Lab grown diamonds??

chic said:
They buy these things to resell or to remount for resale. Young people are less interested in jewelry and all the valuables of previous generations so resale might not be as easy or bring as much. Was it the exact same jeweler who sold it to you/your husband years ago?? :unsure:
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Yeah, the exact same jeweler. Back in 1984. I was so miffed when they told me it was scrap that I said exactly what I posted above: It sure wasn't scrap when you sold it to us! I just got a shoulder shrug and he walked away. I remember the whole incident like it was yesterday. I went to a pawn shop after that and got (I think) $200.00 for it. Better than nothing.

I didn't expect to get the full value back, but to be offered nothing? That raised my hackles.
 

jimintoronto said:
The Canadian Government has ruled that diamonds produced in Canada must have a tiny little Polar Bear laser etched on each stone, to identify it as NOT being a Blood Diamond. Link. https://gemgossip.com/canadian-diamonds-polar-bear-laser-inscription/#:~:text=Polar Bear Diamonds first introduced their concept of,polished in Canada and is 100% Canadian diamond.

Canada is a top tier producer of diamonds and gold. JimB.
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I had no idea. In fact, I don’t even know what a blood diamond is. What’s the difference?
 

PeppermintPatty said:
I had no idea. In fact, I don’t even know what a blood diamond is. What’s the difference?
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Blood diamonds are produced in African countries, where terrorist groups force locals to work in dangerous home made tunnels. The profits from the international sale of the diamonds are used to buy military guns and ammunition, to further the rebels cause. By marking the legally produced diamonds, the buyers know that the product was not mined by children, or slaves. JimB.
 
caroln said:
Yeah, the exact same jeweler. Back in 1984. I was so miffed when they told me it was scrap that I said exactly what I posted above: It sure wasn't scrap when you sold it to us! I just got a shoulder shrug and he walked away. I remember the whole incident like it was yesterday. I went to a pawn shop after that and got (I think) $200.00 for it. Better than nothing.

I didn't expect to get the full value back, but to be offered nothing? That raised my hackles.
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For anyone else who may be curious about selling diamonds, it's always a good thing when you are given one or buy one to have it appraised. And go back to the same place (if possible) WITH the appraisal if you wish to sell it. Just FYI.
 
jimintoronto said:
Blood diamonds are produced in African countries, where terrorist groups force locals to work in dangerous home made tunnels. The profits from the international sale of the diamonds are used to buy military guns and ammunition, to further the rebels cause. By marking the legally produced diamonds, the buyers know that the product was not mined by children, or slaves. JimB.
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I had no idea. Yay Canada for making a way to clarify all that. Humanity never ceases to amaze me. 😖
 
PeppermintPatty said:
I had no idea. Yay Canada for making a way to clarify all that. Humanity never ceases to amaze me. 😖
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The Polar Bear has been around ( as a diamond identifier ) for more than 30 years now. The 4 significant factors in valuing a diamond are......Cut, Clarity, Karat weight, and Color. Each of those factors is a variable scale, so a diamond MAY have a high clarity factor, meaning it is very clear, with few flaws BUT it can ALSO have poor color, for example being far too yellow. Carat weight is also a variable factor. The gold that the stone is set in is also a variable factor. 10 Karat Gold is very hard, and as you go up the karat types, 12, 14, 18, 22, and 24 the SOFTER the gold is. My necklace is 12 carat gold, with a full ounce of 24 carat gold surrounding a full one ounce of 999 Canadian silver coin, the Maple Leaf 20 dollar silver coin. The coin is one of two I have. The other is a 1975 One Silver Dollar, the " Voyagers in a Canoe " model. I can wear either one by simply changing the coin . JImB.
 
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jimintoronto said:
The Polar Bear has been around ( as a diamond identifier ) for more than 30 years now. The 4 significant factors in valuing a diamond are......Cut, Clarity, Karat weight, and Color. Each of those factors is a variable scale, so a diamond MAY have a high clarity factor, meaning it is very clear, with few flaws BUT it can ALSO have poor color, for example being far too yellow. Carat weight is also a variable factor. The gold that the stone is set in is also a variable factor. 10 Karat Gold is very hard, and as you go up the karat types, 12, 14, 18, 22, and 24 the SOFTER the gold is. My necklace is 12 carat gold, with a full once of 24 carat gold surrounding a full one ounce of 999 Canadian silver coin, the Maple Leaf 20 dollar coin. The coin is one of two I have. The other is a 1975 One Silver Dollar, the Voyagers in a Canoe model. I can wear either one by simply changing the coin . JImB.
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Thank you. You are a wealth of knowledge
While I’m not into jewelry, that sure is interesting. Does this mean someone can have the nicest diamond but if it’s placed in a high karat gold setting / band that’s too soft, it could more easily be lost? ( fall out )
 
chic said:
For anyone else who may be curious about selling diamonds, it's always a good thing when you are given one or buy one to have it appraised. And go back to the same place (if possible) WITH the appraisal if you wish to sell it. Just FYI.
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The appraised value is for insurance purposes and to make you feel like you got a good deal. The value is what you paid for it. Depending on the insurance company’s clauses, they may replace your ring with one with the exact same qualities or with one of the same appraised value. In other words, you may not get the same quality ring in the event something happens to it. Jewelry stores buy diamonds for considerably less than they sell them for.
 
Because I was considering buying stock in a Canadian Mining startup many years ago, I did lots of research. Wish I‘d bought it. Oh well.

“Where do conflict free diamonds come from? Mines in Kimberley Process countries are common sources of conflict free diamonds. Russia, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Tanzania, Angola and certain regions of South Africa are “
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Thank you. You are a wealth of knowledge
While I’m not into jewelry, that sure is interesting. Does this mean someone can have the nicest diamond but if it’s placed in a high karat gold setting / band that’s too soft, it could more easily be lost? ( fall out )
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Not really. The security of the stone is based on how the stone setter built the ring. Most diamonds are designed to be either front secure, or rear secure, depending on the design. The obvious type of secure is the prong type, which clasps the stone at a number of points around the stone. Pressed stones are just that, a stone that is pressed into the setting using pressure. In some very small stones, in an inexpensive ring, the setter will use a dab of glue on the back side of the setting. No one will be any the wiser.

About the percentage mark ups in the wholesale jewellry trade........It is not uncommon for the mark up, between the trade price, and the retail price to be 400 percent, or more. A lot of individuals are involved in the production of a diamond, along the way. A rough diamond, that just came out of the mine, looks like a piece of gravel, dirty and jagged and unimpressive. To get it to the retail trade seller, it goes through a lot of hands, each of whom wants their "piece of the price ". One of the most important jobs is the "cutter " who decides how to cut the stone, to yield the most valuable stones, with the LEAST waste in the cutting process. Next comes the polisher, who decides what type of stone the finished product will be, and how the stone will look when finished. The setter is the person who actually puts the stone into the setting, and finishes it to retail quality. Lots of hands involved. One of the Canadian locations for diamond cutting and polishing is in the Yukon, close to the diamond mines. Most of the people who work there are from either Belgium or Israel. Master workers. JimB.
 
When diamonds are purchased in jewelry, they lose value as soon as you walk out of the store. Diamond pricing is dependent upon the 4 C’s, which is Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat. Perfect diamonds are highest in value as are Red diamonds due to them being the rarest.

If you buy diamonds as an investment, you should first educate yourself on how to evaluate the stones. Too many times foreigners have purchased diamonds overseas like while they are in Hong Kong and will buy a few stones. The first thing I did was to check the hardness. Any diamond dealer should have a hardness tester behind their counter. Of course, real diamonds and lab diamonds will most likely test the same, but junk stones like glass, crystals, etc, will not come close to the hardness of a real stone.

When looking through the stone using a microscope make sure it is set on 10x or 10 power. Most stones are graded using a 10x microscope. Look for inclusions and black spots. I leave that part up to a certified Gemologist to grade the stone and then get a COA showing the grade along with the Gemologist’s name and ID number. Usually sending your stones to a GIA will be returned with a COA. Once the stone has been registered with its number, anyone wishing to purchase that stone can use the number to check its authenticity.

I learned a lot about diamonds from a Jewish fellow that lived in New York and carried a small black plastic bag of stones with him. There is a history behind this madness, but it’s very long. There are also industrial grade diamonds that are used for things like grinding wheels and phonograph needles. There is a lot to learn about diamonds, but I always found all precious stones to be fascinating. I am stopping here. I hope I haven’t confused anyone. There is one last thing, I think Russia is the top producer of diamonds followed by a few countries in Africa. Our neighbors to the north, Canada comes in around 5 or 6 as a top producer of diamonds.

At one time, I also held diamonds as an investment, but the problem I had was getting rid of them. I had a friend that was a Marine (ret.) that later opened his own jewelry store and was kind enough to either buy my stones or place them on the exchange for me to be sold. That got to be a pain, so I was able to get rid of what I had and quit the diamond business. As for gold coins, I don’t hold bullion because I was always charged sales tax, so I was anywhere from 6-10% in the hole before I even got the coins, but I must say the Gold Eagles and Maple Leaves are beautiful.

When I was in South America years ago, maybe like 1980, I was invited to a Colonel’s house for dinner. He was a member of the Argentina Air Force. As I sat in his living room talking with his oldest son, who was about 20, I happened to spot a big green rock propping the door open. He didn’t have A/C. I kept looking at it and thinking to myself, “No, it can’t be.” I thought it was a huge Emerald. Finally, curiosity got the best of me and I asked Julio what kind of rock was that? He said it was an Emerald. I asked if I could hold it and he said sure. I think it weighed about 10 pounds. I got the courage to ask him if I could buy it and he again, he said sure, but then added, “If you try to take it out of the country, you will be arrested and end up in prison for about 10 years.” I laid it back down. I asked where he got it and he told me his family likes to hike and they were hiking up a hill in Colombia in a coffee field when he tripped over it, but there are smaller Emeralds lying about in lots of places. In fact, there are lots of semiprecious stones in his area just lying around on the ground.

I didn’t realize how long this post was. I am very sorry about that. Maybe it will get deleted. I have a date tonight with a new woman I met a few weeks ago and I am very nervous about it. Can’t you tell? When I get nervous like this, I become a chatterbox. My Grandmother told me that once and it stuck with me.
 
Jules said:
The appraised value is for insurance purposes and to make you feel like you got a good deal. The value is what you paid for it. Depending on the insurance company’s clauses, they may replace your ring with one with the exact same qualities or with one of the same appraised value. In other words, you may not get the same quality ring in the event something happens to it. Jewelry stores buy diamonds for considerably less than they sell them for.
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True. But it's always a good idea to have an appraisal from the jewelers you are going to resell to if possible.
 
Tish said:
That really is wonderful, Jim.
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Canada is in the top 5 producers of diamonds. Russia is number 1 followed by everyone else. When I was in Botswana, they took us into a DeBeers mine. What a place. They have more guards there than we do in Ft. Knox. Diamonds are no longer considered a rare gemstone as they once were. They are expensive because it costs a lot to go get them. I still prefer the white diamonds.
 
Been There said:
Canada is in the top 5 producers of diamonds. Russia is number 1 followed by everyone else. When I was in Botswana, they took us into a DeBeers mine. What a place. They have more guards there than we do in Ft. Knox. Diamonds are no longer considered a rare gemstone as they once were. They are expensive because it costs a lot to go get them. I still prefer the white diamonds.
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I favor the white diamonds also with prismatic colors from the cut and clarity. :giggle:
 
@Been There Yes, to save money. She has a lovely diamond from her second marriage. She tended to take it off a lot when she was working, cooking, etc. It sits in a safe deposit box now. She doesn’t plan on selling this one and feels no one will know the difference.
 
chic said:
It seems everything can be grown in a lab these days even diamonds. How do you feel about lab grown diamonds? Do you have any? Would you be in the market for such if you were younger and starting all over again? They look pretty enough but I don't know enough about them.

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If someone wanted to marry me now I'd take the lab grown ....lol...I wonder how much they are.
 
If I were to marry again, which is doubtful 🙄, all I'd want is a gold band, an organic design something like this would be nice.

Wide 18K Gold Womens Wedding Band Wide Gold Wedding Band image 1
 
Been There said:
Canada is in the top 5 producers of diamonds. Russia is number 1 followed by everyone else. When I was in Botswana, they took us into a DeBeers mine. What a place. They have more guards there than we do in Ft. Knox. Diamonds are no longer considered a rare gemstone as they once were. They are expensive because it costs a lot to go get them. I still prefer the white diamonds.
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That's really interesting, I had no idea about who the biggest suppliers in the world were.
Thank you for that.
 
About the price of diamonds; When natural diamonds become more rare, the price will increase. If a new source is discovered, the price will decrease. Meanwhile, the price of lab diamonds will likely remain competitive but less expensive.

55 Cancri e is an exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star called 55 Cancri A.
Many scientists believe that 55 Cancri e is primarily composed of carbon in the form of diamond and graphite.
 
As an investment lab-grown diamonds have no resale value.
I don't buy jewellery ... it's all handed down from Grandparents and parents. All real stones and the value increases over the years.
 

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