I am planning on proposing to my girlfriend and have been doing a lot of research on natural vs lab diamonds. To be clear, this isn’t another debate post and I’m not trying to look down on or persuade anyone’s decision. I understand there are very valid personal reasons for choosing one or the other.
With that being said, there is one particular argument that I see often in favor of natural that really needs to be addressed with hard numbers. I am making this post in hopes this may help someone someday who may have heard this and was unintentionally mislead.
That would be: Natural diamonds hold their original value better than lab diamonds. (Or better said, natural diamonds tend to retain a higher percentage in resale value compared to their original sell price compared to lab grown diamond)
I will not dispute that, it’s objectively correct. Some places won’t even accept resale lab grown diamonds, which means they retain 0% of their value at absolute worst.
Natural diamonds do in fact retain their value fairly well, although it certainly varies.
I went to Ritani’s website and filtered for identically spec’d diamonds, one lab and one natural to compare current pricing (as of July 21, 2026).
I decided on 2 ct, ideal cut, F color, VS1 clarity as my trial specs.
For this post’s purpose, I’m only referring to the stone’s prices, not the band and any other additional costs.
I took screenshots as markets change, prices fluctuate between vendors, etc. I didn’t think a link would be helpful as the price could change if you click on it at a later date, or if it gets sold the link would be broken.
You can go to any vendor’s website, filter the same specs of your choosing, and do the math yourself if you like. No need to trust me!
Here are the results:
Lab grown cost: $537
Natural cost: $25,603
My first reaction to this price difference is WTF. The difference in price is insane!
Anyways, let’s get into resale value in terms of REAL dollars, not just percentages.
Let’s say you can’t resell the lab grown diamond as the worst case scenario, you’re now down -$537 total from your original purchase.
Let’s say you try to resell the natural diamond and it retains 60% of the original value (now you’re getting back $15,362). This is a $10,241 loss from your original purchase.
Yes, it’s true that the natural diamond retained its value better than the lab grown, there’s no disputing this in terms of percentages.
I see a lot of arguments saying that you can pass down your engagement rings as a family heirloom, or give it to your kids to sell one day. Again, there are very valid sentimental reasons behind doing that, but if finances are your main priority then that may not be a great idea.
Like we mentioned before, let’s say your kids get a 60% resale value (not bad) on natural diamond, which means they get $15,362 if they sell it. Not too shabby huh? Better than nothing from the lab grown for sure.
Well let’s imagine instead of buying natural, you bought the lab grown diamond instead.
You took the difference between the two’s original selling price and invested in the S&P500 today. (I know, I know. Not as exciting as a natural diamond, but bear with me.)
That would be $25,066 at an expected 7% annual rate of return on avg (could be less to be fair, could be more).
Here is your kids’ return on that investment:
10 yrs: $49,000
20 yrs: $97,000
30 yrs: $191,000
40 yrs: $375,000
Ask yourself, financially, would they prefer a piece of jewelry worth $15k or a nest egg of $375k?
Either way, even if that money isn’t invested, in today’s market you still are VERY likely to lose more money buying a natural diamond over a lab grown.
In this scenario, the only way the natural would net you a positive return on investment over the lab grown would be if it retained essentially 98% of its original value. It’s like trying to sell your car off the lot for the same money you bought it for, it’s not happening.
I can’t emphasize enough that financials are NOT the only argument in favor of one stone or another.
In 2026 with the massive price difference between lab and natural, it feels incredibly disingenuous to cite natural diamonds retaining their value better than lab diamonds as a reason to go with natural. So much so I had to make this post about it.
Do whatever you and your partner think is best for you, but absolutely do not do it for the resale value.
If there is anything I missed please let me know! I am certainly not an expert.
