Diamond stud advice- What color, clarity, cut and even carat

[veble]

So I got my fiance a 1.5ct e-ring and now she wants some diamond earrings to match. Said she prefers studs but aside from that she has no preference except for WG or platinum setting so they match her ring.

I don't even know what carat size to look for. Luckily for me she wants them to be pretty small so maybe .5-.75 stones. But earrings seem to be listed in ctw so 1-1.5ctw is what I'm looking for.

In .5ct stone can you notice the faceting pattern difference from say an OEC vs a H&A cut? I'm guessing probably not at normal viewing distances of a few feet. Would SI1 or SI2 be good since it might also be harder to discern if they are eye clean at that distance? This is provided the inclusions don't effect light performance.

What about color. You'll only ever see them face up so I-J should be okay? Also in regards to cut does any particular cut/shape perform better than others?

She told me she wants earrings that match her e-ring but when I pressed her she just wants them to be sparkly and have lots of fire. I believe the diamond I got her was a 35 or 35.5 crown and 40.8 pav and it does produce some nice flashes of fire. Should I stick with RBC with similar proportions or look at other cuts like princess? Round shape has the advantage that if it rotates in the ear it doesn't cause symmetry issues like square or rectangular shapes might but that's not too much of a concern. Fire and scintillation are most important. Either broad flashes of color or a multitude of dancing pin points.


I've already spent $20k on the ring so I'm kind tapped out ATM. I could go as high as $5k but I'd like to keep it at $3k since I still need to buy her a wedding band. Wedding is already costing $41k LOL.

 

[LLJsmom]

Re: Diamond stud advice- What color, clarity, cut and even c

Yeah, you've spent quite a bit already on your e-ring.

To keep you within budget, I would just get the preset WF 1.0 ctw in white gold. That will run you $2475. Please note that you cannot upgrade these.

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamond-earrings/3-prong-martini-diamond-earrings-304.htm

If you want a pair that is upgradeable, you would need to choose separate diamonds and have them set in your chosen setting. Since she didn't specify color, and they are for earrings, this pair of J ACAs should be bright and beautiful enough. 1.232 ctw and $3596. You can search WF for preselected pairs.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-dia...etails.aspx?Diamond1=3577076&Diamond2=3607512

 

[ADN]

Re: Diamond stud advice- What color, clarity, cut and even c

Hey mate – I can’t tell you what colour/clarity/size/etc. to get – that’s up to you - but I can try to give you a few pointers.

For studs, within Australia, the most popular setting option by far is 18k gold. Since you’ve indicated that the colour of the material to be used is to match the ring, white gold should be fine - - and since most 18k white gold in Aus isn’t used with nickel anymore, you shouldn’t have to worry about skin irritation.

The most common settings are claws (prongs) or bezel. There are variations on the number of claws (3/4/6) and it is ultimately dictated by what is aesthetically pleasing, and your/her personal preference. A bezel or rub-over setting surrounds the diamond in metal.

For holding the earrings on, there are two preferred stud back options. Butterfly backs (friction backs) are the most common type of earring backings (I tend to recommend a double push back). Screw backs are earring backs that function in a similar way to a nut and bolt; the back of the earring is screwed into a post for extra security. I’ll leave it to others on PS to guide you in they’re preferences/experiences in which backs to go with. Unfortunately there is no guarantee with any earring backing, so be sure that your insurance covers any accidental loss or damage.

With stud earrings, the diamonds themselves are much more important than in other diamond earring styles as the entire ‘look’ depends on how well they return light to the viewers’ eye.

Colour is an important factor, and if budget allows, try to stay within the ‘near colourless’ or ‘colourless’ range. It might be nice to stay within her engagement ring diamond colour (+/- a colour grade or two).

When speaking about the diamond carat weight for studs, you’re correct, they’re referred to as the total combined carat weight. So you might see 2=1ct advertised for $X. In Aus, you’ll often see ‘minimum tdw’ (or a variation) - there are laws governing carat weights that vendors advertise to ensure they meet a minimum. It’s also common to have 2 stones with slightly different ct weights in a set of studs. For example, if a vendor sells a pair of studs at 2=1ct ‘minimum tdw’ you might end up with a 0.50ct & a 0.52ct. The carat weight you settle on will ultimately be determined by your budget, keeping in mind that you can always tweak any of the other 3Cs in order to adjust as needed.

It is very important that your diamonds have been matched for mm size. Diameter needs to be close enough that you won’t see any noticeable size difference. But you don’t have to be too pedantic as there will be a head in between - - a good guideline is within 1/10th of a mm – so for example, a 5.05mm would be fine paired with a 5.12mm. It’s also important to make sure that table size & depth are pretty close to each other.

Many people decide that clarity is not as important as size and colour. As long as they are relatively eye clean, you can sacrifice a clarity grade or two to make an improvement in colour or carat weight. It is also acceptable for diamond studs to have a clarity/colour range as opposed to matching the exact grades for both. For example, you could have a lovely set of 2=1ct made with 1xF SI2 & 1xG SI1 -- what’s important is that side-by-side there isn’t a noticeable difference.
A 1/2ct stone is going to have a diameter of approx. 5.1mm, so again, it really depends on aesthetics/budget/etc. as to what size to get.

So really, in my opinion, there is not one characteristic over another when pairing the stones – it’s about matching the overall combination of features (cut/table size/mm diameter/colour/etc.)
Sorry for the post length...it sorta got away from me...
Hope this helps

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Diamond stud advice- What color, clarity, cut and even c

I would only do upgradable ones. There are no rules when it comes to studs, but one easy way to choose size is to have the total weight of the studs equal the weight of the engagement ring diamond. So in her case, a good goal eventually would be 1.5 ctw. I can understand not being able to do that now, so you could start with 1 ctw and upgrade for an anniversary. I will tell you that diamond prices are relatively low right now, so it is a good time to buy. Ideal cut rounds are simply going to be more bright and brilliant on the ears than most OECs, so I recommend sticking with brilliant cuts.

I prefer platinum settings, but only when you reach the final pair because you won't be able to reuse your smaller settings when you upgrade. So go with white gold 4 prong baskets or 3 prong martinis, whichever she likes best.

Here actually are two perfect stones right close to the amount you want to spend now. Then as I said, you can upgrade them to a larger size later. Whiteflash has a great upgrade policy (they allow the total diamond cost now to apply to any higher price stones in the future.) The settings are $195. (I recommend I color and SI1 clarity.)

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3607507.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3502504.htm