advice on buying stud earrings

[rxtasy74]

Hi,

Thank you all for your advice during my purchase of an engagement ring. It is absolutely beautiful. It was a HA .84 E VS2 and I had it set in the platinum HOF serenity setting.

Since the ring wont be a surprise I was thinking of buying her some diamond stud earrings as a surprise. I was thinking of getting a pair of HA cut .30 maybe around H in color and SI1-2. Any advice on what to have them set in as far as 3 prong vs 4 prong and the difference in the backings used?

Anything else I should be aware of when purchasing a diamond stud earrings?

 

[moremoremore]

.30 can make a very nice pair of studs! However, I am of the opinion that going H&A is not necessary. Get yourself a nice pair of ideal cuts that aren''t necessarily perfect h&A...unless that is important mentally...it will save you $ or will enable you to go bigger...just my 2 cents

 

[Kaleigh]

I agree with MMM, I wouldn''t spend the extra money for H&A, but that''s just me. I love the 3 prong martini setting for studs. They sit very nicely on the ear and really show of the diamonds.

 

[Mara]

I'd get a nice pair of almost H&A's or similar depending on cost. I have found some H&A stones are priced as competitively as non H&A stones in offline B&M's or even online. So based upon what you can find in inventory, go for the best cut possible...the difference does show on the ears. Having had non well-cut, then slightly better cut and now finally H&A stones, my smaller earrings look just as big as the old ones that were not as well cut and were larger. Oh and dropping down in color and clarity if the stone is well-cut and still eye-clean to me is a good way to go to maximize budget...I had G stones and then now have I earrings and they look just as white on the head but without that G price premium.

I have a set of .38ct each and love them! I think in the ~.30s is a great size for the ear for daily wear so you are definitely on the right track. Check out WF's expert selection pre-set studs as well.

re: the setting, I have to say that 3 prong martini is the ONLY WAY TO GO! I had 4 prong basket setting and they drooped and never looked quite right. The 3 prong martinis sit straight on the ear and really show off the stone itself rather than a bunch of metal for the setting. They look bigger that way as well which is why also I think that my smaller stones look larger than they are, an extra perk! But then again I love to see stone over metal anyday.

Good luck!

 

[Sundial]

The earrings are a terrific idea and you have received some great advice. Do we get to see a picture of the engagement ring? I love that HOF Serenity setting!

 

[Dancing Fire]

yep...3 prong martini is the way to go.

 

[rxtasy74]

Thanks for all the great advice!! I''ve been working my butt off so i havent had time to respond. I''m going to shop around offline line and online to see how prices compare. Sounds like the 3 prong martini is the way to go. Does the backing type matter much?

About the diamond themselves. Is it is pretty reliable process to have an online jeweler set the diamonds for me? Will the appraiser have a difficult time verifying the authenticity of the diamonds already set?

Finally and a bit off topic, has anyone ever upgraded their diamonds purchased at an online store? Did the process go smoothly?

Thanks all.

Oh and as far as the pics are concerned. I''m getting a new camera in the next couple of weeks. I tried taking pics with the one i have now but i couldnt get any good shots. i''ll have to do a search on how to take good digital pics of a ring.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/16/2005 9:10:18 AM
Author: rxtasy74
Thanks for all the great advice!! I''ve been working my butt off so i havent had time to respond. I''m going to shop around offline line and online to see how prices compare. Sounds like the 3 prong martini is the way to go. Does the backing type matter much?

I find the heavy-friction backs work just fine......easier than LaPousette and less irritating than screw back.

About the diamond themselves. Is it is pretty reliable process to have an online jeweler set the diamonds for me? Will the appraiser have a difficult time verifying the authenticity of the diamonds already set?

Finally and a bit off topic, has anyone ever upgraded their diamonds purchased at an online store? Did the process go smoothly?

No problem there. I bought a pair of .39 H, SI1 earrings that were almost H&A from Whiteflash in February. They were lovely. I subsequently decided to upgrade to a larger pair of J stones. No problem with the return.....in fact, the stones I mention just returned to Whiteflash yesterday, and they sound like what you might be looking for. Call and ask them about Alj''s earrings that got returned.

 

[sbrennan]

Hi.
I just got a beautiful pair of H VS2 A CUT ABOVE Hearts & Arrows Super Ideal cut. They are .466 each I chose platinum martini settings with heavy tension backs. Got them from Whiteflash who are a joy to deal with. I''m absolutely delighted. The earrings look huge and are incredibly sparkly. And they were very well priced.

Good luck.
Sheila

 

[rxtasy74]

Follow up:

I purchased some studs from whiteflash. .40 and .42 J SI1 in platinum martini setting. They look great. I was worried about the J color but they look great face up. Has me wondering if I should have sacrificed color for size in the engagment stone...but I think the E in the larger stone has a more significant impact. Anyways, Bob at whiteflash was great!! Thanks Bob.

I do have a couple questions:
1. Has anyone ever had problems with the length of the rod in the martini setting. They look long to me and my gf has petite ears. If they are too long can they be shortened.

2. I dont care for the box that WF put the studs in. Can i order a better box from somewhere?

Story:

Normally, I would share this story with my gf. Since it is a surprise I decided I''d tell you all and I''ll tell her later. The local jeweler that set the engagment ring sells HOF and that is where we purchased the setting from as well. Anyways, I must say they were kind of cold towards us after it was all set and done. IMHO, the ring looked better than any of the HOF stones they had there but nothing was said about it. I guess I would not expect them to rave about our stone since it wasnt purchased there but they did make some money from me. Additionally, they must know we have to come back for bands or in this case maybe for studs.

So I stopped by there to see what kind of studs they had. They had HOF and there own custom made ones. The HOF looked nice but the custom ones looked kinda dead. Anyways the prices were outrageous. Almost double what I paid and they were .75 TCW. The didnt even have any certs to go with them. He could tell I wasnt too impressed. I thanked him and told him I would need to look around. Rather rudely he commented, "well, we know you are one of those internet shoppers". C''mon man. I know that he is getting hurt by smart shoppers but that is no way to carry on a business. I just thought it was unfortunate and it goes with the many comments I had received from other jewelers while shopping for the engagment setting. These jewelers feed off uninformed/emotional purchasers...it is too bad.

Thanks to all who advised/helped me out on this board. I went from contemplating using cz to getting two excellent pieces of jewelry. In all, I dont know if I''m convinced of the value or overall lure of diamonds but I do feel like I made an informed/educated purchase that saved me alot of $$$.

 

[pad3006]

Hi; those earrings sound beautiful I am sure she will really enjoy them.
There is a store called Things Remembered, they sell ring boxes I know, I am sure they would have something for earrings as well. The only other thing you could do would be to go to a local crafts store and buy something to put them in.

But going to Things Remembered is the easiest thing. I hope that you are able to find something nice there to present the earrings in.


Phil

 

[valeria101]

White gold & I color should be just fine. All that shows of the three prong settings are three pinpoint dots - the tips of those prongs! It doesn't matter much. If the ring is white metal, I'd just match the color, that's all. The smaller the stones the less you get to see any color. So... why not.

There are two H-SI1 ACA .28cts each listed, but not much else around .3cts. Take a look.


Wink (winkjones.com) has a pair of three stone martini settings conveninetly listed, but for diamonds, you would probably have to ask. The website only carries that much

Best of luck! It sounds like a good idea to let your girl choose the ring and surprise her with earrings

 

[rxtasy74]

Valerie,

I think you are responding to a different post.