Advice for first diamond studs?

[EmilyAsAlways]

I'm about to pick out my first set of diamond studs, and I was hoping people could advise on the following:

1. Is there a visual difference between 1 tcw and 1.25 tcw? They are both G, SI1. I want the studs to be visible in a polished sort of way. I have small earlobes.

2. I'm really torn between white and yellow gold settings. My ering is rose gold. The only other jewelry I tend to wear is a small yellow gold pendant that belonged to my great-grandmother. I think that diamond studs set in white gold look whiter and crisper. However, with the other jewelry, I'm afraid that mixing the metals will look a bit tacky? If it helps, I'm pretty pale, and my hair/eyebrows are dark blonde (my grandma insists that my hair color used to be called "old gold" when she had it as a young woman, and that I need to wear yellow/rose gold to "match" it). What do you think? I'll be getting baskets because my ears are really sensitive and I am afraid the martinis will irritate them.

Thanks!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have 1.30ctw earrings and will attach a picture for you. I don't think there will be a big difference in size, but I'd go for the larger ones if you can. Are the stones GIA Excellent?

I absolutely prefer white metal settings on studs. The whole idea is for the diamonds to show and the settings to be basically invisible. I wouldn't want rose or yellow gold prong tips reflecting in the diamond.

 

[stargurl78]

I think either size will look great, so I would just decide if its worth the extra funds for the slightly larger pair. And I would definitely go with white gold.

 

[Octavia]

Can you go to a jewelry store and hold up a few different sizes of studs against your ears to get a feel for what size you like best on your ears? I did this and it was very helpful in determining my ideal carat weight. I saw a big difference in how various sizes looked on me, even though the actual size difference in the stones was pretty small, and I ended up going with a smaller ctw than I could have because the next size up was just a bit too much for the look I was going for.

Regarding WG vs YG, I'd be wary of WG because you say your earlobes are very sensitive. Unless you're absolutely sure the nickel in the WG won't bother you, I'd err on the safe side. I don't think the YG is going to affect a G stone very much, especially not as an earring...but you may be more color-sensitive than me.

 

[yssie]

I like white metal - it blends into the colour of the diamond and makes it hard to distinguish stone outline from setting outline from afar, so the stones get a lil' size boost especially if you choose a metal-heavy style like bezel or 8prong! I don't think that size difference is going to be significant in terms of how much bigger the stones look on your ears - I think the type of setting you choose will have much more effect.


Ditto Octavia - if you know your skin can be sensitive I'd go w/ platinum or palladium, or palladium-wg.

 

[EmilyAsAlways]

Thanks for the great advice, everybody! Octavia, can I ask what size studs you felt were too big on your ears, and what size you got in the end?

I have a (maybe unreasonable) fear of looking "bling-y".

 

[EmilyAsAlways]

Oh, and DiamondSeeker, what sort of setting is on your earrings? They are beautiful...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I don't think mixing metals will look tacky because you're wearing simple diamond studs. If the earrings had a lot of metal showing (more ornate setting), then making sure everything matches would be more important, but the focus will be on the diamonds with a classic stud. With white metal, people will look at the diamonds, with yellow *with a basket setting*, the metal will stand out more. I find that when I'm talking to people who have studs on, if they have yellow gold, I can clearly see it. If it's white, I focus more on the quality of the stones!

 

[Enerchi]

I'm another vote for the WG or Platinum setting for the diamonds. Play up the "white" of the diamonds, instead of trying to match the studs to another metal you normally wear.

 

[Christina...]

yep, I like wg with studs.

 

[Octavia]

Thanks for the great advice, everybody! Octavia, can I ask what size studs you felt were too big on your ears, and what size you got in the end?

I have a (maybe unreasonable) fear of looking "bling-y".

Haha, I have a fear of looking too blingy, too! I was after a pair of "24/7" studs so I kept things on the smaller side -- I think mine are .33 each. I held up studs that were .25 each and they were too small, and .41s that were a bit too blingy for my taste. The middle ground was perfect for me...I know the conventional wisdom here is to go with the biggest well-cut stones you can afford, but it also has to be something you're comfortable wearing for its intended purpose, know what I mean? That's why I would get a real-life perspective before buying if you possibly can, because you might be surprised at what feels right and what doesn't. Also, it's hard to tell from photos how a certain size will look on your own earlobes -- a .35 on one person's ear might have the same proportions as a .5 on someone else's.

 

[Enerchi]

Excellent advice from Octavia - try on a variety of sizes and see what appeals to you and your bling/non-bling tolerance. Mine are .44/.43 and for my lobes, they are 'just right'. Large enough to be noticeable and clearly real, but not too large to make people wonder - "are they real or are they CZ's?" But... it was also influenced by budget so the too large, wasn't even on my financial radar!!

 

[VRBeauty]

Go somewhere and try on a few sizes. I did, and was surprised to find that my ideal earrings were smaller than what I was planning to buy. I ended up with about .78 ctw and it's exactly the "look" I was going for. Not long after that, I got a pair of diamond stud earrings for my SIL that is virtually identical to mine, yet hers look much larger in her ears! They're no whiter than mine, in fact they were certified two grades darker. But something about the shape of her face or earlobes, or her skin tone, make them look significantly larger than my earrings.

The moral of the story is: go try on some earrings in real life before you buy.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, and DiamondSeeker, what sort of setting is on your earrings? They are beautiful...

Thank you! They are just the classic 4 prong baskets from WhiteFlash.

If it helps any, I am also size sensitive and the absolute max I'd be interested in wearing would be .75 to .80 each. But I am quite happy with the .65 each and haven't decided whether I will ever go to a larger size. I have had .75 each before, though, and there isn't a huge difference.

 

[stargurl78]

Excellent advice from Octavia - try on a variety of sizes and see what appeals to you and your bling/non-bling tolerance. Mine are .44/.43 and for my lobes, they are 'just right'. Large enough to be noticeable and clearly real, but not too large to make people wonder - "are they real or are they CZ's?" But... it was also influenced by budget so the too large, wasn't even on my financial radar!!

Ditto Enerchi, my studs are 0.44ct each and they are perfect for me and I honestly don't think I'll ever go larger, sometimes I even feel that these might be too blingy (I know, I'm weird, but I just don't like the look of big diamond studs, at least on my ears anyway). I started out with 0.31ct each and I was happy with that size but then I just *had* to upgrade so that my studs would work with the IDJ 3-pointer jackets Definitely go try on some different sizes to see what works best for you. Also, if you do plan to buy jackets eventually, make sure the size that choose will work with them!

 

[bagelboy]

Emily, My 2 cents. Ditto Octavia post. My wife has .22 white gold martini that she never takes off. She loves those little diamonds. For our anniversary I got her .40 ACA's white gold heavy friction back martini. She loves them but are just too blingy and too big to wear everyday. From my research at the time (4 years ago) most women were buying .30- .35 carats white gold heavy friction backs martinis. Some women advised not to get screw back studs because they felt uncomfortable/or caused ear problems. I think you need to see what size looks good and feel right for you. I would not get yellow gold for studs as the metal is very apparent, rings and chains are fine, no need to match everything.