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Diamond prices getting crazy low

lulu_ma said:
These prices are actually inline with Alex Park prices from 2021.

I have noticed a softening in two market sectors specifically 1-2 ctw diamonds and bigger (mostly antique) diamonds L/ M color and warmer.

There are definite deals to be had but not super amazing deals at least in the antique/ vintage arena.

I did order a 10 ctw natural diamond tennis bracelet from Amazon for $4500 out of curiosity. I can’t tell you how bad the diamonds were! Definitely not a deal!
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Ooh did you get any photos? Can you please show us?
 
lulu_ma said:
These prices are actually inline with Alex Park prices from 2021.

I have noticed a softening in two market sectors specifically 1-2 ctw diamonds and bigger (mostly antique) diamonds L/ M color and warmer.

There are definite deals to be had but not super amazing deals at least in the antique/ vintage arena.

I did order a 10 ctw natural diamond tennis bracelet from Amazon for $4500 out of curiosity. I can’t tell you how bad the diamonds were! Definitely not a deal!
Click to expand...

Just yesterday I picked up a 1.2 ct M RB VS2 for a shockingly low prive on James Allen, could not say no price. I still think this is a unique opportunity and eventually the prices will rise. Make hay while the sun shines (at least for the consumer side).
I usually shop on Ritani for bargains, but it seems their prices are a bit higher right now in comparison.
 
I think this change is also a reflection of the terrible inflation and economic troubles so many people are suffering, especially young people who struggle to even have housing.
 
I'm not seeing any of that in the antique market. I'd LOVE an old cut true pear around 2 ct, with great clarity for a good price. I'm not even picky about color.
 
So much to unpack! A couple dynamics that stood out…

How long has Costco been selling nice diamonds? Wonder if, after COVID, internet shopping will give Costco more of an effect on online retailers like Blue Nile and James Allen. When I was looking at tennis bracelets, I was surprised that some vendors were using SI”1-2” (which means SI2), or even I1. Whereas at Costco you are guaranteed VS. People who buy luxury brands are probably still going to go with luxury brands for certain items but maybe their entire jewelry wardrobe does not need to be luxury — back in my yuppie job days, most of the women had a couple pieces from luxury brands, but then filled out their wardrobes with non-luxury brand pieces. Think the same thing might apply to lab diamonds.

Agree that work-from-home plus increased separation from people we don’t want to see means less keeping-up-with-the-joneses. Increase in casual attire might play a role, too. I hope lab diamonds normalize wearing bling with casual outfits. Haven’t seen it so far. Also haven’t seen the supposed size increase in engagement ring diamonds.

I love earth grown diamonds and fully intend to take advantage of the reduced prices.

To answer the question about paying $$$ for lab and watching the prices sink, I did not pay $$$ for lab, with the exception of my $$$ LGD AVR. Personally, not upset that the AVRs have come down in price because (a) it was obvious that prices would drop so I knew there would be an “flat screen TV” effect, and (b) Distinctive Gem has a trade up policy. Someone who likes big stones, who bought from DG early on, might be happy rather than upset because they can get bigger and bigger stones with their trade up credit the more LGD prices drop. My problem will be finding something to trade up to since I do not wear big stones. :p There are a few settings that I’ve always wanted that look good with huge old cuts so I will undoubtedly rock a huge one some day, with the trade up value making it less money out of pocket than it would cost for an unbranded old cut.
 
I'm not seeing those dropping prices when I look......
 
I haven't been keeping up with diamond prices because I haven't been wearing or buying jewelry. This thread is making me wonder if prices have dropped, whether I could sell diamonds I have (or trade them) and buy the only diamond I ever really coveted but felt I couldn't afford: a D color VS clarity 3 carat with a super ideal cut. When I was looking for such a diamond the stone would have cost over $100,000 and I would have been lucky to get that if I managed to sell all my current diamonds (which I doubted I could do). I just gave up on the idea because I wanted that color and clarity or nothing.
 
This is an addendum to my post above. I wound up looking at three carat D colored diamonds. I didn't go higher than VS2 clarity, because the prices got high. However, I saw some with clear hearts and arrows patterns and GIA certificates saying they had excellent cuts in the 50K range. I have not kept up with which vendor sells the best ideal cut modern brilliant stones. Perhaps if I looked at those the prices would be much higher. I am betting that the stones I saw would be very nice looking although, as a Pricescoper, I would want to research more! Coming back to Pricescope for a visit instantly brought me back to looking at diamonds after years of having no interest in them. It was the idea of a three carat diamond I might actually want and be able to afford.

I even started to wonder if one of the diamonds I own was purchased through the vendor advertising, because it offers a lifetime upgrade. I did buy one solitaire I own from a well-known Internet site years ago.
 
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MMtwo said:
Just yesterday I picked up a 1.2 ct M RB VS2 for a shockingly low prive on James Allen, could not say no price. I still think this is a unique opportunity and eventually the prices will rise. Make hay while the sun shines (at least for the consumer side).
I usually shop on Ritani for bargains, but it seems their prices are a bit higher right now in comparison.
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Yeah in May I also bought a 1.2ct diamond from JA (branded cut, I color) for what I felt was a suprisingly low price, low enough that I felt i'd regret it if I didn't buy it even though I wasnt in the market lol. It's not one of my favorite diamonds due to the cut. Like you said, make hay!
 
I wish I were able to find something like these at a more down to earth prices :(
 

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I'm not sure if I should keep posting in this thread. I don't want to threadjack it and it has led me to a realization about my "old" solitaire versus the three-carat diamond I thought I wanted. It seems narcissistic to start a thread all about my own ring thoughts, but that may be preferable to threadjacking this thread on prices. So I think I will start a new thread with some insights I gained from this thread on diamond prices.

I thank all of you fellow diamond lovers for your thoughtful postings. They have helped me figure some things out. :)
 
RRfromR said:
I wish I were able to find something like these at a more down to earth prices :(
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A couple of these popped up on IG this week!
 
AGBF said:
I'm not sure if I should keep posting in this thread. I don't want to threadjack it and it has led me to a realization about my "old" solitaire versus the three-carat diamond I thought I wanted. It seems narcissistic to start a thread all about my own ring thoughts, but that may be preferable to threadjacking this thread on prices. So I think I will start a new thread with some insights I gained from this thread on diamond prices.

I thank all of you fellow diamond lovers for your thoughtful postings. They have helped me figure some things out. :)
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No, @AGBF, feel free to start a thread! Would love to hear your thoughts and findings!
 
1ct for $1k, 2ct for $3500
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I like to keep up with the engagement ring sub on Reddit, where the majority of posts are people posting pictures of their rings just after getting engaged. I've noticed over the last year or two that, while there are still a few people posting large diamonds - a few mined and mostly lab - a really increasing proportion are posting colored gemstones (often lab-made, and often in stones that one wouldn't consider typical for engagement rings, such as moss agate), smaller diamonds and gemstones, and heirloom rings. I was just catching up there a few days ago, and I would say well more than half of the rings posted from newly-engaged folks were colored gemstones, smaller diamonds, and heirloom stones, often kept in the original settings.

I think that current economic conditions are influencing choices for sure, as @Dreamer_D mentioned, in addition to (a lot, but not all) younger people feeling much less inclined to cater to societal expectations and years of advertising around diamonds, and in fact for some, deliberate determination to push back again those expectations. There is also an inclination among younger people to embrace more casual public presentation in dress anywhere that they can, as @oncrutchesrightnow mentioned. (The folks with the large diamonds seem to be dressed in their photos more like Insta influencers, whereas the rest seem to be dressed much more casually.)

I don't really follow wedding forums/subreddits, but I see enough discussion about weddings in the e-ring sub to see that there is a similar trend among younger couples around weddings - fewer couples seem interested in big, splashy weddings, and more are tending toward smaller, lower-key affairs or just outright eloping.
 
0-0-0 said:
If you are open about color there are some good deals even for eye clean and well cut options.
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My incoming 1.20 M vs2 xxx strong blue, just picked up for 1,400 at James Allen. I don't usually put the price of diamonds out there, but feeling pretty good about the price point. The cut is not great (36.5/40) , but the contrast was balanced on the spin video. And, it was cheap, so cheap I just did it on impulse. Saying that, they also say there are no "deals" in diamonds :). But I love love low colors with strong fluorescence.

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