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Same price for natural and lab?? What do I choose?

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Kataoka9

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 19, 2021
Messages
27
After a year of indecision, I've narrowed down my options to two jewellers. Both have nice designs. I don't know if its a UK vs USA thing but for some it's costing around same price for a lab versus natural diamond? I thought lab diamonds were supposed to be cheaper lol. My design is a super simple cathedral with four prongs.

UK jeweler won't give me the gia certificate but it's a GIA .8 carat D color, triple x VS2 natural diamond for $5683 including setting

The other jeweller in USA has a lab diamond GIA 1.05 carat, d color, triple x VVS2 for $4550 including setting. This same jeweler has GIA .75 D, VVS2 triple x natural diamond for $9500 as an example.

You can understand why I'm a bit confused and stuck...how do you decide who to pick? I'm not concerned about the size of the diamond it's more I want a nice quality one that sparkles. Is the UK jeweller giving me a bad diamond, why is his so much cheaper? They both say they handpick the diamonds so I dunno. It's not really a cost issue, I just want to spend around 5k to get a lifetime ring. Do I spend a little more for a natural diamond? Do I spend less still for a very expensive MMD?? I'm riddled with indecision lol.
 
Kataoka9 said:
After a year of indecision, I've narrowed down my options to two jewellers. Both have nice designs. I don't know if its a UK vs USA thing but for some it's costing around same price for a lab versus natural diamond? I thought lab diamonds were supposed to be cheaper lol. My design is a super simple cathedral with four prongs.

UK jeweler won't give me the gia certificate but it's a GIA .8 carat D color, triple x VS2 natural diamond for $5683 including setting

The other jeweller in USA has a lab diamond GIA 1.05 carat, d color, triple x VVS2 for $4550 including setting. This same jeweler has GIA .75 D, VVS2 triple x natural diamond for $9500 as an example.

You can understand why I'm a bit confused and stuck...how do you decide who to pick? I'm not concerned about the size of the diamond it's more I want a nice quality one that sparkles. Is the UK jeweller giving me a bad diamond, why is his so much cheaper? They both say they handpick the diamonds so I dunno. It's not really a cost issue, I just want to spend around 5k to get a lifetime ring. Do I spend a little more for a natural diamond? Do I spend less still for a very expensive MMD?? I'm riddled with indecision lol.
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If the vendor wont give a certificate, don't buy. Period. GIA XXX is super broad and some are really bad.

And for an MMD plus simple setting, $4500 seems like a lot. Is it in 14k? Can you post the certificate of the stone? Searching for a D-E color/VS2+ lab stone from JA shows you can get tons of choices bigger than 1.25 for less than 3k. So I think you are paying a lot and not getting what I would expect
 
Thanks for the reply! I don't really care about size to be honest. Just quality. He seemed kind of insulted when I asked for a copy. I think they think I'm trying to compare the stone online for cheaper, which I understand. But it was real GIA certificate?

The USA jeweler is Jean Dousset brand and I really love their settings, so I think that's why the extra cost? He says he handpicks it on his website?

Is it better to go with a newer designer brand or a small jeweler who does a lot of bespoke pieces but lesser known? Jean Dousset is more famous but his new line is pretty new
 
lovedogs said:
If the vendor wont give a certificate, don't buy. Period. GIA XXX is super broad and some are really bad.

And for an MMD plus simple setting, $4500 seems like a lot. Is it in 14k? Can you post the certificate of the stone? Searching for a D-E color/VS2+ lab stone from JA shows you can get tons of choices bigger than 1.25 for less than 3k. So I think you are paying a lot and not getting what I would expect
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I agree, the price seems high even for an excellent LGD. As an example, see this 1.02ct E VS2 Distinctive Hearts & Arrows Cut Private Reserve Lab Grown Diamond from Distinctive Gem—he hand picks for excellent performance and is well-reviewed here. I bought a stone from him and love it. https://www.distinctivegem.com/coll...-arrows-cut-private-reserve-lab-grown-diamond
It has a GCAL certificate.
 
I would not deal with a jeweler that refuses to provide a GIA report when requested that seems sketchy to me. And the lab diamond vendor is inflating his price and overcharging you . If you want the best cut quality for maxi.um sparkle go with a super ideal vendor like Whiteflash.
 
@jp201845 Thanks for your input. I just went onto Whiteflash with a similar setting and similar stats for the diamond and the cheapest is $12K lol I can't afford this.

@lovedogs If GIA triple XXX is super broad how am I supposed to pick a diamond? lol
 
Both jewelers seem pricey. Can you at least get the proportions (depth, table, crown angle, pavilion angle) of the 0.80 and 1.05?
 
Kataoka9 said:
@jp201845 Thanks for your input. I just went onto Whiteflash with a similar setting and similar stats for the diamond and the cheapest is $12K lol I can't afford this.

@lovedogs If GIA triple XXX is super broad how am I supposed to pick a diamond? lol
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What is your budget and desired specs?
 
Kataoka9 said:
@jp201845 Thanks for your input. I just went onto Whiteflash with a similar setting and similar stats for the diamond and the cheapest is $12K lol I can't afford this.

@lovedogs If GIA triple XXX is super broad how am I supposed to pick a diamond? lol
Click to expand...

If you share your budget and desired specs we can help you.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

.8-1 carat round diamond triple x no f? D color.

Part of me just wants to get lightbox finest and be done with this...
 
This is going to sound dumb but if I buy this and add a setting from his website? The total comes to about the same. Am I looking at this wrong? it's also gcal not gia?
 
I added the Jennifer cathedral setting in platinum.
 
Kataoka9 said:
This is going to sound dumb but if I buy this and add a setting from his website? The total comes to about the same. Am I looking at this wrong? it's also gcal not gia?
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Yes, you can buy both stone and setting, or he can also design a custom setting for you (that is what I did and I’m very happy with it). OR, you could buy the stone and have the setting made elsewhere. Yes, it’s GCAL, not GIA… I think it’s more common to have lab diamonds graded by IGI or GCAL vs. GIA. The nice thing about his private reserve line is that he has the stones in hand, and has personally examined them for performance. I personally would choose this over lightbox finest because you have the report and the assurance that performs beautifully-without having to actually line up a bunch of stones and compare them yourself.
You’re right, if you add that stone plus the Jennifer signature cathedral it’s $4,245.00. If you have any questions, you can also just call him. Another good option would be a stone by James Allen or other recommended retailer—ask and people will recommend specific stones if you’d like.
 
@mayalnau thank you for your help!
 
This is about the same price as Distinctive Gem, but you'd get one color grade and one clarity grade higher.

www.jamesallen.com

Lab-Created 1.02 Carat round diamond

This 1.02 carat Lab-Created round diamond D color vs1 clarity has Ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from IGI
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com

www.jamesallen.com

Platinum Cathedral Solitaire Engagement Ring

Noted for the graceful lines, the classic silhouette of a cathedral soliaitre engagment creates a breath taking engagement ring for your center diamond.
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com

James Allen also has a bunch of settings on sale for Valentine's Day.

www.jamesallen.com

Choose Your Engagement Ring Setting | JamesAllen.com

Pick the perfect setting to start designing your dream engagement ring. Explore our large collection of engagement rings to find your ideal fit.
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com
 
SO, would the mined diamond jeweler only give you the GIA cert after you purchased? That seems odd, I’d walk away and not look back. I’ve bought diamonds without certs from dealers I trust, I am not certification dependent buyer, but if they have it, why be weird about it?

And the advice above about LGD being graded by IGI and AGL commonly is spot on. Hell, GIA wouldn’t even grade then until quite recently.
 
caolsen said:
SO, would the mined diamond jeweler only give you the GIA cert after you purchased? That seems odd, I’d walk away and not look back. I’ve bought diamonds without certs from dealers I trust, I am not certification dependent buyer, but if they have it, why be weird about it?

And the advice above about LGD being graded by IGI and AGL commonly is spot on. Hell, GIA wouldn’t even grade then until quite recently.
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Yeah they will show it when we look at the diamonds together and give it to you after purchase. They have a 30 day return policy so I don't think they're trying to trick me. I think they said a lot of customers shop around a lot so they don't like showing the certificates? I dunno, it didn't bother me to much

Thanks for your input! Honestly I don't know what to do yet because it's all very costly and I have to think deeply about where to buy it from! Thanks for all the help
 
Kataoka9 said:
Yeah they will show it when we look at the diamonds together and give it to you after purchase. They have a 30 day return policy so I don't think they're trying to trick me. I think they said a lot of customers shop around a lot so they don't like showing the certificates? I dunno, it didn't bother me to much

Thanks for your input! Honestly I don't know what to do yet because it's all very costly and I have to think deeply about where to buy it from! Thanks for all the help
Click to expand...
The bold is completely absurd. If they won't give you the numbers from the cert, how are you supposed to know it's not a dud???? grrrr, stores make me so mad!
 
Kataoka9 said:
Oh wow thanks! I'm size 4.5 so I didn't want to feel self conscious but I will think about it!
Click to expand...

Here's what the finger coverage will look like for this 1.4 carat.
It's an exceptionally beautiful HPHT D VS2 diamond with a great 40.6/35.0/57 combo!

Screenshot_20220210-222357.png
 
One thing you might want to consider, the super ideal light performance can make such a difference in the ‘brightness’ of the stone.

I know you want D color, but put this ACA F next to a GIA x3 D I think you would be pleasantly surprised.

Diamond | 0.812 ct F VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Super Ideal Round Cut Loose Diamond AGS Certified | 4405759

This Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE® super ideal cut hearts and arrows 0.812 carat F color VS2 clarity loose diamond is graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories. | 4405759
www.whiteflash.com

Here’s an I color GIA x3 next to a K color ACA to illustrate. Thanks for @Mreader for this great comparison!

@bijoux_boyd on Instagram: "Playing with fire"

40 likes, 6 comments - bijoux_boyd on July 29, 2021: "Playing with fire".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
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