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How many of you experienced Lab DSS

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WindyRain

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2024
Messages
11
Hi all!

Hope this is OK to post here.

With the affordability and rise of lab diamonds, its easier than ever to buy a larger carat. How many of you experienced feeling as if your diamond was too small (or too big) once you got it? Did you change it? Did you keep the original stone?

At first I thought, I should just get a diamond only as big as I would buy earth mined, but then I started to wonder why that matters.
 
Hi! I bet you would get answers all over the place with this one with no wrong door.

I have mined and grown e-rings. My biggest diamond is a beautiful 2.25 round. At times I find her a bit much, especially after wearing a 1ct diamond. At times I want the large one.

Can you pick u some cz costume rings to get a feel for your best size?
 
I debated between a 1.51 and a 2.17. The 1.51 seemed like an everyday size. But a friend encouraged me to get the 2.17 since it symbolized an important milestone for me. I’m so glad she did bc the 2.17 feels perfect now, and I don’t feel like I tried to be humble. I chose it out of a sense of celebration, pride and accomplishment.
 
I agree that you will probably get many different answers here. Personally I think DSS is more likely if you made the purchase based on what size mined diamond you could afford like you mention or if the budget was on the smaller size relative to what you actually wanted. In the early lab days labs were quite expensive, closer to mined in price. That was not long ago!

When I bought my labs I got them in the size I wanted, what size stone I felt was right for me. So for instance, my lab studs are .5 ct each/1 cttw because I feel like that is the largest I am actually comfortable with sleeping in and also because my earlobes are on the smaller side. I want the diamond to stay on the ear and not droop outside of it...
And with my 3 ct lab cushion I also wanted a size I could wear for daily wear in a ring. Same with my 2ct solitaire pendant. A nice size, no DSS.

I actually love the concept of labs that you can first decide what size you want rather than thinking, what budget do I have. With mined the budget is really a big factor. With that said though, labs aren't cheap! I simply mean in relation to mined.
 
I have bought the sizes that I am comfortable with in real life wear. My 3 ct is the largest I have (~9mm) and that’s my limit for work and life. Do I gaze upon and admire larger beautiful stones, sure do, but I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to rock some of them irl.
 
I've experimented with all sizes, from 1.5ct up to 5ct! Where I live, even 1ct is flashy and I'm a tshirt and jeans with ceramic dust all over my clothes (and hands of course) so rarely do I even put on rings, so when I do a 1.5ct seemed huge. I loved that 5ct but concluded I'd never wear it outside of the house. I do love huge sparkle though, and am currently wondering how comfortable I'd be with a colored lab diamond honker (of 2ct size). I might try a creamsicle colored solitaire out next, but don't even reach for my 3-stone of .33ct haloed diamonds because of too blingy :rolleyes:
 
I chose a size based on my lifestyle and what I could afford in natural. Occasionally I dream about a 6-7ct honker, but I wouldn't be as comfortable wearing it.
 
I think the key is getting what you are comfortable people asking about. At 65 no one is going to ask if I can afford what I wear. If I were 25 it would be a different story.
 
I had a similar experience with my diamond. I originally went with a smaller lab diamond because I wanted to keep it low-key, but once I had it, I felt it was a bit too small for my liking. I ended up swapping it for a larger one and it felt way better. Lab diamonds are awesome because you can get a bigger stone without breaking the bank. If you're unsure, maybe try on a few different sizes and see what you like best!
 
Mooshi said:
I've experimented with all sizes, from 1.5ct up to 5ct! Where I live, even 1ct is flashy and I'm a tshirt and jeans with ceramic dust all over my clothes (and hands of course) so rarely do I even put on rings, so when I do a 1.5ct seemed huge. I loved that 5ct but concluded I'd never wear it outside of the house. I do love huge sparkle though, and am currently wondering how comfortable I'd be with a colored lab diamond honker (of 2ct size). I might try a creamsicle colored solitaire out next, but don't even reach for my 3-stone of .33ct haloed diamonds because of too blingy :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Same for me, both in terms of 1.0ct being flashy where I'm at and in terms of my extremely casual lifestyle and dress. (Although for me, there's no ceramic dust, but there IS a lot of dog hair and garden schmutz, and as a busy musician, there's a real limit to how big a stone/top-heavy a ring can be before it's getting in my way and driving me nuts. Now, my colleagues typically just take off everything except their wedding bands before playing, but considering how many hours a day I do it on a good day, I'm utterly unwilling to spend all that time not bedecked with sparkles! So, I just keep the stone size within a certain range.) I also have a ring that I only wear at home because it's so, SO much more than I've ever worn before or ever seen on anyone else around here. It's freaking gorgeous and I adore it, but I don't know if I'll ever get up the nerve to wear it out.
 
I got a 4.5 for occasional wear just because it is fun to have a big dramatic ring. I wear it every other month and it is fun. I can’t imagine saving up my whole life and foregoing every other jewelry purchase to get that ring in earth grown.
 
WindyRain said:
At first I thought, I should just get a diamond only as big as I would buy earth mined, but then I started to wonder why that matters.
Click to expand...

I have a natural 1.19ct E VS1 EC diamond that I bought for my 40th birthday nearly 20 years ago, and it has huge sentimental value with a sob story attached.

It is now set in its 3rd and final forever setting, and is the diamond ring that rules them all!

I have decided not to get any diamond, natural or LGD, that can trump the size of this EC that I love dearly.

I also do not wish to buy a LGD so big that would people would automatically assume I could not afford such a big stone had it been a natural diamond.

I am in UK, anything over 0.5ct is considered to be big!

That's just me, and in my social circles, no one would know the difference between a MRB from a OEC, and they don't wear a lot of jewellery.

DK :))
 
If I want impact, I wear my larger CSs and pearl rings.

DK :))
 
I had never thought about getting a stone size based on what size I could or would buy in mined before reading this thread. I actually prefer having a larger stone than what anyone would think is mined because it makes me feel less self conscious about buying something expensive and safer when wearing it out in public. I like thinking that people who see it take for granted that it is a cz (or lab). Interesting to hear everyone's different thoughts on this!
Where I live 0,5 ct is considered huge and most people only wear bands. So it is easy for me to wear my 3 ct, because... It is so obviously not 0.5 ct.
But honestly, I actually think that people IRL generally don't even notice what someone else wears for jewellery, I very rarely meet anyone who is even showing any interest in diamonds. So it makes no sense for me to care about what they think I could afford and base my purchase on that... When they dont even notice it!
 
Everything dk168 said resonates with me. Years ago I really wanted a large diamond, worked (literally) my way up to one ct. For some reason the switch flipped the other way and this is my size, from 5.5 mm to 6.5mm on my not tiny size 6 hand. I can't explain. Maybe the labs did it.
My favorite thread is Show me your under one carat diamonds
 
Hubby okayed a 3 carat natural diamond upgrade for me. I went on the search and long story short I purchased 3 lab diamond rings to try out and haven't looked back. I don't regret the sizes between 2 and 3.5 carats and kept my natural diamond E-rings.

I had the opportunity to buy 2 natural OECs. One was just shy of 2 carats and one was a carat and due to my labs I decided the natural diamonds were too small now that I am used to my labs. My eyes can't tell the difference between a natural or a lab diamond and I guess I have overcome the mind clean thing that I used to have.
 
AprilBaby said:
I think the key is getting what you are comfortable people asking about. At 65 no one is going to ask if I can afford what I wear. If I were 25 it would be a different story.
Click to expand...

You are so right! I just got a 4.2 (finger size 5.5) and it looked big for about 30 seconds-lol. At my age, I think when folks see it, it's a toss up if its a lab, or a reward for 30 years of hard labor being married to my husband-lol! (just kidding-he's the one that encouraged it). The experts on PriceScope vetted the stone and it's exquisite with lots of flash. I had it set by the wonderful David Klass in a wider classic platinum band (trying to stay away from the very popular young girl skinny pave band), and paired it with two eternity bands, one on either side) with 10 pointers (as to compliment and not take away from the main stone). No one yet has dared to ask :)
 
I agree I feel like the answers will really vary.

My answer is: I dont worry about what anyone else thinks and get what *I* want.

When i say this to my friends i use MUCH more colorful language. This is why i have a 5.5 halo on my size 4.25 finger. No one needs to like it but me. And even i dont like it. I LOVE it.

So your question was: did you get DSS with labs? The answer is YES! I started with 2.5 carat, then went to 3 ct, I always really wanted 5 carat so i just went for it. I dont regret it at all.

WindyRain said:
At first I thought, I should just get a diamond only as big as I would buy earth mined, but then I started to wonder why that matters.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY! Who knows what you can afford? The reality is we have NO idea of anyones finances, it's truly no one's business.

I guess I feel like, my sister "thinking my ring is fake" doesnt take anything away from MY enjoyment of it*. I truly believe my ring is exactly what i want, at a price I was willing to pay, so nothing ANYONE says or thinks takes away from what it is to me. I don't feel ashamed of it or "worry" I will be called out or whatever the heck anyone on here thinks is going to happen by wearing a large carat size. I know I have read stories of people being made to feel "bad" about a larger size lab diamond but I guess because if you knew me in real life, no one would dare say a thing to me because i have a way of reducing people to tears, because HOW DARE YOU.

So, in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent". And, I don't consent. I love and I am proud of my collection, and EVERYONE should get to have that and wear what they want and love and enjoy.



*I dont have a sister, this is a made up scenario :P2
 
MMtwo said:
Hi! I bet you would get answers all over the place with this one with no wrong door.

I have mined and grown e-rings. My biggest diamond is a beautiful 2.25 round. At times I find her a bit much, especially after wearing a 1ct diamond. At times I want the large one.

Can you pick u some cz costume rings to get a feel for your best size?
Click to expand...
 
I originally was going to get a large three diamond (earth mined) ring for a milestone birthday. Then, I discovered the world of lab diamonds and went a totally different direction.

My husband encouraged me that instead of getting a 3 stone right hand ring, to get a big "stunner" to replace my original 1 ct 30 year old engagement ring. He gave me the option of earth mined-but I could not justify tying up that much money for a large earth mined stone on my hand. So I ordered a few cheap rings off of amazon in various sizes so I could get a handle on what size stone I wanted.

I'm a size 5.5, and I finally settled on something around 4.25 ct. center stone size. A 5 ct just looked a little too much like a ring pop on my hand. I bought the stone with help of folks on these threads, and had it sent directly to David Klass. I worked with him on a design and he created a stunning engagement ring and wedding rings replacement. My center stone is a 4.13 (face of 4.20) E, hearts and arrows, vs1 and it sparkles like a disco ball. I had it mounted in platinum with a decorative basket in a much wider classic band--simply to differentiate from the current trend of every young girl with a lab ring having thin pave shanks. The wedding bands consist of an eternity band on each side. I could have gone with any size on the eternity, but after trying several on I went with only 10 point stones in each so that they complemented the center stone, not competed with it--I wanted each of them to be narrower than the E ring. I was a little worried that it would be too big--or too flashy--and it was for about 30 seconds, and then I quickly "grew into it". I'm already thinking about a large stone (different cut) right hand ring as my next purchase.

At my age, no one dares to ask me if it is lab or mined. I have a girlfriend who grew up in a working class neighborhood with me but "married well", and has multiple 3.5 to 5 ct earth mined rings she has had for years that she wears to Walmart. Another friend of ours in my age range is a multi millionaire several times over, but sometimes he shows up wearing old tennis shoes with holes--which fits right in with us-lol!. So, perhaps on a young woman, my first thought with a stone that size would be lab; but when you get to old folks like me rolling up to Costco in my SUV, you just never can tell.....because at our age, we look like we have done our time and have earned that stunner-lol!!!
 
Interesting thread and interesting replies.

Middle-aged gal here!
My biggest earth mined diamond is a 1.7 ct round solitaire F IF; I'd like to upgrade to bigger carat.
If I bought earth mined, with no doubts I'd go with a 3 ct round stone; but if I bought lab created, I'd be tempted to buy a 5 ct round stone..asking myself if a 5 ct round solitaire would be gaudy for simple everyday life...obviously I'm the only one who can answer my own question, but I got surprised at the thought that I could go bigger than 3 ct...
 
I started out with a 3.6 as an absolute dream size and never considered going bigger. Lab diamonds weren’t as cheap at the time and I wanted to be realistic looking size wise. Then I bought a 4.5 and then a 5.5 ! They don’t look that much bigger than the 3.6 and I feel comfortable wearing them but I have long fingers and things look smaller on me.
DSS makes me want a 6/7 because it would look good on my big hands but I don’t think I’d actually buy one that big. Even though now they are cheaper than my 3.6 was.
 
I have a 2.47 round and a 3.64 Emerald cut. Honestly, I wish I would have waited to purchase my lab grown diamonds and bought a 5 carat Emerald cut since the prices have come down so much! I just turned 59 and I serve a few days a week at a famous fast dining restaurant here in Ohio. I very rarely wear my LGDs because my type of work, people will see my rings and be less apt to tip or tip appropriately. I wore my EC at work the other day and I had a customer say to me, your husband must really be rich. Not that I owed him any explanation but I replied....no, he isn't. My dad had passed away last year and I bought this from a little inheritance $ from him as a reminder of him. I love this thread because there are all walks of life and reasons why we purchase what we purchase and there are no wrong answers!
 
AprilBaby said:
I think the key is getting what you are comfortable people asking about. At 65 no one is going to ask if I can afford what I wear. If I were 25 it would be a different story.
Click to expand...

This is very true.
 
No matter the age of the wearer, European people assume that every clear stone at 0.5 ct (or over) is a cz.
I'm sure people think that all my clear stones are cz...(they're all earthmined diamonds).
 
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