First Time Buyer...Little Help?

[adelmams]

Hi, I have been reading this site, which has thankfully steered me away from the diamond district, but I still need a little help. I am looking to spend around $1,000 on some Diamond Stud earings for my wife. I have kind of narrowed it down to James Allen or WhiteFlash. My questions are this, first, am I better off getting the pre-made studs, or "building my own". My second question is how big a difference would say .1 in total carat weight make? Should I splurge for a little more? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Mike

 

[Kaleigh]

With your budget going with the premade studs will be your best bet. Building your own will most likely cost you more than your budget. I would also tell you to get them set in the martini-style setting. It''s a 3 prong setting and really shows off the stones well. All you see is sparkle. Go for sets that are H-J in color, these stones being ideal cuts will show little color and go for SI1-2 clarity. Good luck!!

 

[belle]

hey mike

ditto everything kaleigh said. i wouldn''t go above i/j si stones and you can save by getting pre-made sets. the martini setting is a great way to show off sparkle.

 

[adelmams]

Thanks for the advice. So to follow up, would you recommend getting a slightly smaller TCW and getting the martini setting, or getting the biggest diamonds I can afford? I am not sure why there is such a price difference, but there seems to be. My thought is that I go for the bigger stones, and then I can alway change the setting. What do you think?

PS I am now thinking I need to spend close to $1200 to max out in my price range.

Thanks

 

[belle]

what are the options and prices you are looking at?

 

[adelmams]

Here are a few of the options I am looking at:

http://www.jamesallen.com/item.asp?cid=76&jewelry=1&item=301
Martini
Number of Round diamonds: 2
Minimum carat total weight: 0.75
Average color: H
Average clarity: SI1


http://www.whiteflash.com/golden-wardrobe/Gold_Details.aspx?ItemCode=WFER-4R-Set&size=
WFER-4RWG-080 $1,190.00 Four Prong
Expertly Selected pairs of apprx 0.80ctTW (4.70mm) ideal cut diamonds I SI set in 14K white gold

and

http://www.whiteflash.com/Fine-jewelry/Diamond_Studs/Expert-Selection-Ready-set-to-GO_950.htm
WFER-2264-Set-WG070 $1,135.00 Martini
Expertly Selected pairs of apprx 0.70ct TW (4.45mm) ideal cut diamonds G VS set in heavy 3 prong martini basket. 14k White gold

Let me know what you think. Thanks again for your help!

Mike

 

[MissAva]

I would go for the four prong, the size diffrence will be visable. I have four prong studs and love them!

 

[belle]

argh! that is a tough decision! i would still go with the martini settings...they are that much better than the big bulky basket setting. you aren't going to notice that much of a difference in size if you don't compare them side by side.

 

[adelmams]

OK let me throw one more monkey wrench into this thing. I clicked on the Spencer and Spencer link from this site and found I could get for $1319

.9 TCW
EGL Certified
SI2 Clarity
Ideal Cut
H Color
Martini Setting

Or many other combinations. The question is since the ones from Whitefire and James Allen don''t appear to be certified at all, is EGL that bad a certification?

Anyhow sorry to be such a bother for what may seem like such a small purchase for some of you, but it is a big one for me!

Thanks again
Mike

 

[belle]

you are not a bother at all mike, that''s what we''re here for.

whiteflash and james allen are both reputable companies, i would not hesitate purchasing ready set studs from them. whatever they guarantee the color clarity to be, you can be assured that''s what it is. spencer and spencer is a brand new vendor on this site and i don''t know anything about their quality. it looks like they have a good return policy, so you can always order the earrings and if you don''t like them, send them back.

 

[adelmams]

So i was thinking I would try Spencer''s because they have the discount for pricescope, and because it seemed I could get the most bang for my buck in a Martini setting. I picked my diamonds online, and then called to make sure the EGL cert was from the US. When I called they said they didn''t have those diamonds any more and suggested a different pair which is not listed on the website all. So is this unusual? Should I be concerned? BTW they did say all the EGL certs were from the US.

Mike

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 12/7/2005 8:50:18 AM
Author: adelmams
So i was thinking I would try Spencer''s because they have the discount for pricescope, and because it seemed I could get the most bang for my buck in a Martini setting. I picked my diamonds online, and then called to make sure the EGL cert was from the US. When I called they said they didn''t have those diamonds any more and suggested a different pair which is not listed on the website all. So is this unusual? Should I be concerned? BTW they did say all the EGL certs were from the US.


Mike

Are the ones you were looking at still on the website?
Where the ones they told you about more expensive?
With a lot of online vendors the website can lag the stock by a little.
but if they were sold a month ago and they are still up it could be a bad thing.
Dont know enough about the company to say much.

 

[adelmams]

I got the earrings today! I ended up going with the Whiteflash 3 prong martini setting expert select .8tcw in white gold. They were a little bit more than I was hoping to spend, but well worth it. They look great! To my inexperienced eye they appear to be colorless and without inclusions, and the cut is extremely sparkly! My thanks to WF and to everyone here for there suggestions. I can''t wait until Christmas to give the to my wife!

Mike

 

[gailrmv]

Your wife is so lucky! I am sure she will love them!!
Will you post a picture?