Buying diamond studs for a man...HELP!!!

[QuadrupleC]

Hi all, just stumbled on this site and it''s amazing how much I didn''t know about buying diamonds. Well I''ve never bought one. I want to buy a pair of diamond solitaire earrings for my boyfriend. He is 6ft tall, and has a muscular build. I wanted to get some ideas in what would be nice for a guy like that. My budget is about $300. Any suggestions about reasonable offers online would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[oldminer]

Your budget is really more in line with a gold, non diamond earrings. He sounds like a big enough guy that a tiny pair of diamonds would look lost. Better to have a couple pieces of "manly" metal hanging down than a couple teensy rocks buried in the ear lobe. You could go for CZ rocks to get a decent size, but I don't think diamonds are in the cards for this right now...

 

[QuadrupleC]

Thanks for your reply. I''ve kept looking after I posted my question. I checked out several of the online vendors mentioned and I realized that the diamond business is a new world I may not be ready for. You have no idea how unknowledgeable I was about everything that has anything to do with diamonds. I have actually decided to put up more money for it. I do agree that a tiny diamond would look ridiculous. I don''t mind spending more money even if I can get a decent single stud. Do you have any suggestions on how to get a single stud? He prefers to wear one earring anyway. By the way, what carat/cut would you recommend?

 

[MrsFrk]

I think that 1/3 carat is a good everyday size.
Since you just need one earring, I would buy the diamond loose, and then have it set in the mounting of your choice.

 

[glitterata]

Well, if it''s going in an earring, you could go down to I1 clarity if you choose carefully, and you don''t need to stay in the upper reaches of colorlessness, either.

I found an ideal cut .29 ct I1 J for under $200 last year. The inclusion, a feather, is white and on the side, so it''s possible to set it mostly under a prong.

 

[Mara]

I'd do something like one stone; J/K/L SI2 or I1 with a well-placed white inclusion. On the ear it will not be visible and you can go a bit bigger, as longa as the cut is good it will sparkle like the dickens which is what people notice.