Do lab-grown diamonds have resale value?
Very little. Lab-grown diamond wholesale prices fell 26% in 2025 and another 13% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, and analyst Edahn Golan’s wholesale index is down 96% since he began tracking prices in 2018 (JCK, 10 August 2026). In the same report a New York dealer put it plainly: “There is no resale value for lab-grown diamonds.” Buy a lab diamond because you love it and the price suits you, not as a store of value.
What the trade says (JCK, August 2026)
Wholesale prices for loose lab-grown diamonds fell 26% across 2025 and an average of 13% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, by Edahn Golan’s figures, and his wholesale index is down 96% since he began tracking prices in 2018. Golan attributes the steepest drops to bigger sizes. Farshid Roshanravan, CEO of Rayan Gems, a dealer at New York’s Diamond Dealers Club, told JCK of a client who had paid $25,000 for a 5 carat lab-grown ring from a major retailer in the early 2020s: the only resale value he could point to was in the mounting.
Why lab diamonds do not hold value
A used stone competes with a new one whose price keeps falling. JCK reports that the ratio of lab-grown inventory to sales at US jewellery retailers has climbed from the high single digits in 2020 to nearly 50%, and that many dealers send unsold stock back and re-order newly consigned goods for less money.
Where any resale value is
In the metal. With little or no value left in the stone, a ring’s resale value is mostly its gold or platinum, which you can price by weight (see gold for today’s value per gram). Retailers still take a markup of more than 80% over wholesale on lab-grown diamonds, analyst Paul Zimnisky’s data show (JCK), so the gap between the price you pay and any offer you get later is wide.
What that means for buying
Spend on what you will see every day: cut, size and a setting that lasts. Pay for a verifiable report so you know what you have, but do not pay extra for grades you cannot see (D colour or flawless clarity) expecting them to protect resale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a used lab-grown diamond worth?
We found no public index of second-hand lab diamond prices. The wholesale price of a new stone sets the ceiling, and it keeps falling: Edahn Golan’s index is down 96% since 2018 (JCK, August 2026). Get a written offer before you count on any figure.
Can I insure a lab-grown diamond?
Yes. Jewelers Mutual, a jewellery insurer, says lab-grown diamonds can be insured, and recommends an appraisal so the stone is insured for its value.
Is moissanite a better buy if resale does not matter?
For many people, yes: it is cheaper still, and GIA gives it a hardness of 9.25. See moissanite vs lab diamond and does moissanite have resale value?
Sources
- JCK: Lab-Grown Diamond Wholesale Prices Are in Freefall; Retail Margins May Be Next (Sam Cooley, 10 August 2026)
- Jewelers Mutual: Can you insure lab-grown diamonds?
- GIA 4Cs: Diamond Alternatives for Engagement Rings (22 December 2025): moissanite hardness 9.25
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