Help me choose - WF ACA studs 1.4 vs. 1.8

[segk415]

Hi,

I would love some advice in choosing a pair (my first!) of diamond studs. Originally I was going to go with a pair of 2.04 ctw studs at a local wholesale jeweler for $5950. After doing (much) more research, I've come to realize I'd prefer certified diamonds that really sparkle. I have spent a lot of time on WF and leaning towards ACAs that will really give the sparkle I'm looking for. If I'm trying to stay within my original budget, I'd likely need to downgrade to ~1.45 ctw. The nice thing is the WF lifetime upgrade, so if I end up regretting the smaller size or growing out of them, I can always upgrade later. The other options are to go above budget at 1.8 ctw for ~$8500-9000. I really think 2.0 ctw is out of my budget with ACAs but I could (with your help!) find something for 2.0 within that range that still sparkles from another site. I'm ok with H, I, or J color, VS2, S11 or S12. Really want to focus on the cut.


Any help/experience/personal stories of similar situations would be much appreciated! Here is a link to the ~1.4 and ~1.8 options on WF.

1.4:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare/?idnos=4383161,4336468

1.8

Diamond pair details | Complete characteristics for chosen diamond pair

The most carefully chosen diamond pair. Every diamond is unique, but we choose the most similar diamond pair

www.whiteflash.com

 

[distracts]

Hi,

I would love some advice in choosing a pair (my first!) of diamond studs. Originally I was going to go with a pair of 2.04 ctw studs at a local wholesale jeweler for $5950. After doing (much) more research, I've come to realize I'd prefer certified diamonds that really sparkle. I have spent a lot of time on WF and leaning towards ACAs that will really give the sparkle I'm looking for. If I'm trying to stay within my original budget, I'd likely need to downgrade to ~1.45 ctw. The nice thing is the WF lifetime upgrade, so if I end up regretting the smaller size or growing out of them, I can always upgrade later. The other options are to go above budget at 1.8 ctw for ~$8500-9000. I really think 2.0 ctw is out of my budget with ACAs but I could (with your help!) find something for 2.0 within that range that still sparkles from another site. I'm ok with H, I, or J color, VS2, S11 or S12. Really want to focus on the cut.


Any help/experience/personal stories of similar situations would be much appreciated! Here is a link to the ~1.4 and ~1.8 options on WF.

1.4:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare/?idnos=4383161,4336468

1.8

Diamond pair details | Complete characteristics for chosen diamond pair

The most carefully chosen diamond pair. Every diamond is unique, but we choose the most similar diamond pair

www.whiteflash.com

Ok - while I don't ever want to counsel people to go out of their budget - the 1.4 cttw pair is very nice, a good size, and I'm sure you'll be happy with it - but the 1.8 cttw pair IS going to be noticeably larger. Whether that is something you can or want to pay for is up to you, but if you can afford it and think that might be your "forever" size, you may just want to do it. However if you know you will eventually want to upgrade to get over 2 cttw, or would struggle to afford the extra size now, the 1.4 cttw pair is certainly going to be great.

 

[segk415]

Hi,

I would love some advice in choosing a pair (my first!) of diamond studs. Originally I was going to go with a pair of 2.04 ctw studs at a local wholesale jeweler for $5950. After doing (much) more research, I've come to realize I'd prefer certified diamonds that really sparkle. I have spent a lot of time on WF and leaning towards ACAs that will really give the sparkle I'm looking for. If I'm trying to stay within my original budget, I'd likely need to downgrade to ~1.45 ctw. The nice thing is the WF lifetime upgrade, so if I end up regretting the smaller size or growing out of them, I can always upgrade later. The other options are to go above budget at 1.8 ctw for ~$8500-9000. I really think 2.0 ctw is out of my budget with ACAs but I could (with your help!) find something for 2.0 within that range that still sparkles from another site. I'm ok with H, I, or J color, VS2, S11 or S12. Really want to focus on the cut.


Any help/experience/personal stories of similar situations would be much appreciated! Here is a link to the ~1.4 and ~1.8 options on WF.

1.4:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare/?idnos=4383161,4336468

1.8

Diamond pair details | Complete characteristics for chosen diamond pair

The most carefully chosen diamond pair. Every diamond is unique, but we choose the most similar diamond pair

www.whiteflash.com

Adding photos: 1.4 ctw (3 prong photo) and 2.04 ctw (4 prong) on my ears

 

[segk415]

Ok - while I don't ever want to counsel people to go out of their budget - the 1.4 cttw pair is very nice, a good size, and I'm sure you'll be happy with it - but the 1.8 cttw pair IS going to be noticeably larger. Whether that is something you can or want to pay for is up to you, but if you can afford it and think that might be your "forever" size, you may just want to do it. However if you know you will eventually want to upgrade to get over 2 cttw, or would struggle to afford the extra size now, the 1.4 cttw pair is certainly going to be great.

Thank you! This is great advice - I guess I'm stuck on the "will 1.8 ctw be my forever, or will I just want to upgrade to 2 eventually" --> I added a reply with photos of 1.4 and 2.0 in my ears - would love your take on how they look size wise.

 

[tyty333]

Relative size difference between a .7 (1.4 ctw) and a .9 (1.8ctw) stone

0.7ct Round (5.77×5.77×3.48) vs 0.9ct Round (6.28×6.28×3.79)

Compare 0.7 carat Round (5.77×5.77×3.48mm) vs 0.9 carat Round (6.28×6.28×3.79mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (26.15mm² vs 30.97mm²)

www.diamdb.com

Relative size difference between .9 (1.8ctw) and 1.0 (2 ctw) stone

0.9ct Round (6.28×6.28×3.79) vs 1ct Round (6.5×6.5×3.92)

Compare 0.9 carat Round (6.28×6.28×3.79mm) vs 1 carat Round (6.5×6.5×3.92mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (30.97mm² vs 33.18mm²)

www.diamdb.com

I would go with the 1.4 ctw and save for your 2.0 ctw upgrade if you want to stay in budget.

Or

If you want to go big now, go with the 1.8 ctw and then save up for your 2.0ctw.

My choice would probably be the 1.4 ctw because when you upgrade to the 2.0 ctw you are going to see a huge difference.
You wont really see too much difference to go from the 1.8 to the 2.0. Of course, you'll see some but it might not be that much
where you feel really excited about your upgrade. It really depends how your mind works .

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

First of all, congrats!!! I've been wanting a pair of ACA studs for a while. They ARE pricey! But you will be happy knowing you have the best of the best on the market.

I like the look of the larger 4 prong. But I agree that I would want to stick to budget and do the 1.4 now, enjoy the sparkle, and save up for a larger size. You could even go bigger than 2ctw later!

 

[Lookinagain]

Just curious with the jump from 1.4 to 1.8. Did you look for anything in between, like 1.6 total? Those might be closer to budget if you don't want to jump up to the price of the 1.8.

 

[segk415]

Just curious with the jump from 1.4 to 1.8. Did you look for anything in between, like 1.6 total? Those might be closer to budget if you don't want to jump up to the price of the 1.8.

I would love to find something in between, but for whatever reason it's really hard to find diamonds cut in that in between size. Otherwise, that would be the perfect solution. If you come across any, let me know!

 

[segk415]

First of all, congrats!!! I've been wanting a pair of ACA studs for a while. They ARE pricey! But you will be happy knowing you have the best of the best on the market.

I like the look of the larger 4 prong. But I agree that I would want to stick to budget and do the 1.4 now, enjoy the sparkle, and save up for a larger size. You could even go bigger than 2ctw later!

Ah, I love this idea - go for the 1.4 now and maybe by the time i upgrade i can go 2.5 or 3 I like the way you think!

 

[segk415]

Relative size difference between a .7 (1.4 ctw) and a .9 (1.8ctw) stone

0.7ct Round (5.77×5.77×3.48) vs 0.9ct Round (6.28×6.28×3.79)

Compare 0.7 carat Round (5.77×5.77×3.48mm) vs 0.9 carat Round (6.28×6.28×3.79mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (26.15mm² vs 30.97mm²)

www.diamdb.com

Relative size difference between .9 (1.8ctw) and 1.0 (2 ctw) stone

0.9ct Round (6.28×6.28×3.79) vs 1ct Round (6.5×6.5×3.92)

Compare 0.9 carat Round (6.28×6.28×3.79mm) vs 1 carat Round (6.5×6.5×3.92mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (30.97mm² vs 33.18mm²)

www.diamdb.com

I would go with the 1.4 ctw and save for your 2.0 ctw upgrade if you want to stay in budget.

Or

If you want to go big now, go with the 1.8 ctw and then save up for your 2.0ctw.

My choice would probably be the 1.4 ctw because when you upgrade to the 2.0 ctw you are going to see a huge difference.
You wont really see too much difference to go from the 1.8 to the 2.0. Of course, you'll see some but it might not be that much
where you feel really excited about your upgrade. It really depends how your mind works .

Thank you, this is great advice and really helpful to see how you can plainly see the size difference between .7 and .9 but way less so between .9 and 1.0.

I agree with you - it's all about how your mind works! I'm thinking it could be really fun to buy the 1.4 now, with less guilt, and enjoy spending a year+ looking for the perfect upgrade.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I like the 1.40 ctw pair because the diameters of the stones are well matched... just a mind thing for me when it comes to earrings no matter the total carat weight.

 

[KristinTech]

Tough decisions!

I just got a pair of 1.324 ctw ACAs this spring. 1.8-1.9 ctw would be my ultimate goal... but I just could not rationalize double to price for 1/2 mm (or so) gain in diameter. Someday I’ll have a windfall and it will not seem like much to upgrade if that’s what I want... but it was not a financial jump I wanted to take this time around. I know how hard these decisions are—it took me about a year before I decided to buy the ACAs. I went from 1.0ctw to 1.324.

 

[tyty333]

Ah, I love this idea - go for the 1.4 now and maybe by the time i upgrade i can go 2.5 or 3 I like the way you think!

Have you seen DiamondSeekers thread??? How amazing are these??? I think this was her second upgrade to get to this size.

Whiteflash ACA 3.2 ctw FINAL stud earrings: Part 2!!!

So...in 2017 I bought my final pair of ACA studs (about 2.55 ctw)!!! However, I didn't know at the time they weren't final! :lol: Out of Covid boredom I just kept checking the WF inventory over the last few months, and one day a few weeks ago I found a perfect pair of 1.6 ct H VS1/VS2 ACA...

www.pricescope.com

 

[diamondseeker2006]

WF is just low in .80-89 I and J color stones at the moment. There will be more coming in over time, but supplies were down due to Covid shutdowns. I have upgraded several times and highly recommend Whiteflash! I ended up upgrading to a larger size than I had ever imagined in the beginning, but that is the beauty of a good upgrade policy and a vendor who normally has a wide selection of stones. Either pair you posted would be a great first pair! So just put in as much money as you are comfortable with for this pair, and then you can start saving for the future upgrade! I highly recommend going with the least expensive settings such as the standard 4 prong since you'll need new settings when you upgrade.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Have you seen DiamondSeekers thread??? How amazing are these??? I think this was her second upgrade to get to this size.

Whiteflash ACA 3.2 ctw FINAL stud earrings: Part 2!!!

So...in 2017 I bought my final pair of ACA studs (about 2.55 ctw)!!! However, I didn't know at the time they weren't final! :lol: Out of Covid boredom I just kept checking the WF inventory over the last few months, and one day a few weeks ago I found a perfect pair of 1.6 ct H VS1/VS2 ACA...

www.pricescope.com

Aww, thanks! We were posting at the same time! I had a few upgrades over 15 years!

 

[segk415]

Aww, thanks! We were posting at the same time! I had a few upgrades over 15 years!

I did see your thread! They are absolutely stunning, total dream stones for me!

I love your advice to just go with what is comfortable for now (which means I can have something beautiful on my ears in a matter of weeks!) and upgrade whenever the time is right.

I am afraid that if I go for a lower quality 2.0 cttw somewhere else, I'll end up wanting something beyond 2.0 in the future and won't have any upgrade policy to rely on.

Thanks for your time! <3

 

[segk415]

Tough decisions!

I just got a pair of 1.324 ctw ACAs this spring. 1.8-1.9 ctw would be my ultimate goal... but I just could not rationalize double to price for 1/2 mm (or so) gain in diameter. Someday I’ll have a windfall and it will not seem like much to upgrade if that’s what I want... but it was not a financial jump I wanted to take this time around. I know how hard these decisions are—it took me about a year before I decided to buy the ACAs. I went from 1.0ctw to 1.324.

Do you love them/happy with the size you chose?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I did see your thread! They are absolutely stunning, total dream stones for me!

I love your advice to just go with what is comfortable for now (which means I can have something beautiful on my ears in a matter of weeks!) and upgrade whenever the time is right.

I am afraid that if I go for a lower quality 2.0 cttw somewhere else, I'll end up wanting something beyond 2.0 in the future and won't have any upgrade policy to rely on.

Thanks for your time! <3

Thank you so much! Be glad you realized this now! My very first studs were pre-PS and 1.5 ctw. They were ungraded but were supposedly H SI1. Well, I later found out they were H I1! I was not happy! The cut on them was actually okay, but I couldn't get over the fact that they were not really great quality. So after learning on PS, I sold those to a local jeweler at a loss and started over with WF stones the first year I was a member here. That was the best possible decision I could have made as I have retained every penny spent on stones in through my current pair!
I won't go into a couple of switches I made involving giving a pair to my daughter, but basically I had .80 cts each, 1.15 cts each, 1.28 cts each, and now 1.6 each (which still sounds kind of crazy to me when I see that number!!!)!

 

[munchee]

I vote for 1.4ctw! I had 1.35ctw for 4-5yrs then I upgraded to 1.8ctw, and..... I didn’t see noticeable difference!!!! I was so disappointed that I spent extra $8k (originally the 1.35ctw F&G pair was $4700, so another $8k was significant amount) but I can’t see the difference. If I put it side by side of course I can see size differences, but if I swap between the two in my ear, no one can tell that I swap it. So I ended up getting 2.1ctw to get a noticeable difference.
maybe you can get 1.4ctw now and get 2.1-2.2ctw in couple years.

 

[Lookinagain]

I am afraid that if I go for a lower quality 2.0 cttw somewhere else, I'll end up wanting something beyond 2.0 in the future and won't have any upgrade policy to rely on.

Thanks for your time! <3

I would suggest not going for lower quality 2.0 ctw somewhere else, especially if you have already decided that you want super ideal earrings. You will probably just not be happy and as you say, no great upgrade policy. If you try to go to super ideals in the future, it will end up costing you more if you go with the lower clarity now. I started with ACA's that were H, appx 1.2 ctw. I upgraded on size to about 1.7 ctw but went down on color to an I and they are fine for me. I honestly don't think I want anything larger, and the color works for me as well. But the 1.2's were smaller than I wanted and I'm thankful that I bought from a vendor with an upgrade policy like WF and don't feel like I lost anything. And I agree, if you think you will upgrade in the future, buy the less expensive settings now as each time you upgrade you will most likely buy new setting and that is money you really won't recover.

 

[KristinTech]

Do you love them/happy with the size you chose?

Oh, yes, I do love them! I have small lobes, so these look substantial enough for now (hah). They are G SI1 ACAs. I mean, $5K more for 0.5-0.6mm? I’m saving that surplus for other fun stuff this year. I wanted G color, so going down to J, hmmmm you could get more bang for the buck.

 

[segk415]

Oh, yes, I do love them! I have small lobes, so these look substantial enough for now (hah). They are G SI1 ACAs. I mean, $5K more for 0.5-0.6mm? I’m saving that surplus for other fun stuff this year. I wanted G color, so going down to J, hmmmm you could get more bang for the buck.

I love these! They’re so pretty and a perfect size. Definitely have me leaning even more towards the 1.4s! Thanks for sharing

 

[segk415]

I ordered the 1.4 pair, thanks all for the great advice! Can’t wait to wear these (and simultaneously refresh WF for the next few years searching for the perfect upgrade lol).

I’ll post a photo when I get them! Went with a 4 prong martini which WF was happy to make in platinum.

 

[segk415]

I ordered the 1.4 pair, thanks all for the great advice! Can’t wait to wear these (and simultaneously refresh WF for the next few years searching for the perfect upgrade lol).

I’ll post a photo when I get them! Went with a 4 prong martini which WF was happy to make in platinum.

Here they are! So happy with them, thanks for the great advice everyone.

 

[tyty333]

Beautiful! They look lovely on you!

 

[Lookinagain]

They look great, and the size is really perfect. They sit nicely on your ear.