Diamond stud earring advice

[papdakis]

Hi, I'm looking for a pair of 1ctw diamond stud earrings. We went to a dozen stores an quite honestly we were underwhelmed. We want them to throw fire. Then only pair that really did this were the Hearts on Fire brand. I don't know if that's attributed to their cut or their superior lighting or both. The $7700 price tag was a bit difficult to swallow. I was hoping to spend about half that.

I have a few questions that perhaps you all can answer.

1. Does setting matter much? I was thinking of the classic 3 prong martini. Would a bezel effect light performance?

2. White gold or platinum? As I understand it they aren't prone to much contact so white gold should be fine.

3. Color? Looks like I can drop to a J or even K and save money. BTW we have a AGS 2ct I solitaire and the color is fine.

4. Cut? Does any particular cut produce more fire? We were looking at rounds but I'm wondering if they don't reflect enough light through the pavilion and thus don't have great fire. Maybe a different cut performs better?

5. Fire. The rounds we saw seemed to skew more towards being bright white. But they weren't 60/60 cuts. Some were in the tolk specs. Would a larger diamond produce better dire since bigger facets? Or conversely would OECs produce broader flashes of color and better fire?

 

[FightGravity]

Whiteflash ACA J/K in 3 prong white gold martinis should be half that, and would be very bright and firey!

In general, steeper crown = more fire. But it's tough to find well cut, well matched OECs - you could see what good old gold has for August vintage rounds in that size range.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

So easy! Whiteflash has ACA diamonds that will equal or exceed HoF. They are considered superideal cut stones. That is where my studs came from. When you buy loose stones to set, then they can be upgraded in the future if you wish with full credit applied to what you paid for the diamonds toward the upgraded diamonds. I have done that a couple of times!

I will look quick and show you some matched pairs!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I would recommend sticking with H or I color. I is a great value. I can see tint in stones lower than I color. Since you are going for top quality diamonds, I'd want balance in quality in all the specs. I'll show you 2 pairs with different specs.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3607504,3222844 (H VS2)

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3502497,3607501 (I VS2/SI1)

Both of these are beautiful matches. You can save around $700 going with I color if you choose. Nice deal for under $3200 with the settings! I have H color but I have friends with I color and they are equally beautiful!

Here are their martini earrings. I'd recommend white gold if there is any chance you'll ever upgrade because you won't be able to reuse your settings. I am at my final pair, so I did get platinum (but 4 prong baskets).

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

 

[papdakis]

Is it necessary to have super ideal or even ideal cuts for earrings? How important are matched pairs? Under normal viewing situations I really couldn't see the star patterning.

I think we would prefer broader flashes of color than the smaller pin points. Since the head can remain fairly static in position you don't quite get the same level of dancing scintillation that you do with a ring. Thus I was wondering if OECs might be better but alas we haven't seen any OEC earrings to say.

 

[Gypsy]

I would go with J's. If you have an I in a ring stone, there is no reason for higher in earrings.

The ACA/ES line has an upgrade policy. SO that's something to consider.

Cut is what makes the diamonds sparkle. And earrings get dirty easily, so keep them very clean (clean once a week at least).

 

[Gypsy]

These are great:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/diamond-pairs-details.aspx?Diamond1=3265496&Diamond2=3607502
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/diamond-pairs-details.aspx?Diamond1=3372510&Diamond2=3577076



I'd personally go for these though. http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/diamond-pairs-details.aspx?Diamond1=3502515&Diamond2=3502516 I like K's for earrings.

 

[VRBeauty]

A bezel can affect light performance if the walls are too "tall", but that's less of a concern with a 1/2 carat stone than a smaller one.

I have a pair of WF studs set in their 8-prong martini setting. I absolutely love that setting - it's comfortable and fits into the lobe nicely, and it looks great. Since most brick and mortar stores sell only 4-prong baskets, it's also distinctive. Can you tell I'm a big fan of this setting? (I also have a pair of 3-prong martini earrings. They - to me - are a more minimalist, sophisticated look. But I prefer the 8-prongs.)