Newbie boy needs help: very small bezel studs for girlfriend!

[newbie73]

Let me start by saying I''m a total newbie in regards to diamonds (and jewelry in general), but I have read and learned a lot by going through these forums the last few days and thank you all very much!

I''m looking to buy very small studs for my girlfriend, probably .25ctw but maybe .20... she doesn''t wear much jewelry and likes very subtle items.
She had old .10 ctw 4 prong studs which she liked a lot and wore almost every day, but she lost one and I''d like to get her an upgrade for her upcoming birthday.

After looking at many pictures, I think I''d like to go with bezel settings in white gold but I have not been able to find ear shots of bezel studs that small. So if any of you have some shots, please post!

So far I''ve found .25ctw in 18k white gold bezels for $220 and .20ctw for $160. They are both G-H and SI1 which I think is good, but unfortunately the bezel isn''t a "low profile" like I''m looking for. Also they are screwbacks and I''ve read many posters complain about those...
Would they still be a decend pick-up? It''s not from a sponsor seller so I''m not sure I can name the shop...

Any help with pictures of small bezels or shops where I can find such low-profile bezels for $250ish would be much appreciated!

Thank you!

 

[Ellen]

Here's a thread full of studs.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-diamond-studs.51981/


And here's a set for 450 in WG, with push back, which I recommend. (these are very well cut stones too)

http://www.whiteflash.com/golden-wardrobe/Gold_Details.aspx?ItemCode=654&CategID=54

 

[neatfreak]

I had some very small .16ctw ones and they were gorgeous. But they were also very well cut (you could see arrows). Really, CUT is the most important part of the equation to determine whether they will be lively and bright or look like frozen spit.

You can certainly post a link to the ones you are considering and we can help you. But you might want to consider saving up and buying nicer quality ones for a later event...I have a sneaking suspicion that the ones you are looking at won't be very sparkly for that price. But I could be wrong!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 3/25/2009 10:00:58 AM
Author: Ellen
Here''s a thread full of studs.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-diamond-studs.51981/


And here''s a set for 450 in WG, with push back, which I recommend. (these are very well cut stones too)

http://www.whiteflash.com/golden-wardrobe/Gold_Details.aspx?ItemCode=654&CategID=54

Here are those same studs on ears, owned and modeled by the lovely Poshpepper (pics in the thread):

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/wf-25tcw-rsg-bezel-studs-plus-friends.109278/

 

[Ellen]

Thanks gecko!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 3/25/2009 11:43:31 AM
Author: Ellen
Thanks gecko!

There may be more ear shots available very, very soon.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/25/2009 11:45:59 AM
Author: geckodani

Date: 3/25/2009 11:43:31 AM
Author: Ellen
Thanks gecko!

There may be more ear shots available very, very soon.

No wonder you knew right where that pair of earrings were.....

 

[geckodani]

Date: 3/25/2009 11:49:17 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/25/2009 11:45:59 AM
Author: geckodani

Date: 3/25/2009 11:43:31 AM
Author: Ellen
Thanks gecko!

There may be more ear shots available very, very soon.

No wonder you knew right where that pair of earrings were.....

Hee hee. I've been saving since November!!!

Finally have enough, LOL!

Can NOT wait!

P.S. Sorry for the threadjack newbie73!

 

[newbie73]

Thank you for the quick replies!

No worry for the threadjack Geckodani, it helps keep it alive!

The ones from Whiteflash are really nice indeed, but they''re simply out of budget right now...

Here are the small .20ctw I was considering:
http://www.brilliance.com/jewelry/detail.aspx?styleID=557

They''re listed at $185 and I have a $25 rebate with them which would bring them down to $160. That seems to be a very sweet deal, but even at such a low price I still don''t want to spend money on garbage...

Has anyone had good or bad experience with Brilliance.com?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 3/25/2009 1:41:47 PM
Author: newbie73
Thank you for the quick replies!


No worry for the threadjack Geckodani, it helps keep it alive!


The ones from Whiteflash are really nice indeed, but they''re simply out of budget right now...


Here are the small .20ctw I was considering:

http://www.brilliance.com/jewelry/detail.aspx?styleID=557


They''re listed at $185 and I have a $25 rebate with them which would bring them down to $160. That seems to be a very sweet deal, but even at such a low price I still don''t want to spend money on garbage...


Has anyone had good or bad experience with Brilliance.com?

I would pass...I have never heard of the vendor and because they aren''t certed we have no idea whose interpretation of "very good" cut and "SI1" we are dealing with here...

Must they be bezels?

 

[newbie73]

Well, they don''t need to be bezels, but let''s say I''m very strongly leaning this way...

It''s pretty hard to find certified diamonds for sizes this small and they are pretty expensive for the size...

Are there any other reputable jewelers besides Whiteflash that I should consider for non-certified stones?

 

[geckodani]

I.D. Jewelry has some that look to be very reasonably priced:

http://www.idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_33&products_id=2702

I know oobiecoo has .50tcw from them and loves them. I'll try to dig up her thread.

ETA: Here it is!

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-i-d-jewelry-bezel-studs.100229/

 

[newbie73]

Those look nice indeed! (and would fit the bill)

I will continue to shop around but will consider these for sure! They''ve been in business for a while and oobiecoo seemed to be very pleased with the service there!

If anyone has other suggestions please tell!

Thanks again!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 3/25/2009 4:33:10 PM
Author: newbie73
Those look nice indeed! (and would fit the bill)

I will continue to shop around but will consider these for sure! They''ve been in business for a while and oobiecoo seemed to be very pleased with the service there!

If anyone has other suggestions please tell!

Thanks again!

I would just make sure to call and let them know that you want the best cut quality you can get - they''re probably used to us crazy Pricescopers by now.

 

[Dancing Fire]

for this size Costco might be your best bet.

 

[geckodani]

Date: 3/25/2009 11:17:29 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
for this size Costco might be your best bet.

Actually, the smallest size I''ve ever seen at Costco were .50tcs. And they were out of his budget.

 

[newbie73]

ok... so I''m still trying to decide... so many things to consider when buying something that seems so simple!
I guess that''s what makes it so exciting!

I emailed Brilliance.com and newer got a reply so I don''t think I can trust them...

My choice is now down to:

I.D. Jewelry .20ctw 14k WG = $195
I.D. Jewelry .25ctw 14k WG = $255
Adiamor .25ctw 14k WG = $220
ERD .33ctw 18k WG = $275 (waiting to hear if they can make .25ctw)

Adiamor are the only ones that don''t have a slit around the bezel so I think I like them the best, but I didn''t reed as many positive reviews from costumers as I''ve read for IDJ and ERD and I didn''t see any live shots...

If money were no object, I''d get the "Perreti" style studs from thediamond.com, but at $610 they''re way out of budget.

So? What''s my best bet? Any other options I should consider?

 

[Elmorton]

ERD! I have 1/3 ctw studs and I looooove them. Right before I got mine, someone got the same size in the bezels and posted ear shots. I'll search...

ETA: here ya go -

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-erd-bezel-set-studs.87000/

And here's another I just found with the ERD bezels (this time WITH ear shots - I didn't realize that Molly didn't post a pic of them in her ear): https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pics-of-my-daughters-erd-bezels-and-my-wf-4-prong-studs.85156/

 

[Elmorton]

And here are mine - not bezels, but you can get an idea of size - https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/sparkly-little-guys.85520/

 

[katiedid]

newbie, I wonder if ERD could do the .33 ctw in 14k gold to bring the price down to the $250ish you want to stay at? If so, I''d go with them! (Or if they can''t do 14k, and you can stretch to $275 with the 18k, I''d do those.)

Very nice gift by the way. She''s going to love them!

 

[newbie73]

Thanks for the input Elmerton and Katiedid!

ERD seems to have a very strong reputation and I wish I could work something out with them...
Thing is, it''s not only a matter of price... I''m actually scared she''ll find the .35cwt too big!
If they can make them in .25 for under $250 I''ll jump on them!
I didn''t see any mention of packaging or gift wrapping on their site though... is it good?

And how about the ones from Adiamor? Anyone bought their studs? I still can''t find any pics of those...

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 3/27/2009 11:40:26 AM
Author: newbie73
Thanks for the input Elmerton and Katiedid!


ERD seems to have a very strong reputation and I wish I could work something out with them...

Thing is, it's not only a matter of price... I'm actually scared she'll find the .35cwt too big!

If they can make them in .25 for under $250 I'll jump on them!

I didn't see any mention of packaging or gift wrapping on their site though... is it good?


And how about the ones from Adiamor? Anyone bought their studs? I still can't find any pics of those...

I would stick with ERD. Mark is wonderful to deal with and we know that their diamonds are high quality. No offense, but this isn't the type of purchase you want to make based on the quality of their gift wrapping. Buy some nice paper and ribbon and you'll be all set.

And trust me she won't find the .35 ctw too big. Have you ever seen studs this size? They are pretty small (in a nice way-but still small). They won't be a ton bigger than her old ones in reality.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/27/2009 1:20:04 PM
Author: neatfreak


I would stick with ERD. Mark is wonderful to deal with and we know that their diamonds are high quality. No offense, but this isn''t the type of purchase you want to make based on the quality of their gift wrapping. Buy some nice paper and ribbon and you''ll be all set.

And trust me she won''t find the .35 ctw too big. Have you ever seen studs this size? They are pretty small (in a nice way-but still small). They won''t be a ton bigger than her old ones in reality.

Ditto.

 

[LostSapphire]

Here is Gecko's brand new thread and poll. Includes pics of WF bezel studs, .25ctw.

(Gecko: hope you don't mind my linking your thread into here!)

LS

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/all-right-you-crazy-enablers-come-vote-do-they-stay-or-go.111055/

 

[geckodani]

Date: 3/27/2009 7:32:47 PM
Author: LostSapphire
Here is Gecko's brand new thread and poll. Includes pics of WF bezel studs, .25ctw.

(Gecko: hope you don't mind my linking your thread into here!)

LS

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/all-right-you-crazy-enablers-come-vote-do-they-stay-or-go.111055/

Nope, I don't mind at all.

newbie73 - go for the .33 from ERD. If a professed lover of small stones (my band has 1 pointers and I adore it) thinks the .25 could be bigger... just go with the .33 if you can swing it, LOL.

The lady will thank you.

 

[Rhea]

I''d go with EDR. If the budget doesn''t stretch to $275, I''d try to get them in 14k before going with a smaller size. .33 won''t look too big.

 

[newbie73]

I followed everyone''s advice and decided to stretch my budget and go with ERD''s .33 cwt studs in 18k WG

I spoke with Gary (I think most people usually deal with Mark?) and he was very helpful.
I live in Canada and want to have the studs shipped in the states so I was worried it would make everything complicated but he was very accomodating and we worked everything out smoothly!

I''m going to pick them up during the Easter Holiday and can''t wait to see them!
I''ll post pictures of the studs and maybe earshots if my sweetheart doesn''t mind!

Thanks again to everyone for the precious advice!

 

[Ellen]

Yay! Congrats newbie, she''s going to love them!

 

[geckodani]

Ditto! I can''t wait to see pics.

 

[geckodani]

Didja get ''em? Can we see?