Visible size difference in earrings

[hoorray]

I'm trying to decide what size / budget to look for in diamond studs. I've know the general range I want is somewhere from just under 1tcw to 1.4cttw, but most mall jewelers have just had those 2 increments, nothing inbetween.

My question is when I look at the sizes in mm, how big of a difference will be visible -- especially since these will be earrings? ex. will 5.2mm look very different from 5.1 or 5.05?


(I know this has come up before, but I couldn't find it when I did some searches.)
Thanks for your help!

 

[Giangi]

Since you're planning on putting them in earrings, then no, there won't be a noticeable difference between 5.10 and 5.20mm. Yes there will be a difference, but not very visible. Me, I would go either with 1cttw (about 5.1-5.2mm) or 1.5cttw (about 5.8mm). There will be a clearly visible difference between these sizes.

 

[valeria101]

MALL JEWELERS

In general, earring stones do not have to match all that perfectly: a small visible difference in size is acceptable when the stones are side by side in the box. This is not the issue with diamond earrings, one would wish.

The same excuse - that these are not under constant close scrutiny as rings are - is used to place the really worst cut stone in earrings, all other Cs left aside. Since these diamonds are usually under 1 cts, they are not certified, so one has to trust the word of the seller. In total: a disaster scenario. I am not saying that buying low quality stones for earrings does notmake sense at all: the worse problem is that prices are rarely in line with that quality and disclosure not the norm. Sorry. Jus my opinion and rather limited experinece with US Malls on the East Coast...

Oh, and the "size increment" holds a catch too: at those sizes the price jumps up even if the actual dimensions of the earrings do not. A 0.25 cts increment would have a smaller impact on the diamond's diameter the bigger the weight you start at, but a bigger impact on price. Smart pricing!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Make sure that you know what quality of color, clarity, and cut you are getting. Most people do not have as high standards for earrings as they might for an engagement ring, but that is no excuse to get the blah I-2 stones sold in a lot of mall stores.

Here are some stones that will give you an idea of price ranges . . . and these all have good cuts!

1.10 ctw H SI1 for $2800

1.40 I VS2 for $4900

 

[hoorray]

Thanks for the inputs.

I plan to buy good quality loose stones from one on the online vendors. I'm currently looking at stones between .45 and .7, all ideal cuts, but not super high in clarity and possibly color since they are for earrings. I'm finding big price jumps as I go up just slightly in size (as is to be expected, I suppose), so am trying to decide what the price/size combo is. Thus, I'm trying to figure out if I would see a difference of 5.2mm stones vs 5.0 mm stone in earrings.

From your inputs, it sounds as if I might need a bigger jump than just the .2mm to make a visible difference, and might be better off staying just under the magic .5ct weight for each stone or move up closer to .7. Thoughts?

 

[valeria101]

Here's some incarnation of the "price jumps" myth. I guess o.6 cts looks good. Size range from 4.8mm to 6mm across the sizes represented in the chart. The 0.6 -ers woudl have about 5.4-5.5mm diameter at 60% depth, I supose...

 

[hoorray]

Thanks Ana! This is a good chart.

 

[fire&ice]

From the chart, the best price is just under the .5 mark each. Then the best value in the just under .65 ish mark.

Have you tried on CZ sizes? What is your goal? What I am saying is that you don't want to have to revisit this in the future. You may love 1/2 in each ear; but, will shrinkage set in? Also, what looks best on your ears. You know I'm a big diamond gal. BUT, my earlobes & features are rather small. I couldn't see going any more than 1/2 in each ear - if that. But, your not me.

It may be worth your while to buy some cheap cz's and wear each size for a while.

 

[hoorray]

Thanks F&I. I agree that those seem to be the 2 sweet spots.

I've worn every size cz out there, and the sizes tend to depend on my lifestyle and mood at the moment. Lately I've tended to size down, and when trying on real earrings anything from .45 to .75 each looks pretty good. Shrinkage is what I'm worried about, but maybe I'll just go with one of the vendors who offer a trade-in in case I find they are "just too small".

Now that I've started looking I'm trying to sort out the mm differences to see if I should be worrying about trying to maximize that within the size range -- ie. 5.02 vs 5.15 vs 5.25. I'm wondering if they would really all look about the same once on the ear.

 

[fire&ice]

When are you planning on wearing the E.R. - everyday? for dress? Will these be your *only* or *the* earrings.

I would think that the difference in mm in an earring would be less visible than in a ring. I've always heard that 10% diff is noticable. But, I think you need to weigh that with how much extra the larger mm will cost.

Funny, I think the trade up on e.r. is even more important than on e-rings.

 

[hoorray]

Agreed...my style and preferences change pretty predictably -- much more so for earrings than an e-ring.

These are for everyday. I don't wear big earrings -- just go with studs 90% of the time since I have small ear lobs and a very casual lifestyle. I have some nice dressier diamond earrings for dressing up, but don't feel comfortable with more than a stud for everyday.

 

[fire&ice]

Sounds like maybe the shy of the 1/2 mark may be on target. And, if you go w/ a trade-up vendor - your set to change your mind.

 

[hoorray]

That's what I'm thinking....while I'm at it, I think I'll compare the .6x size range to see what I find, but I think the =/- .5 is where I'll end up.

thanks for your input.

and thanks to Giangi, Ana and Pheonixgirl for your inputs as well! I think it's harder than it sounds when you actually get down to selecting between stones on paper. The big range limits are easy to define, but within those ranges, it's tough to know what tradeoffs to make without seeing and comparing in person.