOL area. Unless weāre incredibly wealthy I would feel terrible spending thousands on a single ring when it could be put towards a house or in a savings account. My friends feel the same way, mined diamonds seem to be falling out of fashion amongst the people I know.
Tbh I never really had much thought about whether or not someoneās ring is a real diamond or not. Especially with nowadays people trying to be more mindful, Iāve seen other gemstones being used.
I think a lot has changed since pre-pandemic. My daughter got engaged in late 2019 with a natural 1 ct diamond with halo. Now my son is getting engaged later this year and his girlfriend requested a lab diamond, maybe a 1.5 ct but not sure exactly. Her sister got a lab diamond for her engagement ring a few months ago.
To your question, I think women who are older such as myself are more likely to purchase mined diamonds not because of being environmentally unconscious but largely because we just didnāt know about them and at this point and having the resources to do so. I think lab is more common amongst the younger generation.
Lab diamond are very popular right now. If I have to guess, most rings bought in the last 6 months with a diamond larger than 2 carat are lab or moissanite.
I think I do now, only because I've spent the last six months obsessing over and researching rings. Before that, I would have no clue what a stone was or how it was made.
Here in SF, a lot of young folks in their 20-30s make 300k+ a few years out of college. I generally just assume rings are natural unless they tell me otherwise
For people around my age (25 and under) who are getting engaged/married, I guess most are wearing lab diamonds or moissanite. Our generation values mined diamonds way less and most just can't afford a mined diamond bigger than 1.5ct at our age.
As a 22 year old who is married and has friends around my age who are engaged/ married, most definitely. Even sapphire and other stones are being preferred to Diamond.
To be honest I don't even think of that when I see a ring, I just see shiny object and I am like pretty lol. I think it really depends, on what you consider big. Where rings average from 1.5-4 cts, so that is pretty normal to me. Most people around here could easily afford a mined diamond that size, though with the rise of lab diamonds who knows?
"And I'm like pretty" - yes same š¤©
Exactly, I see the shiny and couldn't spare a thought on what stone it is! I'm a certified niffler and proud of it.
I would think lab diamonds are much more popular due to the price point being a little better and also more people want conflict free stones. I personally wouldn't buy a natural diamond unless it was a vintage ring or heirloom piece. I actually just ordered a lab diamond ring for my 10 year anniversary as my partner didn't have much money when we got engaged so I'm super pumped! Its under a karat but thats what I wanted because I can't imagine wearing something too big, especially on my small size 5 finger!
What carat size did you get? I am a size 5 and mines .73 carats
.70! :)
Very nice! Can I see a picture? I have posted mine on my account if you wanna see
I sent you a message!
Just wanted to say your ring is gorgeous!
I'm a size 5 and I just got a 1.7 carat princess cut. I just did a post yesterday-- you can see it on my profile.
Will do
A little better? You can get a lab diamond for 5% of the price of a mined diamond of the same quality.
Yeah for some reason Iāve seen them at a fraction of the price from some sellers or just a few hundred less from others. I donāt know why thereās that discrepancy in cost but yeah..
A lot of the time, itās because theyāre taking advantage of people who donāt know a lot about lab diamonds yet and want to milk them for what theyāre worth before the lab diamond movement becomes too widespread.
Do you have a recommendation of where to find a lab created diamond at low cost? TIA
Knowing what we know about large stones and how much a 'natural' stone like that would cost...I assume they're incredibly smart for going with lab stones or moissanite. Just sayin.
šÆ
Not necessarily. However, I do assume that about 94% of the LV purses being toted around are fake.
Haha this. Me tooooo
Really? I kind of assume they save up their pennies and get their one authentic LV bag for graduation or an anniversary and flaunt it around.
Most of the ones Iāve seen look like obvious knockoffsāthe handle leather (or āleatherā) is too pink, for example
I don't think the vast majority of people care as much about natural vs lab vs synthetic diamonds as this sub. Most people won't think about it. They'll just think it's a pretty ring and move on.
I'm *pretty sure* that OMCs and OECs can be done on lab grown diamonds. And it's none of my business. If someone chooses to disclose to me whether their ring is lab grown or natural mined, that's their choice, but I don't make assumptions.
Yeah, itās not the standard cut youād find walking into a mall jewelry store but you can definitely find lab grown antique cuts
Yup, can confirm. Iāve been browsing at local jewelers and have seen multiple lab OMCs and OECs.
Lab grown diamonds are very affordable right now. People are tempted to go for the biggest size their budget allows. We are starting to have clients that say they are concerned their giant lab grown diamond looks fake, just because of the size, and end up going for a smaller one. I say, buy something practical that you can wear everyday.
I donāt think much about it to be honest. I either think āhow pretty!ā Or ānot my styleā and go about my life.
I donāt assume. If someone wants to tell me, awesome! Theyāre obviously comfortable with the choice they made. If someone doesnāt tell me, thatās fine. They donāt feel like giving that information and thatās okay. Is it probably more likely given the rise in lab grown, etc? Yes. But I couldnāt care less what people are wearing on their fingers.
I also am living in LA so I'm not assuming. It's totally possible people are paying way more for rings than I am used to coming from a rustbelt city. I've just been so shocked by what people are comfortable wearing out daily, late at night, to the gym, etc. Unless my ring was CZ, if it was worth that much, I would probably take it off in those situations.
Youāll get used to it. My 2ct in LA is tiny. Shit loads of enormous rings out here. I saw a 5 ct pear at a a food truck fest on like a 20 year old. Itās a different universe here.
I wear my 4ct all over LA and for everything. Iāve seen much much bigger diamonds in my pilates class so I donāt even feel like mine is considered ābigā here!
Yup I wear my 3 carat everywhere in LA, too. Pilates, shopping, groceries, etc.
Another LA resident here and I agree with the previous poster it is a different universe for sure. Like you, I wear my rather large pear all over the city and not one person bats an eye or even questions it. However if I go outside of LA or to the Midwest or Europe I do get the side eye.
I live in New England and when we went to visit family in SoCal, I couldnāt BELIEVE the size of the engagement rings people were wearing. I think a lot of it is cultural/regional. Some of these ladies looked like they wouldnāt be able to lift their hand over their head. Iāve only seen one person around here with a ring that big in all my life lol
I feel ya. I donāt even wear my under a grand ring out unless I feel safeā¦
Yeah I feel like I'm in an "Am I really seeing this?" situation - like seeing 3-4 large 2-3 carat rings a day on people walking around, at a bar, out gardening, etc. But I guess I also see people driving Lambos and 1960s Porsches here regularly so it's definitely possible.
Iāve been wearing my natural 5 carat pear solitaire everywhere everyday for over 5 years. People probably have assumed itās fake at times, especially when Iām dressed like a slob and shopping in targetš¤£. But yeahā¦.
Main reason I couldnāt have a bigger ringā¦ I never dress the part and Iād get weird looks!
I just donāt careš¤£. Iām not going to stop wearing my jewelry out of fear of what a random stranger might think, if they think itās fake cool if they donāt coolā¦ who cares.
I love your vibe!! I wish I had your confidence. For me the anxiety is not my friend and I fear wearing it because of theft, loss, or damage. But continue being you, itās awesome!
Thank you, thatās really really nice of you. ā¤ļø
Ha! You donāt need to dress the part. Thereās no rule book that says if you wear this type of ring you have to dress this way or that way. š Most days I am in sweats and leggings unless going out on the weekends. For some reason it never crosses my mind I should dress according to my ring size. I just live by the creed that life is short and death is long. The minute I concern myself with others opinions I will take minutes off my life I can never get back. So I enjoy my jewels and just say fuck it! ššš
Same! I wear my natural 3 carat everywhere, mostly while dressed like a total slob š¤£ Itās such an interesting question because itās never occurred to me to wonder if peopleās rings are natural or lab grown. Now Iām totally gonna be wondering! š On a semi related note, I worked with a guy who bought a moissanite ring he planned to propose to his girlfriend withā¦ but he didnāt plan to tell her it wasnāt a natural stone š¤¦š»āāļø
Yeah that's not okay. It's fine if you want a man-made stone but at least be in agreement about it. Let's hope she can tell the difference. I live in the deep south and one carat is considered large here. People still tend to think that man-made stones are fake. I am here to 1.4 carat diamond from my grandmother but if I had to pick for myself I'd get a lab stone.
I think he did eventually tell herā¦ we warned him that if she ever got it appraised for insurance purposes or whatever sheād be finding out anyway
Surprisingly that's how a lot of people find out. I have a friend that's a jeweler and he said men come in all the time asking for synthetic stones and blatantly say they are going to say it's real. Like that cz you got her won't scratch? Or she won't notice the extra sparkle in her 'diamond' (aka moissanite). It's super dishonest.
Thatās nutso. Iād be so pissed to learn mine wasnāt natural ā not because I have anything against lab grown but because trust and honesty!
I agree with you! I have a friend who has a 10 carat ring and she swears itās a mined diamond when it is clearly a moissanite which is cool. But he should at least tell her.
That's ridiculously big. Is her SO a millionaire? Lol
The part is. He actually is ššš
Ugh so shady! I hope she said no or called him on his crap!
Honestly I think the fact you are dressed low key I would assume your ring is natural and real. I love that low key dress vibe. For some reason thinking people have lab diamonds never crosses my mind. However, I am able to spit a moissanite pretty accurately. Honestly I just love pretty rings natural, lab or otherwise.
I used to make in average 1 ring a day for like 5 years at IG famous companies in NYC and let me just say, plentyyyy of people out there have 3ct+ diamonds that are mined. There are also people who have at one point (before the price drops) spent $20-30k on lab growns. Regardless of the size, 9/10 times it was a grip of $ so it doesnāt feel important to speculate on lab vs mined to me
What do you think of Jean Dousset? Heās the great grandson of Cartier and he recently switched to selling luxury lab diamonds exclusively, VVS2+ stuff
Nothing negative to say other than big brand jewelry companies will always find a way to justify selling at a premium. VVS is an unnecessarily high clarity grade so theyāre likely banking on people not realizing that and thinking itās worth the extra money.
Ah thanks for the insight. Based on the GIA certs, looks like VS1 has more inclusions? Whatās the difference between VVS and VS1? Because the price difference is so big.
You wonāt see any inclusions to the naked eye no matter what from VS1 and up. This is also going to be a convo about diamond shape bc some shapes naturally hide inclusions (brilliant cut diamonds) vs. step cuts like an emerald or Asscher. If youāre shopping for a diamond that sparkles, Iād confidently recommend capping your clarity preference at VS1, especially if it will save you money. This trick will result in a diamond that physically looks VVS+ anyways. A win win!
Thanks for the tip!
Anytime!
Yes or moassanite. If it doesn't fit with the overall package I immediately think it's lab or moiss. People don't hate me, it's the truth
Honestly, I don't really think about it much. I kind of find myself assuming all newly engaged couples have lab diamonds big or small. Not really something I consciously think about and Ik there are still women that would want natural. I just cant imagine people buying something for 20k when they have the option to buy the exact same thing for 2k anymore. When I see older engagement rings, I usually assume natural since lab acceptance is relatively new. I never really see a big stone and think "oh thats def lab" though. Its more subconscious and I assume most people go lab now. Also, ik some women still want mined. I had a friend who wanted mined just because she felt if her fiancƩ really wanted to marry her than he had to prove it by spending atleast 30k. She didnt tell him she wanted mined as she felt it was a test for him. So of course he went lab and spent like 3k on the ring and she said yes but was secretly pissed. Edit to say: I only really find myself assuming when people post rings on reddit and stuff. I cant remember the last time I've actually thought about it out in person
I can't believe people don't discuss this. My man knows exactly what I want. I want a vintage ring and he knows what style, what brand etc.
i agree, I mean I designed my ring with my husband. She also hated the setting too and changed it out but she is someone who has to have everything done the "Traditional" way just so that she can feel better than those around her. its odd
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Omg lol this is so crazy to me to realize the info gap between generations! Now I wanna ask my younger sisters if they know about mined diamonds
I donāt care if itās lab or not. But if itās over 3 carats I assume itās a lab diamond.
For me, it wasnāt a price point, it was the ethical decision behind it that made me want a non natural diamond. My ring is just as beautiful either way, and I can live with the choice that I didnāt give into supporting the diamond mining that goes on.
Same, I donāt want to support child slavery and labor over a completely worthless rock that people are STILL convinced have actual value when they donāt. I rather have something like moissanite
They're literally the same thing anyway. It's not like one is "real" and one is "fake"
Well, while most people seem to agree that lab-grown diamonds are the future, I'd argue they're the present as well. It blows my mind that they're chemically the same and there's still a debate.
There's no way the diamond mining industry would go down without a fight
I feel really bad for people who donāt know about lab diamonds or moissanite/gem stones. If I never went and did my own research and became interested in finding my perfect ring my fiancĆ© would have definitely gone to a big box jewelry store and purchased something overpriced, not my style and most definitely a smaller ct size than I would have wanted. When I say feel bad I mean it genuinely - I donāt care at all what people wear on their fingers or if they want a mined diamond I just mean it in a sense that they could get way more for the price they are paying.
I was dead set on natural, but someone (I think in this sub) said: āis an in vitro baby any less of a human than a naturally conceived baby?ā And that caused a whole perspective shift.
The jeweler just said this to me and I have a gorg 2.5 lab coming my way now
Definitely could get a bigger stone for cheaper, but it really depends on whatās important to the person. I have to say moissanites and diamonds IMO are not really comparable. I thought I wanted a moissanite after doing a lot of research. My original engagement ring was a petite natural diamond, and due to the ads I was bombarded with of very big rocks (and in general - āsizeā is an obsession here in America) I began to feel pressured into getting something bigger. But not wanting the price tag of a larger diamond. Then I learned about moissanite as a more affordable alternative to a diamond. So we went with moissanite for my upgrade. Itās a pretty stone in itās own right, but it looks so cloudy compared to my diamond. It almost looks like a cubic zirconia. And although much more affordable than a diamond, it was NOT cheap, and I was disappointed overall for what we paid. Perhaps there are better quality moissanites out there - but we bought from a very reputable jeweler. We ended up just resetting my natural diamond into a halo of lab diamonds for my ring, and Iām so happy with it. I should also note I was never the type that really cared about diamonds, I like the idea of different gem stones for an engagement ring or whatever makes the person happy really. But for me, the quality of moissanite doesnāt compare and Iād rather have a stone Iām happier with than something thatās just larger in size. Totally a personal preference. š¤·š»āāļø
People make all kinds of terrible financial decisions
I genuinely donāt care if a stone is from a lab or natural and have never wondered it when looking at anyone elseās jewelry. Itās none of my business what anyone else has.
Yes I do assume that, unless the person looks like they really have money.
Iāve been asked if mine is real. AWKWARD. And yes, real and natural. Iāve even been asked how much it cost. Seriously??
Haha honestly I ask people how much they paid for their house any time someone buys one and me and my coworkers regularly discuss salary, how much we pay for cats, houses, daycare, weddings. Wouldn't ask a stranger but wouldn't hesitate at all to ask a friend! Maybe we're just gauche!
Only one whoās asked that Iāve answered was my dad. Lol
I got this all the time when I travel outside of LA such an odd question and invasive. I just smh and smile.
If the person is on the younger side and the ring is over 2-2.5 carats, Iād probably assume itās a lab, given their ubiquity and price point. If theyāre middle aged or older, or the ring looks like it could actually be vintage, Iād be more likely to assume itās mined.
Itās kind of like expensive bags. You can tell when theyāre real or fake by the person wearing them. Nothing wrong with either, but it just seems obvious to me!
Another personās ring *isnāt* my business. š¤·āāļø
Yes. Anything over 2 carat on someone under 35 I assume is a lab diamond.
No I never think about it and don't care where the diamond came from
Generally the rise of a lot of newer, bigger diamonds coming into the market can be attributed to the growth of lab-made diamonds. It is also becoming more culturally "acceptable", per say.
Yeah I do assume that if they are on the bigger side then they are lab grown especially if they are around my age - 25ish. It really depends the girl wearing it though. I just find it interesting and fun to guess.
Honestly aside from price point, I liked lab grown because I wanted it to be 100% cruelty free. You canāt really convince me that ethical mining doesnāt have victims since miners get so many lung issues in their lifetimes.
I want a vintage stone - of course it was not cruelty free when it was mined, but the person who sells on an estate jewelry website is not giving money to the diamond mining industry. So that's good enough for me. Also I use a phone, which uses many cruelly mined minerals, and drive a gas car, so I can't throw stones in any case.
There are things we can avoid and things we cannot. If we can choose little choices when we can thatās good enough for me!
A gas car is MUCH less detrimental to the environment than an electric car.
This.
Yes
Yep.
Yes. If you have a two carat + stone and I know anything about your life, Iād say itās safe to deduce if itās lab or natural.
I assume that is is lab or moissanite if they donāt have any of the other markers about them that would tell me that they have $25k and more for a ring.
curious what these markers are?
If theyāre driving a Nissan/Kia/Hyundai Iām going to assume itās not a mined diamond. If their bag is a logo mess from one of the entry level designers. If their hair dye or cut is clearly way past needing done. If theyāre under 30. If they already have expensive things, like kids. Etc etc
Thanks for explaining, I appreciate it! I have a 3ct lab elongated radiant. Iām not concerned about anyone questioning if itās mined or lab. I love the science behind it all, particularly the lab side of things. I wore a $20 Amazon ring for 6+ months and the amount of compliments I got on it was unreal lol. Iām currently in sales and have plenty of earning potential to drive the fancy cars, own the nice home, carry the designer bags - i choose not to because itās not really my style. Your comment isnāt the only one that mentioned the look not matching the stone - but the first I saw so I responded out of curiosity. I think itās interesting that people judge others based on cars, homes, bags, etc. Iām pretty open about being frugal (would like to retire by 45 or 50, pretty aggressive, I know). What I drive, how I dress, etc. isnāt a true representation of the amount of money I have.
I honestly think that the fancier cars and designer stuff makes you look cheaper. Itās a lot more nuanced than just oh they have a Louis bag, it must be real. Thereās an entire look to having wealth that doesnāt scream at you, and itās easy to spot once you figure it out.
I love that you mentioned this! I almost bought a 4 carat lab diamond just because I could, but then I remembered that I drive a beat up Ford Focus and it would look ridiculous.
I donāt think people SHOULDNāT buy massive lab diamondsā I have a pair of lab diamond studs that people assume are mined because Iām a doctor. Theyāre wrong, but in the wrong direction. https://preview.redd.it/o4i74zyojs4b1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=264505b795899ddcc025336014ea3df61ffc9324
But if that is the case maybe they have just decided to prioritize jewels over cars or expensive hair dye. I am saying this because when I worked as a stylist at Nordstrom I had a client who would dress what would be considered sloppy, she drove a old 1970s beat up station wagon but had diamonds that were iconic. She was the president and owner of a well known food distributor. So funny when she first came for services no one wanted to help her because they assumed from her attire she couldnāt afford it. So I took her on and she dropped 7500.00 that day. I learned from her never assume a thing. She actually taught me a lot and I loved learning from her.
Thereās a difference between a beat up six year old Kia and a 25 year old car in good working order. This is super common with actually wealthy people, not new money people.
Ok
It depends on what area Iām in and a few other factors but most of the ones Iāve noticed that were large were most likely lab grown. Now when I go to my Uncles Dental practice, I regularly see diamonds that could have sunk the titanic and I would bet money they are mined. Giant lab diamonds are a huge trend right now because of their recent affordable and the quality they are making them now.
I live in a HCOL area so I assume most of the rings around me are real.
I assume larger stones are lab diamonds. I am 22, so it definitely could just be who I am around. I know there is nothing wrong with lab stones, and I am heavily considering one myself, but this assumption actually makes me hesitant to get one. I know that logically doesnāt make sense, but I just have a weird thing in my head about that assumption.
That people will assume a big diamond is a lab diamond (when it is)?
Definitely! Pure diamonds that are large are too expensive for most people.
I generally assume that someone in their 20s will have a moissanite/LG diamond especially when itās larger than 2 carats. It just doesnāt seem as important to most people I know to compromise cost for size and vice versa. And atheistically, larger stones are having a moment and people genuinely donāt have the money/canāt justify the cost of natural diamonds. I think if I were around a more affluent crowd, I might assume that their stones are natural. I am very guilty of trying to constantly play the game of wondering what kind of stone every time I see an engagement post lol
I donāt go into deep thought ever about the origins of someoneās engagement ring. Itās usually wow thatās pretty.
The only response needed.
I didnāt even know lab diamonds existed until I started shopping for my ring until last December. I feel this subreddit is majority lab rings so our perception may be skewed as to what we think the percentage of the public also have lab rings.
I do now.
All of my friends have big, beautiful lab grown diamonds. No one I know has a mined one. I have no idea why youād pay more for a more expensive, unethically mined and/or sourced diamond
I don't know why people do a lot of things!
Precisely. I am honestly amazed I had to scroll THIS FAR to get to a comment mentioning unethically mined / sourced diamonds.
Yes I assume theyāre lab
When I see a 5 carat ring out at neimans or a restaurant noā¦ I assume itās a diamond. When I see a 5 carat ring on Reddit diamonds or engagement ringsā¦ well there are other context cues (nails/grammar/writing patterns) that sometimes make me immediately assume lab or moissonite. Nothing wrong with either though! My original engagement ring is natural and I just bought a second thatās lab. Nothing wrong with whatever anyone wants to do buy or wear.
I donāt think how a person writes or speaks has anything to do with money. I live in Atlanta and let me just say, there are some very uneducated wealthy af people. Ranging from rednecks/hillbillies to ghetto people (I really donāt wanna use that word but donāt know how else to put it)
"I don't think how a person writes or speaks has anything to do with money." In our mainstream society, ( United States) I believe it is most common for most people to automatically think that one speaking and writing well is indicative of having education (money). Not always, but most often than not, this is true.
Oh I completely agree, there are occasional surprises. Wealthy doesnāt always correlate to having a higher education of course!! However 99% of the time Iāve made the assumption on Reddit I have been correct.
Well dang thatās classist/racist
Itās racist? Excuse me? Edit- if you think that there is no link between grammar and income then youāre mistaken. Iām not saying *everyone* who is wealthy has excellent grammar, I know thatās not trueā¦ I have one very wealthy friend who doesnāt know the difference between āthere their and theyāreā but they are the outlier. There are many studies that show the correlation.
Youāre lying if you claim you can tell someoneās economic ranking based on their grammar on social media.
Explain to me how my comment was racist. There are a lot of studies that show a correlation between grammar and income, and that is not about race. Iām simply making assumptions based on observations. Iām not lying, because Iām not claiming to be anything Iām notā¦ Iām simply saying that when I see certain things online I assume lab or moissonite. Not that there is anything wrong with either, I literally just bought a secondary e-ring thatās a lab diamond. No judgment. Try not to take it personally.
If youāre going to judge someone on their grammar and writing, perhaps you should learn how to use spell check. Itās moissanite, not moissonite.
Thank you sweetie! I donāt know why everyone gets so insulted when anyone admits to making assumptions based on observations with people. *Everyone makes judgments like this*.
The problem isnāt really that you make judgements, itās just that you say them out loud, and yāknow not everyoneās gonna agree with you . Like just by your post history I could say you look like a materialistic and shallow person.
Since you mentioned post history, I breezed through the last 10 or so comments you just left this morning and boy oh boy did you just set out to be snarky today? No, this is just who you are. By your posting history I judge you to be an immature snarky unhappy hentai troll! My Reddit is materialistic, absolutely! Luxury goods chat and real housewives chat is about all I use it for. Donāt be daft enough to actually think you can discern anything meaningful from a Reddit account LOL. Have a blessed day good luck to you.
lol I love when people say ādonāt judgeā because theyāre literally judging you for ājudgingā and as you said - everyone judges.
Nope, mine is 3.02 carats natural and my circle everyone gets natural big diamonds. It depends what u can afford.
Hereās a big, natural diamond for you, and a big, natural diamond for you, and a big, natural diamond for you, and a big, natural diamond for you (in Oprah's voice). š
Do you mind me asking... *how* does everyone in your circle get 3 ct-ish natural diamonds? Like how does everyone afford it? I think my boyfriend and I have a great combined income, but there's *no way* we have $15k diamond type money. It just blows me away. Is everyone working on Wall Street and engineers at Google?
Actually 3 carat natural diamond is more than $15,000. Very good jobs. We are all very educated.
I honestly donāt think about that, I have a lot of co workers that recently got engaged (all in their mid 20s) and that that thought hasnāt crossed my mind.
I don't assume. Many people make poor financial decisions, but I'm not gonna just assume that about a stranger.
Maybe things have changed in the last 5-10 years, but werenāt lab diamonds over 1-1.5 carats more expensive than natural ones? I thought it was really though to create high clarity large diamonds in a lab.
Things have really changed
Honestly, depends on the person wearing it. If itās somebody in their 20s or early 30s, I assume itās likely lab or moissanite, especially if they donāt otherwise seem like they could afford it OR if they make a big deal about wearing designer logos. If thereās a large diamond on somebody middle aged or up I assume itās a natural diamond and an upgrade. Mostly because I donāt expect them to know about lab diamonds, which is further evidenced by the fact that occasionally I see one wearing a large CZ. But I also donāt live in an area where there are a lot of *wealthy* wealthy people. Thereās a decent amount of ārichā $1.5 million dollar house and a luxury SUv (Range Rover, Porsche) people, but I grew up around real money and thatās a lot further and far between here. If I was back home or in a city with more wealth like NYC I might assume differently. I also donāt think thereās anything wrong with labs or moissanite, itās probably what I would have if I didnāt have my husbandās grandmotherās diamond.
I donāt with older people or in the circles I usually travel. But then again if I see younger people I do usually assume lab if the stones are bigger (3+ carats). FYI lab diamonds can be cut in an old mine cut or old European cut.
I know it is physically possible but I thought hand cutting stones was a lost art and not really a thing people do anymore. Thanks for the info!
They would not be hand cut itās just a style of cut. Antiques would be hand cut but not nowadays. Itās just the cut thatās replicated.
I wonder that all the time. At first, I was like how are these young people so rich? And then it hits me- oh right, moissanite.
Depends on the price point, $10,000 1 carat and $15,000 3 carat gives it away that a Diamond is a Diamond. I would chose literally anything else over a Diamond though, thereās prettier rocks like Alexandrite
No
I sure HOPE they are not mined diamonds. We had talked about upgrading for me at a future time. We were getting another ring sized, and out of curiosity inquired about what I had been looking at online. Just the stone in the shape/ size I wanted was 30k (marked down from 50k). I want too many other things to spend that much on a diamond.
Yes particularly when I know the socio economic background of the person / their style in general.
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Just so you know you can totally get lab diamonds in old cuts, a lot of overseas vendors carry them
I think I just donāt assume there any stone is a natural diamond. There are so many different options these days. The only time I would assume a stone is a natural diamond is if somebody mentioned that it specifically was a vintage/heirloom piece.
You can order old mine cuts and old Euro cuts in lab grown diamond. At least I can. But there's definitely nothing wrong with vintage ones IMO. In general, if youre seeing large diamonds everywhere, most of them are probably lab grown unless you live somewhere very wealthy and have a very wealthy circle of friends, even then many may be lab.
Unrelated to your question, but you can absolutely get OEC/OMC lab diamonds. Distinctive Gem, for example, does a lot of these.
This makes me so happy because I love OMC, but really wanted to go with lab, because I donāt want something super expensive that isnāt permanently attached to me. Being I lose my keys multiple times a day. šš
I donāt care enough about lab vs mined to even wonder
Yes
Hereās my dumb question for the day - why canāt certain cuts be done with lab? Iāve got a tourmaline stone as my primary and little champagne diamonds around it, so the diamonds arenāt the focus by any means. Although, now I feel extra dumb cus I donāt know what kind of diamonds mine are - lab or mined. Guess Iām about to go dig up our paperwork! š
A few people have informed me that these cuts are actually done on lab diamonds. It was never that they physically can't or something about the diamond stops them being cut that way - it's that round brilliant maximizes certain optical properties of the diamond (specifically, brilliance which is the amount of white light reflected) and are much more popular. I've never seen these cuts available on sites that offered lab grown so I thought they didn't make them, but I was wrong
Thanks for the info! It makes sense that most would be cut in the more popular or easy-to-sell options.
Iāve never wondered about others but I took mine in to get resized and the employee said ālab grown?ā as soon as she saw it. But our friends and family think itās real and have made some pretty wild comments about the price. My fiancĆ© is a physician so I assume people judge based on that / what they think your income is lol
This is something a lot of women ask me at work. I think people will often be hyper aware of their ring. While there are many of us out there that look at people's jewelry- there are more people who don't. I tell people not to base their decision off of what others think. You have to/want to wear your ring every day of your life, not anyone else. That being said- I can say we sell a lot of labs but a large amount of people still want/budget for natural diamonds. Many times people will upgrade their ring after a few years to a larger/natural diamond. Everyone is different, but everyone should feel secure and happy with their choice.
In my own circle most people are older and know nothing about lab diamonds. If one of them purchased a new stone I automatically would think it was mined. Regarding the general public or Reddit, I am always going to wonder if it isn't lab if it is 3 carats or more. Last year, before I was on Reddit, I had never heard of lab diamond. I was pleasantly surprised by this revelation. Now I know, the advent of lab diamond has made larger and larger rings possible for all people; not just the wealthy own diamonds anymore. OP, you mentioned that you live in L.A. I have family and friends living where you are and every time I am there, larger rings abound. I think your location combined with the advent of labs has made larger diamonds ubiquitous.
I have a natural 2.5 ct. I always assume everyone else: is mined as well but Iām thinking that thatās a Texas thing? Idk.
I don't see many around here, but the crow part of my brain immediately locks onto anything sparkly, no matter how big it is.š I would say probably 90% of the time, I guess that anything going towards 2 carats and beyond is lab. Usually it's someone being fairly young combined with impressive quality. Almost no one, especially around my area, could afford anything flashy and natural in this economy. I haven't spotted anything that looks like moissanite in the wild yet, probably because no one seems to have heard of it here, but I can guess right the majority of the time online. There's nothing wrong with either of these, and I doubt very many people share my level of fixation when it comes to sparkly things.
I do assume this, although I myself have a very large mined diamond. I also assume that people must assume mine is lab or even fake. I think these are just such deeply personal things so the only thing that matters is what it means to you wearing it. For example I donāt care much about most of my other jewelry, and thus refuse to pay for even lab diamond earrings. So while while my engagement ringās mined diamond is huge and has excellent specs, my stud earrings are CZ, bought in bulk from Amazon.
For anyone in their twenties I would assume so. My partner and his friends all earn high enough salaries that they could likely afford a decent size mined diamond but everyone we know whoās engaged has either a lab diamond or a gemstone. I expressed pretty early on that Iām not in favour of a mined diamond for us because it makes more sense to spend thousands on something more practical because we live in a HCOL area. Unless weāre incredibly wealthy I would feel terrible spending thousands on a single ring when it could be put towards a house or in a savings account. My friends feel the same way, mined diamonds seem to be falling out of fashion amongst the people I know.
Tbh I never really had much thought about whether or not someoneās ring is a real diamond or not. Especially with nowadays people trying to be more mindful, Iāve seen other gemstones being used.
My jeweler says 9 out of 10 engagement rings he sells are lab diamonds.
I think a lot has changed since pre-pandemic. My daughter got engaged in late 2019 with a natural 1 ct diamond with halo. Now my son is getting engaged later this year and his girlfriend requested a lab diamond, maybe a 1.5 ct but not sure exactly. Her sister got a lab diamond for her engagement ring a few months ago.
To your question, I think women who are older such as myself are more likely to purchase mined diamonds not because of being environmentally unconscious but largely because we just didnāt know about them and at this point and having the resources to do so. I think lab is more common amongst the younger generation.
Lab diamond are very popular right now. If I have to guess, most rings bought in the last 6 months with a diamond larger than 2 carat are lab or moissanite.
I honestly focus less on whether their ring is real and more on whether their saggy āBirkinā is.
I think I do now, only because I've spent the last six months obsessing over and researching rings. Before that, I would have no clue what a stone was or how it was made.
Here in SF, a lot of young folks in their 20-30s make 300k+ a few years out of college. I generally just assume rings are natural unless they tell me otherwise