Help, diamond stud wearers! What is too big, or best size?

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Help, diamond stud wearers! What is too big, or best si

To answer your question, yes, DSS sets in very quickly even with studs! My vote is to get another stone to match your 1.1 - that size looks perfect in your ear. I can't remember who said this (I think it may have been diamondseeker or yssie), but she said that she wasn't totally happy with her studs until they totaled the approximately carat weight of their center ering stones. I COMPLETELY agree.

I originally started out with 1ctw studs that I immediately felt were too small. Within just a few months, I moved up to 1.65ctw which I wore and liked, but still felt they were too small. When I finally upgraded to my 2.41ctw, it felt just perfect! My center stone is 2.40, so the studs look like the perfect complimenting size. I will say that I have big earlobes, so I think my 2.4ctw studs look more like 2ctw. Either way, they are blingy enough that they are visible with my hair down, but they really sparkle when my hair is pulled back.

You may have mentioned this, but how do you like the 1.1? Now that you've seen it in your ear (and assuming that you liked the size), I think to get anything smaller would be disappointing, that is unless you thought the 1.1 was ridiculously too big!

I can't wait to see what you decide!

Well, I have been known to say one way to decide on size of studs is to have their total weight equal the e-ring center stone! And I do think maybe Yssie confirmed that that was true for her! I actually think studs can be any size as long as each one is smaller than the e-ring stone since it would look pretty weird for a diamond earring to be larger than the engagement ring!

The funny think about my "rule" was that for a time I had a 1.5-1.6 ct e-ring and my studs were 1.5 and now 1.6 ctw. Great! But then I upgraded to a 2.3 ct e-ring, and now my formula isn't working! The problem is, to go from .80 each to 1.0 each, the cost is about DOUBLE!!!! So to go from 6mm to 6.5mm and have to pay double is just nuts to me. So don't look for me to upgrade studs anytime soon!

 

[LLJsmom]

Re: Help, diamond stud wearers! What is too big, or best si

Since your getting your ears pierced for the first time It might make sense to start the old envelope system an squirrel money away for a year. Your 1.1 very good cut earring is just fine for studs since you already have the one earring. As stated you have other projects. So let your ears wear starters for the year of hoops after healing an then save the bu cks for the matching earring

Thanks Heididdl. You are definitely among the majority in that opinion. Save $$ for the matching. Ok, I think that does make a lot of sense. I just sometimes need reassurance.

 

[LLJsmom]

Re: Help, diamond stud wearers! What is too big, or best si

Thanks everyone for your varying experiences and opinions. It's so great to hear all kinds of perspectives. So today I am actually going to get the piercing done. My 8 year old daughter might consider it but she has a very LOW pain threshold, thoroughly wimpy like her mommy. . I think I will be required to get the standard mall 14 carat starters. I don't know if they can use anything else. I think I might be allergic since my holes never healed up when I was young. But who knows?? Maybe it was only because I was irresponsible about cleaning.

re: aftercare, this stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009F79EQ/
SERIOUSLY.

Cut a cotton ball in half, saturate it in the H2Ocean, pull it apart, and wrap around your ear. I had half inch steel studs with balls on the end so I could snip a little hole in each side and hang it on the earring, lol. I let it sit 10 minutes three times a day. Before I got that, my left ear just would not heal and it was really awful. Once I got that, it healed right up. Even with that, I went another two months before I could comfortably change earrings. Altogether, from when I first got my ears pierced to when I could comfortably change out earrings it was a year and a month (I had to let the left one grow in and then get it repierced because they didn't match and it drove me crazy). By which time I could afford to buy antique 1.2 cttw diamond earrings without getting the husband involved, lol.

I like idea #3, getting the CZ one. You could always have your jeweler engrave the one that has the CZ in it so you'll know which one it is.

I think you could definitely get .7ish cttw for under 1k at the gem show, especially if looking at antiques. I'd just look and see what catches your fancy.

Distracts, you rock!! I am ordering this stuff NOW. Thank you SOOOOO much!! And I am impressed and amazed that you stuck it out, and kept trying to make it work until it finally did. I won't give up so quickly now. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[LLJsmom]

Re: Help, diamond stud wearers! What is too big, or best si

I certainly think 1 ct stones are appropriate with the size of your e-ring and for daily wear. But, I have to say that unless your original diamond is ideal cut (or GIA Ex), I would have it recut and then match the other stone. It would drive me nuts to not have the stones match, and I surely wouldn't buy less than ideal cut for the newly purchased stone. I have my original 1 ct diamond but it is not cut well enough that I'd be happy using it, and it would lose too much weight to recut. So I will say that a lot depends on the cut of the current diamond. I also see nothing wrong with the .75 stones and buy halo jackets for those when you want more bling. I do not really think you have room for jackets with the 1.1 ct stone.

DS, your comment really made me think. My current 1.1 is so old that they did not even list the three categories of cut on the GIA report. I just know the cut is Very Good. It's very sparkly to me, as sparkly as the 3x ering, but that may be because the ering stone is much bigger than the 1.1. If I bought a new stone, I would want to get it from BGD or WF. If at that point I noticed that the 1.1 is way less sparkly, I could have BGD recut it right? I would not want it to go under 1.0. I wonder if that would even be possible. And I wonder if my DH would be hurt since that was our original stone?? But your comment is definitely something to consider...

Do you know of PSers who have had their stones recut for better performance?

Yes!!! Have it recut! I have no idea what weight it would be because it depends on how well cut it is now. He would evaluate it before doing anything. It would still be the stone your husband gave you, just better! Such as if you get a new haircut or color your hair or lose weight! It's still you!

Seriously, though, I was given a 1 ct diamond that had once belonged to my great grandmother and then went to my mother. The cut was pretty bad although it looked fine in a ring. I sent it to BG because I wanted it to be ideal cut before I would reset and wear it. Because the cut was pretty bad, it went from 1.0 to .80. You are lucky because yours is 1.1 and you have a little room to work with. I am sure he'd try to keep it above 1 ct, but worst case scenario, if it went to .90 or .95, you wouldn't have to spend as much on the matched stone!

To your other question, under no circumstances would I buy a smaller pair of diamonds to wear while you save for the new diamond. I'd buy a pair of matching cz studs to wear until you buy the match and then have your old stone set at the same time. I would not try to wear one diamond and one cz. You'd come out cheaper just buying the temp pair with cz's.

You probably have already gotten the ear pierced by now, but when they did my daughter's ear, they used surgical stainless steel. I would not use white gold if you were allergic before. (Or I may have misread that)

Hi DS, probably should have read this post before I said go. But hopefully I wasn't allergic, maybe just irresponsible. I did end up getting white gold. And I chose blingy CZ, about the same size as a 1.1, a little bigger actually. There was nothing else close. Now I do get to see how quickly DSS sets in, if it ever does. And it happened just as you predicted, getting the CZs as my piercing earrings. Thanks again for all the thoughtful advice and letting me know about my recutting options.