Instagram Reel Education: Diamonds 101
Mahatma Gandhi famously said: “Live as if you will die tomorrow. Learn as if you will live forever.” We hold this ideology close to our hearts at Lauren B as we are eager to share everything we know about jewelry… in a fun way! Using Instagram Reels, we love imparting our diamond knowledge to our clients through interactive guessing games and short educational videos. reel
In this blog, we will dive deeper into a few topics including lab-grown vs. natural diamonds, how to maximize your engagement ring budget, and more. If you are yearning for more easily digestible, educational video content, you can follow us on Instagram for useful Reel and Instagram Story content daily.
REEL: Lab-Grown Diamonds vs. Natural Diamonds
These two diamonds are identical in virtually all aspects: clarity grade, color grade, and carat size. The lab-grown diamond on the left is 2.53cts, “D” color, and VS2 clarity priced at $6,630. The natural diamond on the right is 2.50cts, “D” color, and VS2 clarity is priced at $29,760. The only difference between these two diamonds, aside from the 0.03 carat weight difference, is that one was created in a lab environment while the other was mined from the Earth.
Lab-grown diamonds have garnered an unfair reputation of being “fake” or “synthetic.” As we revealed in our in-depth blog The Truth About Lab Grown Diamonds, this is simply untrue.
Lab-grown diamonds are simply real diamonds with a different origin story; the simulated lab environment used to create lab-grown diamonds takes mere weeks to produce a diamond compared to the billions of years required for natural diamond formation. This expedited creation process reduces the cost to produce lab-grown diamonds at scale. The result is a major price discrepancy between lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds.
Technological advances and a surge in lab-grown diamond manufacturers have contributed to a wider gap between the cost of lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds. Just a few years ago, lab-grown diamonds were priced approximately 30% lower than natural diamonds. Today, lab-grown diamonds are priced 50-70% lower than natural diamonds making these lab-created alternatives a compelling natural diamond alternative.
While natural diamonds increase exponentially in price as carat weight increases, lab-grown diamonds have a steady pricing structure allowing you to scale up in size while staying within a reasonable budget.
Case in point: these two beautiful pear-shaped stones. On the right, you have a stunning 2.5ct F color, SI1 clarity natural diamond priced at $27,600. On the left, you have an equally stunning 4.39ct “D” color, VS1 clarity lab-grown diamond priced $100 less than the natural diamond at $27,500.
The lab-grown diamond has a higher color grade, and a higher clarity grade, and exceeds the natural diamond by 1.89cts with essentially the same price tag. The only difference between these two stones, to refresh your memory, is that one was created deep beneath the Earth’s surface while the other was created in a laboratory environment.
1.57 carat Emerald Cut Lab Diamond Engagement Ring
1.76 carat Emerald Cut Diamond Super Slim Band Engagement Ring
1.7 carat Pear Shape Lab Diamond Pave Prong Solitaire Ring
1.60 ct Pear Shape Two-Tone Solitaire Split Band Ring
REEL: Maximizing Your Oval Diamond Budget
Oval diamonds are the most popular diamond shape for three years counting, and we predict this trend to continue well into the future. The oval shaped diamond has one of the highest length-to-width ratios of all fancy shapes providing ample finger coverage and elongating the finger while appearing classic and dainty on the finger.
While the larger surface area of the oval diamond is a major component of this diamond shape’s popularity, it does tend to reveal color more clearly than other diamond shapes. As a result, many of our clients prefer oval-shaped diamonds with a color grade of “H” or higher. Inclusions (diamond imperfections) on the other hand, are well-hidden in the brilliant cut of the oval diamond.
The oval diamond on the left is a 2.01ct natural diamond with an “F” color grade and a VS2 clarity grade priced at $23,040. The oval diamond on the right is only .50ct larger at 2.5cts with a lower “H” color grade and a lower SI2 clarity grade at the exact same price.
You can maximize your engagement ring budget by sacrificing clarity grade for a higher color grade as long as the diamond is eye clean with no visible inclusions.
0.96 ct Oval Diamond Halo Three Row Band Engagement Ring
1.70 carat Oval Diamond Three-Stone Engagement Ring
2.01 carat Oval Diamond Three-Row Band Engagement Ring
REEL: Round “Brilliant” Cut Diamonds vs. Fancy Cut Diamonds
Round brilliant diamonds are the most premium diamond shape with a traditional aesthetic that remains a classic choice year after year. An ideal round cut diamond exhibits perfect symmetry, brilliant faceting, and wastes very little weight beneath the stone contributing to a higher price tag than any other diamond shape.
Radiant cuts feature the same brilliant cut faceting that maximizes a round diamond’s brilliance. However, typical radiant cuts feature an elongated rectangle shape with parallel sides that maximize finger coverage. Round diamonds will typically appear larger than fancy shapes of equal carat weight due to their perfect symmetry.
The radiant cut diamond featured in this video is 2.5cts, which is larger than the round “brilliant” cut diamond also featured.
2.16 Carat Round Diamond Signature Wrap Engagement Ring
2.21 Carat Round Diamond Platinum Solitaire Engagement Ring
2.50 Carat Radiant Diamond Split Band Solitaire Ring
2.50 ct Radiant Cut Diamond Three-Row Engagement Ring
The Lauren B Difference
If you watch our Instagram reel comparing two radiant loose stones, one from Lauren B and one from a competitor, there is a glaring difference between the two stones.
Looking at these two natural radiant cut diamonds with the naked eye, it is easy to distinguish which gemstone looks more expensive. Both stones appear colorless and eye clean with no visible inclusions; the only difference: one stone appears significantly larger.
“Our” diamond is a 2.01ct, “E” color grade, SI1 clarity grade radiant cut diamond and priced lower than “their” radiant diamond, a 2.01ct, “F” color grade, with a slightly higher clarity grade of VS2. How can two diamonds with the exact same carat weight and a slight difference in clarity grade have such a dramatic discrepancy in face-up appearance?
The secret: cut quality. Lauren B diamonds are cut to maximize face-up appearance, carat weight, and brilliance. Unlike many diamond retailers who outsource their diamonds from wholesale retailers or overseas, we have our very own in-house diamond inventory at Lauren B! This inventory allows us to have better control over gemstone quality and produce only the highest quality jewelry.
2.02 carat Radiant Cut Diamond Halo Engagement Ring
2.5 carat Radiant Cut Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring
3.7 Carat Radiant Cut Diamond Three-Stone Engagement Ring
Knowledge is Power
At Lauren B, we believe in an empowered shopper; the more you learn about natural diamonds and their alternatives on your journey to find the perfect engagement ring, the more confident you can be in your ultimate choice.
The Lauren B team is overflowing with diamond knowledge and eager to share this knowledge with all our current and future/potential clients. You can follow our Instagram or YouTube pages for daily educational content and comb through our blog for in-depth jewelry education. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge further, you can scan through the Learn tab on our website for everything from A-Z. For general questions, you can email info@laurenbjewelry.com and someone from our team will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible. reel
