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Advice on buying small diamond studs

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Ally2

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2015
Messages
6
Hi everyone,

I have my heart set on finding a small pair of diamond studs for my wedding anniversary. I bought a pair cheaply about 10 years ago that ended up being very unsatisfactory, so this time I am looking for better quality. I hope to find a pair 0.25-0.30 in size for everyday wear. I care a lot about the set being well matched, not flawed to the naked eye, and very ‘sparkly’ when worn. I have a budget of about $2000-$2500 to work with. I am not clear about how much cut, clarity and color will all matter in this small size. Could anyone suggest some general specifications that I should look for and good/trustworthy on-line stores? Thanks in advance!
 
If you're looking for a pair at .25 - .30 total, you can easily get a great pair for far less than what you've budgeted.

I have a pair of .25ctw studs from whiteflash set in 8-prong martini settings. You can get these as pre-set earrings for about $500. They have great sparkle, and they are my go-to everyday pair. Truthfully though they are a little too delicate for my somewhat large features (I wear a size large hat, for example) so my next pair of small, understated studs will be just a bit larger. :wink2: I can't find their pre-set 8-prong earrings on WF's site, but you could call them to see what's available.

Here's a link for all of the WF earrings:
http://www.whiteflash.com/diamond-earrings/

Here's a link for WF's pre-set, bezel-set earrings:
http://www.whiteflash.com/diamond-earrings/handmade-full-bezel-diamond-earrings-1537.htm
 
If you go with White flash ACA diamonds I doubt you can go wrong. Many people choose H/I color and SI1 clarity for earrings, but if you wanted to go higher in color and clarity something like this diamond pair would be nice:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/diamond-pairs-details.aspx?Diamond1=3222811&Diamond2=3222859
or this

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/diamond-pairs-details.aspx?Diamond1=3222859&Diamond2=3222811

you could then pick one of their settings in your choice of metal.

Here is the martini setting, 3 prong in platinum
http://www.whiteflash.com/diamond-earrings/3-prong-martini-diamond-earrings-305.htm

Brian Gavin is also a good place to look for matched pairs:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond_pair_comparisions/compared_diamond_details/BFG-13798/BFG-13799
or this

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond_pair_comparisions/compared_diamond_details/BFG-13756/BFG-13759

with something like this


http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond-earrings/studs/martini-cocktail-earrings-18k-white-gold-5430w18

either vendor offers many diamond pairs to choose from. I think Brian Gavin may have more options for settings.

I don't think you can go wrong with either. I'm assuming you wanted .25 to .30 for each stone with appx. .6 total weight.
 
Thank you, VRBeauty! While $2500 is the most I can spend, it would be great to spend less and still end up with a pair of studs that I love. A bad first experience with on-line diamond shopping may be leading me to think I need to spend more than I actually do. I will certainly take a look at the links you suggest.
 
Lookinagain, thank you for suggesting all of these options! Generally speaking, is there a difference between the quality of stones offered by WF and BGD?
 
The quality would be the same. I highly recommend WhiteFlash. I have bought studs there and have done a couple of upgrades. They are great and the diamond earrings are fabulous!
 
I think you'd be happy with studs from either Whiteflash or Brian Gavin. I bought some ACA studs from Whiteflash this fall (slightly larger than what you are looking at) and I couldn't be happier with them. I will be anxious to see what you get.
 
I have one pair from each BGD and Whiteflash. The posts on the WF earrings are just slightly thicker, and the butterfly (friction) backs seem a bit more secure to me. Neither is flimsy though, and both have beautiful diamonds.
 
Ask both BGD and WF about LaPousette backs so you don't lose them.
 
I would highly recommend White Flash. My earrings are 0.417, 0.427, both are ACA A Cut Above, E Color, SI1. I believe that at the time of purchase with the setting this was very close to your budget. I will be trading-up / upgrading them soon for larger stones. I have also upgraded my engagement ring with White Flash. I would not buy from anyone else. They are very white, supper sparkly and never disappoint!

Ear%20Shots%20013.jpg
earings%202.jpg
Peach%20rose.jpg
 
I don't think you said whether you are looking for .30 total weight or for each stone to be about .25 to .30. As someone said earlier, if it is .30 total weight you can probably buy pre set earrings for much less than your budget.
 
Sorry to be vague, I am new to this world:) I should clarify that I am looking for 0.25-0.30 per earring, for 0.5-0.6 tw. Overall, it sounds like the consensus is that I should check out Whiteflash! I would also consider vintage/secondhand as suggested in one comment, but I think the issue with this is that right now I know too little about diamonds. I guess I would have to find the right seller.
My thinking has been to buy new in order to be more confident about the quality.
Thank you everyone for all of the great advice so far. I am going to prowl around this site and learn as much as I can before making a final decision. Overall I think I would like to choose my own stones instead of going with a pre-made set.
 
I can't speak to WF but when I was looking for similarly sized studs I found that BGD had more pair options in the size/color/clarity range I was looking for. WF didn't have anything that fit my parameters. Both WF and BGD have reputations for their in-house diamonds being extremely well cut, which is what will give you the best sparkle. I personally went for lower color and clarity b/c no one is looking at studs up close (and if they are that close they prob aren't looking at your earrings!!). When BGD ran their sale before Xmas the settings were essentially free, and I got 6 or 7% off one of the two diamonds. All told, I got the pair of .3 (each) J SI1 diamonds and martini settings for less than half of your budget. I already had a K colored BGD cut stone as a pendant so I knew the Js would be fine for me. At this size, I don't see any reason to pay for high clarity -- a reputably graded SI1 should be fine, and both BGD and WF can check their in-house stones to see if they are eye clean. I also looked at ID Jewelery, and they were extremely nice but didn't have anything that really met my parameters. At the end of the day the closest pair they had to what I wanted were only around a hundred less than what I bought (b/c of the sale pricing at BGD). I will try to upload pics (haven't done a SMTB thread on my studs yet. These are now my go-to everyday studs, which is exactly what I wanted. At first they seemed small compared to some of the inexpensive studs I had been wearing, but the longer I wear them the more I think the size is just right for my lifestyle, and they look bigger each time I see them in the mirror (opposite of DSS I guess). Good luck!!
 
Enbcfscobe, thank you so much! I would love to see your studs if you have time to post a picture! What you suggest regarding clarity and color sounds sensible. I will check out the BGD website as well. I guess it is also acceptable to write to a store once I am certain about what I am looking for? I think small studs will suit me very well for everyday wear, so now I just have to find the right ones:)
 
You can call or email or web chat with store reps even before you know what you want (though it is better to have an idea). They can make suggestions or put eyes on the stones you are considering. You should feel free to contact more than one place, and also to ask for a price match. I did go to a local store to try on different sizes. I'm glad I did b/c I realized that around .5ct total weight was just fine for me, and 1ct total was too big for me to comfortably wear every day (not physical comfort, just more of a lifestyle thing where I wouldn't wear them to work all the time and would reserve them more for special occasions). You just have to make sure you walk into the store knowing you're not going to buy. Here are some pics.
Glamour shots first:
image1_2.jpg
image4.jpg
My pics:
Pls excuse my terrible hairline
image5.jpg
Here with my GIA graded G Si1 Ering for comparison
image3.jpg
And with my AGS graded K Si1 pendant -- hopefully this is helpful both re: color and bezel vs basket/martini setting
image2.jpg
 
I also bought my pair of .50tcw from BGD, they were so helpful, and I have been very pleased with them:

4133_briangavin_martini_jennifergoedker1_021813.jpg
2062_briangavin_martini_jennifergoedker2_021813_0.jpg
 
Nbcfscobe, thanks for the lovely pictures and advice:) I think my next step will be to go and browse to see some different studs and settings in real life....and then to BGD and WF online to look at the good stuff:)
Squiggy241 and Frost Me, thank you to you as well for the beautiful pics.
Everyone's advice has been very helpful...I will make sure to post my choice once I get that far!!
 
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