earrings recommendation

[AnnH]

This week I''ve been learning about diamonds from this forum and Periscope site, and am now bogging down with too much information....or not enough. I''m a small player here compared to many of you, and this involves earrings, not rings.

I''m looking for a MA grad present for my daughter, which she agreed could be diamond earrings. I understand the importance of cut first and polish so searches turn up Hearts & Arrows.
But I want to keep this all under $1800 so the likely size is about .4 carats, H, ideal polish/symmetry, VS2-SI1, which seem to put each diamond in the $680-800 range.

One forum member commented that y''all have fun digging around for a good combo of idealscope, HCA, and angles. I don''t plan to have an independent appraisal for this size purchase so an AGS report becomes more attractive--hopefully this is correct. And that if a diamond has pretty good HCA and Idealscope it will look great. Just what those are, I''m still learning.

Would y''all have fun with this smaller-scale challenge?

- From info so far, I don''t fully understand how much to compromise on cut & polish & clarity for a larger diamond.
- or how different one diamond can be to the other and still "match".
- I don''t know if .4 is just too small for earrings to consider diamonds at all.
- Is martini setting much better than 4-prong?

I''d appreciate your wide experience and specific stone recommendations.

 

[Skippy123]

Hi Anne, Welcome to Pricescope. I am went and tried on some studs tonight; the only question I can answer is the martini vs 4 prong. I think it might be a personal preference but the martini let a lot of light in so they sparkle more to me. I also think the martini's make them look bigger.

 

[Ellen]

Hi Ann, lovely gift!

Unless upgrading is important (these can't be upgraded) , here's a nice pair. Choose WG., .50.These are very well cut stones!

http://www.whiteflash.com/golden-wardrobe/Gold_Details.aspx?ItemCode=WFER-22641-Set&CategID=54

I have martinis and love them!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Here''s a pair:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1213067.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1213061.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

James Allen has many stones to choose from in this price range and size. If you''d like to pay a little less or get a little bigger size, you might consider I color stones as well.

 

[AnnH]

Thank you all for your comments and input. I''ll check them out.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 7/24/2009 1:14:10 PM
Author: AnnH
Thank you all for your comments and input. I''ll check them out.

Hi Ann,

Here is a good tutorial for you to read up on ASET and Idealscope images.

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance

 

[geckodani]

Date: 7/22/2009 9:06:49 PM
Author:AnnH

Would y'all have fun with this smaller-scale challenge?

- From info so far, I don't fully understand how much to compromise on cut & polish & clarity for a larger diamond.
- or how different one diamond can be to the other and still 'match'.
- I don't know if .4 is just too small for earrings to consider diamonds at all.
- Is martini setting much better than 4-prong?

I'd appreciate your wide experience and specific stone recommendations.

Hi Ann!

You've gotten some great reccomendations so far, and I just thought I'd add my 2 cents.

1. As far as what to compromise on, and how different diamonds can be, my reccomendation would be to go with a pair that's been prematched, such as the ones that were linked to you earlier. It's a personal preference on my part, but I'd rather trust a professional to make sure my stones are as much twins as possible!

I've seen people put together absolutely stunning pairs of earrings from separate stones, with different color grades, clarity, even slightly different sizes. But for the most part, unless I was dealing with 2 stones from the same branded line, I'd be wary. So best to go with the prematched sets, or have a vendor match them for you, IMO.

.4 isn't small at all! There are many lovely and substantial pairs of studs floating around this forum around that size (I'll see if I can dig up a pic or two).

I personally prefer the martini settings. This is a personal preference issue though. Some people, myself included, like the way the 3 prong martinis snuggle into the piercings. I like my stones to sit as close to my ear as possible. Others prefer the 4 prong feel, as they sit a little higher on the ear.

ETA: I don't think you're a small scale player, especially considering the fact that my last two purchases had a combined budget of under $600 and resulted in .33 carats total.

ETAA: Try this thread for a bunch of studs: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-diamond-studs.51981/

 

[AnnH]

Thanks for the comments and the stud photo thread -- very useful to note ear lobe size is a factor. Trying size at a store out before purchase seems essential to determine the right size.

 

[geckodani]

Date: 7/26/2009 8:50:25 PM
Author: AnnH
Thanks for the comments and the stud photo thread -- very useful to note ear lobe size is a factor. Trying size at a store out before purchase seems essential to determine the right size.

Definitely. It can also help determine what setting you want.

 

[Gypsy]

I am in the process of buying studs and I have to say, trying them on in different settings and sizes is so important.

I was actually looking for diamond earrings for a while and wanted hoops originally but in the process of trying all different types of earrings I realized my ears are pierced strangely and I need earrings that sit snuggly againt my lobes.

.4 each is actually a really nice size, and around the size I'm getting (though I'm going for lower color and clarity than you are)... once I saw them on my own ears I was really quite surprised out how much presence they have. And the ones I tried on (Maul store) were not even withing sniffing distance of ideal cut (good lighting in the store though).

I would definitely consider "I" colored diamonds, if it were me (but hten I'm buying K's

)