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Best diamond studs on a budget?

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
Hi there! I'm looking to purchase some pretty small diamond studs on a budget. My mom wants some new studs but doesn't want to put a lot of money in to them. I've been quoted $695 for .50 ctw pricescope quality diamonds with a four prong setting at ID Jewelry. I've purchase from ID Jewelry before and I trust them to pick out great cut stones, even though they're not certed. I have a 7 stone with from them and it's amazing. So I'm happy to go with them. However, before I do...I just want to ask if there is anywhere else I should consider? My mom has studs from Blue Nile now and honestly, we're not impressed with them so I'd rather not go with them again. I was hoping to get a little bigger than .50 but I know that she's not wanting to spend over $1,000. Lower, if possible. BGD has pre-set bezel studs in .75 ctw for $850 but they're in white gold. She wants yellow gold and doesn't like the bezel setting. I don't know if they offer any other pre-set studs? I haven't contacted them about it. Anyway....before I pull the trigger, I just wanted to make sure that I'm looking at the best place. I know that they will be small but I want them cut as well as possible. Thank you!
 

coda72

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 1, 2005
Messages
1,674
I just looked at Whiteflash’s website, and their prices seem high for preset studs. It costs almost $1500 for .75 ctw in yellow gold basket settings. I just got studs from them and paid the same price for stones with certs and total ctw was only a little less at 0.7. So this is one area I don’t think WF is the best option. I haven’t bought preset studs from BG, but the price seems reasonable for 0.75 ctw, just see if they can switch the setting to a yellow gold basket.
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
Thanks for the reply! I did reach out to BGD and they only do preset studs for sizing .25 carat total weight or smaller. Which makes sense but that’s not what their website says. Oh well. In any case, their stones are definitely out of my price range for the size I want. Even though they’re beautiful. So...ID Jewelry is still the one to beat, at this point.
 

diamondsR4eVR

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
993
I agree, WF doesn’t have the best most competitive pricing for studs, imho. I also purchased studs from BN that were around 1.60 tcw years ago when I became a mother. They were a present from my x husband. I have to agree with OP, the size was nice but the cut was just okay. I often would look at them and knew something was missing.
I recently purchased smaller studs from WF ACA and these little suckers are far more sparkly and beautiful than my bigger studs. I should have returned the BN, but I was a new mom at the time and overwhelmed with everything. And eventually , I’d lose a stud. It took me a long time to replace them and I went much smaller this time.
GL OP. Have you looked at Ebay? $695 may be a good price. Have you seen pictures of them?
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
I agree, WF doesn’t have the best most competitive pricing for studs, imho. I also purchased studs from BN that were around 1.60 tcw years ago when I became a mother. They were a present from my x husband. I have to agree with OP, the size was nice but the cut was just okay. I often would look at them and knew something was missing.
I recently purchased smaller studs from WF ACA and these little suckers are far more sparkly and beautiful than my bigger studs. I should have returned the BN, but I was a new mom at the time and overwhelmed with everything. And eventually , I’d lose a stud. It took me a long time to replace them and I went much smaller this time.
GL OP. Have you looked at Ebay? $695 may be a good price. Have you seen pictures of them?

That’s exactly how I would describe my BN studs as well. My mom and I both bought studs there before we really knew better. They aren’t “bad” but just arent near as sparkly as my BGD studs.

I haven’t seen pictures of the diamonds yet but I’m sure that IDJ will pick out great stones. They definitely have great ideal cut melee. They’re probably one of the only places I would buy uncerted stones from.
 

diamondsR4eVR

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
993
That’s exactly how I would describe my BN studs as well. My mom and I both bought studs there before we really knew better. They aren’t “bad” but just arent near as sparkly as my BGD studs.

I haven’t seen pictures of the diamonds yet but I’m sure that IDJ will pick out great stones. They definitely have great ideal cut melee. They’re probably one of the only places I would buy uncerted stones from.

Exactly! The BN studs aren’t bad per say, but definitely not sparkly. But again, that was my experience.
I’m getting married next year and I’ve been thinking of working with some of these PS vendors for a wedding band. IDJ keeps coming up. I may have to give them a call. I was actually going to use BN again bc they tend to have amazing sales during Christmas time on bands. I have time tho. So no rush for me.

Keep us posted on what you decide! I would maybe pull the trigger on IDJ studs since you know the quality of their work already. I’m sure they have a decent return policy.
 

Honeybasil

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2019
Messages
421
Exactly! The BN studs aren’t bad per say, but definitely not sparkly. But again, that was my experience.
I’m getting married next year and I’ve been thinking of working with some of these PS vendors for a wedding band. IDJ keeps coming up. I may have to give them a call. I was actually going to use BN again bc they tend to have amazing sales during Christmas time on bands. I have time tho. So no rush for me.

Keep us posted on what you decide! I would maybe pull the trigger on IDJ studs since you know the quality of their work already. I’m sure they have a decent return policy.

I didn't actually purchase anything from IDJ because I changed my mind and sent back and got a refund, but they were so nice and helpful and picked out beautiful diamonds for me to look at. I would definitely trust them and plan to use them next time I'm looking for something.
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
Exactly! The BN studs aren’t bad per say, but definitely not sparkly. But again, that was my experience.
I’m getting married next year and I’ve been thinking of working with some of these PS vendors for a wedding band. IDJ keeps coming up. I may have to give them a call. I was actually going to use BN again bc they tend to have amazing sales during Christmas time on bands. I have time tho. So no rush for me.

Keep us posted on what you decide! I would maybe pull the trigger on IDJ studs since you know the quality of their work already. I’m sure they have a decent return policy.

I would definitely recommend IDJ for your wedding band! Just be sure to tell them that you want Pricescope quality, ideal cuts. They cost more than the others but you can really tell a difference. I have a 7 stone ring from them that I wear as a RHR but I’ve seen many use as a wedding band. The stones are .15 each and so super sparkly.

I will definitely keep you updated! I’m waiting to hear back from them now about a few questions but I’m thinking that they’re the way to go. Plus, like you said, they have a good return policy so there is always that.
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
I didn't actually purchase anything from IDJ because I changed my mind and sent back and got a refund, but they were so nice and helpful and picked out beautiful diamonds for me to look at. I would definitely trust them and plan to use them next time I'm looking for something.

Thank you for the recommendation! They have been great in all my emails so I’m definitely leaning towards going with them. I wonder if they could send me pictures of the stones after they’ve picked them out. Hmm. I must ask.
 

diamondsR4eVR

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
993
I didn't actually purchase anything from IDJ because I changed my mind and sent back and got a refund, but they were so nice and helpful and picked out beautiful diamonds for me to look at. I would definitely trust them and plan to use them next time I'm looking for something.
That’s good to know! Are they on the more expensive side or priced competitively? I don’t think I want anything custom. My dream band would be the Tiffany embrace. I feel like a lot of designers have their own version of the embrace, yk?
 

diamondsR4eVR

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
993
OP, you answered my question on price! That now gives me an idea. Thank you!
 

misslili

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Messages
88
I just helped my mom find something similar and we ended up with GIA certed stones from James Allen. We chose the settings separately - they were not pre set. It was about $1000 total and the studs ended up being .82 ctw. She is thrilled with them!
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
That’s good to know! Are they on the more expensive side or priced competitively? I don’t want anything custom I don’t think. My dream band would be the Tiffany embrace. I feel like a lot of designers have their own version of the embrace, yk?

I felt like they are very competitively priced. Granted, I bought my ring about 8 years ago but I was pleasantly surprised at what they asked for it. Yeah, the “Embrace” look is available at pretty much every vendor. I looked at WF and BGD before going with IDJ and IDJ was so much cheaper. Granted, I can’t say they the quality is “exactly” the same because I never saw any of the rings in person before purchase. My IDJ ring is gorgeous and the quality is superb. I wear it quite often and it looks new.
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
I just helped my mom find something similar and we ended up with GIA certed stones from James Allen. We chose the settings separately - they were not pre set. It was about $1000 total and the studs ended up being .82 ctw. She is thrilled with them!

Thank you! I haven’t checked James Allen. I’ll have to check them out too.
 

Decision_Decisions

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 29, 2016
Messages
387
I just helped my mom find something similar and we ended up with GIA certed stones from James Allen. We chose the settings separately - they were not pre set. It was about $1000 total and the studs ended up being .82 ctw. She is thrilled with them!

Curious what color and clarity you went with? Did $1000 include settings? Sounds like a great price!
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
I’m probably going to go with IDJ. I asked them about going a littler bigger and they said .60 ctw would be $850. I wondering if that would be worth the difference? She has .50 studs now so it’d be nice to go a little bigger. But I don’t know if she’ll want to spend the extra $150. Decisions, decisions.
 

misslili

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Messages
88
Curious what color and clarity you went with? Did $1000 include settings? Sounds like a great price!
They are I color SI2 clarity. Excellent cut. I was most concerned with the cut. Figuring with an earring and a stone this size inclusions won’t be visible when all you see is sparkle! Yes, that price was with the settings. There was a discount on the settings we bought during a sale. I can’t remember the percentage off though.
 

diamondsR4eVR

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
993
I’m probably going to go with IDJ. I asked them about going a littler bigger and they said .60 ctw would be $850. I wondering if that would be worth the difference? She has .50 studs now so it’d be nice to go a little bigger. But I don’t know if she’ll want to spend the extra $150. Decisions, decisions.
Perhaps you can put in the $150 as an early Mother’s Day gift? Just an idea if you think she’d like something a bit bigger.
 

Decision_Decisions

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 29, 2016
Messages
387
I’m probably going to go with IDJ. I asked them about going a littler bigger and they said .60 ctw would be $850. I wondering if that would be worth the difference? She has .50 studs now so it’d be nice to go a little bigger. But I don’t know if she’ll want to spend the extra $150. Decisions, decisions.

This seems like a good price, they quoted me $1300 for 0.75 ctw, so $850 is a big savings over what might not be that much of a size difference.
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
Perhaps you can put in the $150 as an early Mother’s Day gift? Just an idea if you think she’d like something a bit bigger.

That’s a good idea! I think I’ll do that.
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
This seems like a good price, they quoted me $1300 for 0.75 ctw, so $850 is a big savings over what might not be that much of a size difference.

That’s true! Since she has .50 now, I feel like the .60 should be a nice size bump. It’s funny how much the price jump is between .50 and .75. I noticed it on other vendors as well.
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
I just paid for the .60 ctw studs! I can't wait to see them. I'll be sure to update you on how my mom likes them.
 

diamondsR4eVR

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
993
I just paid for the .60 ctw studs! I can't wait to see them. I'll be sure to update you on how my mom likes them.

Glad you went a bit bigger! I can’t wait to see them. I love studs! I was thinking of making a 3 stone ring (down the line-not now) with my studs and ER but I love my studs so much. Much more so than the BN studs I had.
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
Glad you went a bit bigger! I can’t wait to see them. I love studs! I was thinking of making a 3 stone ring (down the line-not now) with my studs and ER but I love my studs so much. Much more so than the BN studs I had.

I love them too! Honestly, if I could afford it...I would probably have multiple pairs in different sizes. I just adore them! All different sizes and different colors. Unfortunately, that's not in the budget but maybe someday!
 

diamondsR4eVR

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
993
Exactly. Not in the budget now but some day... :)
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,198
The settings look nice...the prongs are lovely. Cant really tell anything about the stones since they are at an angle but I trust IDJ.

Let us know what you think when you/your Mom gets them!
 

chele162

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2011
Messages
90
The settings look nice...the prongs are lovely. Cant really tell anything about the stones since they are at an angle but I trust IDJ.

Let us know what you think when you/your Mom gets them!

That's exactly my thoughts! I just love the little prongs on them. So pretty. The stones look nice in the picture but it's definitely not enough to judge them. They sent me a little video and they look sparkly. Fluorescent lighting is not good for judging them but I trust that they look great. I'll have them in a couple of days!
 

diamondsR4eVR

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
993
They look great! I can’t wait to hear what you think once you seen them in person.
 
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