I want to get my wife a pair of solitaire diamond earrings as a gift for the birth of our second daughter.

I have the conundrum now between natural and lab diamonds. I like the owner of a local shop and he recommended lab diamonds. He is selling more lab diamonds for engagement rings than ever before.

The way he explained its simply more bang for your buck. Lab diamonds are undetectable to the human eye. The lab diamond earrings are about half the price as the natural. There was always a stigma of having a fake diamond but that was a big marketing push. Natural and lab diamonds are just about chemically equivalent. The federal trade commission even recognized lab and natural diamonds as being the same.

I’m leaning towards the lab diamonds. These earrings would go behind a second set of earrings my wife wears. She also wears her hair down 75% of the time. I think this would be the prefect set up for lab diamonds.

What would you do? Natural or lab?

And the big question. Do you tell the wife they are lab diamonds?

What would I do...Contact David Truong!

Bigger question: will she ask/would it matter to her?

I can't fault your logic, problem is, I'm not a woman & women don't use logic on this type of thing.

Any time jewelry is mentioned around my wife, she suggests getting in touch with my 'imaginary internet friend'. She has no idea what Dave Truong's name is, but she's in love with him.

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
What would I do...Contact David Truong!

x1,000

How would anyone else ever know if you don't tell them.
Always go for a bigger Diamond. She'll get over the rest.

Fake is fake; there is a reason CZ are cheaper.

We were looking into upgrading the rock on Mrs. Lee's engagement ring a few years ago and I suggested a lab diamond. That went over like a turd in the punchbowl. I didn't press the matter. You can imagine her response when I'm wearing a Rolex, since a G-Shock keeps better time and costs way less than 1% as much.

Ask around at pawn shops for what your wife's current earrings/diamonds would fetch there.

Then go buy something for yourself.

Let me ask this question: "If licensing were not an issue, Would you rather have a real M-14 or an M1A?"

Or, you could ask your wife if she would rather have a 1 carot man-made diamond or a 1/2 carot natural diamond

There are lab created women out there now, too.

Would you want one of those because they're cheaper?

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:

What would I do...Contact David Truong!

Call the man.

For what it's worth my wife upgraded her main stone with a CVD Diamond. Then also got ear rings. All in were WAY under budget. The CVD diamond is beautiful and amazes most people that see it.

BUT: if being a real diamond is important to the wife. Start there first.

One thing I've learned in 20 years of marriage is that when I'm wrestling with a question like this it's because I'm trying to make a decision that isn't mine to make.

We can offer all the opinions in the world, and help you decide what you think is best, but none of that has any bearing on what will make your wife happiest (which is presumably the purpose of this exercise). Talk it through with her.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Do you tell the wife they are lab diamonds?

This is the deal-breaker question.

What matters is not if/whether you yourself feel they are identically valuable. What matters is what your recipient would think.

If there's a reluctance to disclose the origin, that tells me that you may think in her mind there would be a difference. If so, you'd be better off trying to find a context to ask her opinion that wouldn't give the game away. Go see a movie where diamonds are a plot item, e.g., and innocently ask about industrial diamonds.

And reality is what it is. Someday someone may want to find out 'how valuable these earrings are', say for insurance purposes or (hopefully in the far future) in an estate situation. And then, the truth will out.

Bottom line: if you're reluctant to ask, then just pony up for the real thing. Get what you can afford, of course. Might wind up with smaller rocks in the end, but it is the thought that counts. And you are then on the side of the angels.

The differences between Natural Diamonds and Lab Grown Diamonds cannot be seen with the naked eye. Natural Diamonds have tiny amounts of nitrogen, while Lab Grown Diamonds have no nitrogen. This is actually one of the signifiers gemologists use to identify if a diamond is lab grown or natural.

quote:

And the big question. Do you tell the wife they are lab diamonds?

This is a big YES!. If you don't tell her and she finds out, its likely you will be sleeping on the couch for a while.

If you want to get her something, maybe its better to steer her into the direction you want to go, i.e. tell her you would like to get her something and and then show here the price difference. Make her part of the decision making process.

Full disclosure, I don't buy my wife jewelry. She does a good job of that on her own. She has migrated to buying faux stones as the quality has improved greatly and are more affordable.

quote:

Originally posted by CQB60:
The differences between Natural Diamonds and Lab Grown Diamonds cannot be seen with the naked eye. Natural Diamonds have tiny amounts of nitrogen, while Lab Grown Diamonds have no nitrogen. This is actually one of the signifiers gemologists use to identify if a diamond is lab grown or natural.

My wife's CVD diamonds I can guarantee you. %99.9 of the population would have no clue.

In the end she decided to go lab route since she got a better looking stone for way less the cost.

Get lab made from y’all’s hair/something meaningful?

A lot of things we buy that are not necessities are for the thing between our ears. While functionally, there may not be any difference between natural diamonds and man-made diamonds, your brain and her brain will know.

She may say yes to a man-made diamond but I learned here to buy once, cry once. Get the best natural diamond you can comfortably afford. Do it quick before your second daughter empties your wallet.