Readers Weigh In about “The Diamond Dilemma,” Traveling Salespeople and More

• We’re hoping that lab vs. natural diamonds follow the same trajectory as lab vs. natural sapphires and rubies. Once lab diamonds can be made for pennies, perhaps the allure of natural diamonds will be restored. In the meantime, we’re not buying any diamonds on spec and we’re taking painful price cuts on the diamonds we have. — Gretchen S., Sherman Oaks, CA
• What dilemma? Labs are labs, naturals are naturals. Diamonds are diamonds, which would you rather afford? — Bob M., Barrington, IL
• Managing a store, raising six kids, working through my GG, and transitioning to store ownership, I work from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. or later most days and come in on weekends and holidays to catch up. I’d love to hear from more seasoned store owners who “have been there, done that” on their advice on what to prioritize, how to maintain work-life balance, and when the light at the end of the tunnel starts to peek through. — Beth G., Endwell, NY
• I think lab-grown diamonds are going to be the next CZs in the next six months or so. I’m seeing them a lot in very low-price goods. I’m also curious If there’s going to be a more stringent control factor on how they are made and then marketed to the public. With the mail that I receive from vendors every day that has lab-grown diamonds at $99 per carat, I can’t help but wonder what (if any) variance there is in the standards of manufacturing the lab diamonds that share the very same grades by the very same organizations that certify them. It would be great if somebody did a study purchasing the same grade lab diamond in the same weight from a few vendors and sent them to IGI for grading. Are there some factors other than the four Cs that substantively make some lab diamonds more valuable than others, regardless of whether they are CVD or HPHT? if so, what are these factors? If there are no factors in this regard, then there should be guidance in place to protect consumers. I have several dozen conversations with clients weekly about this, and I’m trying to turn all of them back to earth-mined diamonds, but the lab diamond industry has done a good job marketing against natural diamonds, and the old “blood diamonds” claims are mentioned by my customers now. Are any of the trade organizations or governing bodies in the jewelry industry currently addressing this? — Andrea R., El Dorado Hills, CA
• Lab and mined diamonds will have to learn to co-exist. The business has basically divided itself. — Jim C., Modesto, CA

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