Lab Grown diamond Retailers in Dallas?

[Maroonandwhite]

Hello all,

I recently posted on Rockytalky

(https://www.pricescope.com/communit...not-sure-i’m-getting-my-money’s-worth.254420/)

as I am currently in the market for an engagement ring, and having trouble finding something that fits what I am looking for.

To be honest, I did not understand the difference (or lack thereof) of lab grown vs organic diamonds, and the more research I do, the more I think that a lab grown diamond may be a better fit for me.

I’m looking specifically for an oval solitaire, around 2.0 carat, and preferably G color or better. As I posted in Rockytalky, the stone I was looking at with my family jeweler was a 2.0 H color, SI2, and I just wasn’t happy with the yellowing of the diamond, especially for the price (17,000).

My family jeweler does not sell lab grown diamonds, so I am kind of at a loss on where to start looking. I’m located in Dallas. Where should I start this process for looking at lab grown diamonds? Does anyone have any preferred vendors for finding the right stone? From my research so far, it seems that there are a multitude of online retailers for lab grown stones, but I am reserved about buying something without seeing it in person.

any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[OoohShiny]

Welcome to the Dark Side lol

There is a thread with a list of sellers of MMD in this section of the forum, although it is fair to say that not many have been tested by PS members at this point in time:

List of MMD / Laboratory Grown Diamond sellers

So, as we don’t have a sticky detailing potential vendors of MMDs / LGDs, I thought I’d make a thread :)) In terms of ‘Pricescope-recommended’ (i.e. ‘safe’ sellers) I think the following would be correct? Brilliant Earth (BE) https://www.brilliantearth.com/lab-diamonds-search/ Large range...

www.pricescope.com

I'm not sure if any are in Dallas but it could be worth checking through

Alternatively, buying online from a vendor with stated, written Returns policies that allow 14/28/30 days to review and return a purchase could be the best bet - you'd be able to assess in your own home and the lighting environments around you


Are you looking for what I would call a 'classic' oval (strong central band of facets, more disorganised facets in the rest of the stone) or would you be open to ovals cut for maximum light performance?

Check out the AV ovals that I mentioned the other day in another thread - Rhino/Jon at AV is a long term Trade member on here so you would be in safe hands but you would need to consider the Returns and Upgrade policies associated with MMDs, wherever you purchase!

Thoughts on this lab grown oval?

Hi guys! I'm new to this forum. Just embarking on the wonderful journey of picking out a diamond for my engagement ring, and i have my heart set on a lab grown oval - however, where I'm from the only lab growns available are round (which i find boring), so i have to shop online. Unfortunately...

www.pricescope.com

 

[Maroonandwhite]

Welcome to the Dark Side lol

There is a thread with a list of sellers of MMD in this section of the forum, although it is fair to say that not many have been tested by PS members at this point in time:

List of MMD / Laboratory Grown Diamond sellers

So, as we don’t have a sticky detailing potential vendors of MMDs / LGDs, I thought I’d make a thread :)) In terms of ‘Pricescope-recommended’ (i.e. ‘safe’ sellers) I think the following would be correct? Brilliant Earth (BE) https://www.brilliantearth.com/lab-diamonds-search/ Large range...

www.pricescope.com

I'm not sure if any are in Dallas but it could be worth checking through

Alternatively, buying online from a vendor with stated, written Returns policies that allow 14/28/30 days to review and return a purchase could be the best bet - you'd be able to assess in your own home and the lighting environments around you


Are you looking for what I would call a 'classic' oval (strong central band of facets, more disorganised facets in the rest of the stone) or would you be open to ovals cut for maximum light performance?

Check out the AV ovals that I mentioned the other day in another thread - Rhino/Jon at AV is a long term Trade member on here so you would be in safe hands but you would need to consider the Returns and Upgrade policies associated with MMDs, wherever you purchase!

Thoughts on this lab grown oval?

Hi guys! I'm new to this forum. Just embarking on the wonderful journey of picking out a diamond for my engagement ring, and i have my heart set on a lab grown oval - however, where I'm from the only lab growns available are round (which i find boring), so i have to shop online. Unfortunately...

www.pricescope.com

Thanks for the advice! I have sent an email to the account I found on the AV website, waiting on a response now. When it comes to myself and my soon to be misses, we would prefer as white/colorless as possible. Classic vs Modern isn't as big of an issue as the light that it reflects. Hopefully that makes sense!

 

[hobbitfancier55]

Welcome fellow Dallasite!

I second @OoohShiny. If i wanted lab grown and an oval, AV would be who I’d go with hands down.

I understand the hesitation of buying online, but you are in safe hands with the vendors and recommendations here.

There is a Spence at West Village if you want to see a lab diamond in person, side by side with an earth mined diamond. But you are going to get the brick and mortar “script” and a higher price tag for something that will most likely not match the precision cut of the AV stone.

Spence does sell GCAL and IGI certed stones, but it would take a lot more work and weeding through potential duds. AV basically is a guaranteed beautiful stone.

 

[Maroonandwhite]

Welcome fellow Dallasite!

I second @OoohShiny. If i wanted lab grown and an oval, AV would be who I’d go with hands down.

I understand the hesitation of buying online, but you are in safe hands with the vendors and recommendations here.

There is a Spence at West Village if you want to see a lab diamond in person, side by side with an earth mined diamond. But you are going to get the brick and mortar “script” and a higher price tag for something that will most likely not match the precision cut of the AV stone.

Spence does sell GCAL and IGI certed stones, but it would take a lot more work and weeding through potential duds. AV basically is a guaranteed beautiful stone.

Thanks for the advice! I spent some time this afternoon with Maurice at Ascot Diamonds. He walked me through the lab grown diamond process, and I was able to see both organic and local side by side. Maurice was able to provide a few options at my price point that I really liked, particularly this stone:

One moment, please...

If anyone has any thoughts on this stone in particular, I’d love to hear them!

 

[Starfacet]

I live in Dallas, and if I were in the market for a lab diamond, I would also go with Jon at August Vintage as others have mentioned.

 

[OoohShiny]

Thanks for the advice! I spent some time this afternoon with Maurice at Ascot Diamonds. He walked me through the lab grown diamond process, and I was able to see both organic and local side by side. Maurice was able to provide a few options at my price point that I really liked, particularly this stone:

One moment, please...

If anyone has any thoughts on this stone in particular, I’d love to hear them!

It's good that you are seeing stones with your own eyes - it helps work out what you like

re: the stone mentioned, it is hard to tell from the video because it is in lighting designed to make everything look good, but there is a central 'stripe' of dark contrast when it is directly head-on. That is generally called 'bow-tie' and it usually is not recommended, but it might not be an issue in real life. If you remain drawn to it after seeing other options, such as the AV stones, then make sure to check out any 'bow-tie' when you next see it

 

[kgizo]

@OoohShiny makes an excellent point about the bow tie effect. In the Ascot stone you can see how there are lots of facets on the ends and very few in the middle. To most people, this makes the ends look busy and the middle “dead”. The August stone’s facets are well distributed so the sparkle will be across the entire diamond instead of concentrated at the ends. Please be aware that these stones have different lab reports, IGI v. AGS, and it is generally believed that GIA is the toughest on color, closely followed by AGS, and then IGI and others. When comparing stones you may need to see them in hand to judge color instead of relying on the reports. Hopefully there is enough savings with a lab diamond that you can buy and return a few times if needed. It is well worth the cost of shipping to get a diamond you will both be happy with for a very long time.

 

[Maroonandwhite]

Thanks for the replies. Its hard, because the Bowtie effect seems to show up more in photos in my experience, but I agree that the Bowtie might be a little too pronounced for my taste. The search continues.

I have been in contact with ADA Diamonds, who have sent over a few choices. Does anyone have any experience with ADA?