We’ve heard it all before. A real diamond means real love. But Laboratory grown diamonds are real diamonds. Lab diamonds literally have the same physical, chemical, and optical properties as mined diamonds. The only difference is you don’t have to worry about inadvertently funding a warlord for blood diamonds that get mixed in with “ethically mined” diamonds. Buying a lab diamond also means you’re far less likely to get scammed into buying a falsely graded diamond or worse, paying a natural price with a GIA certificate to find out it was a lab all along anyway.
GIA Bribery Scandal: https://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=13569&ArticleTitle=GIA%E2%80%99s+Bribery+Scandal
Lab diamonds being passed as mined diamonds: https://www.professionaljeweller.com/igi-catches-out-lab-grown-diamond-fraud-as-man-made-stone-passed-off-as-natural/
Fake GIA Certificates: https://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=67811&ArticleTitle=Indian+Police+Bust+Counterfeit+Diamond+Scam
Kimberly Process Scandal: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/diamonds-blood-kimberley-process-mines-ethical
Ok, so if that’s true, why are some women still arguing that they want mined diamonds if they’re the same?
Because women aren’t looking at diamonds as diamonds. They’re looking at the symbol.
“How much did he spend on the diamond? How much does he value my love?” is the true question being asked.
But what if it’s not about being cheap? What if you can show the same level of dedication with the lowered risk of not getting scammed?
With the very real likelyhood of getting scammed with mined diamonds, why would you not just spend the same money on lab diamond?
Think about it. If you were going to spend 12.5k on a natural diamond 1ct, BR, E, vvs2 the rap price is $12,500 at the time of writing. For those not in the industry it just means, a good 1 carat is 12.5k is the current industry rate. You could get a 5-carat, BR, E, vvs2 for the 12k. In English, you can buy a mined diamond with all the risks for 12.5k and get a nice 1-carat or spend 12k and get the exact same quality but a 5-carat.
The resale value!!
Looking at the resale? Why would you plan a divorce before even proposing? Ok, all kidding aside. The resale value is a trick of the trade. “Diamonds increase in value over time”. Not recently, they’ve been dropping in value. But let’s put that aside and pretend they did. Goodluck selling your diamond. You buy a diamond for 12.5k the store does a “buy back guarantee”. After 5 years it’s decreased by 50% for what they’d buy it for. So now they’ll only give you 6.25k BUT here’s the crazy part. If the value of the diamonds actually increased… why would they buy it back below what you purchased it?
Really, really think about it. You bought the natural diamond at 12.5k. They said it’s increased in value to 15k… but they’re buying it back at 6.25k…. so you’ve lost 8.75k. You’ve lost over half of it “value”. But with a lab, they’ve actually increased in value over the last year but let’s put that aside. If you bought in 2011, your diamonds are bleeding in value.
Let’s summarise
You’ve got a higher risk of being scammed in the mined diamond industry than lab diamonds. You’re not showing any less commitment, if anything, you’re showing your commitment and general financial intelligence. Your partner is going to get a bigger and better diamond. Resell value? Mined diamonds will get you stiffed on the resale anyway.
So if you’re asking our opinion on lab vs mined. It’s a no-brainer!
There’s plenty of places to look for lab diamonds but if you’re looking for high quality with great pricing, take a look at: www.royaldiamondgroup.com
