For our anniversary I want to buy my wife diamond earrings. I bought her a lab made diamond bracelet in the past and she loved it, but said that she would rather have earth made diamonds because she wants it to retain value to pass on to our daughter.
Looking online I see many sites from jewelers that confirm what she claims, but I do not trust their bias. Is it true that man made diamonds that are considered ‘perfect’ are worth less in the long run compared to their earthen made brethren?
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This is one of those questions that is sensible, but slightly misinformed. The trouble are your sources. You cannot take the advice of anyone selling diamonds. Jewelry stores, for example, want to charge more for diamonds mined from the Earth. This has been their business model for centuries, and they do not want it to change.
The truth is that diamonds haven’t been scarce for a long time. Monopolies and cartels (an organized group that controls supply) have propped up the price of diamonds for decades. The only reason they sell for a lot of money is because A) the group selling them artificially restrict the supply, and B) marketing.
The reality is that the secondary market for diamonds sucks. My wife’s diamond pre-dates the availability of man made diamonds in the commercial market. It’s a high-quality: ideal cut, VS1, F color; and decent size: 1.13 caret. It’s worth less than half what we paid for it new.
Do not believe the jeweler when they try to sell you more expensive Earth-made diamonds on the basis that they’ll “hold their value” better. While it may be true that their value is slightly higher, the reality is that the value of gifted diamond ear rings is in their sentimental value, not monetary value. It is extremely rare for any piece of jewelry to go up in value over time. Buy your daughter something nice that fits your budget, and let her enjoy them in the years to come.
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