Lab Created vs. The real deal diamonds!

thale0924 · September 2012

Right now FI and I are OK financially (mainly because of my salary and his mom offering to pay for the reception because she knows that the money I am making/saved up is going to bills and stuff) I'd say we're comfortable! However, FI is really down that he's not contributing more than I am ( I think he feels like he's letting me down...and with out the wedding I would have no problems, I'm just cutting back a lot of the things I was going to get for the wedding/prewedding beautification/honeymoon until he got on his feet (still hasn't happened)

I feel bad that my ring was so much money and in the mall near his parent's house there's a store, Diamond Nexxus (sp) and they had AMAZING rings with a bigger carat size than mine for less than half the price. They advertise it as, lab created diamonds are better because they're not blood diamonds. Does any one have any experience or knowledge of this? I am thinking of selling my ring (that I LOVE.) and getting one of those to put some money back in FI's pocket so he can feel a little bit better. I don't want to spend close to a thousand dollars on something that doesn't hold it's value though!

Any advice would be AMAZING! (I've been toying with this since we've been looking for wedding bands.)

MelyndaRyan · September 2012

I would NOT buy a fake ring.

achiduck · September 2012

Have you talked to your FI about this plan? I know if I did that behind my FI's back he would be really hurt.

I don't have any negative feelings about lab created diamonds, but you're the one that needs to be happy.

ericaandtom2012 · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_october-2012-weddings_lab-created-vs-the-real-deal-diamonds?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:56b9bcef-1e34-456e-81f5-cfaa107456b2Discussion:421e1e92-a338-4aaf-926b-4105577c5956Post:431526da-026d-4633-a8b3-b0fc99d2b873">Re: Lab Created vs. The real deal diamonds!</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>Have you talked to your FI about this plan? I know if I did that behind my FI's back he would be really hurt. </strong>I don't have any negative feelings about lab created diamonds, but you're the one that needs to be happy.
Posted by achiduck[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>This. My FI would be devastated. I don't think there's anything wrong with lab created diamonds, but I know nothing about how they hold their value (I would guess not very well). Also, if you sell your ring, you won't get anywhere near what your FI paid for it which might not make it worth it.

</div>

SyAmaya · September 2012

Lol... Lab created diamonds are NOT fake... They are just created in a lab! Man made diamonds are identical in molecular structure to the expensive diamonds. They just "grow" in a different environment. I personally don't own one, but looked into them prior to picking mine out. IDK how well they appraise though.

To those who are uninformed - a lab created diamond is a "real diamond", it just isn't mined

achiduck · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_october-2012-weddings_lab-created-vs-the-real-deal-diamonds?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:56b9bcef-1e34-456e-81f5-cfaa107456b2Discussion:421e1e92-a338-4aaf-926b-4105577c5956Post:d5aeea65-f7f8-4466-a3a4-ec04ce06a815">Re: Lab Created vs. The real deal diamonds!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Lab Created vs. The real deal diamonds! : This. My FI would be devastated. I don't think there's anything wrong with lab created diamonds, but I know nothing about how they hold their value (I would guess not very well). <strong>Also, if you sell your ring, you won't get anywhere near what your FI paid for it which might not make it worth it.
</strong>Posted by ericaandtom2012[/QUOTE]

I agree with this. I was previously engaged and offered to give the ring back, he didn't want it so I kept it and after a year or so ended up selling it. I hardly got anything compared to what it was worth for it. Engagement rings (especially used ones), like cars depreciate pretty quickly.

NRod70 · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_october-2012-weddings_lab-created-vs-the-real-deal-diamonds?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:56b9bcef-1e34-456e-81f5-cfaa107456b2Discussion:421e1e92-a338-4aaf-926b-4105577c5956Post:74ae85c3-422c-4797-aadd-b333c6770265">Re: Lab Created vs. The real deal diamonds!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Lab Created vs. The real deal diamonds! : I agree with this. I was previously engaged and offered to give the ring back, he didn't want it so I kept it and after a year or so ended up selling it. I hardly got anything compared to what it was worth for it. Engagement rings (especially used ones), like cars depreciate pretty quickly.
Posted by achiduck[/QUOTE]

Me too. I sold my previous engagement ring. They didn't give a whoot about the diamonds. I bascially sold it for the gold. I didn't make out<em> too</em> bad because it was 18k and the band was pretty wide.

My personal opinion, is to keep the ring you already have. Nothing to do with the lab-crated diamonds... if you love this ring, you're going to regret it later.

jlk13 · September 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_october-2012-weddings_lab-created-vs-the-real-deal-diamonds?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:56b9bcef-1e34-456e-81f5-cfaa107456b2Discussion:421e1e92-a338-4aaf-926b-4105577c5956Post:d5aeea65-f7f8-4466-a3a4-ec04ce06a815">Re: Lab Created vs. The real deal diamonds!</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Lab Created vs. The real deal diamonds! : This. My FI would be devastated. I don't think there's anything wrong with lab created diamonds, but I know nothing about how they hold their value (I would guess not very well). Also, if you sell your ring, you won't get anywhere near what your FI paid for it which might not make it worth it.
Posted by ericaandtom2012[/QUOTE]

I totally agree. Plus your fiance gave you the ring you have b/c he knew you would love it, which you do, and it will be an heirloom. Everyone starts to squeeze their wallets as it gets closer to the wedding; don't sell a ring you love, and that was given to you by your fiance, for a $1,000 extra dollars towards the wedding. We're strapped financially too b/c of having a big wedding and cutting back on my hours. ( I usually work 40 hours 9-5 and Friday and Saturday nights bartending to help with student loans in addition to the wedding, but had to cut back to only Friday.)

The fact that they advertise that it's 'not a blood diamond' is just a ploy to get you to buy an overpriced ring. The lab created diamonds are probably nice, but they will not retain ANY sort of value. You might as well pick out a $1,000 jewelry piece from Norstrom or something. I don't have anything against the lab diamonds, but I hate that they call them diamonds in the first place. It's fake-and that's ok! just don't call it something its not.

mmmendi · September 2012

I understand where FI might be coming from, and I agree on keeping your ring. I think you would both be hurt to sell it now, and if you don't have to, then why would you?

amyelise25 · September 2012

I'm also contributing more because I make more and came into the relationship with more savings. Even though we haven't merged finances, we are treating everything as though it's our money, which it will be at the end of the day in 5 short weeks. This is our wedding and our money going into the wedding.

There have been a couple of times when FI felt a little badly that he wasn't contributing as much. I quickly reassured him that it doesn't matter and that it's all ours at the end of the day.

I don't know how you are handling finances after the wedding. Everyone does it differently. But if you are going to merge finances, than try to think about the upcoming wedding expenses as OUR expenses and the money going towards them as OUR money instead of HIS or MINE. Maybe that will could make you both feel better about the money spent on the wedding.

catwine · September 2012

I think that's a really nice gesture you want to make but it may cause more damage that you realize. it would be a hue blow to your fiance's self esteem and "manliness" if you got a different ring without him knowing. if you ask him what he thinks and he is okay with it, i'd still suggest waiting to amek sure it's not a rash choice.

thale0924 · September 2012

Okay, I have talked to FI about it but he didn't answer me seriously...I think he thought it was just a comment. I DO love my ring and had plans for it in the future. He probably would be hurt if I sold it, and thinking about the value depreciating...he would flip if he found out I didn't get what he spent on it.

Thanks ladies!! You probably talked me off a ledge haha

Peledreamsofrain · September 2012

No modern diamonds on the market are blood diamonds, thats a marketing ploy. Man made diamonds are etched with the maker , so they don't resell as well as traditional. I personally would rather have a small natural diamond rather than a large industrial one. I think its romantic that it takes incredible forces and millions of years to form, then random happenstance brings it to the surface. Kind of like love in some ways.

Lab Created vs. The real deal diamonds!

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