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Best way to purchase large studs?

Octo2005

Octo2005

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 23, 2016
Messages
1,041
I would like to have 3+tcw studs. I was thinking that I would keep an eye out for a reasonably priced pair of OEC's but now I am wondering if purchasing smaller ACA's and continuing to upgrade till I reach that mark is a better alternative.

No timeline for this project, it's just something that has been on my wishlist for awhile and I recently found a very sizable pair of OEC's that I have been drooling over. They are probably bigger than I actually need - I know, sacrilege to say such a thing!

Just looking for thoughts on how others have reached their size goals. Or maybe some enabling:mrgreen2:
 
That is what @diamondseeker2006 did I believe, Upgraded a few times.

I currently have .84 E and I think VS1 or 2 stones from blue nile that are terrific cut-- that is why I grabbed them even though they were smaller than I had hopeed, but were larger than what I had. I bought them with the intention of upgrading.

Then I bought an CBI/HPD diamond.......

So now, I don't know what to do lol. I could more than double size with BN for $2500 more OR.... I could start new with CBi/HPD (which I lean toward).

Sorry for the hijack.... been trying to figure out all of these things myself. I have no problem going with cbi but then I try to figure out what to do with these I have... I guess someone down the line is going to get a nice modest pair of earrings.

My opinion is go with whiteflash and gradually upgrade....
 
whitewave said:
That is what @diamondseeker2006 did I believe, Upgraded a few times.

I currently have .84 E and I think VS1 or 2 stones from blue nile that are terrific cut-- that is why I grabbed them even though they were smaller than I had hopeed, but were larger than what I had. I bought them with the intention of upgrading.

Then I bought an CBI/HPD diamond.......

So now, I don't know what to do lol. I could more than double size with BN for $2500 more OR.... I could start new with CBi/HPD (which I lean toward).

Sorry for the hijack.... been trying to figure out all of these things myself. I have no problem going with cbi but then I try to figure out what to do with these I have... I guess someone down the line is going to get a nice modest pair of earrings.

My opinion is go with whiteflash and gradually upgrade....
Click to expand...
Thank you for the reply! I wonder if @diamondseeker2006 made a thread about the journey. I will have to see if I can find one.

One of my big concerns with going that route was that I wasn't sure how many times you can upgrade and if upgrading 2 stones at the same time would be a problem. Also, I am not local to them and would have to ship things back and forth. Not a huge deal, just more of a hassle.

Sounds like you have two lovely, albeit smaller than you would like, stones. Do you prefer the CBI because it has a better cut than you BN stones? That is a tough one. I have not seen a CBI stone in person, so the performance difference is hard for me to really understand, but I believe all of the things that I have read about how amazing they are.

If you decide to start new with CBI, you could always list the other pair in preloved or maybe BN will let you trade in for credit towards another piece of jewelry like a pendent or bracelet, or for that matter you could repurpose the current stones in to a new piece of jewelry. Maybe as side stones for a colored stone or add matching stones and make a drop type pair of earrings.

Whatever you decide be sure to come back and share pictures!
 
I have a pair of 2 carat each RB and while they look big, my earlobe real estate could handle 5 carat stones. I have big meaty earlobes. My daughter has the sweetest petite earlobes and my 2 carats “hang over the edges” on her. Try the sizes on to see what suits you best.
 
Octo2005 said:
Thank you for the reply! I wonder if @diamondseeker2006 made a thread about the journey. I will have to see if I can find one.

One of my big concerns with going that route was that I wasn't sure how many times you can upgrade and if upgrading 2 stones at the same time would be a problem. Also, I am not local to them and would have to ship things back and forth. Not a huge deal, just more of a hassle.

Sounds like you have two lovely, albeit smaller than you would like, stones. Do you prefer the CBI because it has a better cut than you BN stones? That is a tough one. I have not seen a CBI stone in person, so the performance difference is hard for me to really understand, but I believe all of the things that I have read about how amazing they are.

If you decide to start new with CBI, you could always list the other pair in preloved or maybe BN will let you trade in for credit towards another piece of jewelry like a pendent or bracelet, or for that matter you could repurpose the current stones in to a new piece of jewelry. Maybe as side stones for a colored stone or add matching stones and make a drop type pair of earrings.

Whatever you decide be sure to come back and share pictures!
Click to expand...

While I have seen WF stones in person (gorgeous), but have not compared them (exact proportions) to cbi, I have to believe that they are more similar than not. I will get a WF aca bracelet, but for right now, my stone choice is CBI because I love Wink and his team. Vera, Becca and texas leaguer at WF are wonderful too. So to me, its basically this or that with personal preferences to consider.
 
Bron357 said:
I have a pair of 2 carat each RB and while they look big, my earlobe real estate could handle 5 carat stones. I have big meaty earlobes. My daughter has the sweetest petite earlobes and my 2 carats “hang over the edges” on her. Try the sizes on to see what suits you best.
Click to expand...

I bought the diamondique (sp??) set to see size choices, and for me, 1.5 twc is excessive but ok. So I tend to think I am in the 1.2 to 1.5 size range.

I have small lobes. (My pocket book thanks me)
 
Bron357 said:
I have a pair of 2 carat each RB and while they look big, my earlobe real estate could handle 5 carat stones. I have big meaty earlobes. My daughter has the sweetest petite earlobes and my 2 carats “hang over the edges” on her. Try the sizes on to see what suits you best.
Click to expand...
:love: Oh, but wouldn't those be marvelous!!! 10ctw studs, thud, I just fainted.:love:

I have a 1.9 ring that I hold up to my ear and have worn large fakes, I think that 1.5 - 2 would be fine. But the closer I get to the 4ct mark they start to seem impractical and starts to get super pricey. I do wear my current studs (1.4ctw) everyday and have for years so I guess I certainly do get my moneys worth for them.
 
DH bought the current ones about 10 years ago. They are not certified and honestly probably not the best cut. To be honest, they never really wowed me the way that they should have. I have always thought that I just wanted to go bigger, but after finding PS, I realized that I need a better cut also.

I think that I could also be happy with a gorgeous pair of OEC's also since they have that rainbow sparkle and personality. Plus they can be much more budget friendly.
 
I had two 1.25 carat studs, but they were too big for me. I, also, have large earlobes, but the studs looked as if they were hanging on me. I sold the stone from one earring. I still have the other. I had bought the stones separately anyway and then had them made into earrings. I now have a pair of ideal cut half carat (each) D color VS or VVS studs. I don't wear them often, but they are practical. I also have custom made inside/out hoops from Whiteflash. I think those show up the best.

I realize I didn't answer your question. I guess I am saying that sometimes people don't want to have so much earring, so they cannot give you a good answer!
 
Octo2005 said:
That would be fantastic! But I don't think that is going to happen.
Click to expand...

From what you wrote, I am getting the feeling that you would not want to upgarde the OEC pair, as opposed to the potential open-ended trail of RBC - that is to say, they are 'It' !
 
whitewave said:
I bought the diamondique (sp??) set to see size choices, and for me, 1.5 twc is excessive but ok. So I tend to think I am in the 1.2 to 1.5 size range.

I have small lobes. (My pocket book thanks me)
Click to expand...

And my pocket book is happy to have worn the 1.25 size for several years and found them to be outrageously big (for me)! I have no need to have my earlobes pulled to the floor!!!

Deb :wavey:
 
Bron357 said:
I have a pair of 2 carat each RB and while they look big, my earlobe real estate could handle 5 carat stones. I have big meaty earlobes. My daughter has the sweetest petite earlobes and my 2 carats “hang over the edges” on her. Try the sizes on to see what suits you best.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind seeing 5 carat round brilliants on you! Was that the cut you had in mind?
 
AGBF said:
I had two 1.25 carat studs, but they were too big for me. I, also, have large earlobes, but the studs looked as if they were hanging on me. I sold the stone from one earring. I still have the other. I had bought the stones separately anyway and then had them made into earrings. I now have a pair of ideal cut half carat (each) D color VS or VVS studs. I don't wear them often, but they are practical. I also have custom made inside/out hoops from Whiteflash. I think those show up the best.

I realize I didn't answer your question. I guess I am saying that sometimes people don't want to have so much earring, so they cannot give you a good answer!
Click to expand...

Oooh, I like the inside out hoops. I would love to have a pair from WF.
 
AGBF said:
And my pocket book is happy to have worn the 1.25 size for several years and found them to be outrageously big (for me)! I have no need to have my earlobes pulled to the floor!!!

Deb :wavey:
Click to expand...

1.25 each lobe? Yeah, way too big for me. .75 each lobe is going to look a little much on me.
 
If you have the money to get the studs you want, then go with any vendor that has what you want in stock.

If you don't have the funds now and would like to upgrade incrementally, review all the upgrade policies of PS recommended vendors and narrow down the vendors you'd like to work with based on the upgrade policy.... then narrow by pricing and stock availability and customer service. It's important to click with a rep and make sure that they understand what your short term and long term goals are.
 
Octo2005 said:
No timeline for this project, it's just something that has been on my wishlist for awhile and I recently found a very sizable pair of OEC's that I have been drooling over. They are probably bigger than I actually need - I know, sacrilege to say such a thing!
Click to expand...
I feel that we need pictures of these sizeable OECs to help you make a properly informed decision :Up_to_something2:
If they are big enough to tick the box now and they’re in your budget now, I’d say get them.
The alternative would obviously be to buy super ideals from Whiteflash or HPD and use their brilliant upgrade programs to eventually size up to where you want to get to (or beyond lol). What are your other stones? MRB or OEC or different shapes?
 
m-2-b said:
I have large upgraded ACA studs from WF set in 6 prong martini settings. I think they are well worth the investment! Here's my old thread for reference:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-4-8ctw-whiteflash-aca-diamond-studs.226602

/
Click to expand...

Thank you for the link. Those are certainly stunning!!! If I wanted earrings that large, those are the cut I would get, I assure you!! Once I had saved up for them, I mean. I do not buy Whiteflash earrings on a whim. I buy them after saving and thinking and planning and with the help of Pricescope members in designing them.

Again: yours are simply splendid!!! Congratulations.

Deb :wavey:
 
valeria101 said:
From what you wrote, I am getting the feeling that you would not want to upgarde the OEC pair, as opposed to the potential open-ended trail of RBC - that is to say, they are 'It' !
Click to expand...
The OEC's that I was looking at are over 4ctw so I don't think that an upgrade would be necessary. It's a lot more "bang for your buck" since they are considerably less than equivalent sized MRB's
 
foxinsox said:
I feel that we need pictures of these sizeable OECs to help you make a properly informed decision :twisted2:
If they are big enough to tick the box now and they’re in your budget now, I’d say get them.
The alternative would obviously be to buy super ideals from Whiteflash or HPD and use their brilliant upgrade programs to eventually size up to where you want to get to (or beyond lol). What are your other stones? MRB or OEC or different shapes?
Click to expand...
4.26ctw Old European Cut Diamond Pair GIA K VS1 SI1 www.jewelsbygrace.com 2-L.jpg

at 4.26 tcw, they are certainly big enough, bigger than I ever thought possible for a long time. The plan was to buy super ideals and upgrade over time, but these caught my eye. There is no way I would be able to get this size super ideals for anywhere near the price of these.

That said they are a completely different flavor than MRB. Did anyone on the forum get OEC's and end up wishing that they went with MRB's?

My other stones are MRB. They are ungraded and I am pretty sure just average cut. They are pretty, just not WOW, if you know what I mean.
 
.

I would not be surprised if you ended up with yet more old style diamonds, rounds included - those broad factes are a different animal (regnum !?) than RBC !

If you asked me about new-old & old-old ... I'd have a long story rather than a vote ... What do you make of the difference ?
 
So I just had this personal debate myself and ended up choosing OECs. Initially I found myself really attracted to the unlimited upgrade potential of MRBs, but turns out I’m just an oec lover at heart. I did take the “go big or go home” approach and bought the largest pair I could afford because they are my forever studs. I really second guessed myself since there isn’t an upgrade policy, but once I saw those chunky rainbow flashes on my ears, i was in love.

It did help me to try on CZs to gauge size. I have a pair of 9mm CZs and I think they look ridiculous on me, so I felt more confident in choosing a “forever size”.

I think the 4.26 pair are gorgeous! I think it just takes some time deciding what you really want.
 
:shock:Whoa !!! I LOVE those OECs!!!!!!
 
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