Hi! I struggled with this same decision for a long time before I finally bit the bullet and went with a natural stone. Honestly, there is a depth and a “soul” in a natural alexandrite that the lab-grown ones just cannot replicate. I found my natural stone through Tsarina Jewels https://tsarinajewels.com/ and the way the color shifts from green to purple depending on the light is just magical. When you buy gemstones and high end jewelry that is lab-created, it basically has zero resale value because they can just make more of them. A natural stone is a finite resource that will likely appreciate in value as the mines are depleted. I don’t regret my purchase at all because I know I own a genuine miracle of nature. Every time I see it change color, it reminds me why I chose the authentic option over the factory-made one.