Stud earring selection help

[eyeball]

I am looking for stud earrings for my wife''s birthday. I have purchased some that are 2.59 ctw G color SI2 GIA certified from Blue Nile. They were 11,900 for the pair. I like them but am not sure if I should go larger with a lower color stone. The ones I have are what BN calls Ideal cut and they look very nice and have no visible inclusions. My question is how large should I buy and what color would be acceptable and not look too yellow. I would go less then the SI2 but would I or H look to yellow in a round cut stud earring. I need a fast response because I have 2 weeks left to return them if necessary.

Thanks,

David

 

[hoorray]

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On 4/28/2004 5:31:18 PM eyeball wrote:

I have purchased some that are 2.59 ctw G color SI2 GIA certified from Blue Nile. They were 11,900 for the pair. I like them but am not sure if I should go larger with a lower color stone. The ones I have are what BN calls Ideal cut and they look very nice and have no visible inclusions. My question is how large should I buy and what color would be acceptable and not look too yellow. I would go less then the SI2 but would I or H look to yellow in a round cut stud earring. I need a fast response because I have 2 weeks left to return them if necessary.

Thanks,

David----------------

I assume these are 2.59 total for the 2 stones (1.295ish each). Size is a personal preference, and it depends on her build, her earlobes, her style etc, but in my opinion, these are sizeable earrings. Many of the women around me wear some major jewelery, but I don't see too many studs bigger than this. I've experimented with studs from .25 to 1.25 each, and have currently settled in the .6 range each for me. (I have small earlobes, and am not a big person. I wear them for everyday, but they dress up ok. For real dress, I wear dangles or something else.)

Back to your question, earrings are much more forgiving than rings since you don't stare at them up close. Color shows more as the stones get bigger, and again it's a personal thing how much color you can see, but in earrings, you probably could go to an H fairly easily, and possibly I. Will they be set in yellow or white metal? If yellow, the color probably isn't a problem at all in this range.

I'd stick to SI2 unless someone finds you an I1 that they reliably say is eye-clean.

Give us a few more details and we'll continue to offer up opinions...

 

[phoenixgirl]

It all depends on if your wife would like a bigger pair of earrings. I certainly think the difference of one or two shades of color won't be noticeable when on her ear. I can't imagine wanting a stone that was bigger than 1.3 carats on my ear, so I think I'd stick with the higher color myself.

 

[eyeball]

Thanks for your opinions. They are 1.29 and 1.3 carats each as you thought. She does have small ears but I saw one of her friend's earrings yesterday and they looked to be about 2.5 carats each (way to big for my wife's ears) but it made me think I needed to go a little larger. The ones I purchased are set in white gold. I guess I may be having a little diamond envy after seeing her friends. The GIA cert for each stone shows a table of 56% and Depth of 61.9% and the other is table 57% and depth 61.8%.
Do you think I need to get an indepent appraiser to look at them or is blue nile reputable enough to make the extra appraisal not needed.

Thanks,

David

 

[hoorray]

Peers influence what looks big and small, no doubt. However, when I first started my search, and was completely stumped on what size was best for me, someone made the comment that beyond a certain size, they automatically assume they are CZ's. I've started looking since then, and have to agree in many cases. 2.5ct each earrings would cost $40k +/- depending on the quality. I know some people who spend that on earrings, but many many more, who don't, and I live in an affluent area. And remember, well cut stones will look bigger than poorly cut counter parts. People are surprized that my .57's are only .57, not .75 or more.

I think it depends on your wife's style and desires. I definitely think you can bump down color a little and increase size. Whether you should depends on what's right for her.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Hi David- It sounds like quite a nice pair to me.


I guess Blue Nile offers one of the biggest names in internet dimaond sales-


As such.an independant appraisal is probably not neccesary.




As one of the biggest names, BN is probably not the absolute least expensive place to buy... but for many people the nane is worth it.




If you liike them, you probably won't go wrong.


2.60 TW is never going to look "small"






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On 4/28/2004 6:56:33 PM eyeball wrote:










Thanks for your opinions. They are 1.29 and 1.3 carats each as you thought. She does have small ears but I saw one of her friend's earrings yesterday and they looked to be about 2.5 carats each (way to big for my wife's ears) but it made me think I needed to go a little larger. The ones I purchased are set in white gold. I guess I may be having a little diamond envy after seeing her friends. The GIA cert for each stone shows a table of 56% and Depth of 61.9% and the other is table 57% and depth 61.8%.
Do you think I need to get an indepent appraiser to look at them or is blue nile reputable enough to make the extra appraisal not needed.

Thanks,

David
----------------

 

[eyeball]

Thanks for your help. I think I will keep them unless I hear from someone else who strongly feels otherwise or if my wife thinks I need to go bigger. However it is more likely she will be very happy with them.

David

 

[valeria101]

That price sounds attractive for G-SI1 more than G-SI2, and anything around 1.5 carats each stone jumps substantially. Perhaps 1.4cts would make a good price point, but since stones just on the 1.5mark are a more common demand, it is not very easy to find some just shy of it. All in all - a little size increase over what you have is not a greta deal (since you get to pay that much more for just a little more diamond). Going over 1.5 would mean better supply, but also double to cost. Conclusion? You've got a very desirable buy - it is easier to find a better price for simmilar (and maybe a bit better clarity and cut) than a good deal on a bit larger stones.


And my 0.2 on top of the 'survey' - for what it could be worth:

These are already large, by all means. Unless you care to get something near four carats total weight, I don't think it makes sense to get that much lower in color or clarity. This size would be perfectly ok in any place I know - definitely not embarasing for being too large or too small.

2.5 carats in each ear go very nicely for a night at the opera, I suppose. One person with bigger stuff would not worry much - is everyone wearing such stuff in your side of the world ???

Many say earrings can go well with lower colors and clarity and whatever cut and so-so matched stones - but what's the point then ? F/G-VS2/SI1 seems a very good choice and I surely like the "ideal cut" part.

Anyway... it usually is considered silly to get earrings larger than the ring stone you wear (if diamond). I hope I didn't make things worse with this one

And... I hope these two would get nice settings to boot !

 

[eyeball]

Thanks for your input. I looked at SI1 but for the price in earrings it didn't seem worth the extra expense.

David