Help choosing 2tcw earrings!?

[JulieA]

HI-
I am new to this site and have read practically everything! LOTS of info, yet still I feel clueless about making a purchase.

Can someone help? I am looking for 2tcw round studs in 3 prong 14 k WG setting. I want them to be around 2.0tcw and they don't need to be exact 2.0- maybe a shade bigger or smaller. I understand for earrings they don't need to be 4 c's perfect, but for ones of this size (2tcw) should be better than H color and S12 clarity. Now- I can find hundreds of earrings in these catagories! I also understand that cut is most important so I guess I only want pair that are ideal, excellent, or whatever rating report says the BEST cut. It gets more confusing when some sites have special cut grades ABOVE ideal, yet in forum chats I have learned that this does not necessarily promise fabulous glimmer and sparkle. The bottom line is I understand for earrings I don't need perfection- but I want a pair that really sparkle!!! All the different ways to rate stones is overwhelming! I can understand if I was staring at a ring all day- but how picky do I need to be for special earrings? If the 4c's are equal and price differences minimal- should I base decision on pavilion depth (I know 43.1% is best, but some sites don't give this info or it is cumbersome to find 2 single diamonds that will make a good matched pair). Any advice is appreciated. I have become paralyzed with so much info, but I am ready to buy!!!

 

[justjulia]

I''m sure others will have more to say than I can on this, but basically I would advise that usually you can purchase the diamonds individually and have them mounted, or as a premounted pair. Premounted are usually less expensive (and may be lower in some quality areas than ering caliber but still quite beautiful), but you must see if your place of purchase will upgrade them applying the purchase amount (some places do not) should you ever want to upgrade. Having said that, 2ctw is a generous size and you may not want to consider ever upgrading. Where I purchased mine, I can upgrade my preset ones, and I like that.

 

[JulieA]

HI-
I don''t plan on upgrading since I will love 2tcw for life. I own smaller princess cut that I have worn everyday for 7+ years so this next pair will be my upgrade. So nervous about buying at typical store because stories about B &M are awful- it seems you can get even more trusted purchase these days on web. I am also going to S. Africa next month so considered getting there- but people tell me diamond prices are pretty consistant all over world so don''t need to see wasted opportunity if not buy in S. Africa.
I am totally fine with your idea of buying 2 loose and having them set to my tatse afterwards.

 

[justjulia]

I am sure there are people here who can tell you what and where to buy your stones from. Please post your pics when you are done!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

This is a fun project! Here are some ideas:

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/Compare_Diamonds.aspx?idnos=312257,312254 (this pair would be 5% less with wire and PriceScope discounts)

or this with one of those:

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/Diamond_Details.aspx?idno=283310

or these two:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3042/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3291/

Both of these vendors can set the stones in 3 prong settings for you!

 

[justjulia]

Oh, and watch out for that diamond shrinkage syndrome! Even with earrings, you may want to go even bigger some day! Mine are 2ctw and I find myself wondering what bigger would look like. But really, 2ctw are a great size. Good luck!

 

[Sundial]

Welcome to pricescope! What an exciting project for you!!! I have 2.5 ct. total weight studs in 3 prong martini settings and I wear them everyday. They are H SI2 (eye clean) ideal cut purchased from a local jeweler so you can find nice ones locally, but Diamondseeker has shown you some terrific options. I would grab that pair from Whiteflash in a second! H color and SI1 or SI2 diamonds should be fine for earrings.

 

[JulieA]

Recommendations all seem beautiful- but if cut, color, clarity,etc are the same.... What do look at for final factor between one or other when price is similar, too? Should I focus on amount of red in ideal scope? Or numeric indicator like table/ depth/ pavillion depth, etc? Honestly- when I get them will I really be able to tell with naked eye if they look any better or different from one another? When spending so much money- I just want to be SURE.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

All the stones I posted are top quality cuts, so you won' t find enough difference in the idealscopes to help you decide. Look at the prices with the WF discount (GOG tells you the discount on the actual diamond webpage) and see which pair would cost less. I have bought from both and they are both great. MY studs are from WF and they do have a nice selection of mountings that you can see on their site, and GOG can get anything you want, I'm sure.

(ETA: Looks like the prices are close to the same! I don't see you going wrong with either set. Lucky you to have two nice piars to choose from!)

 

[justjulia]

I would call the vendors mentioned above and ask them. I would hope a seller would be there for me when I go about asking about an important purchase--it''s all about customer service...if you can have an honest open conversation with them , then you are on your way to a good experience overall.

Also, you might want to go look at local stores. Some people like to sit down and compare stones side by side with their eyes.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Both of those vendors are great, have great customer service, and all the stones are hearts and arrows..top 1% of diamonds. This is really one easy decision!

 

[JulieA]

Thanks for all the help- i am going to call GOG and WF to see who gives me the best feeling. Seem like no one thinks I need to pay more money for stones with better color or clarity than H, SI1. Right?

I would love to see diamonds in person to compare- but with so much info about these sites on web- it seems VERY trusted. Also afraid if I go into a store- I will fall in love with larger and, of course, more expensive pair!

YEA!!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Mine are H VS2. The clarity is just a mental thing for me because of past bad experiences of getting worse clarity than I was told. But those were uncertified stones. I think you''re fine with SI1, and H is great for earrings! They look very bright and white!

 

[snlee]

Welcome to PS Julie! I agree that well cut, H, SI1's would look great for earrings!

 

[JulieA]

Since you mentioned it- now I am nervouse about VS2 compared to SI1. The earrings at GOG and WF that were suggested above look great- but at least one in each pair has inclusions seen in the middle of the diamond. Should I wait to find a pair that if graded SI1, only have clouds or whatever way over on the edges if the diamond? I found another website called www. diamondstudsonly.com and they have GIA rated diamonds that supposedly are "ideal", but when you look closer at the certificates, the cut might only be "very good" instead of excellent. Regardless of color and clarity- the best looking ones will have a cut grade of excellent rather than very good- right??? Or am I getting the GIA, AGS best cut terminology confused?