Shakeout in LGD Industry - Natural Price Increases Next?

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

This is the answer I keep coming back to. The economic reality for most young people I meet is pretty bleak. Luxury goods are irrelevant to their lives.

Having just returned from 2 months in USA its the same scene in Australia. Poor starving 16 to 30 year olds eating in the street (CAFE).

https://www.google.com/search?q=photos+of+people+in+cafes+in+USA&sca_esv=790745a775e4282d&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU977AU977&sxsrf=ADLYWIJWXQgoisQnd4B6rew3Lj8ELbnkiQ%3A1725320397364&ei=zUzWZruBFuihnesPscqw0A0&ved=0ahUKEwj7m6Krt6WIAxXoUGcHHTElDNoQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=photos+of+people+in+cafes+in+USA&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiIHBob3RvcyBvZiBwZW9wbGUgaW4gY2FmZXMgaW4gVVNBSNCFAVC2DFjRggFwAXgAkAEAmAG4AaAB1ByqAQQwLjI1uAEDyAEA-AEBmAIHoALbCMICChAhGKABGMMEGArCAgQQIRgKwgIIEAAYgAQYogTCAggQIRigARjDBJgDAIgGAZIHAzAuN6AHgiY&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

 

[Dreamer_D]

That’s a pretty weird and insensitive perspective but do you, I guess.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Not saying I agree with the Meme Garry posted ….. but wouldn’t the guy on the right have a man made diamond?
I know others disagree, but from my perspective, “Earth Mined” is no more an insult than “Lab Grown” is some sort of “compliment”. The words aren’t going to meaningfully alter this situation

 

[nala]

This is the answer I keep coming back to. The economic reality for most young people I meet is pretty bleak. Luxury goods are irrelevant to their lives.

Not every young couple is struggling financially. My DD and her bf are doing extremely well, as are their friends. My former students are also thriving. Give this new generation some credit!

 

[nala]

Just a thought. With perfect looking LGD becoming so ubiquitous, couples may opt for the imperfect naturals as a sign that they are not LGD. They might opt for rare, even if rare means imperfect—just to distinguish their ring from everyone else’s. Isn’t that what we PSer’s did? Sought out ideal cuts bc of how rare they were? We were willing to pay thousands more bc the vendors told us that it was harder to cut these ideals? Maybe the perception of beauty will become rarity vs perfection.

 

[lulu_ma]

LGD have 100% disrupted the overall diamond market.

But, if you can buy a colorless 3 ct LGD ring (IGI E/ VS1) from a store like TJ Maxx does it somehow reduce the “specialness” factor?

(Also, this one is overpriced in imo)

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Actually they call them Synthetics... it's odd to me how they got away with using the "Lab Grown" moniker for factory "Diamonds"..... And the whole Earth Grown tag kinda downplays the 1+ Billion years old, shot up 100 miles during a supercontinent break up ...volcano eruption story..... Stolen Valor if you ask me....

Actually GIA has long used the term 'synthetic' in reference to what is now popularly known as lab grown diamonds. The term 'synthetic' is used thoughout their technical research articles, but they yeilded to industry pressure and began using the friendlier LGD term in their consumer-facing messaging.

Interestingly, in light of the pearl comparison, the lab diamond growers originally wanted the term "cultured" for their product too.

 

[Indylady]

As one of those youngins you’re describing I think you’re painting too broad a stroke. This forum is more than just diamonds, too. And the drop in traffic - I don’t believe- falls on the shoulders of lgd.

Like I said - I don't think it's a lab versus natural issue. I don't think that the drop in traffic is due to lab diamonds, I think it's because a lot of folks just don't really care about jewelry these days.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Are coloured diamonds going down in price too? Because there’s another thread on here asking about natural yellow diamonds and they are still expensive!!!

Can you pay a few hundred for a giant lab yellow diamond like the white ones?

Apologies if they are silly questions as I haven’t looked into diamonds for years besides melee.

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

They're low in color - but 1 carat for under $1k and 2 carat for $3500. Pretty good cuts.

Why stop at 2 carats when you can have 3 at VS1 clarity for less than $8k?

Which of those criteria can be satisfied by man made diamonds?

reasonable minds may disagree but…

​

1. Symbolism and Tradition​

• Emotional Significance: . — works for LGD
• Cultural Importance: . — LGD might not cost as much but they are still a discretionary item that can eat up someone’s gasoline budget for a year

2. Rarity and Value​

• Natural Beauty: — LGD have unnatural beauty

• Investment Potential: — try adjusting for inflation

3. Craftsmanship and Quality​

• Exquisite Craftsmanship: —- Distinctive Gem LGD would like a word
• Superior Quality: — if high color, high clarity are your thing, hop on over to the lab side

4. Status and Prestige​

• Social Status: — nobody can tell by looking
• Personal Identity: — ok fine

5. Marketing Influence​

• De Beers Campaign: — not a favorable mark in most people’s minds
• Perceived Value: Chat GPT has learned little from Reddit

6. Emotional Attachment and Heirloom Value​

• Heirloom Potential: i guess this is how you get people to buy more than one? Because of exponential population growth? Seriously… Synthetics have a lot of value to heirs. We love heirloom jewelry because we love the people who wore it
• Emotional Attachment: —LGD can be sentimental

7. Exclusivity​

• Uniqueness: — LGD can be unique. Conversely EGD can be super-ideal-cookie-cutter (not an insult)

Since Andrey, our much loved CEO passed away two years ago, the site has suffered.
We are working out how to turn it around.

Make SMTB “anything goes.” Consider allowing photo previews of the posts, like Reddit

. But I don't know anyone else who is - everyone else is just fine with cultured. Looks just as pretty if not prettier. My strand doesn't look like the small fortune it actually cost me; it looks like something you could pick up for $70, maybe even that's generous. And a lot of people find pearls to be dowdy and frumpy - they're not a need to have at all. The ritual of a beautiful strand of pearls for your high school graduation, or college graduation, or wedding is not even a thing anymore.

That was a neat lesson in the cultural history of pearls, thank you.

I say again- based on what's in our safe, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE for natural diamonds to re-gain their lost value. However I'm not holding my breath

Exhale and send me all your diamonds.

As long as rappers and the Kardashians are flaunting diamonds, young people will want them. Even young men are wearing tennis bracelets.

And people will always love diamonds because they sparkle! One possible future could be a sort of jewelry renaissance with high quality sparkles now available for daily wear

Just a thought. With perfect looking LGD becoming so ubiquitous, couples may opt for the imperfect naturals as a sign that they are not LGD. They might opt for rare, even if rare means imperfect—just to distinguish their ring from everyone else’s. Isn’t that what we PSer’s did? Sought out ideal cuts bc of how rare they were? We were willing to pay thousands more bc the vendors told us that it was harder to cut these ideals? Maybe the perception of beauty will become rarity vs perfection.

Agree that could happen… WSJ had an article on travel, heard about it on NPR. https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/selfies-vacation-travel-research-46ac89f9

With jewelry it’s kind of hard to base your decision on what other people are doing for lab vs. natural because you can’t tell by looking what the other people are wearing. You would have to ask. Is it fluorescence or blue nuance? Is it antique or a replica cut?

As one of those youngins you’re describing I think you’re painting too broad a stroke. This forum is more than just diamonds, too. And the drop in traffic - I don’t believe- falls on the shoulders of lgd.

It’s nice having all our PS nooks and crannies. You could also try having two catch-all forums… “Anything goes” SMTB — self-explanatory. And “anything goes” Ask a Question — natural or lab, stone or setting, whatever people want advice on.

LGD have 100% disrupted the overall diamond market.

But, if you can buy a colorless 3 ct LGD ring (IGI E/ VS1) from a store like TJ Maxx does it somehow reduce the “specialness” factor?

IMHO the specialness factor is going to shift from the perceived rarity of the natural center stone, to the perceived exclusivity of the center stone and/or exclusivity of the setting. Based on name brand, craftsmanship, ingenuity, availability, etc. Also that cheap TJ Maxx LGD ring could pay for 7 months of groceries.

https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/credit-cards/average-grocery-cost/

These discussions are so interesting, hope people continue to comment.

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

Having just returned from 2 months in USA its the same scene in Australia.

Dude you were going to bring a copy of your book and @ me!

Are coloured diamonds going down in price too? Because there’s another thread on here asking about natural yellow diamonds and they are still expensive!!!

IANAE but geeky people may want to search online vendors via archive.org and check an inflation calculator.

Can you pay a few hundred for a giant lab yellow diamond like the white ones?

Apologies if they are silly questions as I haven’t looked into diamonds for years besides melee.

A little more but not much.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Make SMTB “anything goes.” Consider allowing photo previews of the posts, like Reddit

What does SMBT mean?
What are photo previews Crutches?

 

[0515vision]

What does SMBT mean?
What are photo previews Crutches?

SMTB - Show Me The Bling!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Why stop at 2 carats when you can have 3 at VS1 clarity for less than $8k?





reasonable minds may disagree but…







Make SMTB “anything goes.” Consider allowing photo previews of the posts, like Reddit



That was a neat lesson in the cultural history of pearls, thank you.



Exhale and send me all your diamonds.



And people will always love diamonds because they sparkle! One possible future could be a sort of jewelry renaissance with high quality sparkles now available for daily wear



Agree that could happen… WSJ had an article on travel, heard about it on NPR. https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/selfies-vacation-travel-research-46ac89f9

With jewelry it’s kind of hard to base your decision on what other people are doing for lab vs. natural because you can’t tell by looking what the other people are wearing. You would have to ask. Is it fluorescence or blue nuance? Is it antique or a replica cut?



It’s nice having all our PS nooks and crannies. You could also try having two catch-all forums… “Anything goes” SMTB — self-explanatory. And “anything goes” Ask a Question — natural or lab, stone or setting, whatever people want advice on.



IMHO the specialness factor is going to shift from the perceived rarity of the natural center stone, to the perceived exclusivity of the center stone and/or exclusivity of the setting. Based on name brand, craftsmanship, ingenuity, availability, etc. Also that cheap TJ Maxx LGD ring could pay for 7 months of groceries.

https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/credit-cards/average-grocery-cost/

These discussions are so interesting, hope people continue to comment.

Your suggestion has been propose to other directors Crutches - thanks - taken on board
Make SMTB “anything goes.” Consider allowing photo previews of the posts, like Reddit

 

[nala]

Do you all think LGD forum traffic will die down as prices continue to plummet and all LGD’s are cut to ideal perfection? What advice will people even need to ask for, at that point?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Do you all think LGD forum traffic will die down as prices continue to plummet and all LGD’s are cut to ideal perfection? What advice will people even need to ask for, at that point?

It's an excellent and funny question at the same time Nala!
When the price of gold goes up more people buy gold jewelry.
When prices are falling on technology, like flat screen TV's, they talk about J curves and such that after the early adopters got in, the mass market takes over and prices plummet.
I am not sure how any of this relates to your question, but I am going to ponder it!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Do you all think LGD forum traffic will die down as prices continue to plummet and all LGD’s are cut to ideal perfection? What advice will people even need to ask for, at that point?

I doubt it, in fact, it may result in a likely increase of custom design threads because there is now access to material. Lab is gaining in prominence and popularity.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I doubt it, in fact, it may result in a likely increase of custom design threads because there is now access to material. Lab is gaining in prominence and popularity.

I wrote some messages on trade platforms about this IMY.
If I was a speculator I would be buying shares in Thai and Indian jewelry manufacturers.
The demand for costume jewelry set with LGD is going to skyrocket - where as CZ and Moissanite are often set in silver or base metals, LGD are more likely to be set in karat golds.
Demand for LGD jewelry will sky rocket as the cost per carat and the crazy retail margins plummet.
People in India are saying there is oversupply as there are now many thousands of CVD reactors there - but when we see $200-$300 per carat for any size diamond - just watch the people in the street decked out like Christmas trees!

 

[freddyboston]

Tiffany should pivot to selling Diamonds that glow like their box.... Luxury needs to be rare.....

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

I wrote some messages on trade platforms about this IMY.
If I was a speculator I would be buying shares in Thai and Indian jewelry manufacturers.
The demand for costume jewelry set with LGD is going to skyrocket - where as CZ and Moissanite are often set in silver or base metals, LGD are more likely to be set in karat golds.
Demand for LGD jewelry will sky rocket as the cost per carat and the crazy retail margins plummet.
People in India are saying there is oversupply as there are now many thousands of CVD reactors there - but when we see $200-$300 per carat for any size diamond - just watch the people in the street decked out like Christmas trees!

It will be glorious for those who want to shine! I know the LGD thread here is hopping and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. I also know that they wouldn't consider it costume as it's the new hot commodity for engagement rings, how could it be? It's a diamond.

 

[Heathcat24]

Your suggestion has been propose to other directors Crutches - thanks - taken on board
Make SMTB “anything goes.” Consider allowing photo previews of the posts, like Reddit

What does this mean "anything goes?" Will there still be a separate place for natural gemstones and diamonds?

 

[freddyboston]

It will be glorious for those who want to shine! I know the LGD thread here is hopping and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. I also know that they wouldn't consider it costume as it's the new hot commodity for engagement rings, how could it be? It's a diamond.

According to the FTC they can't be called Diamonds or Stones - you need use a modifier.... Imitation, Simulated or the more marketable sounding Lab Grown...

 

[MissGotRocks]

I still think that natural and LGD still need their own forum. There is a huge price difference and folks coming here for the first time might be confused with pictures and not realize what they are actually seeing. I think the two still need to be differentiated.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

I still think that natural and LGD still need their own forum. There is a huge price difference and folks coming here for the first time might be confused with pictures and not realize what they are actually seeing. I think the two still need to be differentiated.

To piggyback off of this, if they are to be combined into a single forum; then posts should be required to be tagged with LGD or natural as a prerequisite to posting, so that people can choose to view either all LGD posts, or all natural posts, or both. This may be an unpopular opinion, since they look basically the same (especially in pics) but I do get an excitement out of some natural posts that I don’t with LGDs (eg naturals above a certain carat size, or natural FCDs) just because theyre so rare it’s hard to find them.

 

[newdiamondworld]

I still think that natural and LGD still need their own forum. There is a huge price difference and folks coming here for the first time might be confused with pictures and not realize what they are actually seeing. I think the two still need to be differentiated.

I agree. There are many lab-grown diamonds in the 'Show me' section of the forum, and while they may be beautiful pieces of jewelry, I believe they should be displayed in their own LGD dedicated section only.

Tagging @Ella for her input and guidance.

 

[Rockdiamond]

As someone who manufactures jewelry….. our pride revolves around the pieces we make, be they lab or earth mined diamonds- we make fine jewelry.
Calling jewelry “costume” simply due to where the stones came from is wishful thinking from the standpoint of wanting earth mined diamonds to regain their former status from my perspective

 

[molecule]

I am hoping for the days of jewelry design to make a more prominent topic of discussion as the availability of center stones increases.

 

[newdiamondworld]

As someone who manufactures jewelry….. our pride revolves around the pieces we make, be they lab or earth mined diamonds- we make fine jewelry.
Calling jewelry “costume” simply due to where the stones came from is wishful thinking from the standpoint of wanting earth mined diamonds to regain their former status from my perspective

Not everyone would agree with that. As a collector of crystals and minerals, I do see a clear distinction between earth-mined natural stones and those that are man-made.

While you can also create amazing jewelry using pieces of glass, it wouldn't appeal to me or others who share my perspective, because we value the rarity and natural origin of the stones used in the jewelry we admire.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Not everyone would agree with that. As a collector of crystals and minerals, I do see a clear distinction between earth-mined natural stones and those that are man-made.

While you can also create amazing jewelry using pieces of glass, it wouldn't appeal to me or others who share my perspective, because we value the rarity and natural origin of the stones used in the jewelry we admire.

I agree with this. In my mind, they are not the same. Others may disagree, but can’t deny the price discrepancy between the two and that is a large consideration. The process is different too in terms of time to produce. People need to be aware of what they are seeing to be able to make an informed decision before buying. Lumping them together would be a disservice to all IMO.