to not understand why people buy "real" jewels?

[trob22]

I'm not in the market for expensive jewellery, lol, just curious

I have just learnt that you can buy "lab created" saphires which are literally exactly the same as a "real" saphire in terms of what they're made of, but a fraction of the price. In fact they are better than real saphires because they don't have the imperfections that come from growing in the ground. With this in mind, why would anyone buy a "real" sapphire when they are so much more expensive? What is the point? Apparently nobody apart from professional jewellers can tell them apart.

[Thehop]

I love diamonds. Always have. We’re lower working class and my rings cost more than even the good car....I see it as a sensible investment that I know will bring me pleasure every single day. I don’t drink, don’t smoke, so I don’t feel guilty x

[Holdingonbarely]

Very much investment. If you’re canny, and don’t go to a high end jeweller then you can get very good things that will always be worth money.
I’ve never understood why anyone would go to Bond Street and spend 15k on a ring that if you tried to sell, you might get 3k for.
Go to auction and get that ring for 3k!

[claracluck78]

Because I love that the diamonds I have were created millions of years ago by nature rather than created by man.

I am able to tell the difference and I only buy second hand jewellery (I'm an auctioneer) and mostly I buy antique. Every piece I have feels special and I buy items I feel a connection to - that may be the piece itself or sometimes even knowing who once owned it. My favourite though is my great grandmothers engagement ring. It's worth less than £50 but in an emergency I would grab that rather than mine.

[Chanelprincess]

It's the cut, colour, clarity and carat of diamonds that you dont get with fakes.

Agree - there's no comparison. I enjoy wearing very good quality pieces and rarely see these using fake stones.

[frumpety]

Investment
Status
Authenticity
Uniqueness
Individuality

Apart from the first one , don't you have to hang around with people who can tell from a glance that what you are wearing is the real thing otherwise you could just be wearing a pretend one ?

I am not slagging off anyone who gets pleasure from owning good jewellery, some of it is really beautiful

[SilverySurfer]

I only wear inherited antique jewellery and dislike most modern settings. Real gems cost a lot because of their rarity and any flaws are part of their uniqueness. IMO if you want to buy a fake gem you may as well buy coloured glass.

[greendale17]

Costume jewellery has its place. Just not on me.

^This. I don’t want a stone created in lab

[Armchairanarchist]

Any recommended sites I can go and have a look at?

[AdoraBell]

Because they are not man made and not all identical.

There is a place for man made sparkling things though. My teen DD who loses earrings like it’s a hobby. She wants diamond stud earrings but until she is more careful with them she has cubic zirconia earrings.

[Bowerbird5]

I have some beautiful diamonds from my Gran and my mum. I have also bought a sapphire and diamond ring which is an antique ring and don’t understand why people don’t buy antique rings even if they get the settings changed if they don’t like it. They are often very resonable.

[Ali1cedowntherabbithole]

It's harder to find synthetic gems that are set well In rings.

I have some decent fake diamond earrings that cost about £40 though.

[SundayGirls]

For me, (not that I have much in the way of "real" jewels) it's having something that is heirloom quality and will hold its value overall, even if the price goes up and down. Real (quality) diamonds, sapphires etc will never become cheap as chips no matter what.

If you just want something to look pretty then costume (or "manufactured") jewels are great, but for some, it's knowing that these jewels are precious for their authenticity rather than just having "a blue coloured jewel" ring rather than an actual real sapphire that came from the earth, is relatively rare (compared to manufactured sapphires) and is older than we can really possibly comprehend.

If I make something for example, knitting, I want to knit it in real wool not acrylic. Some things I would happily have in acrylic but something I want to last and be of fine natural quality, it would have to be the real natural substance/fabric. Same for wedding dress. I have lots of polyester normal dresses but I wanted a real silk wedding dress because it's special. I have lots of costume jewellery but the ones which will last forever and be handed down, or at least go on and on and on are those made from natural precious stones.

[CathKidneyston]

Why not? If you can afford it obviously. It’s like saying why pay £50 for a pair of black boots when you can find a similar pair for £20 ...depends on your budget, preference, whether you need them to last etc. I’ ve just splashed out on a fuck off diamond ring because I’ve saved for it , love it and I’ve had a shit year so deserve it!

[BabyNumberDeux]

Investment

[ontheearth]

Where might a clueless person buy this secondhand/antique jewellery?

[silkpyjamasallday]

A lot of these 'lab diamonds' are in fact just CZ with a different name, the ones which are chemically the same as real diamonds are nearly as expensive as a mined stone and can actually be more expensive than mined stones with small flaws. I know because I looked into having a lab diamond in my engagement ring from Brilliant Earth, it would have cost far more for a lab diamond of the same carat and cut than the mined diamond I have. Diamonique/Carat and similar brands are not selling lab diamonds, they are cheeky and say 'simulated diamonds' but the stones are just cheap CZ. I have no issue with it, and I have a lot of costume jewellery, but when you can buy real stones in antique jewellery for the same price as modern tat I know where I am more likely to spend my money.

[claracluck78]

Ontheearth Google for your local reputable
auction house. Most will have jewellery for all pockets and budgets. My saleroom regularly sells jewellery from £20 up to £10,000.

[Dontfeellikeaskeleton]

Tell that to my mother 🙄

[JaceLancs]

I always buy secondhand or antique jewellery usually better quality and I love the idea that it has a history
The only new things I own I have had made for me for example DP and DC paid for a diamond and gold bangle for my birthday the gold came from odd earrings and broken jewellery of DM, DD and mine and the diamonds were from a ring I no longer wore
My engagement ring dates from the 1780s I wonder who wore it and where it has been
I also buy stuff for myself and them sell it on when I get bored with it or find something I prefer - real stones and quality settings hold their value if I buy ‘right’ I usually make a profit

[JaceLancs]

Forgot to add the bangle cost £150 to be made but is worth around £1000 and a new one in a shop would retail for about £2,500
More important I love it and feel like I’m carrying around all their love when I wear it

[tickingthebox]

@SignOnTheWindow

Don't get confused btween synthetic and created....

synthetic = plastic or glass and v. low price
created = same chemical makeup and high price
real = very high price!

Synthetic do not have the same chemical make up as real stones
created stones are nearly as expensive as real and hence are rarely bought as people can pay a little more and get the real thing!

[Rumboogie]

Also, there is no VAT on second hand jewellery, so much cheaper

[OpalIridescence]

I can tell the difference.

Also in the gemmology world
Synthetic - same chemical composition that has been created in a lab.
Simulant- substance such as glass or another lower cost gemstone (a fake).

Lab grown gems do have inclusions and growth marks unique to the process of growth. So a gemmologist can tell the natural gem and the lab grown one apart.
This is more difficult in certain grown diamond types than it is with the example of sapphire.

[Cherries101]

To build a legacy for my family.