Buying 1.5 - 2.0 TCW Studs..newb has some questions :)

[Lerris]

I am looking to purchase round Diamond Studs for my wife as her push present (twin boys). I have spoken to a lot of people, researched online, and read a bit on here and hopefully learned something I do have some questions though.

I have come to the realization that getting 1.8, or about that, compared to 2 TCW studs would be much cheaper as I am not go over that carat line. Is this accurate?

What I do not know is what people would recommend the minimum clarity or color for the stones to be? I have been told clarity is not as important for earrings, compared to an engagement ring, and was told i can go as low as as SI1. Is this accurate? Should I have higher clarity?

Color I am looking at G or better. I originally was looking at H but was told G may be better. Can I get away with H for a nice sparkling stone?

I have been reading the posts here and have learned that the Table % and Depth % pay an extremely important part in the selection of earrings. How do I determine what the best %s are? Is there a formula for this?

Also, assuming that two stones are never exact, would having one stone being a G and another an F be a problem? Like here:

stud example

Thanks in advance for any insights you can provide.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Quick answers before I leave to pick up a child from school!

Yes, you will pay a LOT less by going under a carat per stone. Most people think .75 is plenty large, so .75 to .80 is generous size unless she has huge ears!

G-H color is perfect, and H is great especially if you are getting ideal cut stones. They will be bright and plenty white. I am probably getting H color myself.

Almost everyone would say that SI1 is fine for earrings especially if we are talking about GIA or AGS certified stones that are ideal cut. My personal preference is for VS2, but I am picky!

As far as cut goes, you can make it really easy and choose ideal cut stones from Good Old Gold or WhiteFlash. It would be worth it as they have done all the work to choose the best cut stones already. Look under A Cut Above on WF site and all the rounds on GOG will indicate if they are ideal (AGS0 or GIA Excellent).

I am currently also shopping for a 1.5 ctw pair in H VS2. I know there are a couple of good possibilities at WF and GOG for what you want (especially G-H SI1) as I have looked extensively.

Good luck and congrats on yoru baby boys!!!!

 

[Phoenix]

Well, Lerris, if I had given birth to twin boys, I''d want much bigger better stones!! Only kidding...

Seriously, the choice is entirely up to you (or to her - is the present a surprise present or will you be making the decision together?). I am a die-hard diamond fan (and that''s why I am participating here, on PS!

) and am a bit of a perfectionist, nothing less than G colour and VS2 will do for me!

, even if it means having to go for something smaller. However, I''ve learned that some of my girlfriends and a lot of ladies here on PS are ok with something of a lower colour (note the recent thread on fluorescence which helps lower colours to look whiter), and/ or lower clarity, as long as they get the size they like. It''s all about individual choices. But everyone here agrees that cut is the most important (or even if it isn''t on paper, compare the stones of your choice against others to see how they fare).

So decide what is your budget and what you''d be comforable with, size, colour and clarity wise, but i''d definitely want something that sparkles, even in earrings.

I''d also choose a pair that match in colour (as well as have similar, don''t have to be the same, table and depth etc.), but that''s just me. I''d know it and notice the difference.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Hi,

I noticed that you picked yellow gold settings for the diamonds. In that case I would recommend H, I, or J color (as low as you are comfortable going). Diamonds face up whiter in yellow gold, and a lot of people on this board are setting J''s and K''s in platinum anyway. Also, SI1 or SI2 clarity is fine for earrings. Most people suggest dropping color and clarity a bit for earrings to save money and up size, since they aren''t "on display" as much as an engagement ring. So if you decided on G/VS2 for your engagement ring, I''d recommend H-I SI1-SI2 for your earrings.

One thing I''ve noticed about BlueNile is that most of the pairs of diamonds they offer for building your own diamond studs are different colors, even when you find two well-matched stones independently of the same color. My theory is that they know that you''ll come up with a minimum color that you''re comfortable with, so if you are then forced to buy a diamond of one color grade higher, you''ll spend more money.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

By all means match up the stones yourself. Like Lien, I''d want the diameters to be very close to the same, and I''d want the tables sizes to be close. And yes, I''d want both to be the same color. I didn''t find the automatic matching to be very helpful as I can do a better match myself. I would not consider SI2 from a vendor who does not have the stones in-house, because you don''t know if the inclusions are visible or not. I didn''t realize you were looking at Blue Nile, but the prices are a little better at some of the other vendors. I am going to list a few nice pairs for you that I found in my search (omitting the pair I am most interested in myself!!!)

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/Compare_Diamonds.aspx?idnos=26887,26899

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/stud1441cttwgvs12/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2400/
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2250/

 

[phoenixgirl]

Here are some pairs I might look into (sorry to DiamondSeeker2006 if we stumble upon your pair -- feel free to call dibs!):

Good Old Gold:
0.82 H SI1 and 0.83 H SI2 1.65ctw for $6471

James Allen:
0.90 I SI2 and 0.92 H SI2 (check clarity on that one) 1.82ctw for $7439
(The diameter is actually a little bigger on the 0.90 stone, so you never can tell if stones will match just based on weight)

White Flash:
0.77 I SI1 ACA and 0.78 I SI1 ACA 1.55ctw for $5258
0.76 H SI2 ACA and 0.76 H SI1 ACA 1.52ctw for $5383

BlueNile:
0.92 I SI1 and 0.93 H SI1 1.85ctw for $7944
I like the pavilion angle in the H stone better than in the I, but again, in earrings you don't have to be completely nitpicky.
The I above with another 0.92 I SI1 1.84ctw for $7712
0.91 H SI1 and 0.92 G SI1 1.83 ctw for $7995
0.80 G VS2 AGS0 and 0.81 G VS2 AGS0 1.61ctw for $7179
0.84 G SI1 and 0.84 H SI1 1.68ctw for $6563

With BlueNile, they have the certs of the stones listed right there. After you've determined that the diameters somewhat match and that the stones aren't too deep (I'd eliminate anything over 62.5 or so since your stone will have a smaller diameter then), then you can look at the certs and plug the numbers into the Holloway Cut Advisor to get a sense of how the angles of the stone will go together. I like the numbers of the pairs I listed better than the one you listed (compare the diameter of those stones to the others listed -- you're not actually getting any extra size compared to the stones with smaller weights). If you want to stick with BlueNile, my vote is the most expensive pair I listed.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

No problem, Phoenixgirl! That was great that you gave him some more choices. You are right that he can look at SI2 with vendors like WF ot GOG because they can look at the stone and tell you if they are eye-clean or not. I would not consider it with Blue Nile, though. I have pretty much decided to go with VS2, so none of these conflict with my wish list!

 

[widget]

Lerris...hello!

I'm just popping in here, as I have on other earring threads, to defend lower clarity diamonds for studs....if they are well cut.

I'm a bona fide, card-carrying jewelry snob of the first order, and I personally wouldn't pay for VS clarity stones for the ears.

I think SI-1s are great, and in some cases well chosen superbly cut SI-2s can be just fine.

JMO!

widget

ETA: Congratulations on your twin boys! Wow!!!!

 

[Lerris]

Sorry I have not responded earlier. I was away for the weekend and didnt want my wife to see me responding

lienTN,

The present is a surprise. Wish it wasn''t so I would not be so stressed about this

Phoenixgirl,

I was actually looking at platinum for the studs. I didnt even realize the studs were using gold in that picture. Thank you, and DiamondSeeker, so much for the the selections...big help here.

Thanks widget. That is reassuring

I am guessing that many of you have purchased diamonds online before? Good experience? I was very hesitant to even entertain that due to the amount of money I am spending.

Holloway Cut Advisor recommendation is great as well. Did not even know that a tool like that existed!

Going to start looking at the links ... thanks again.

 

[Lerris]

One last question

I see that many of you purchase the stones loose? Do you then have them mounted locally? Or will these online vendors mount them for you for a price as well?

 

[Regular Guy]

Jees, I don''t know. Isn''t I1 OK? You girls aren''t even going to be looking at them, once you''re wearing them.

And, from the distance most others will see it, would they notice?

My wife is satisfied to have non now pierced ears, so the question becomes moot for me, as no one has been interested in fashioning some sort of clip on set.

Though not showing on his new web site, Jim does feature these as credible options.

 

[cutey TT]

I bought a pair of 2.25 cttw studs this year from WF and I would definitely agree with some of the PPs... If you get eye-clean SI1 stones that are ideal cut, then you''ll be more than fine. I''ve compared my SI1 earrings to my VVS2 e-ring stone many times, and just by looking at them, I really can''t tell much of a difference.

Personally, I would get G or better...mine are E and F...I would''ve liked to have gone with a pair of Gs, but I had to go with what was available at the time.

HTH

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 10/16/2006 11:14:11 AM
Author: Lerris
One last question

I see that many of you purchase the stones loose? Do you then have them mounted locally? Or will these online vendors mount them for you for a price as well?

WF, Good Old Gold, and James Allen all will set them for you. That is certainly the easiest way to do it.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/16/2006 10:30:19 AM
Author: Lerris
Sorry I have not responded earlier. I was away for the weekend and didnt want my wife to see me responding

lienTN,

The present is a surprise. Wish it wasn''t so I would not be so stressed about this

Phoenixgirl,

I was actually looking at platinum for the studs. I didnt even realize the studs were using gold in that picture. Thank you, and DiamondSeeker, so much for the the selections...big help here.

Thanks widget. That is reassuring

I am guessing that many of you have purchased diamonds online before? Good experience? I was very hesitant to even entertain that due to the amount of money I am spending.

Holloway Cut Advisor recommendation is great as well. Did not even know that a tool like that existed!

Going to start looking at the links ... thanks again.

I understand your hesitancy, I was there once too. I have now purchased from GOG and WF, with great results on both. They''re good companies.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I found this site a few months ago when my husband said I could pick out a new diamond for our anniversary. I priced stones locally and then with some of these vendors. I''m going to have to tell you that I trust Jonathan at Good Old Gold more than my local jeweler! Lol!