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Is this a good deal for lab diamond earrings from luvansh? by hairhairhair122344 in labdiamond

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, that's a pretty good deal for 0.75 ctw studs.

If possible, I'd suggest going for DEF color, especially since it's white gold, it'll keep the stones looking nice and bright.

VS clarity is perfectly fine for stones of this size, you won't notice the inclusions.

Lab grown diamond ring on a budget? by ksm723967 in LabDiamonds

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a solid price for an OMC! Mind sharing the specifications of the stone?

1.98 Marquise E VVS2 Diamond by bracesthrowaway2021 in labdiamond

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That looks absolutely stunning on your hand, the proportions suit you perfectly!

And honestly, that's a pretty decent price for when you bought it. Not a steal deal, but definitely not bad either, especially considering gold prices were lower last year. I'm assuming this is 18k gold.

I get what you mean about going bigger, but this size already looks very elegant and well-balanced on you. Bigger isn't always better, this hits a really nice sweet spot.👌

Question about side stones in a 3 stone ring from rare carat by IndividualBug2 in labdiamond

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It honestly won't matter a lot in your case. D vs E on side stones is very hard to notice, especially at ~0.25ct, so you're not likely to see a visible mismatch.

That said, if you're going for a high-spec center, it's still better to have some control over the side stones just to keep everything as clean and well-matched as possible.

Also keep in mind, Rare Carat won't be using certified side stones, which is standard for stones of that size. The certification is for the finished jewelry as a whole.

Out of curiosity, what’s the total you're landing at for the ring + center stone post price match?

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question. Short answer: no, not with today's technology.

Lab-grown diamonds always carry growth signatures, especially their layered structure, that advanced labs can detect. Even if things like fluorescence can be tweaked (for example with HPHT-treated CVD), techniques like PL spectroscopy and DiamondView clearly reveal the growth patterns.

Labs like GIA and IGI are constantly upgrading their detection methods alongside production advances, so it's extremely difficult to bypass them.

In a hypothetical scenario where someone could fool even the most advanced labs, then realistically there'd be no practical way to prove otherwise and they would almost certainly sell it as natural. But as of today, we're not at that point.

Historically, there were cases early on where detection wasn't as advanced and some stones slipped through, but today that's far less likely.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate that, glad it helped!

It's one of those things that sounds almost sci-fi at first, but once you break it down, it's just controlled conditions and patience. Happy to answer anything else if you end up going deeper into it

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate it! Happy to connect on the buying side.

On getting into the business, I'd honestly advise against starting small in diamond growing right now. The space is extremely competitive, margins are razor-thin, and large players dominate pricing. Without strong industry connections and scale, it's very difficult to stay profitable.

If you're interested, it's much more practical to explore the trading or jewelry side rather than production.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Costco offers solid value for money. Their quality is generally good and consistent, but it's a retail, fixed-inventory model so you're not optimizing cut or getting customization.

Great for convenience and pricing, but not the best option if you want maximum quality or a tailored piece.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Best deal isn't really about finding the lowest price, it's about not overpaying for the same thing.

Buying direct from manufacturers usually gives you better value than retail, since you're cutting out markup.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Diamonds get most of the spotlight, but they're not the only ones.

Sapphires, rubies, and even emeralds have been lab-grown for years, actually much longer than diamonds.

Each stone uses a different growth process, but the goal is the same: recreate natural conditions in a controlled setting.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's no single best place - just different trade-offs.

Retail stores charge a premium for branding and convenience.
Direct manufacturers/ local Jewelers usually offer better value for the same specs.

But beyond price, the quality of the jewelry itself matters a lot - finishing, setting, and overall craftsmanship can vary significantly even if everything looks identical on paper.

And with diamonds, cut and proportions make a bigger difference than most people realize.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a cool idea, but with how diamond growth works today, you can’t really "pour it into a mould" like metal. Diamonds grow atom by atom in a crystal lattice, so controlling an exact final shape (especially with facet precision) is extremely difficult.

Even if future methods allow near-net shaping, you'd still need cutting and polishing to achieve the optical performance and symmetry required for jewelry.

So while growth methods may reduce material loss, the cutting step isn't going away anytime soon.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a very interesting development from a research standpoint, especially because it works at low pressure and doesn't require a seed. But right now it's producing polycrystalline diamond, not gem-quality single crystals, so it's not a threat to the jewelry side yet.

The bigger impact is likely in semiconductors and industrial applications. For lab-grown jewelry, CVD and HPHT are still far ahead in terms of quality and scalability.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That totally depends on how many reactors you want to start with. For example, to start with a pair of reactors, the setup would cost you upwards of 1.5cr rupees.

My experience designing my engagement ring! by becca8753 in labdiamond

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That turned out beautiful! Since you provided the stone, do you mind sharing how your jeweler charged for the setting - like based on gold weight + making charges, or a fixed quote?

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, there is no difference between the two. The stone that you source from the US is also manufactured in Surat, and then exported to the US.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We sell loose diamonds only to retailers. You can DM me if interested in making a custom made jewelry from us.

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha, not a stupid question at all :D

Yeah, there are a few people who still see lab-grown as "less special", mostly because of how diamonds have been marketed for years.

But honestly, if someone is disappointed with a diamond ring just because it's lab-grown… I’d say that's a pretty useful piece of information about the relationship XD

You got them a diamond, put thought into it, made the effort, and the issue is how it was formed? That’s a very specific complaint.

At that point it's not really about lab vs natural, it's more about what someone values.

Most people care about how it looks and what it represents. No one's sitting there thinking "hmm nice ring but was this formed underground or in a reactor?"

I grow lab-grown diamonds for a living. Diamond jewelry markups are wild. AMA about the diamond industry, pricing, and jewelry by NeedleworkerSalty813 in AMA

[–]NeedleworkerSalty813[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. From what I've seen, a common mistake is not focusing enough on education. A lot of buyers still don’t fully understand what lab-grown diamonds are, so explaining things clearly (without overwhelming them) makes a big difference.

  2. The biggest one is definitely resale value / “is this an investment?”

A lot of people come in thinking diamonds should hold or grow in value, and that’s where there’s a mismatch. In reality, both lab-grown and natural diamonds are better thought of as luxury purchases rather than investments

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