Stud Earrings for Wife''s B-Day

[ckingriches]

I''m hoping to buy a set of round brilliant 1ctw studs for my wife''s birthday in mid-January. My budget is $2300-$2500. Unfortunately, I''ve done too much reading about diamonds over the last couple of weeks and am experiencing information overload. It doesn''t help that I''m a mathematician with no intuition for jewelry. I''d like to get the best cut I can afford with a minimum of H color and SI1 clarity.

Can any of you with more experience in this help direct me to some possibilities and/or a reliable vendor that looks out for their customers? There seem to be a lot of players out there, and lots of stones that claim to be "ideal" cut that probably aren''t. Any help would be appreciated; my wife deserves the best for putting up with me and our twin 3-year-olds. Thanks.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Good Old Gold has a pair listed on their Brokered Diamonds page.

0.466ct F SI2 $1109.73 $911.57 0 61.2 56 35.1 41.1 1.0-2.0 I 5.01-5.04*3.08
0.461ct F SI1 $1254.663 $1030.613 0 60.8 55 34.6 41.1 0.7-1.4 I 5.03-5.04*3.06

The first price is GOG's full service price and the second is a drop ship price. GOG's reputation is tops in spite of Jonathan's ugly mug! HeeeHeee

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,

I can only give you my experience. My earrings are set in platinum, screw back and after two years, I've noticed that my left earring is starting to unscrew by itself, so I need to regularily check to make sure my stud is not about to fall out. . .so, after this experience, my next studs with be white gold, plated with Rhodium to give them that bright white look. I wouldn't waste the extra $200 for platinum, unless I had a very healthy budget, since these current studs' settings eventually will need to be replaced AND you really can't tell the difference anyhow. The other option besides screwback is the la pousette backs, but I'm not familiar with these so hopefully somebody can give their experiences.

Three and four prongs are all about personal preference. . .what's your wife's ring have? Maybe match these up.

Michelle

 

[Mara]

In my opinion, it's definitely all about personal taste. I have 4 prong studs and I like them, they are screw backs which I also like because they are very safe, and I get the screws checked once a year by our jeweler, so replacing them is not a huge hassle. But I have had them for 2+ years and the screws were not getting loose at all. It could just be quality of work OR how often one wears them. I do not wear mine daily. That said I also don't sleep with them. It's almost impossible with the screw backs, they stab your head! So if she wanted to sleep with them, I would not suggest SB.




3 or 4 prong, its your decision. PQ Collectibles just posted about her new studs and she got 3 prong, see her pictures in her thread. I am a fan of both, they look similar when worn on the head...not really visible...but 3 may show more of the stone. 4 is more classic possibly. Again, your decision.

Good luck and let us know how things turn out!

 

[pqcollectibles]

My old studs are 4 prong basket so I went 3 prong on the new ones for a different look. Lesley at White Flash said the 3 prong allow the diamond to sit a little lower, closer to the ear lobe than 4 prong. Hard for me to tell because the new diamonds are bigger stones!

I definitely like the 3 prong! When I see my new studs in a mirror, it's like they are just sitting on my ear lobes by magic. I have to look to see the basket and don't see the prongs at all!

The new studs have a butterfly back. Very tight! I've never had butterfly backs that are so tight to get on and off. They are very secure.

There is another back option. It's a locking disk. Forget the fancy name. But you have to pinch the disk on 2 sides at the same time to allow the hole to open. Once on the stud, when the hole hits the notch, the lock snaps down into the notch. The disk won't move unless you pinch both sides of the lock mechanism at the same time. I had those for years. Daily wear and slept in them too. No "getting stuck in the head" problem at all.

So you have several options. Try sneaking a look at studs when you are out shopping and see which type you like.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

----------------


There is another back option. It's a locking disk. Forget the fancy name. But you have to pinch the disk on 2 sides at the same time to allow the hole to open. Once on the stud, when the hole hits the notch, the lock snaps down into the notch. The disk won't move unless you pinch both sides of the lock mechanism at the same time. I had those for years. Daily wear and slept in them too. No 'getting stuck in the head' problem at all.

So blockquote>


These are the la pousette backs I mentioned. These would be a lot easier than screwbacks to get on and off.

Michelle

 

[pqcollectibles]

Thanks Michelle!

I'd seen the name but couldn't remember how to spell it!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I couldn't remember either, PQ! lol I did a quick search for the name. . .

Michelle

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 1/2/2004 12:54:34 PM MichelleCarmen wrote:

Hi,

I can only give you my experience. My earrings are set in platinum, screw back and after two years, I've noticed that my left earring is starting to unscrew by itself, so I need to regularily check to make sure my stud is not about to fall out. . .so, after this experience, my next studs with be white gold, plated with Rhodium to give them that bright white look.
Michelle----------------

Aren't you the one wears them 24/7?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Yep, I sure am. This most likely is why my earring is loose

I'm not worried, though, because IF I loose one of my earrings, I'll then have an excuse to get a bigger pair (lol). . .

Michelle

 

[Mara]

Congratulations CK...please post pictures of the earrings if you have the time!

 

[pqcollectibles]

WOW, CK! I can't wait to hear what you think of them. I know they are gonna blow your socks off. Especially if you get to see them anywhere near some generic Maul store studs!

WTG, Linda for having a ton of the prep work ready for CK!

Many Congrats and Happy Birthday to your wife!

BTW, CK,.... You do know that pictures are mandatory when receiving purchase guidance from the Forum!!!

 

[ckingriches]

Linda was kind enough to forward a picture of the earrings before they were shipped. I'll do my duty and post then here, assuming I can handle the techno challenge. Just don't tell my wife you all saw them before she did. From what I can see, I couldn't be happier.

 

[Mara]

PRETTY!!!! I love how you can see some of the fire in the stone even though they are so white!

Your wife is going to pass out from their beauty!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Oh WOW!

Very lucky lady!

You will most definitely be her king for this birthday present!