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?
In: 1669
[No diamonds retain value.](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-you-ever-tried-to-sell-a-diamond/304575/)
If you ever try to sell a Diamond you’ll find this out. In the absolute best case you’ll get maybe 50% if you can find the right buyer. 25% is a better bet.
You will not be able to sell to a jeweler, at least not without a LOT of hunting around. If you find one they’re not even going to pay you wholesale, because they have work and verification to do that they don’t with their actual suppliers. You may be able to sell to another person who does need a ring, but you’re doing a lot of legwork there and should expect to take a huge haircut on your initial “investment”.
Almost all the value in diamonds is marketing. The marketing history is also kinda hilarious. Before lab diamonds were economically viable the marketing was, paraphrased: “The most flawless Diamond is the most perfect. Buy your lady the most perfect Diamond you can afford to show her how perfect she is” and has now moved to “A natural diamond’s unique and irreplaceable journey through the ages has imparted on it unique traits to make it different from any other. Buy your lady a unique Diamond to show her how unique and irreplaceable she is”.
As a final point: If she’s planning to give it to her daughter then **all** the value to be retained is sentimental. She’s not selling it. There’s no profit. This is a family gift, so retail price and secondary market value is irrelevant.
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