This is the Laher Engagement Ring Journal.

Today, we’re talking, Natural Diamonds and the only reason to choose them…

The ONLY reason to choose Natural over Lab…

There is really only one good reason.

And it’s a damn good reason at that. So don’t let the lack of decision-based focus points throw you.

It’s more of an anti-list, if anything. Reminding you that the other rationales, are completely redundant.

I believe, the single reason to opt for a natural diamond over lab grown, is provenance.

The origin of the stone is an incredibly important aspect and shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s something that we choose to focus on heavily for our coloured gemstones.

When the origin is known of the mine, where it was cut, the entire journey of the stone - this is something we will always reference. It’s extremely important to us and our customers.

So if the provenance of your diamond, is something that you feel is significant, then hold to that. Whether is was earth made or man made, this is the determining factor that should count.

The quality argument, I feel has been near settled. For clarity, I’ll briefly touch on it.

There are no quality characteristics that exist in lab grown diamonds that differ from naturals. They perform the exact same on every single metric. The only aspect that is notable to determining a lab over a natural are the growth patterns due to how a lab is produced. These are not obvious to someone simply viewing the stone - they require specialised equipment and it won’t contribute to any defect in quality.

They are graded the same and when all parts are equal (Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat), they stones will be exactly the same.

Resale value, is the main point for obfuscation and mis-guidance around your choice for lab over natural.

I recently listened to a jeweller talk about selling lab grown diamonds stating;

“… I feel bad knowing that the lab grown diamond I have sold this customer, will be have no value in a few years”.

Now, this mentality is flawed in many ways.

Firstly, optimising for the resale of your engagement ring, I believe is the wrong way to approach this decision.

If we were to chart the items that contribute to your choice, it would look something like this;

1. Sentimentality - your commitment in marriage to your partner

2. Design - how the piece looks

3. Durability

4. Price & timing

5. Maybe now, you would consider the store of value of your engagement ring. Being, how much the piece retains its original cost price.

As I have spoken about a few times now, the value of your ring should not be tied up in material cost of the piece. Few things are. Quite the opposite actually.

Intrinsic value is a direct association to the accumulation of experiences with ‘something’. A unique combination of who gave it to you, why they gave it to you, the journey you’ve had with it. NOT, how much that item is in a catalogue in years to come.

Some of you may know, we have another label called, Howlet, that specialises in sterling silver signet rings. And one thing that has become abundantly clear, is that these rings mean more in 5, 10 and in 20 years than they do they day they receive it. This is not a result of the rings ability to retain material cost value, but due to the experiences they have had with the ring.

I recently had a conversation with a friend who was just married and then found out we had an engagement ring label. She flirted with the idea of a redesign as she wasn’t overly happy with the design.

However, she decided to stick with it, because what meant most to her, was that her partner choose that ring.

This is such an important thing to note. The value to her, was not tied up in any of the things I listed above. Rightly so, the intrinsic value was the commitment her partner made and the choice they went with.

VALUATION SIDE NOTE

A quick side note on valuations of your ring.

When customers have their engagement rings valued, they often see it as an ‘I Owe You’. Something that they can cash in, when needed.

This is also, a huge misconception. Let me explain…

Outside of an insurance payout, it will always be extremely difficult to retrieve the full value of your engagement ring.

Finding a buyer, will be very hard. Working in the industry, we are privy to these details and I know for a fact that most jewellers will very rarely purchase a stone/ring from a walk-in customer.

It just makes very little sense for us to do so. It’s far more appropriate and risk free for us to purchase a diamond from one of our trusted suppliers and then have the full control over design.

So if you are successful in selling your engagement ring, it will almost always need to be at a significant discount to the valuation.

Let me conclude with a counter balance to a lot of the tire-pumping we do for the lab grown options.

Natural diamonds, when provenance is main point of concern for you - are an amazing choice. It is a truly remarkable mineral that the earth has created and if this is important for you, then I wholeheartedly back this decision. As I mentioned earlier, knowing the origins of a stone is extremely significant to many of our customers, through diamonds and coloured gemstones.

Don’t let the lab grown movement waver your decision on a natural. I would simply suggest recalibrating for this metric of origin alone.

Equally, don’t let the natural diamond proponents rock your confidence in a lab grown choice, with all the misdirected dribble about resell value and quality.

Hopefully this provides a better framework for choice.

Onwards.