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Is your part of Pricescope still lively?

i think it has been a bit quiet
i flit about the place looking for eye candy to drool over
i dont tend to go to rocky talky much so i dont know about earth mined but i have noticed more lab diamond threads of late maybe ?
Kenny keeps hangout turning over, but i have noticed even the pearl section a bit slow
i never had the big xmas spend but Feb particularly is always sow at my work
kids go back to school, unifroms have to be brought, lunches made etc council rates are due here so the town is quiet somedays
 
I have noticed every forum but lab diamonds is slow so I havnt logged in as much.
 
Perhaps Pricescope should allow political discussions again... That should get this forum rolling .

Btw... When I tried to swip in the word "discussions" above it auto corrected to "division".... How appropriate! Auto correct is very wise!
 
nala said:
I have to say that I never expected PS to support lab grown diamonds. I stumbled on PS by accident and the more I lurked, the more I respected everyone for their passion regarding diamonds. I figured everyone here was a purist. I mean. People scrutinized cut and color and clarity—the search for the perfect diamond becoming an obsession for so many of us. And then all of a sudden, so many posters here so easily overlooked these C’s when light box started mass producing cheap lab diamonds. All of a sudden, sure, yeah, we love them. All the scrutiny went out the window bc size… I can finally afford a 1 or 2 or 5 carat.

You won’t believe me, but I had no idea there was a lab grown forum until one of my threads got bumped to it! I learned about lab growns due to that unfortunate post. At the time, I was speaking out of ignorance bc I really did not know anything about labs. So I do apologize to anyone that I offended in that thread. The irony is, I was just being what I thought was loyal PSer.


I figure those of us hanging on to our love for our natural diamonds might feel blindsided. Like the diamond industry pulled the rug from under us and it does make me question whether I want to keep my natural or sell it and recoup thousands to buy a cheap lab grown. But then. I could hold on to mine and pass it on as an heirloom, and hopefully it will be so rare that It might be worth more than I paid, for my heir. Also, I don’t gravitate to lab gemstones. I don’t think they are special. I suspect that is how I would feel about labs.

I think PS is making it easy to jump on the bandwagon of lab grown. I do feel sorry for those who bought lab growns before they became so cheap. Some paid 70 percent of the cost of naturals and can’t recoup anywhere near that cost now. Guess the natural buyers weren’t the only ones blindsided.
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If you really want a laugh, go back through old RT posts and read some tradepeople’s older opinions on labs. Lots of philosophical purism touted there - you’re not wrong. Those same folks’ companies are now embracing labs, and they’ve changed their tunes here on PS. Of course, unsurprising, because #Market and #Money.

It’s just like politics. All those philosophies and ideologies are just manifesto promises, easily recanted when the money flows differently :bigsmile: And, similar to politicians, they seem so confident the audience doesn’t/won’t remember…

I don’t have any problem with lab stones. I do find the trade hypocrisy here on PS completely cringey. And whenever SMTB opens to lab diamonds (I have no doubt that that policy will change once a couple of donor vendors who now sell labs request it)… I *will* passive-aggressively link my multiple entreaties to have PS do exactly that, open SMTB to labs and pearls, that were widely-supported by other PS consumers, but that will have been ignored until it became a question of vendors wanting the marketing…

:rolleyes:
 
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@yssie How often do people post about lab gemstones? What is there to post about? All look perfect. How soon before all lab diamonds reach the rock bottom price and hit the ideal standards? Searching for the perfect diamond will require zero effort and scrutiny, and little money risk. Why would people even seek out PS at that point? The trade is not weighing in the resale market, either. I think the plan is make all the profit now, even if they hurt their industry permanently.
 
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yssie said:
If you really want a laugh, go back through old RT posts and read some tradepeople’s older opinions on labs. Lots of philosophical purism touted there - you’re not wrong. Those same folks’ companies are now embracing labs, and they’ve changed their tunes here on PS. Of course, unsurprising, because #Market and #Money.

It’s just like politics. All those philosophies and ideologies are just manifesto promises, easily recanted when the money flows differently :bigsmile: And, similar to politicians, they seem so confident the audience doesn’t/won’t remember…

I don’t have any problem with lab stones. I do find the trade hypocrisy here on PS completely cringey. And whenever SMTB opens to lab diamonds (I have no doubt that that policy will change once a couple of donor vendors who now sell labs request it)… I *will* passive-aggressively link my multiple entreaties to have PS do exactly that, open SMTB to labs and pearls, that were widely-supported by other PS consumers, but that will have been ignored until it became a question of vendors wanting the marketing…

:rolleyes:
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Yes, it is always about the money! I understand that companies need to make money to continue but it is disheartening to see them move off their own mark.

On another note, have you seen Tiffany & Co. now selling tennis shoes and t-shirts? Talk about a fall from grace! I guess once the company was sold the new owners decided to spread their wings to make money in different arenas. So sad to me to see this iconic company cheapen itself this way.
 
About LGD:
Lots of movement as I expected with new engagements. There is a huge swathe of the population it opens to and the differences in cut, color nuance, and grow method still require the same eyes in cut quality for the nonce. Tiers within the tier. The small subset of the population that have much discretional income are even shifting to buying LGD multiples in every cut they desire to bypass upgrade constraints, augment collections, experiment etc. and the new buyers see less pressure to partake in the diminishing flex of leveraging an EG diamond. Now, it's in flux.
EG will never disappear for many reasons, but it will no longer be monolith. All kinds of philosophical/economical shifting happening. It's a more egalitarian approach that undermines gatekeeping.
It's exciting to watch, personally.

The CS sellers are also responding as it will tangentially boost the cache of natural specimens for them as wealth markers to fluctuating populations who still value what it says to others and/or the rarity of the specimen itself. Historically it was CS that were the 'money pieces'. Times and perceptions are changing as they always do.
 
nala said:
@yssie How often do people post about lab gemstones? What is there to post about? All look perfect. How soon before all lab diamonds reach the rock bottom price and hit the ideal standards? Searching for the perfect diamond will require zero effort and scrutiny, and little money risk. Why would people even seek out PS at that point? The trade is not weighing in the resale market, either. I think the plan is make all the profit now, even if they hurt their industry permanently.
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Oh I think there will always be consumers whose personal preferences are truly personal, and don’t align with vendors’ marketing. A lot of them are on PS probably.

I’m deleting the rest of my post though. Same old soapbox!

One thing to note is that it takes a loooot of time and effort to go from “pretty darn good” to “picture perfect precision-cutting”. Will enough consumers be willing to bear those costs - which are significant compared to the cost of lab-grown material - for it to become commonplace? Or will the cost of the rough cap how much people will be willing to spend on having it cut? I kinda feel like the latter is inevitable. There’s actually a thread in MMD right now where OP is debating this exact question for herself.
 
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Let's not go too hard on vendors following the money into lab-grown stones.

Except for the trust fund babies, we all do the same thing when we go to work, either for our companies or for ourselves.

IMO it's okay to have a preference for natural stones.
But it's not okay to not let people vary by preferring non-natural gems.
Natural stones, and their buyers, are not superior.
Let's not slip into snobbery.
 
Some people are attracted to MMD because of cost.
Some people are attracted to MMD because they think they are less harmful to the environment and to people.
In the future mined diamonds may become symbolic of human greed and an embarrassment to own or they may become symbolic of antiquated tastes or they may become a precious and very rare commodity appreciated because MMDs become the overwhelming, and perhaps only, choice available. All of those scenarios may likely rotate through society depending on prevailing cultural attitudes of the time.
 
kenny said:
Let's not go too hard on vendors following the money into lab-grown stones.

Except for the trust fund babies, we all do the same thing when we go to work, either for our companies or for ourselves.

IMO it's okay to have a preference for natural stones.
But it's not okay to not let people vary by preferring non-natural gems.
Natural stones, and their buyers, are not superior.
Let's not slip into snobbery.
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Nah. You misunderstood me I think. It’s not the product I have any opinion on. I mean I do have an opinion but it’s a personal opinion and irrelevant to this thread.

It’s that those formerly-purist vendors all took the moral high-ground. They decried the humanitarian and ecological uncertainties associated with producing lab diamonds en masse. Well, we still have no data to assuage those concerns, but… Now there’s enough money to be had that it apparently doesn’t matter anymore. Makes clear how important they actually were, huh.

I would like to call Wink out here. Wink has sold precision-cut CZs for longer than I’ve been buying sparklies - he believed in democratizing bling from the very beginning. And his old company HPD refused to use Zimbabwe material long before anyone else jumped on that bandwagon, even if that meant sacrificing revenue. I have so much respect for Wink’s professional morals and ethics.
 
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nala said:
@yssie How often do people post about lab gemstones? What is there to post about? All look perfect. How soon before all lab diamonds reach the rock bottom price and hit the ideal standards? Searching for the perfect diamond will require zero effort and scrutiny, and little money risk. Why would people even seek out PS at that point? The trade is not weighing in the resale market, either. I think the plan is make all the profit now, even if they hurt their industry permanently.
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i think that catagory of gem is disadvantaged here on PS becasue its in the fashion fake jewlery section and if you saw the prices they ask for lab stones in my country it is not fake jewlery to me
 
MissGotRocks said:
Yes, it is always about the money! I understand that companies need to make money to continue but it is disheartening to see them move off their own mark.

On another note, have you seen Tiffany & Co. now selling tennis shoes and t-shirts? Talk about a fall from grace! I guess once the company was sold the new owners decided to spread their wings to make money in different arenas. So sad to me to see this iconic company cheapen itself this way.
Click to expand...

I recall when Avon owned Tiffany. I am waiting for my old favorite--Hawaiian White Ginger to be revived--yanno the $250 LVMH version. LOL. :saint: :bigsmile:
 
Markets evolve and good companies if they want to survive evolve with them.
One of the ways the diamond industry lately has evolved is MMD.
I have been predicting it for a long while, but even I'm surprised at how much steam it has picked up so quickly. I thought it would take a few more years for it to hit this point.

re: PS being quiet, it goes in cycles its been slower than this before and picked up.
 
mellowyellowgirl said:
Posting here because there is virtually no one on the Coloured Stone forum anymore! It used to have sooooo much more traffic but is now as dead as a doornail!
This made me curious about other parts of PS that I don't visit! Are the other forums lively or have they slowed down in traffic too?
Click to expand...

Eh?

I still post in CS!

DK :))
 
Regarding MMDs, do that have melee available for dirt cheap???

Would be awesome if they did. My diamond buying days are over, I'd get rid of all my white diamonds if I could but affordable melee would be awesome!
 
mellowyellowgirl said:
Regarding MMDs, do that have melee available for dirt cheap???

Would be awesome if they did. My diamond buying days are over, I'd get rid of all my white diamonds if I could but affordable melee would be awesome!
Click to expand...

Its not going to be a lot cheaper as the majority of melee cost is the cutting and that is the same for both.
 
I mostly hang out in CS as well. I have to say my own purchases have slowed right down due to price hikes and lesser availability in the markets where I used to buy (Sri Lanka in particular).

I used to feel I was getting good bargains buying from closer to source but now the price increases have made me reluctant to invest more, in sapphires in particular. I feel lucky I picked up a lot of stones for my collections pre and during Covid when prices were lower.

I am still indulging my “hobby” but more with resets and setting what I have and less with buying new stones. I think that will continue. I’m also starting to look more at vintage and antique pieces, which I was never really interested in previously. But I’m slow to dip my toes in there because I’m not as familiar with the market and can only buy online as there is zero antique availability where I live. That also adds import and shipping costs. It’s just getting more challenging overall to collect and still feel I’m getting value for money - or making sensible spending choices.
 
Hi,
Since Andrey passed, I have other concerns about PS, which makes me reluctant to post negative comments. This business, which is what PS is, must support Andreys family for the future. New dynamic ideas must be tried. This was such a wonderful idea that has lost its shine. There is no one reason, but multiple. People still want diamonds, either natural or man-made. They have to somehow be directed to this PS website. Advertising Revenue is what makes this business profitable. In yrs past if you wanted to find out about diamonds and used a search engine, Pricescope was the first to come on the screen. I tried it recently. Pricescope didn't even show up.

Other people have taken this same info on diamonds and started their on business. So competition increased. Severl yrs ago I suggested to Andrey That he use tee shirts for advertising. He made a new rule for that, but no tee shirts.I think Garry Holloway is a wonderful guy, but should someone from Australia, with a different culture be advising PS as Gary has suggested Andrey has done? I know Gary owns a small %.IMO, they fiddle with this place constantly. Stop. Direct your efforts at getting people to the website.

Last yr, I came to PS at midnight on nite. I went from section to section and PS income statement showed upon my screen. I actually felt embarrassed looking at it, but I did. I conluded their income is good. I think, IMO only, they became too cheap to do some advertising on their own. There is enough information on PS about diamonds to last a lifetime., Please do something to draw new people here. That is what is needed. Subscription services, if possible (Karl please don't comment) could be used for different reasons.

This business needs some drastic measures. I would use e-mail --not any worse than having MMDs.
I want this to succeed for his family, but its up to management. INCENTIVES of some sort.
 
MissGotRocks said:
I think it is due to the lab diamonds. People are buying 3 ct. diamonds for a song compared to earth mined diamonds. The vendors here don’t seem to be restocking larger diamonds either but their lab diamond inventory is increasing.
I understand the allure but it is sad for SMTB and RT. Vendors can’t sell what they don’t have in their inventory and some of those have become very stale. The pandemic, war in Ukraine and changes in diamond labs contribute greatly. However, I am beginning to think that we will not be seeing a robust return to mined diamonds.
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Agree, I wish we had more earth-mined to pick from everything is Lab now. Nothing against it but I prefer Earth mined.
 
autumngems said:
Agree, I wish we had more earth-mined to pick from everything is Lab now. Nothing against it but I prefer Earth mined.
Click to expand...

Hopefully somewhere along the line, the vendors can strike a balance between the two. I am sure they don’t want to buy what they feel they can’t sell; however, if you don’t have them you can’t sell them. A catch 22 for sure!
 
I haven't bought a stone in really a while now. I still have so many sitting at me damning me saying "where the hell is my setting?":shock:

In my case its much more a lack of motivation. I have way too many stones sitting around and I don't want to get rid of them because they XPENSIVE NOW, but setting them isn't a high priority because I still really don't wear the ones I have set now...lol

Actually if I do ANYTHING near term its resetting my blue sapphire to a necklace. Thats something I know I want. (yeah but will I wear it? thats the other question....)
 
@smitcompton, Audrey must have listened to you regarding tee shirts because I was given a Pricescope tee shirt at a get together about 5 years ago.

I too want Pricescope to thrive. I hope you are doing well Annette.
 
Some things outside PS control, some within. Kind of meta but one big reason might be the inability for users to delete their accounts. You will get people coming in to ask about what diamond to buy but you will not get as many people posting photos of their own collection.

Outside PS control is that online social engagement has changed. Message boards are not as popular. If you want to look at long rows of bling, there is Instagram and Reddit.

The culture of PS has changed. SMTB used to have lots of people posting their modest jewelry. Back in the day posts with exceptional jewelry still got more attention than posts with modest jewelry but since there were so many posts with modest jewelry SMTB seemed more democratic. Now there is nary a prong out of place.

The culture outside of PS has changed. I applaud the posters who say they are worried that LGD will make EGD seem less special because those posters are being honest about how they feel. Diamonds are pretty and bigger diamonds give more surface area of prettiness so people are going to get big diamonds. They are indistinguishable on an individual basis (even if undertones and nuances could let you distinguish large parcels). Designer settings can be copied and good settings do not always break the bank. What are people who value EGD for how rich they make you look going to do, tape a receipt to their face?

On the bright side, people will always need advice on what cut returns the most light and what oil means and how to choose the diamond that has the kind of nuance the person finds attractive.
 
oncrutchesrightnow said:
Some things outside PS control, some within. Kind of meta but one big reason might be the inability for users to delete their accounts. You will get people coming in to ask about what diamond to buy but you will not get as many people posting photos of their own collection.

Outside PS control is that online social engagement has changed. Message boards are not as popular. If you want to look at long rows of bling, there is Instagram and Reddit.

The culture of PS has changed. SMTB used to have lots of people posting their modest jewelry. Back in the day posts with exceptional jewelry still got more attention than posts with modest jewelry but since there were so many posts with modest jewelry SMTB seemed more democratic. Now there is nary a prong out of place.

The culture outside of PS has changed. I applaud the posters who say they are worried that LGD will make EGD seem less special because those posters are being honest about how they feel. Diamonds are pretty and bigger diamonds give more surface area of prettiness so people are going to get big diamonds. They are indistinguishable on an individual basis (even if undertones and nuances could let you distinguish large parcels). Designer settings can be copied and good settings do not always break the bank. What are people who value EGD for how rich they make you look going to do, tape a receipt to their face?

On the bright side, people will always need advice on what cut returns the most light and what oil means and how to choose the diamond that has the kind of nuance the person finds attractive.
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Lol. The visual of taping a receipt to our foreheads
Most people won’t admit that an added bonus of wearing a diamond is the status symbol that it has become—-but not necessarily so others can notice it. I’m pretty sure most strangers think my ring is a cubic zirconia bc I’m a Latina and, let’s face it, lots of racism still, but also, bc I dress modestly. What I mean about a status symbol is that for me, it actually became a quest to search for the perfect, bigger diamond. It became an achievement—with every upgrade. No one realized when I went from a 2.20 to a 2.90 bc my social circle doesn’t care or know. But I knew. And I was proud that hubby and I did that. Proud that one day I would have an heirloom to pass on to my DD.
Now that labs are making diamonds so ubiquitous—does it rob me of my joy? No. I still love my ring. Do I wonder if I can make thousands and buy a bigger one? I’m sure I could, but I wouldn’t feel as proud. Nothing special to ME. And I’m not out to purport to be a millionaire by wearing a 7 carat lab emerald cut like celebrities—which I could easily afford. I would have just worn a cubic zirconia years ago if that was the case and avoided diamonds altogether. All this to say that everyone enjoys the bonus of status symbol and that’s why many restrict their labs to “reasonable sizes” so no one thinks they are lab or “fake.” The resounding Chant is basically that a lab is the look for less, but no one has to know. On the flip side, natural diamond owners are pissed that their status symbol might be mistaken for a lesser value and that they might be perceived as people who were out for the look for less when the reality is, they worked hard or had a hubby who did for their symbol.
In reality—no one will care who spent what and many will make their own conclusions about lab, fake, natural, etc, based on social markers , racism, age, profession, cars—like they always have been making.
And I should also add that labs owners should be just as pissed bc many of the early purchasers spent way more for the same product that is now selling for a fraction. Many of those actually bought the labs out of concern for the environment but now it has just become out of concern for their finances.
 
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oncrutchesrightnow said:
Some things outside PS control, some within. Kind of meta but one big reason might be the inability for users to delete their accounts. You will get people coming in to ask about what diamond to buy but you will not get as many people posting photos of their own collection.

Outside PS control is that online social engagement has changed. Message boards are not as popular. If you want to look at long rows of bling, there is Instagram and Reddit.

The culture of PS has changed. SMTB used to have lots of people posting their modest jewelry. Back in the day posts with exceptional jewelry still got more attention than posts with modest jewelry but since there were so many posts with modest jewelry SMTB seemed more democratic. Now there is nary a prong out of place.

The culture outside of PS has changed. I applaud the posters who say they are worried that LGD will make EGD seem less special because those posters are being honest about how they feel. Diamonds are pretty and bigger diamonds give more surface area of prettiness so people are going to get big diamonds. They are indistinguishable on an individual basis (even if undertones and nuances could let you distinguish large parcels). Designer settings can be copied and good settings do not always break the bank. What are people who value EGD for how rich they make you look going to do, tape a receipt to their face?

On the bright side, people will always need advice on what cut returns the most light and what oil means and how to choose the diamond that has the kind of nuance the person finds attractive.
Click to expand...

+1, this is so true. This message board format is pretty dated, it's pretty much Web 1.0. There is no threading for replies, the quoting functionality doesn't look nice, I can't tell if there's a DM function, the sub-forum categories can be revamped, like maybe a "General" section instead of "Hangout", if you compare with Reddit, Reddit just has a much much much better layout and richer features. PS needs a major UI makeover, the UX is pretty bad. PS also seems to draw an older crowd for a variety of reasons, and to grow, it'll need in draw in new blood so to speak, and that's usually the younger generation, who are not drawn to posting on a Web 1.0 message board.

Not to oversell Reddit, but I find that you'll find a lot more honest opinions there, including brutally honest reviews of vendors. Here, I feel like people are too afraid to say anything bad about the PS vendor darlings, or they feel ganged up on if they do, and any slightly negative reviews or posts are often caveated with "I don't blame the vendor" or "I'm not saying anything bad about the vendor", or just outright not mentioning the vendor by name. To carry on in the same vein, I'll just say that I've dealt with a few PS darling vendors that I would never work with again.

I noticed certain sub-forums don't allow simulants, like SMTB, so that further restricts wide participation, especially from the younger generation, who may be into lab growns or moissanites. The "no simulants", as well as sequestering all simulates to something called "Fabulous Fashion Jewelry" like it's some little kids' corner, really sends an elitist vibe, and is unbecoming especially to the younger woke generation.

The true upside of PS that's irreplaceable by other sites is the collective wisdom and incredibly deep knowledge and expertise here. If I need legit, substantive info, I come here, but normally just via a Google search to get to the topic I need, and read in a logged out state.
 
As a modest income (read LG owner) newbie to this site, this was an eyeopener. I guess it's great that you all let your true selves hang out. How naive of me to think that the Diamond Collective were a kind and open group. Of course you don't allow political posts here anymore. Political views and diamond philosophies are often tied to financial means.

First, I didn't realize that someone's family is reaping the financial gains of what seemed to be the voluntary generosity (and thank god LG open-mindedness) of @Kim N. @DejaWiz and @sledge and others. And I see that family is a little worried that this income stream might dry up. Here are some thoughts from a disruptor.

You have NO online presence! (Insert HUGE SIGH and look of exasperation!)

I stumbled on this through my search for LG advice. You have to *direct traffic here* the way any other business does through SEO or at the very least an IG feed or a youtube channel that doesn't look like/sound a driver's ed course. Have you seen the vids and feeds of Jann Paul and By Bonnie Jewelry, just to name two? And they certainly don't have little corners on their feeds where their employees/loyalists insult LG's and by extension ppl who can only afford LG's. (And T-shirts are for family reunions. Please.)

This is the age of info and image. You can't expect Gen Z's (who are now old enough to get engaged with 3ct ovals) to take a look at this message board and dive in. They need to see you and develop faith in PS outside of this antiquated format. Give away education in a palatable 10 second format where you hook them from the first image. Make the voice or face someone relatable (ie, someone young who looks like they would be ok with LG's) so that anyone with diamond curiosity will search you out. Better yet, do the intergenerational thing to give your educational offerings more credibility. (I can't believe I'm giving social media advice to ppl wealthy enough to enjoy EG's who want to make sure yet another avenue of income stays open.)

Granted, I've enjoyed what I've learned here, but the taste in my mouth has certainly changed. Over the past few months, I actually wanted to develop myself into a word-of-mouth diamond concierge and share my enthusiasm for these heretofore inaccessible pieces of Beauty. I'm smart enough to process the data and optics in a way that could help those low income people who deign to want to enjoy the Universe's carbon creation known as a diamond. (For all you purists, I wonder if you also use electric toothbrushes. Or do you want to clean your teeth the way that takes a long time? But then an electric toothbrush costs more money, so I guess I know the answer to that. Yeah - no wonder you don't allow politics anymore. We get insulted, we get mad, then we write, and then other ppl get mad. A bad cycle.)

Anyway, my relationship with diamonds will develop into whatever it will be - with or without the resources of PS. But sheesh! What a thread! Enjoy your diamonds in good conscience - no matter what they say about you and how you see your privilege.
 
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