Whenever the topic of jewelry comes up, if a piece has a label grown gem there seems to be this sort of lower comparison made to natural gems. I just don’t seem to understand that because honestly I just think it’s probably a potentially more sustainable option and virtually indistinguishable. Am I missing something?
Sort by:
Best
Open comment sort options
Best
Top
New
Controversial
Old
Q&A
Because the people who sell “real” ones want you to see them that way
Yeah. Greed. Same reason diamonds are so expensive in the first place.
Omg dunce move of me but didn’t take in the marketing angle. I know diamonds specifically have had a huge marketing push on them with the whole engagement ring history but didn’t take in how they’d continue to lore specifics. Thank you!
Propaganda by the De Beers diamond monopoly. Still going strong.
When diamonds can be made in a lab, they're just a shiny rock that looks nice.
When semi-enslaved children drag them out of filthy mines for you? It's a sign of true wealth and/or love.
See that’s my thing…if I got a lab grown diamond personally love it more due to that. It was made in a lab by smart ass people. That’s nice! The other would make me feel incredible guilty.
You clearly haven't been watching all those ads closely!
Yeah, gem companies realized a long time ago that people would reach the same conclusion you have, which is why they're putting so much effort into emphasizing the idea of "real" vs "fake" gems.
The whole point of gemstones is that they're rare. That's why you use a gold ring with a diamond on it instead of a brass ring with a piece of glass on it. If you can make them artificially for cheaper, then there's no point.
Or another comparison is how the Mona Lisa is insanely valuable, but I could print out a copy practically for free, and nobody would want it. Some people could even make copies by hand that show brush strokes and are even more indistinguishable, and they'd be a little valuable because that's harder to do, but they'd be nothing in comparison to the original.
Except the diamonds people buy are not really rare. Literally every married woman is wearing a diamond ring.
In reality neither is the Mona Lisa. It all about people’s perception of evil that matteres. People think and believe diamonds re rare and precious. They aren’t but that doesn’t matter.
They're rare enough that buying a diamond ring is expensive. You don't want to be the one guy that cheaps out. I mean, maybe you do. I know I do. But most people don't.
Diamonds are an abundant gem with an inflated sense of value and perceived rarity that the companies that sell them lead their consumers into believing in order to justify their outrageous price. The companies that sell “real” diamonds feel threatened by innovative companies that can create essentially the same thing for a fraction of the price.
A marketing campaign made by the company that owns Diamond mines sees their profits depleting.
Because science and machines rather than slave labor. Having some poor slob half-kill themselves digging the shiny bauble out of the ground for you makes it sweeter. Extra points if slave child labor is used for the faceting and mounting.
The natural diamond industry (De Beers) is trying to protect the value of their product by convincing people natural diamonds are more desirable. They fooled people before, in the 1930s they used marketing to convince couples they had to have a diamond engagement ring (a diamond is forever), and then in the 80s raised the bar by convincing the gullible masses that a diamond engagement ring should cost 2 months salary. They are pros at it so don’t count them out, but if they don’t do it the diamond market will become so oversupplied they’ll have to start selling these things at what they’re really worth - next to nothing.
Diamonds are not rare, just controlled. I have several gemstones in my collection that are 1000's of times more rare. There's also nothing wrong with lab created gems as long as it's disclosed at purchase and priced accordingly. I've sold thousands of natural gemstones at gem shows and to jewelers through the years but never diamonds just too much controversy.
Just curious. What gemstones are rarer?
Because people who dig a hole to find natural grow ones want you to think like that duh.
Funny how the machine that tell apart lab diamonds vs natural diamonds is basing on the imperfection of reflection of natural diamonds.
Normal human eyes can’t see the different guarantee
Yes, natural diamonds have more rarity, and seeing as how scarcity is the only thing that gives these stones any value it makes sense.
Less rarity than you'd think, actually. There are more diamonds than anyone will ever need, but the supply of them is almost entirely controlled by De Beers group.
Not the big stones, those are actually quite rare
Definitely does. Stupid of me but I forgot the market angle drilled into consumers. Thank you!
Diamonds do serve some practical purposes when it comes to drilling and all that but if you saw those diamonds you’d understand why they’re pretty cheap. No one wants a piss yellow diamond on their hand.
Precious stones and metals are valuable because they are (at least ostensibly) rare. Sure, they're shiny and that's nice, but I can easily make a yellow metal ring that looks just as good for 1/1,000th of the cost of a gold ring.
Lab made gems aren't rare, so they aren't valuable. You might as well be asking why costume jewelry isn't worth the same amount as solid gold jewelry.
Does this then go into their quality or their perceived rarity? Sorry just trying to understand fully.
It's 100% perceived rarity.
Lab made stones can look identical to natural stones unless you are looking at them with precision jeweler's tools. They're also generally more durable than natural stones.
There is absolutely no reason to choose natural stones over cultured stones aside from their rarity.
Thank you!