New diamond ring for myself

[newdiamondring]

Name changed

Single mum by choice to 2 amazing 12 year olds
Had a very tough four years due to stress, poor health, and general depression which has been hellish
Am through it.
Kids just started at secondary school, and I get a bonus in October.
I want to buy myself a present to say well done for the last 13 years.

I've read loads about lab diamonds and would love a large eternity ring.

I wear a lovely ring on my right 3rd finger already which I don't want to move as it has massive emotional value. It lives there.

Qus.

What ring should I get?
Which ring should I wear it on?
Would it be weird to wear a ring on my left wedding finger? I don't care but many might think I've got engaged!?

All thoughts and ideas welcome 🙏

@tothelefttotheleft have a look in the antique and vintage section ie carouseljewels.com/collections/antique-and-vintage?page=4

Can't recommend lab grown diamonds from https://ethica.diamonds/ enough. With your budget you'll be able to get something incredible!!

I like that they're family owned and in Cornwall, feels a little more personal than James Allen et al. Amazing service, I have a couple of pieces from them that I treasure

Don’t get the diamond made from carbon in the atmosphere … it’s a scam designed to make buyer pay extra for cleaning atmosphere without revealing the energy & pollution the process makes. And are expensive!

You had me at Jewelry. You MUST show us pics. Yes, you should spoil yourself.

I was looking at James Allen last night and loved the 5 and 7 stone eternity rings. Where did you buy yours?

Such a great idea to treat yourself!

I would steer clear of lab diamonds as they do not hold their value at all (I know that natural diamonds don’t either but I have friends in the know who say that lab diamonds are wildly overpriced right now so in a few years you may kick yourself).

Half eternity ring could be a good choice and those are fantastic to have made bespoke. You could also check out some of the vintage shops in Burlington Arcade if you can get to London - I used to love wandering through there are window shopping all of the jewels!

If you fancy something a bit different try Jessica McCormack - this one is dreamy ( www.jessicamccormack.com/jewellery/rings/moonshine-single-diamond-eternity-band) and v unique!

If an eternity is the sort of ring you are after I would definitely recommend trying half and then full and close your fists a few times, maybe run your hand over your hair (like pushing hair back from forehead). That is where the discomfort comes and I keep scratching myself!!

Your budget is lovely and I am sure you will find your perfect ring.

I would steer clear of lab diamonds as they do not hold their value at all (I know that natural diamonds don’t either but I have friends in the know who say that lab diamonds are wildly overpriced right now so in a few years you may kick yourself).

I'm a jeweller and would disagree about the price of LG diamonds, they are the lowest they have ever been, and most people I know, in the trade, think they can't get much lower (cutting, polishing and certification are all the same cost as mined diamonds). We sometimes buy them and they've drastically reduced in price even from 2 years ago.
It's true that they don't hold their value though.

That is absolutely beautiful. I don't like wearing rings on more than one finger per hand so it's not for me but if I had a spare finger I'd be there.

How about some stacking rings from here .

https://www.annoushka.com/uk/jewellery/womens-jewellery/rings/stacking-rings?gadsource=1&gbraid=0AAAAACXaCLTUmI8rzjSbT9zKA0yxFu6e0&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0Oq2BhCCARIsAA5hubVTRpD4CZvft-PTDyY-Hrg4Ry4HwG0W-YYnL-ywt1ju7n0ttFEcQ9caAjowEALwwcB

I’m in Ireland so bought at a local jewellers here. It’s a five stone ring with the middle stone being the largest, and tapers down with smaller stones on each side. I think this is called a graduated 5 stone ring. Because it is slightly tapered it’s very comfortable to wear as it never rubs off the other fingers. I love it and get loads of compliments. Would never have been able to get anywhere near as nice a ring if I went with mined diamonds!

I have a lab diamond ring made by local jeweller, it’s beautiful

1700 pounds!!!!

OP said she had £5k to spend. That ring comes with GIA certificate showing genuine 1.7 carats diamonds and it's really pretty. It if was new it would be closer to £3500.

Lab grown diamonds don't hold their value whereas mined diamonds do. I think of lab diamonds as pretty fakes.

As you are in the south east how about a visit to the lanes in Brighton?
I always buy secondhand - can recommend this online seller - good returns policy if you are not happy
www.dealbetweenusjewellery.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DSC_0142-1.jpg

Lovely 5 stone option
www.dealbetweenusjewellery.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DSC_0637-scaled.jpg

7 stone
www.dealbetweenusjewellery.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/DSC_0427-1-scaled.jpg

I am erring towards LG diamonds for this reason.

This is the one that I was looking at last night

www.jamesallen.com/wedding-rings/womens-eternity/14k-white-gold-low-dome-basket-lab-created-diamond-eternity-ring-5-ctw-f-g-vs2-si1-item-128302

Having read your feedback and thoughts i may need to consider a 5 or 7 stone ring though.

Is this too boring or too much like a wedding ring?

The other thing is metal colour. I tend to wear a mix of gold and white metal - my ring on my right hand is white gold. I'd prefer platinum I think as easier to clean.

Lots of misinformation.

“A lab-grown diamond is essentially the same thing as a natural diamond. Not the same as a synthetic option, such as a cubic zirconia.

A lab-grown diamond is chemically and physically a diamond. It is grown in a controlled environment using technology that replicates the natural diamond process. Lab-grown diamonds look the same as natural diamonds. The only difference is their origin.

Since lab-grown diamonds are essentially the same as natural diamonds, they have the same properties, such as hardness. Both lab-grown and natural diamonds rank as a 10 on Mohs scale.”

My lab grown diamond is VVS quality and has D colour grade (the highest possible). It is “better” than many mined diamonds in that respect, until you start paying serious money. It is well known that mined diamonds aren’t rare, that was all started by the De Beers marketing campaign years ago. A mined diamond ring value depreciates quite quickly if you want to try and sell it on. I have no plans to sell my lab grown ring though so that’s not really an issue for me.

@JaceLancs are they mined or LG? They are lovely.

Yes I'm on East Sussex/ West Kent border.

@caringcarer there's a whole thread debating whether lab grown are fakes or not!!!

I recommened Lily Arkwright for lab grown diamonds

That ring is really pretty. I think I'd prefer something a little more modern and chunky, though.

But please keep the ideas coming. It's super helpful.

100% this place

https://londondiamonds.com/

Have a look on their instagram page. I have an amazing ring from here and it was a fraction of what they charge in Goldsmiths etc plus the customer service is second to none.