diamond stud advice?

[kokoro]

hi all!

Great forum! I love you guys!

Wanted to get some basic advice. I've been researching with all the great topics but wanted to get another overall consensus.

I'm looking for diamond studs for my wife's earrings. I was thinking of getting a four prong basket setting . . . maybe 1 to 1.2 tcw.


Basically (like everyone's I'm sure) is to get a nice sparkle!

I've read I should minimally get a H color, eye clean S1.

Thinking friction backing vs. la pousette?

White gold vs. platinum?

My price range - 3K to 4K

Whiteflash gave me these options:

What do you all think?

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=2680232,2632510


Thanks so much!

Mikev

 

[yrrp3738]

I just got a pair of 1.2 cttw recently. F/SI1 and G/SI2. F/SI1 from WF. They are very sparkling and I wear them everyday. WF's 4-prong basket is bulky. I returned the setting and ended up getting the earrings setup in local store. Screw back. I believe both the local and WF ordered their settings from Stuller. But the local store thinned the prongs for me and set it lower as I required. WF charged $50 more for screw back. Hope this help.

 

[kokoro]

thanks for the reply!

what are your thoughts about martini setting vs. four prong

may i inquire the price (or ballpark)

 

[shortee78]

thanks for the reply!

what are your thoughts about martini setting vs. four prong

may i inquire the price (or ballpark)

Hi Kokoro, I had both martini settings from WF and four prong settings from a local jeweler and I prefer the four prongs. The 3 prongs made the earrings look like triangles due to bulky prongs.

I got my four prong settings at a local jeweler. They ordered them for about $95 in white gold (this was in 2010), and then had them set low with delicate prongs.

 

[yrrp3738]

I heard from local store and from PSers that Martini can enlarge the hole so I was determined from beginning to have 4-prong basket. My local store charged me $260 for 14k setting from Stuller including labor. They did a wonderful job (to make sure not so much metal can be seen) and the earrings look very pretty. My whole budget was <$4000. 0.6 F/SI1 ES from WF and 0.59 G/Si2 True Heart from Jame Allen. I can't tell which one is which. To be honest, they are bigger than I expected. I think 0.45-0.5 each will fit me better. And they are very white and so bling-bling. I struggled a few days between screw back and friction (and Stuller's friction back 4-prong-basket is light weight). Finally decided on screw back since my smaller pair has screw back and I had no issue with that.