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It’s pretty clear how existential of a threat lab-grown diamonds have become to the traditional diamond industry. Today you can buy a lab-grown diamond for ~$55

It’s pretty clear how existential of a threat lab-grown diamonds have become to the traditional diamond industry. Today you can buy a lab-grown diamond for ~$550 that’s equivalent to the $4500 natural diamond or $400 moissanite mentioned in that article.

BlueTemplar 3y ago
You can see some of that impact on this chart : https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-prices/diamond-prices-chart/# https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-prices/diamond-prices-cha... That (crappy) $4.6k diamond would be from $3.3k on now : https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search/?CaratFrom=0.9&CaratTo=1.1&Color=J,I,H&Clarity=VS2,VS1,VVS2&Cut=Very+Good https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search/?CaratFrom=0.9&Carat... So that's a -28%, and assuming no change between 2006 and 2008, this does seem to fit the recent drop in 0.5 to 1 carat prices seen on the chart ? (Note that all of the drops happened since early 2022.) Meanwhile, the lab grown equivalent is around $1.6 k : https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search/?CaratFrom=0.95&CaratTo=1.05&Color=J,I,H,G,F,E,D&Clarity=VS2,VS1,VVS2&Cut=Very+Good&IsLabDiamond=True https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search/?CaratFrom=0.95&Cara... (Where did you get the $550 figure from ?) ---- More interestingly, looking at diamonds that aren't crap (why would you settle for that when it's their optical properties that you are after ?), you have in the same size of 6.5 mm : From $3.5k-3.9k for natural ones : https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut?carat=0.9,1.1&color=D,L&t=inhouse&advanced=yes&polish=Ideal,Excellent&lwratio=0,3&symmetry=Ideal,Excellent https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut?carat=0.... (Clarity doesn't seem to matter that much, because it has not much effect as long as it can't be seen to the naked eye, which in these except the worst one it probably won't be ? https://beyond4cs.com/clarity/ https://beyond4cs.com/clarity/ ) From $1.3k for the lab-grown ones : https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/lab-created-diamonds/round-cut?carat=0.9,1.1&clarity=IF,SI2&cut=Ideal,Excellent&t=inhouse&advanced=yes&polish=Ideal,Excellent&lwratio=0,3&symmetry=Ideal,Excellent https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/lab-created-diamon...
- dublinben 3y ago
  The $550 figure came from the first search result (www.cleanorigin.com) for lab grown diamonds. No clue if this is a reputable site.
  - BlueTemplar 3y ago
    Diamonds aren't cut equal - imagine getting glasses that don't fit well your prescription. All the sellers I have seen so far but White Flash seem to at best have a tiny, monocolor «Hearts & Diamonds» logo - which makes it hard to judge for yourself. And at this point the prices are low enough that it doesn't seem to make sense to settle for less if your goal is something like an engagement ring. I don't know, maybe I am exaggerating the importance of this - (and maybe moissanite or even cubic zirconium would actually make for even better optical properties) - but it does seem like that diamond buyers are overwhelmingly getting taken advantage of : https://beyond4cs.com/truth-about-gia-triple-excellent-diamonds/ https://beyond4cs.com/truth-about-gia-triple-excellent-diamo... I was interested enough from this article that I was willing to try to find out by myself (including comparing with similar crystals) - but annoyingly White Flash is US based and doesn't export to my country.

BlueTemplar 3y ago

You can see some of that impact on this chart : https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-prices/diamond-prices-chart/# https://www.pricescope.com/diamond-prices/diamond-prices-cha... That (crappy) $4.6k diamond would be from $3.3k on now : https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search/?CaratFrom=0.9&CaratTo=1.1&Color=J,I,H&Clarity=VS2,VS1,VVS2&Cut=Very+Good https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search/?CaratFrom=0.9&Carat... So that's a -28%, and assuming no change between 2006 and 2008, this does seem to fit the recent drop in 0.5 to 1 carat prices seen on the chart ? (Note that all of the drops happened since early 2022.) Meanwhile, the lab grown equivalent is around $1.6 k : https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search/?CaratFrom=0.95&CaratTo=1.05&Color=J,I,H,G,F,E,D&Clarity=VS2,VS1,VVS2&Cut=Very+Good&IsLabDiamond=True https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search/?CaratFrom=0.95&Cara... (Where did you get the $550 figure from ?) ---- More interestingly, looking at diamonds that aren't crap (why would you settle for that when it's their optical properties that you are after ?), you have in the same size of 6.5 mm : From $3.5k-3.9k for natural ones : https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut?carat=0.9,1.1&color=D,L&t=inhouse&advanced=yes&polish=Ideal,Excellent&lwratio=0,3&symmetry=Ideal,Excellent https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut?carat=0.... (Clarity doesn't seem to matter that much, because it has not much effect as long as it can't be seen to the naked eye, which in these except the worst one it probably won't be ? https://beyond4cs.com/clarity/ https://beyond4cs.com/clarity/ ) From $1.3k for the lab-grown ones : https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/lab-created-diamonds/round-cut?carat=0.9,1.1&clarity=IF,SI2&cut=Ideal,Excellent&t=inhouse&advanced=yes&polish=Ideal,Excellent&lwratio=0,3&symmetry=Ideal,Excellent https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/lab-created-diamon...

dublinben 3y ago
The $550 figure came from the first search result (www.cleanorigin.com) for lab grown diamonds. No clue if this is a reputable site.
- BlueTemplar 3y ago
  Diamonds aren't cut equal - imagine getting glasses that don't fit well your prescription. All the sellers I have seen so far but White Flash seem to at best have a tiny, monocolor «Hearts & Diamonds» logo - which makes it hard to judge for yourself. And at this point the prices are low enough that it doesn't seem to make sense to settle for less if your goal is something like an engagement ring. I don't know, maybe I am exaggerating the importance of this - (and maybe moissanite or even cubic zirconium would actually make for even better optical properties) - but it does seem like that diamond buyers are overwhelmingly getting taken advantage of : https://beyond4cs.com/truth-about-gia-triple-excellent-diamonds/ https://beyond4cs.com/truth-about-gia-triple-excellent-diamo... I was interested enough from this article that I was willing to try to find out by myself (including comparing with similar crystals) - but annoyingly White Flash is US based and doesn't export to my country.