What kind of diamond earrings can I get for 2k?

[starlitgem]

My budget is about 2k (willing to wiggle up in price if it exponentially makes a difference in brilliance to the human eye) and I want round diamond stud earrings .70 - .90 ct total w/platinum (still debating between 3 or 4 prong)...I've been doing a ton of research online for the past 4 days but it is still so daunting!

I'm mostly on bluenile.com, but today (I live in NYC) I wandered into the Diamond District to try on a pair to figure out what sizes I liked best. I tried on this pair that was .66 carat total (.33 each ear), and I thought they looked great. The color was F/G and she said it was something like VS1/VS2 inclusion. They were about $1700 total. I'm not sure if that's a normal price...I was just putting my feelers out and doing some foot work.

Then I walked over to Tiffany & Co. and the price inflation was just so much more...so looks like Tiffany is out of the question.

I have some questions...
- At what point does the grading really make a difference to the human eye? Of course D is ideal, but can the human eye notice the difference between D and H?
- At what point will cut make a difference? Will I notice a difference between Ideal and Good? My big thing is "oooh sparkly."
- So basically, for the 4 C's, what is the most I can "get away with" before I start noticing the difference in quality without a bunch of testing tools?

The earrings are a personal gift for myself, something I look forward to wearing everyday for years to come from cocktail dresses to gym shorts.

What will look most brilliant to the human eye? Is my price range feasible?

Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/21/2008 12:36:33 AM
Author:starlitgem
My budget is about 2k (willing to wiggle up in price if it exponentially makes a difference in brilliance to the human eye) and I want round diamond stud earrings .70 - .90 ct total w/platinum (still debating between 3 or 4 prong)...I''ve been doing a ton of research online for the past 4 days but it is still so daunting!

I''m mostly on bluenile.com, but today (I live in NYC) I wandered into the Diamond District to try on a pair to figure out what sizes I liked best. I tried on this pair that was .66 carat total (.33 each ear), and I thought they looked great. The color was F/G and she said it was something like VS1/VS2 inclusion. They were about $1700 total. I''m not sure if that''s a normal price...I was just putting my feelers out and doing some foot work.

Then I walked over to Tiffany & Co. and the price inflation was just so much more...so looks like Tiffany is out of the question.

I have some questions...
- At what point does the grading really make a difference to the human eye? Of course D is ideal, but can the human eye notice the difference between D and H? Probably, but for earrings you could certainly consider H and even I colour, unless you prefer colourless, if well cut they will still look white and sparkle!
- At what point will cut make a difference? Will I notice a difference between Ideal and Good? My big thing is ''oooh sparkly.'' Don''t go by labels such as the above, no guarantee of a well cut diamond. Evaluate each stone on it''s own proportions, if you get some contenders post them here and we will help you.
- So basically, for the 4 C''s, what is the most I can ''get away with'' before I start noticing the difference in quality without a bunch of testing tools? As long as your cut is great, look at some AGS0 or AGS1 cut grade and some GIA Excellent, then you could consider H I and J colour and SI clarity and have a beautiful set of studs which sparkle like crazy - just keep them clean to keep them sparkling.

The earrings are a personal gift for myself, something I look forward to wearing everyday for years to come from cocktail dresses to gym shorts.

What will look most brilliant to the human eye? Is my price range feasible? Cut is key for beautiful diamonds as I said above, I am sure you could get a lovely pair of studs. You could look at Whiteflash Ready set to Go earrings which might be suitable. These are not upgradeable though, should you want to get some larger studs at a later date.

Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it!

 

[starlitgem]

This is from Blue Nile website:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-earrings-platinum_130?nav1=earring_channel.asp
Are these a good beautiful set or should I look for better quality?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/21/2008 11:58:45 AM
Author: starlitgem
This is from Blue Nile website:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-earrings-platinum_130?nav1=earring_channel.asp
Are these a good beautiful set or should I look for better quality?

I would look for loose diamonds and evaluate the proportions, as these diamonds are really an unknown cut quality being '' Good'' - no way of knowing how well they are cut, or how they will sparkle...

 

[starlitgem]

What do you think of these diamonds? Will they look brilliant? LINK

 

[D2B]

Well, for me colour is important, I am pretty colour sensitive, and on a well cut stone a G is my sweet spot. A lot of people think that on earrings the colour etc is not as important, but for me it is right next to my face and and so people when talking to me will be looking at my face iykwim, so I want white and sparkly.

I have some ACA from whiteflash, G and SI ACA and they are great white and super sparkly.

Try on as many as you can or look at different ones, I was amazed at how dull some B&M earrings where and definately appreicate a fantatic cut now that I can see the difference, I only wish I had an e-ring with an ACA or equivelant but, but that was in the days pre PS

2b

 

[shimmer]

Date: 8/22/2008 5:50:17 PM
Author: starlitgem
What do you think of these diamonds? Will they look brilliant? LINK

The numbers are good on those so they should be very sparkly! The setting will put you over 2k though.

ETA: I have VVS1/2 studs from blue nile and now I wish I went down in clarity to go bigger or save some $, just my experience! They are really nice though.

 

[starlitgem]

You all have been so great in helping me decide how to narrow my decision!

So it sounds like color grade minimum of G and and a beautiful CUT is what will make my future earrings look magnificent.
Can I get a better cut/grade and sacrifice CLARITY? Will clarity really diminish to the human eye if I go down to VS1/VS2?

Thanks! I have a feeling I'm just an inch closer on deciding, based on these factors.

What about these? Based on these factors, is this pair better than the previous I posted? LINK

OK 1 more question (hopefully!)... does anyone know if Blue Nile Signature Ideal cut is really all that different to the human eye? Would it be okay to downgrade in quality from Signature Ideal to Ideal?

Thanks

 

[shimmer]

Date: 8/22/2008 8:33:46 PM
Author: starlitgem
You all have been so great in helping me decide how to narrow my decision!


So it sounds like color grade minimum of G and and a beautiful CUT is what will make my future earrings look magnificent.

Can I get a better cut/grade and sacrifice CLARITY? Will clarity really diminish to the human eye if I go down to VS1/VS2?


Thanks! I have a feeling I''m just an inch closer on deciding, based on these factors.


What about these? Based on these factors, is this pair better than the previous I posted? LINK


OK 1 more question (hopefully!)... does anyone know if Blue Nile Signature Ideal cut is really all that different to the human eye? Would it be okay to downgrade in quality from Signature Ideal to Ideal?


Thanks

The second diamond of this set doesn''t have the best numbers, using the
Holloway Cut Advisor it scores over 2 which is not ideal. That is not to say that it wouldn''t be pleasing to the eye, just you might want to judge in person rather than on the computer.

I would not buy a ''Signature Ideal'' rated diamond if there was an ''Ideal'' set that was similar, the name is just a label (IMO) that Blue Nile has applied to charge a premium on some diamonds. There are equally stunning ''Ideals'' as there are ''Signature Ideals''.

As for clarity, like I said, my earrings are VVS1/2 but my ering is SI2 and my ering is more sparkly and beautiful, as it is better cut! The clarity (in most cases) does not diminish the sparkle or brilliance of a diamond unless you get to really included (I2,I3).

 

[shimmer]

How about these?

Or these

 

[shimmer]

I would get these!

 

[glitterata]

I''m a big fan of exquisitely cut I1s, especially for earrings. You can find some at James Allen, or sometimes Winfield''s (where I just bought one for a ring).