Problem With Diamond Hoop Earrings

[AGBF]

Yesterday I accompanied my best friend into a high end jewelry store in our town. There's really no reason not to name it since we had no problem there; it was Betteridge. For a long time my friend has had her eye on a ring that they have in there that was custom made for someone who then decided not to buy it. (We visit the ring regularly.) The ring has remained in stock only because it is an unusual size as well as being pricey. I did my usual thing that I do there: rediscovered all the Buccellati rings and tried them on and wished I could afford all of them, never mind one of them. And I marveled at how many pieces of jewelry in the store I recognized from my years as a voyeur.

I also did one of the things I try not to do that gets me in trouble: I tried something on. A pair of diamond hoop earrings. Now some of you know that I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 48. I have to tell you that I have never worn a pair of hoop earrings...unless I dressed as a gypsy for Hallowe'en as a little girl. I started out wearing only studs and recently I have graduated to dangle earrings as I discovered high karat gold and got wild. So hoops, even small diamond ones, were a great departure for me.

I tried on one pair and fell in love with them. They were far too expensive (for me) to buy on the spot. They were small earrings, but with substantial sized diamonds-for hoops, I mean-set in them. They were 5.53 tcw. So they looked tidy and not ostentatious, but not like pavé.

Today I decided to look at the websites of some Pricescope vendors and see how their prices for similar hoop earrings compared. Why not give my business to friends, after all? I am not a customer of Betteridge as I am of another local jeweler here in Stamford, Connecticut. (I am loyal to him and if I had been in his store I might not have had the urge to look around.)

At any rate, I couldn't find an on-line vendor who either had a similar pair of earrings (everyone had smaller earrings) or who allowed a customer to build a nice hoop earring.

I think that that-building one's own hoop earring by choosing a size, clarity range, and color range-is something that would put one vendor way ahead of all the others if he added it to his website! Frankly, I would like to start seeing that feature on many vendors' websites! I was so disappointed every time I saw that one was going to be able to design his own earrings only to find that he had to choose a pair of specific GIA certified diamonds to do that! I don't want studs!

At least Blue Nile specified what color grade and clarity grade it planned to use in its hoop-type earrings. I couldn't change what it was using or pick another style of hoop. (I wanted an in and out.) But it was a start!

Are vendors reading here?

Deb/AGBF

 

[Mayk]

Deb,

I want to say I've seen a post where someone had WF do a custom set... But I'm not 100% sure... But worth a call...

 

[AGBF]

Deb,

I want to say I've seen a post where someone had WF do a custom set... But I'm not 100% sure... But worth a call...

Thank you, Mayk!

Deb

Edited to add: Whiteflash happened to be the first Pricescope vendor website I chose to look at. Not because they are my favorite vendor ( they have done well by me, but so have many others) but because I associate them with a "building" engine!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Well, I am jealous. Betteridge? Phooey--I only have dreams about their offerings....

At any rate, when my BIL was in the market for diamond hoop earrings for my sister---"I/he" ended going with David at DBL for "her" earrings and they are spectacular. .....major sparklers and probably around 2.5 ctw--not more.

In theory I'd love a pair myself--yet find myself wearing more colored stones and pearls than diamonds in my ears these days, so am content to see these beauties in my sisters ears........ I do have diamond huggies from Wink, when I need to quell the diamond hoop earring urge...

The earrings you saw...how were the stones set? Were they branded pieces?

cheers--Sharon

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Since this is a very different style for you, can you find a trial pair to test out to make sure that size is okay for you? I'm not super into hoops, but I bought a pair of silver ones from BN a few years back and LOVE them. They made me want a pair of hoops with diamonds and I found a pair of Nadri ones to test out to make sure I'd like them and I found that they were really heavy on my earlobes and could only be worn for a couple of hours. I guess with smaller size diameter, it may be easier, but just a thought...

 

[AGBF]

HI:

The earrings you saw...how were the stones set? Were they branded pieces?

They were similar to these, Sharon. These are, supposedly, 4.40 ctw. I am not sure if the manufacturer is the same one, but the earrings are very similar.

Deb

 

[Enerchi]

IDJ carries a similar look - and you can request PS stones (FG/VS) for them to price out. Looking at their website, this style comes in a variety of carat weights...

http://idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=32_69&products_id=9790

 

[canuk-gal]

HI Deb:


MC makes a good point about appearance and weight--wearing "paste" is a nice test drive...larger are heavier.

Honestly I cannot recall if my sister's earrings are the "u" prong style shown here, but the ctw is the same. Like everything else, prices have surely increased!! Lovely nonetheless.

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/diamond-hoop-earrings-234ct-tw-14kt-white-gold-new-design-safety-clasp

As we all know, larger/multiple stones do not the most beautiful earrings make. Unless we are talking about solitaire diamonds, less is more!

cheers--Sharon

 

[AGBF]

HI Deb:


MC makes a good point about appearance and weight--wearing "paste" is a nice test drive...larger are heavier.

Honestly I cannot recall if my sister's earrings are the "u" prong style shown here, but the ctw is the same. Like everything else, prices have surely increased!! Lovely nonetheless.

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/diamond-hoop-earrings-234ct-tw-14kt-white-gold-new-design-safety-clasp

As we all know, larger/multiple stones do not the most beautiful earrings make. Unless we are talking about solitaire diamonds, less is more!

cheers--Sharon

I had a pair of studs that were 1.25 carats each (2.50 ctw) and was not particularly enamoured of them. I wore them perhaps two or three times a year. That's why they were among the items I consigned. So I wasn't trying to do "size". On the other hand, I never even wanted to try on a pair of hoops when I couldn't see individual diamonds. If the earrings might as well be pavé, they just aren't my taste. Not in hoops. I will wear plain glitter on plastic if it dangles, though. Particularly if it is pink. Only not with my sophisticated black clothing!

Deb

 

[AGBF]

Honestly I cannot recall if my sister's earrings are the "u" prong style shown here, but the ctw is the same.

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/diamond-hoop-earrings-234ct-tw-14kt-white-gold-new-design-safety-clasp

As we all know, larger/multiple stones do not the most beautiful earrings make. Unless we are talking about solitaire diamonds, less is more!

I had a pair of studs that were 1.25 carats each (2.50 ctw) and was not particularly enamoured of them. I wore them perhaps two or three times a year. That's why they were among the items I consigned. So I wasn't trying to do "size". On the other hand, I never even wanted to try on a pair of hoops when I couldn't see individual diamonds. If the earrings might as well be pavé, they just aren't my taste. Not in hoops.

Sharon-I suspect I should be asking what, in your opinion, do the most beautiful earrings make? What do you think I should be looking for? I wasn't looking, you see. I stumbled upon something I loved. All I would do would be to buy the same item from another vendor looking for better quality, a better price, or just a friendlier face if I could get neither of the above. I like it that Diamonds By Lauren allows people to choose their color and clarity range (or simply provides that high color and clarity range I always use). I have no problem using them as a vendor. I really don't know what you mean by, "less is more" in this case, however. I found a pair that looked good on me. I happen to have large ears and large ear lobes. They did not look big on me at all if that was what you feared. The 1.25 carat solitaires used to seem enormous to me!

Deb

 

[AGBF]

Honestly I cannot recall if my sister's earrings are the "u" prong style shown here, but the ctw is the same. Like everything else, prices have surely increased!! Lovely nonetheless.

Speaking of a "u" prong style, I was very taken with the new moon earrings by Gumuchian although I did not see these in person or try them on. They look like the kind of earring I liked. What do you think of these?

Deb

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I just lost the "longest" email/response I have ever written on PS...arg! How frustrating!

Sharon

 

[AGBF]

I just lost the "longest" email/response I have ever written on PS...arg! How frustrating!

I hate it when that happens for any reason. When my daughter erases it because she simply isn't paying attention to my being in the middle of composing something when she forcefully wrests my own computer away from me, I am homicidal! I am very sorry!!!

Hugs,
Deb

 

[AGBF]

I also really like these huggies, Sharon. How do these compare in size to the ones you have?

Deb

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

I am really enjoying this thread !!!

I LOVE earrings, hoops and danglers are my favorites,
so I am excited to see what you come up with !!!!!!!

alas, for me, so many beautiful pieces so little $$$
But it's always nice to add to my wish list

 

[texaskj]

Honestly I cannot recall if my sister's earrings are the "u" prong style shown here, but the ctw is the same.

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/diamond-hoop-earrings-234ct-tw-14kt-white-gold-new-design-safety-clasp

As we all know, larger/multiple stones do not the most beautiful earrings make. Unless we are talking about solitaire diamonds, less is more!

I had a pair of studs that were 1.25 carats each (2.50 ctw) and was not particularly enamoured of them. I wore them perhaps two or three times a year. That's why they were among the items I consigned. So I wasn't trying to do "size". On the other hand, I never even wanted to try on a pair of hoops when I couldn't see individual diamonds. If the earrings might as well be pavé, they just aren't my taste. Not in hoops.

Sharon-I suspect I should be asking what, in your opinion, do the most beautiful earrings make? What do you think I should be looking for? I wasn't looking, you see. I stumbled upon something I loved. All I would do would be to buy the same item from another vendor looking for better quality, a better price, or just a friendlier face if I could get neither of the above. I like it that Diamonds By Lauren allows people to choose their color and clarity range (or simply provides that high color and clarity range I always use). I have no problem using them as a vendor. I really don't know what you mean by, "less is more" in this case, however. I found a pair that looked good on me. I happen to have large ears and large ear lobes. They did not look big on me at all if that was what you feared. The 1.25 carat solitaires used to seem enormous to me!

Deb

Deb,
You're so right, getting the proportion right on things like this is easier said than done sometimes. My earlobes are attached and I've got three holes in my left ear, so there's not a lot of real estate for earrings. All the diamond hoops DBL has on their web site right now are gorgeous to me, but I'm sure one pair would look better than the others. I think Yssie talked about how DBL got proportion really well in one of her posts about her five-stone.

 

[AGBF]

I am really enjoying this thread !!!

I am so glad you said that, ooo~Shiney!, and that texaskj is also responding to me! (Thanks, friend.) For I feel the need to continue. I found two more pairs of earrings on which I would like feedback. They looked really different to me (from each other) and I infinitely preferred the ones that had a lower carat weight listed. They seemed more substantial to me. So I guessed that they must be smaller with stones that looked bigger in proportion to the earrings. But then I read that the width of each earring was the same: 1/8". I obviously wasn't thinking about how long 1/8" really is, because I thought that that was the diameter of the earrings. (It wasn't.)

It turned out that the first pair, which I liked less, hangs 1 and 3/16"
It is 18K white gold made by Roberto Coin with 31 stones per earring.
They are G-H color and SI1 clarity. The ctw is 2.84 and the price from
Ross Simons is $6,980.00.

The second pair hangs 7/8". It is also 18K white gold made by
Roberto Coin. It has 17 stones per earring. The stones are G-H color
and VS2-SI1 clarity. The ctw is 1.95 and the price from Ross Simons
is $4,800.00.

Deb/AGBF

 

[Rosebloom]

Honestly I cannot recall if my sister's earrings are the "u" prong style shown here, but the ctw is the same. Like everything else, prices have surely increased!! Lovely nonetheless.

Speaking of a "u" prong style, I was very taken with the new moon earrings by Gumuchian although I did not see these in person or try them on. They look like the kind of earring I liked. What do you think of these?

Deb

These are my favorite of the ones you posted - huggies but with substantial stones. I bet they are gorgeous on!

Have you seen DiamondSeeker's thread where she compares three different sized huggies from WF? Much smaller but may be of interest nonetheless. I'll see if I can dig it up.

 

[Rosebloom]

Here's the link:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whiteflash-diamond-hoops-x-3.173125/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whiteflash-diamond-hoops-x-3.173125/[/URL]

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thanks, RoseBloom!

Deb, you know I have a few Roberto Coin pieces, but I honestly didn't want their diamond hoops unless I had come across some incredible deal. I felt like I would absolutely get better quality stones from WhiteFlash so I went in that direction. FancyDiamond had larger huggie hoops (3 ctw) made by WF. They use F-G VS ACA diamonds which is what I would think you would want considering the quality of your other jewelry. I am certain they can make the larger full diamond hoop earrings you are wanting, though, and you would be pleased with the quality.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/more-aca%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%93-earrings-and-eternity-ring.171221/page-2']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/more-aca%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%93-earrings-and-eternity-ring.171221/page-2[/URL]

 

[texaskj]

Alert the media, because I actually like the cheaper ones. That doesn't happen very often.
I'm with DS, Deb. How much would you be paying for the Roberto Coin name on these? I'm biased because I love, love, love my WF huggies, but I think they could make you some really fabulous hoops for that price.

 

[distracts]

This is a pretty timely post as I too have been pondering this recently. I like a pair of J-hoops (whatever those are - I am, like you, a late-comer to pierced ears, having just had them pierced last year/three months ago - had to redo one - and have only recently begun changing earrings so they are a strange new world to me) with bars set between the diamonds... in yellow gold. They seem entirely unlike anything I would like, but I keep thinking about them. The diamonds are ten-pointers, and I like that they're big (for a multi-diamond earring, anyway) and distinct. So I can totally see how you'd be attracted to small hoops with bigger diamonds.

 

[AGBF]

Thank you so much, Rosebloom and diamondseeker! I don't want to pay for the Roberto Coin name; although he sometimes makes pieces that are innovative which I appreciate and will pay for, huggies like this are not among them. I had not seen either of the threads to which you posted links. I loved FancyDiamond's 3.155ctw trellis earrings. I also loved the 1.5 ctw pair of earrings chosen by ds made with ACAs. I am thinking that I should definitely contact Whiteflash about what they can do for me!

AGBF

 

[AGBF]

I have two more questions.

First, is there a reason to go with white gold versus platinum? I always love yellow gold and would always choose it over platinum, but in the case of these earrings, I would go with a white metal. I love gold, but platinum is sturdier than 18K gold. I believe it is also heavier. (That might prove to be a deficit with earrings.) Is there a reason to choose one over the other? Is the white gold rhodium plated? Is that routine? (You can see I don't buy much white gold!)

Second, the earrings are available in a size that diamondseeker didn't have sent to her home (believe it or not!), a 2.00 ctw size. I had liked the idea of a 20 pointer size stone. It is still far smaller than the 30 point stones in FancyDiamond's earrings and would not cause as much weight. Does anyone see a downside to using that size?

Deb/AGBF

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[Chloegal]

I think you should try out the weight to test the piercing before you buy something really expensive.

I had piercings that were over 30 years old and i could wear anything so I thought.

Due to stretching I had the piercings redone as a surgery which gave me brand new piercings. But, new piercings dont have the same strength and scar tissue and I`ve already run into lots of trouble with earrings cutting down through the piercing. In particular I cant wear heavy or anything with screws on the posts.

Just something that might apply?

 

[Rosebloom]

I would go with white gold since it would be lighter. Yes it will be plated unless you specify otherwise (but not everyone is willing to work with unplated WG). Since earrings won't get much wear and tear I think WG will be plenty durable. The design team you work with will probably have a recommendation too.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have two more questions.

First, is there a reason to go with white gold versus platinum? I always love yellow gold and would always choose it over platinum, but in the case of these earrings, I would go with a white metal. I love gold, but platinum is sturdier than 18K gold. I believe it is also heavier. (That might prove to be a deficit with earrings.) Is there a reason to choose one over the other? Is the white gold rhodium plated? Is that routine? (You can see I don't buy much white gold!)

Second, the earrings are available in a size that diamondseeker didn't have sent to her home (believe it or not!), a 2.00 ctw size. I had liked the idea of a 20 pointer size stone. It is still far smaller than the 30 point stones in FancyDiamond's earrings and would not cause as much weight. Does anyone see a downside to using that size?

Deb/AGBF

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Deb, I can tell you about the metals. When I was looking, blueiris had bought the 1.5 ct pair before me and had ordered them in platinum and found them too heavy. So once I decided which size pair, I had mine made in palladium white gold (18K). I wanted them to be hyperallergenic (as much as possible) in case they later went to a daughter or granddaughter with sensitive ears. There was a little extra cost (a couple hundred dollars or so) since it was a special order, but I felt better about getting them done that way. They are rhodium plated and that almost never wears away on earrings. The 2 ct option did not exist at the time, thankfully! haha! But I am totally content with the ones I have as they are pretty wearable anytime and I think larger than that would have limited my wear to more dressy occasions, which are few and far between!

 

[AGBF]

Deb, I can tell you about the metals. When I was looking, blueiris had bought the 1.5 ct pair before me and had ordered them in platinum and found them too heavy. So once I decided which size pair, I had mine made in palladium white gold (18K). I wanted them to be hyperallergenic (as much as possible) in case they later went to a daughter or granddaughter with sensitive ears. There was a little extra cost (a couple hundred dollars or so) since it was a special order, but I felt better about getting them done that way. They are rhodium plated and that almost never wears away on earrings. The 2 ct option did not exist at the time, thankfully! haha! But I am totally content with the ones I have as they are pretty wearable anytime and I think larger than that would have limited my wear to more dressy occasions, which are few and far between!

Thank you for the information on the metals, ds.

Now...onto the big issue. I don't want to pick a fight with you (we already did this routine in Hangout), but would you really not wear earrings made with 2.00 ctw every day?

I ask this as a woman who started out hesitant to wear a diamond ring as large as 1 carat and who, a few years later, took a diamond of slightly over 2 carats out of a ring's setting because it was too big on her hand (at that time) and made into a necklace instead. In short, I am hardly a size queen. But given dss and being on Pricescope for all these years, do you really think you wouldn't wear-or I wouldn't-small earrings made with a few 20 point diamonds every day?

Deb

 

[AGBF]

I tried to reach Whiteflash. (I e-mailed them and called the person who tried to contact me.) I am sure that we will connect soon. In the meantime the saleswoman who helped me at Betteridge contacted me via e-mail about the earrings I tried on there. They look similar to the ones in the photo below. She said that the carat total weight (as I had written down) for the pair was 5.53. The additional information was that there were 20 diamonds, each one supposedly .276 carat and G color, VS2 clarity. I say supposedly because without a cert, color me skeptical about each one being exactly the same!!!

Deb/AGBF

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Deb, I can tell you about the metals. When I was looking, blueiris had bought the 1.5 ct pair before me and had ordered them in platinum and found them too heavy. So once I decided which size pair, I had mine made in palladium white gold (18K). I wanted them to be hyperallergenic (as much as possible) in case they later went to a daughter or granddaughter with sensitive ears. There was a little extra cost (a couple hundred dollars or so) since it was a special order, but I felt better about getting them done that way. They are rhodium plated and that almost never wears away on earrings. The 2 ct option did not exist at the time, thankfully! haha! But I am totally content with the ones I have as they are pretty wearable anytime and I think larger than that would have limited my wear to more dressy occasions, which are few and far between!

Thank you for the information on the metals, ds.

Now...onto the big issue. I don't want to pick a fight with you (we already did this routine in Hangout), but would you really not wear earrings made with 2.00 ctw every day?

I ask this as a woman who started out hesitant to wear a diamond ring as large as 1 carat and who, a few years later, took a diamond of slightly over 2 carats out of a ring's setting because it was too big on her hand (at that time) and made into a necklace instead. In short, I am hardly a size queen. But given dss and being on Pricescope for all these years, do you really think you wouldn't wear-or I wouldn't-small earrings made with a few 20 point diamonds every day?

Deb

I doubt really that my earrings would look vastly different at 2 cts. Now I have 10 stones at 15 points each and it would increase to 20 points. So realistically, sure, I probably would wear those as well. I am not sure what my casual size limit would be without trying larger ones on! The good thing about WF is, you can send for a stock pair to judge what you like and then send them back and special order in platinum or palladium wg, or whatever. Or have the other style hoops custom made.

We are a lot alike on the diamond size issue, though. I had worn 1 ct for so long that I was worried the entire time I had the 1.6 ct diamond that it was too large. Then I met AVR's and now wear a 2.29 ct diamond and it does not seem too big to me at all! So I really have transformed my thinking on diamond size! lol! And I would now wear 1 ct each studs, too, but just don't want to pay for them!