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earrings -- will the really look different?

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hoorray

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This may seem like obvious questions, but I am thinking about getting some diamond studs, and have several questions:

1. Does cut still matter as the most important item for earrings? Nobody publishes cut info on the studs they list. Maybe I''ll have to look for the stones loose if I really want to ensure a good cut. Any thoughts?

2. I currently have cz studs that are pretty good quality, so they look pretty good. Will well cut diamonds of the same general size look significantly better/different? (as much as I''d like real diamonds, I''d hate to spend the time and money to have them look just like what I currently have
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any general advice on buying diamond earrings? I''m thinking about .7 - 1.0c RB, but am also considering looking for something with the same everyday functionality as studs, but different design or shape. any ideas are welcome!

thanks for your help!
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sneakyp

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actually i think cut does matter especially if you want to get that "WOW" factor. on my recent purchase i went a little lower on color "H" and clarity SI 1 but went with hearts and arrows with excellent cut ratings on the HCA, especially since i bought off the internet and was not directly viewing the stones which were each 0.7 carats. my wife has been so pleased that she wears them all the time, they can be worn daily and not be too "over the top" but for an evening out they have plenty of fire and flash and are quite elegant.
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hoorray

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Hi Lop,

I don't know the answer to your questions, but hope one of the experts will chime in. I'm alson interested in diamond studs, but haven't started looking yet. (The studs listed on the web generall have little to no info about them.)
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Hest88

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Cut is always the most important, if you want that flash and brilliance everytime you move your head. You *can* go lower on clarity and color, though, since they won't be as closely inspected. Personally, of course, I still like white-white studs.
 

hoorray

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That makes sense, and is what I figured. I'm just surprised that there is NO detail on the stones for the pre-matched and made studs.
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I assume they typically are not great cuts since they aren't advertising that.

I guess I'll probably look for loose stones. Does anyone have any advise on how to best match them? I suppose size is critical. What about table size and color? Should they be identical, or can they vary slightly?

I'm thinking something in the .6 - .8 range, depending on what I find. This sounds like a fun search.....
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Cushy Cushion

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Hey there, thought I would ad my two cents on diamond stud earrings. I was fortunate enough to receive some diamond stud earrings from my husband for my 35th birthday. Prior to that I always wore CZ's. When we were shopping for them, we did feel that the quality matters because one day I may leave them to my daughters and may want to make a diamond pendant out of them (one for each daughter) or make a diamond ring out of each. If you end up having children and want to pass jewelry down it is something to think about. In my case, I try to buy with flexibility in mind so that I can be fair in who gets what. If that diamond stud could become part of an engagement ring one day, then it is wise to shop for nice stones.

As a woman, I would recommend that you keep wearing those CZ's until you have almost all the other jewelry you want. If CZs are kept in good condition or replaced every two years, it is hard for the average person to tell they're not diamonds. And you can replace a lot of pairs of CZ's for the cost of a good pair of diamond studs! The upside to diamonds is that you can wear them all the time, shower in them, swim in them and they never get cloudy like CZs. But the funny thing is, now that I have real diamonds most people really assume that my earrings are CZs--- something to think about at least, before you commit!
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AGBF

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On 8/11/2003 10:14:19 PM Cushy Cushion wrote about diamond studs:

"When we were shopping for them, we did feel that the quality matters because one day I may leave them to my daughters"

and

"As a woman, I would recommend that you keep wearing those CZ's until you have almost all the other jewelry you want. If CZs are kept in good condition or replaced every two years, it is hard for the average person to tell they're not diamonds. And you can replace a lot of pairs of CZ's for the cost of a good pair of diamond studs! The upside to diamonds is that you can wear them all the time, shower in them, swim in them and they never get cloudy like CZs. But the funny thing is, now that I have real diamonds most people really assume that my earrings are CZs--- something to think about at least, before you commit!"

I agree with CC on both matters above. I, also, buy jewelry with an eye to giving my daughter good pieces. (Having one child, though, I don't have to worry about how to divide what I have!)

I have two sets of diamond studs but wear CZs. No one knows or cares whether my earrings are my CZs or my diamonds. I wish I believed in that "wow" factor Hest claims comes with great cut. I find that a newly cleaned pair of CZs brings a lot of positive comment.

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aljdewey

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I wholeheartedly second Hest's contribution. The blinding flashes that occur when you turn your head with a pair of well-cut diamonds on are eye-catching and amazing. Last year, I was in the mall parking lot on a sunny day walking towards a store with a bevy of glass windows. The bright flashes reflected in the glass from my earrings was incredible.....makes me wish I could SEE them more myself!
 

Mara

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I highly recommend hand choosing your own earrings. I would have a jeweler pull loose stones for you to create a matching pair of earrings, then you can concentrate on cut rather than just taking a jewelers' word for it that they are 'good cut' or 'excellent cut'. Or look online for matching stones from vendors then ask them to place them into earring settings.

Most of the time, when earrings are paired up and put into settings for a ready-to-buy type purchase you see in a store, they are not going to be the best cut..and half the time the cut will not even be good. General consumers don't normally look for excellently cut earrings, nor do people inspect the stones as they would an e-ring. The color and clarity will normally be lower in ready set earrings than with loose stones and/or e-rings. People just think earrings should sparkle and don't realize that the cut is just as important for that as any other factor, if not more!

So if you WANT a higher quality, you may have to work a bit to get it. Or if you are fine with what is out there, point and choose!
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Good luck!
 

NagsHead

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I feel like you were reading my mind! I was just going to ask the same questions about buying a set of diamond studs, even in the same carat range (.70-.90). I know we still want to go with ideal cut, probably g or h in color and SI1 for clarity
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I just have to start the searching... best of luck
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hoorray

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Thanks for all the inputs
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! Sounds as if loose stones is the way to go. Are there any tricks to picking out matching stones? What are the key items to match? (I had a pair once that were so unmatched that it bugged me
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and I didn't end up wearing them much.
 

Chris1

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If the diamond studs are one carat or more each, I think it would be wise to have a good quality diamond. When one is tire of them, the diamonds can bet reset in new settings or become a pendant or a ring.
 
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