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$12,000 budget: small studs+pendant, or big set of studs?

D

dumbo

Shiny_Rock
Premium
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Jan 5, 2015
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221
Hi all,

I am looking at a gift for my wife. She has 2 jewelry "needs" right now: a nice set of diamond studs, a diamond solitaire pendant, or both. My budget is around $12,000.

I need some input: do I get both, or should I focus on one or the other? A $6,000 budget will get me approximately a 1.3 ct K diamond for a pendant, with the remaining $6,000 left over for a set of .8-.9ct diamond studs. I am looking at the J/K range (her engagement solitaire is a well-cut J 3carat stone, HCA of 2). A $10k budget is a 1.7ct, which is pretty substantial! I don't know if she would want anything bigger than that.

The other option is a set of big studs (again, the 1.3 ct J/K size). Is that too big for earrings, especially as she has smaller earlobes?

Which would you rather have, and why? She loves the idea of a diamond pendant, and diamond studs, but spending more than $12k simply isn't in the cards at the moment.
 
You have an awesome budget for both. Get the studs from a vendor with a generous trade-up policy if she ever wants larger studs in the future. Don’t go for the Kanye studs just yet. :lol-2:
 
I wouldn’t call those small studs! :lol:

I have a suite - studs and pendant - and wear it nearly every day. That said, I did purchase one and then the other. It was much less stressful for me to focus on one project at a time. But at the end of the day it’s not about what we want, it’s what works for you and your wife. =)2
 
Hmmm tough one. I’m going to say studs though because those always eat up a bunch of money in a hurry, so I’d do it while you’ve got a nice budget. You can always pick up a pendant as and when and on a budget.

I don’t think that’s too big for studs at all. I wear 3.3ctw studs and they are pretty much Goldilocks size for me.

I would also choose a vendor with a generous upgrade policy because you can never say never on wanting something larger!
 
I would definitely agree with others and purchase from a vendor with a generous upgrade policy but I'd probably put $2-3k aside for a pendant stone and set it in a bezel to make it appear larger and put the other $9-10k towards stunning studs! What a fun dilemma!!!
 
I think you can totally do both with your budget...pendants in .5-1ct look nicely sized esp with a bezel. There are some threads on pendant sizes
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/solitaire-diamond-necklace.210511/
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/best-size-for-an-everyday-pendant.149293/
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamond-size-for-pendant.158065/

You don't get much more oomph from going bigger imho unless it's in an elaborate setting & on a longer chain (ex. https://www.etsy.com/listing/467590396/cvb-astrid-halo-style-bezel-pendant)

Happy hunting =)
 
Great budget. Great dilemma. Easy answer.

Just ask her what she wants: studs and pendant or larger studs. 12k is a lot of money to guess about.

Do you know what kind of settings she wants? Settings are very personal, and I think it's important not to guess these things. I adore bezels, for example. Others? Not so much.

A few judicious questions will take the guessing out of it and you'll get what you want: a happy wife. And she'll get what she wants: BLING! :geek2:
 
Another vote for getting more direction from your wife. EX. I see lots of lovely pendants here and IRL that are .5 ctw, but even bezeled, that's too small for me. Also, LOVE huge studs on women, but mine are .65ctw each and because my lobes are very small, that's the most I can handle. Honestly, I think she better try on some pendants and studs to see what she likes on HER.
 
I wish I could pry out more information! She won't say...she likes whatever I get her because I picked it out and because I thought of her: that is the only thing she will ever tell me. I must have good taste as she wears every item I have ever given her on a regular basis.

I know she likes the idea of a diamond pendant and diamond studs.
 
maybe enlist one of her girlfriends to take her window shopping?
 
IMG_1837.JPG This is a photo of my 1carat diamond pendant set with a double bezel from IDJ. I love large bling and find this to be adequate for many occasions. I also had it made with jump hoops so that the chain can be 16", 17" or 18". Wear it almost daily.
 
Did you get the studs in 2016 from WF? Bc those could be traded in now towards a pair of upgraded ACAs.
 
What carat weight is her e-ring? It’s good to make sure pendant and earrings are in proportion.

Earlobe size is also very important! Mine are pathetically small and 1ctw looks enormous on me.
 
If she wants a pendant AND studs, then that's your answer :). Call IDJewelry.
 
I’d get both, with the plan to upgrade studs later.

Pendants in the .6-1.0ct range are perfect for most women, especially when bezel set. I have small earlobes and 1-1.5ctw is a great place to start with for diamond stud size. You might eventually want to move up in size, which is why I’d suggest going with Whiteflah for their trade-in policy just to be safe.

Have fun and show us what you end up choosing!!
 
Ooh lucky wife! I second the posters who suggested get both with the option to upgrade later as finances and occasions permit. So purchase with a vendor who has a good upgrade policy and then you can get both and upgrade later. Good luck.:appl:
 
D’uh, didn’t read about the 3 carat ring! Someone on here had a formula for earring and pendant sizes relating to the e-ring, something like equal size for the earring total weight and 2/3 for the pendant??
 
Snowdrop13 said:
D’uh, didn’t read about the 3 carat ring! Someone on here had a formula for earring and pendant sizes relating to the e-ring, something like equal size for the earring total weight and 2/3 for the pendant??
Click to expand...

Yea I think that's diamondseeker's formula but not always feasible given budget constraints! That would mean 3.0ctw earrings (1.5ct each) and 1.5ct for the pendant. If OP purchases from WF though (or other vendors with great upgrade policies), he could certainly upgrade to get to the desired size later down the line (or do smaller upgrades over a longer period of time).

Although he could come close if he doesn't go the super ideal route and puts all of his budget into the earrings for now:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...k-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4467948
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4370078
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3355753
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...MONDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&action=sameTab
 
Last edited:
Hi,

Thanks for all of the responses! I will look through the links.
 
I'm an earring girl (and I chose to sell mine when we got a mortgage) so I'd get large earrings, smaller pendant. That formula is just plain silly. Whatever you think she'd wear the most, get that, and then use the rest for the other piece. Actually I really like your idea of 1.3 pendant and 0.8-0.9 for ears!
 
Agreed, the formula is silly. Any size of any piece of jewelry is fine. I would get large earring and a small pendant.
 
As some others have said, you could always ask her. My husband purchased two loose stones for studs for me this past Christmas and then asked me how I wanted them set. I would agree with those that said to go with smaller studs. Mine are 1.65 and 1.64 cts and I would not want anything larger than that... I have large ear lobes.
 
That's a healthy budget. I would get all 3 from a place like WF that has an upgrade policy.
 
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