Help me find earrings!

[distracts]

I just recently got my ears pierced for the first time ever and it was me and my fiance's two-year anniversary this week, so he is getting me a pair of diamond stud earrings. My ideal is a 1cttw August vintage round pair but they would be like $4000 and it looks like my budget is half of that. I could get a 0.5cttw pair but they just seem so little. 4mm is really little. 4.5-5.5mm is ideal for earrings I think. There are some gorgeous ones on JbEG in my price range that I adore, and I am contemplating those even though the settings make them huge, but wanted to see if any savvy PSers had any other options!

My only requirements are budget approximately $2000 and settings in platinum. I prefer round old cuts, but could possibly be open to other shapes.

 

[webdiva]

Martini settings are $240 on JA - have you tried their earring search? Some of the options are crappy, but some are not bad in lower colors:
http://www.jamesallen.com/design-your-diamond-studs/?module=diamonds&item1=1411618&item2=1492870
(a little over budget)

 

[webdiva]

Martini settings are $240 on JA - have you tried their earring search? Some of the options are crappy, but some are not bad in lower colors:
http://www.jamesallen.com/design-your-diamond-studs/?module=diamonds&item1=1411618&item2=1492870
(a little over budget)

Actually...in budget with the PS discount! You may want to do some idealscopes on those puppies.

Edit: obviously this is taking into account lowering the color and cut to get the size and budget.

I also looked through eBay to find earrings and purchased two 4.3 mm OECs at a great price. If the vendor says to make an offer, try half. Otherwise, you can also take a cruise through OldWorldDiamonds.com and ask Adam to find you matching earrings.

In the 4.5 mm range, I imagine it would be VERY hard to tell that it's an old cut. I can't tell with my OECs, they're just super sparkly.

 

[webdiva]

Just looked at JBEG and they've got some great options! Trying to put together my own dangles, I see some great options on there. I wonder if they make those octagon settings...hmm....now you got me thinking of contacting them for settings!

 

[distracts]

In the 4.5 mm range, I imagine it would be VERY hard to tell that it's an old cut. I can't tell with my OECs, they're just super sparkly.

That is probably true. I have a 4mm OEC set in a pendant and a 4mm RB in a ring, and I can see the difference from a foot away, but I do imagine it would be far more difficult to tell in tiny earrings. I guess it's more for the cachet of having an AVR - I don't know what other excuse I'd have to get one, I'm not usually a diamond girl!

These are the JbEG earrings I like best:
http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/Jewelry/Earrings/90ctw-Old-European-Cut-Diamond/23583024_5vzzMT#!i=1910714937&k=N4krTWh

I wanted to like the smaller ones but the diamonds seemed to be less matchy. So now my three options without emailing anyone are the JbEG ones, the .5cttw AVRs, or a BGD matched pair of either around .66 g or f vs2 or .8 I si in their milgrain bezel settings. I think I will email OWD. I wish my fiancé would help me narrow it down but he just is saying he likes whatever one I like most. He has also added that "diamonds look weird in pictures!"

 

[distracts]

Conversation I just had with my fiance after he showed me some earrings he had sourced (but, thank goodness, not bought yet):

Me: "Well, if I don't get an old cut, I think I really want an ideal cut."
Him: "I think these are ideal cut. They're Si1."
Me: *headdesk*

It is darling of him to try to find earrings for me. But these are 1.45 cttw and if the price is actually near the $2000 budget, I don't want to think about what sort of grading they actually have. I also think 1.45 cttw would be too overwhelming for me. I'm okay with bigger settings like the JbEG ones, but I think bigger diamonds would be too much. My earlobes are just about 15mm from the inside of the ear to the edge and then also 15mm from my face to the edge. And this is the first time I've ever had earrings.

 

[webdiva]

I love the jbeg ones!

 

[decodelighted]

I got my ears pierced for the first time at 40, a few years ago. What I'd recommend is to wait for a loooooonnnnngggg time before investing in diamond studs. What I found is that many different types of earrings annoy the heck out of me and never get worn. Just don't wanna see you go in w/super high hopes expecting *anything* you pick out to be perfect! It doesn't always turn out that way in *reality*. Let's be real ... most people have piercings for decades before getting REAL diamond studs -- so they have PEEELENTY of time to get used to what they can tolerate & what looks good on them/their ears first.

DON'T. RUSH. BEWARE!

 

[Missy]

I got my ears pierced for the first time at 40, a few years ago. What I'd recommend is to wait for a loooooonnnnngggg time before investing in diamond studs. What I found is that many different types of earrings annoy the heck out of me and never get worn. Just don't wanna see you go in w/super high hopes expecting *anything* you pick out to be perfect! It doesn't always turn out that way in *reality*. Let's be real ... most people have piercings for decades before getting REAL diamond studs -- so they have PEEELENTY of time to get used to what they can tolerate & what looks good on them/their ears first.

DON'T. RUSH. BEWARE!

Totally agree with deco's advice. Take your time. Good diamond studs are expensive and you want to take the necessary time to see what works best for you and what is most comfortable on your ears.

 

[decodelighted]

Pick a different 2 year anniversary present. Honestly. I waited an entire year after my piercing to get diamond studs ... forgoing the opportunity for a big "40th birthday" present. Maybe it's no big deal to get your ears pierced as a kid ... or additional piercings if you're already used to it ... but it *was* a lot for me to get used to at the age I was. And my ears etc were way more sensitive that I'd ever imagined possible. The size stones you're talking about, on ears your size might WELL be intolerable. And despite all the Diamond Bistro hullabaloo around here - it's not easy to just get your full $$ back if you "change your mind" one or twenty ( ) some odd times.

ETA: And those giant *platinum* octagonal plates are going to be hella H.E.A.V.Y.

 

[yssie]

Congrats on your piercings

Gosh, yes, I agree w/ Deco that it would be awful to splurge now only to find out that your ears couldn't stand the weight or the metal or something!

If you do want diamonds right away (I get it ) would you consider baby bezels in plat? I ask because I have 0.1ctw and they're my favourite earrings - they look like someone somehow captured a single sparkle. But more importantly for you - the bezels are comfortable and low-maintenance and while sturdy, they aren't weighty when worn since the heads are so small - and hypoallergenic metal is extra safety for healing ears. And another plus - they'll definitely come in under budget!

 

[VRBeauty]

I'd echo deco to an extent - no need to rush into something so expensive. Let your ears heal completely first, then start playing with different styles and different types of backings. Personally I'd start with a pair of small hoops or simple gold ball stud earrings - something that's easy to wear and keep clean - and just wear those for awhile after you think your piercings have healed. My recollection is that my piercings seemed to have healed but then got infected several times when the piercings were new, and it took a long time before they were truly healed. I suspect I would have saved myself a lot of trouble had I just kept the earrings very simple for the first several months.

BTW I recently got very lucky, and found a pair of lovely WF martini-set studs on diamond bistro (thanks, Mara!). Since your piercings are still healing and you have time... why not wait and see if something nice pops up there?

eta small closed-back bezels, like Yssie's, could fill the bill too...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My advice is to go with upgradable diamonds from GOG or WF. But I'd set the stones in white gold and wait until you have the final pair before investing in platinum. I really see nothing wrong with having diamond studs for your first pair of nice earrings!

 

[distracts]

Thanks for your input, everyone. I know next to nothing about earrings so this is all very helpful. I had thought about the weight of the platinum JbEG earrings - they are supposedly 2 grams- I thiiiink that is one gram each, and I don't think that is all that heavy? But I guess I don't really know.

If you saw my thread in hangout, I've decided to let my wonky ear piercing (way lower than the other, which is smack dab in the middle of my earlobe) close up, and get it re-pierced next month. And my plan is to basically just leave the stainless steel starters in there most of the time until I'm sure they're completely healed, because I am paranoid about infections or allergic reactions.

My advice is to go with upgradable diamonds from GOG or WF. But I'd set the stones in white gold and wait until you have the final pair before investing in platinum. I really see nothing wrong with having diamond studs for your first pair of nice earrings!

I am allergic to nickel and don't know if GOG or WF do their things in palladium white gold - theoretically they could since they carry Stuller. iirc, I have seen PSers post palladium and palladium white gold pieces from BGD. Once I narrowed down my diamond selection, I was going to email vendors to see who carried palladium white gold.

I have a pair of 5mm cz earrings in bezels and they look huge on my ears. I have found some pairs on WF and BGD that are in budget and 4.5mm, and I think that size in bezels would be quite nice for every day wear. I have had a lot of clip ons and magnetic back earrings, and so I'm used to wearing earrings and know that I like simple non-dangly things best.

 

[yssie]

I'm having WF make me earrings right now. For studs they'll use whatever metal you want for the head, but they don't cast the posts and backs in-house - casting isn't strong enough. The source they use for the posts doesn't work in palladium-wg, only Ni-wg, platinum, and I believe palladium (I decided against Pd early on so I don't actually know). Of those I'd pick Pt or Pd if you know you're allergic to nickel - I wouldn't want to risk rhodium plating as the only barrier.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh sure, then you'd have to go with platinum. I did have WF set my huggies in palladium white gold, but that is good to know that isn't an option for studs.

 

[yssie]

Thanks for your input, everyone. I know next to nothing about earrings so this is all very helpful. I had thought about the weight of the platinum JbEG earrings - they are supposedly 2 grams- I thiiiink that is one gram each, and I don't think that is all that heavy? But I guess I don't really know.

I did some weighing:
My baby bezels are 0.25grams each.
My 9mm pearl studs are 1g each (they are sizable - need extra large backs to prevent droop, etc.
I have a pair of cluster earrings that are 1.7g each. I *never* wear them because I can literally feel them tugging my earlobes down - 2g per ear is going to be seriously HEAVY. I would reconsider subjecting new piercings to 1g.