Help choosing Diamond Studs

[kngy422]

I am looking for my first pair of natural diamond studs - roughly 2 ctw or just under. I've gone to a few places in the NY Diamond district asking for GIA-certified, triple-excellent diamond studs (G/VS2 or better) and was told that those specs are "engagement ring quality" and overkill. I do have the budget for quality earrings and see them as a forever, everyday piece, but also don't want to spend money unnecessarily on a pair of studs that look the same (to the average person) as a pair that cost $4000 more just for specs on a report. So my question is, what are good specs/is a good price point for 2 ctw studs to get the most "bang for your buck"?

I was quoted $9K for two 1 cts (G/SI) with platinum setting.

 

[0515vision]

If you’re willing to go down in color, here’s a pair from Whiteflash. ACA might be overkill for studs, but the price of $6976 is nice.

Diamond pair details | Complete characteristics for chosen diamond pair

The most carefully chosen diamond pair. Every diamond is unique, but we choose the most similar diamond pair

www.whiteflash.com

If you’re willing to go to $10.8k, this H pair is nice.

Diamond pair details | Complete characteristics for chosen diamond pair

The most carefully chosen diamond pair. Every diamond is unique, but we choose the most similar diamond pair

www.whiteflash.com

Did you want to set them in white gold/platinum or yellow gold?

 

[kngy422]

Platinum because my ears are sensitive. Will there be a noticeable difference between the $10,800 vs $6,976 pair? The jeweller I spoke to seemed to suggest that most people can't tell the difference, and that for studs it's unnecessary to spend the extra $. (I do like the icey white look though).

 

[MissGotRocks]

Going from an H to K color will be noticeable in terms of color. How color sensitive you are depends on you and your taste. You can always call Whiteflash and ask them to do a side by side view video of the diamonds to see what you think. I have had two pair of Whiteflash ACA diamond studs and never felt like they were overkill in terms of cut or performance. Love their sparkle!

 

[AprilBaby]

I would take the sparkle over the color so the K might be perfect!

 

[0515vision]

I’m pretty sure WF keeps ACAs on hand. Remember that studs are far apart and seen at a distance. Maybe a jeweler nearby has K studs so you can try them on? Also better cut stones look whiter. So an ACA K might face up like a bargain-cut J or I or even H.

I think YouTube has some comparison videos of color and cut, showing how a better cut looks whiter. And these would be The Best Cut.

 

[0515vision]

Here’s a Brian Gavin I pair at $8300 if you go down in clarity. They will happily send you a video of the stones side by side. They have impeccable customer service, too.

1.07 I SI2 Brian Gavin Signature Round

Brian Gavin Diamonds

www.briangavindiamonds.com

 

[kngy422]

Here’s a Brian Gavin I pair at $8300 if you go down in clarity. They will happily send you a video of the stones side by side. They have impeccable customer service, too.

1.07 I SI2 Brian Gavin Signature Round

Brian Gavin Diamonds

www.briangavindiamonds.com

Thank you! Do you think clarity is the least important of the specs given that they are earrings?

 

[kngy422]

Thoughts on these? https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-di...etails.aspx?Diamond1=4596905&Diamond2=4611323

 

[mayaINaU]

Thoughts on these? https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-di...etails.aspx?Diamond1=4596905&Diamond2=4611323

I think those would be perfect because you get the best cut, but save money by going to SI1 (this will not be noticeable on the ear), save money again by going just under 1 carat each, and by getting I color. Honestly I’d be happy to go down to J unless it’s a mind-clean issue for you. Keep in mind you might want to get locking backs with a supportive disk to keep the studs up:https://chrysme.la/products/chrysmela-extra

 

[Dreamer_D]

Some day you might want to use the diamonds for something else! Why not get a great cut?

 

[kngy422]

I think those would be perfect because you get the best cut, but save money by going to SI1 (this will not be noticeable on the ear), save money again by going just under 1 carat each, and by getting I color. Honestly I’d be happy to go down to J unless it’s a mind-clean issue for you. Keep in mind you might want to get locking backs with a supportive disk to keep the studs up:https://chrysme.la/products/chrysmela-extra

Thank you for the feedback!

 

[BlingDreams]

Thoughts on these? https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-di...etails.aspx?Diamond1=4596905&Diamond2=4611323

Those are very nice. But, if I were going for SI1, I’d want the inclusions to not be on the table. They’ll be noticeable with close inspection and if you (or a descendent) decide to use them in a future ring it would be a detractor. I’d call WF and ask for similar but with better placed inclusions.

Also, for the mounting, look into la pousette stems/backs. They’re worth the piece of mind they bring!

 

[Lookinagain]

Thoughts on these? https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-di...etails.aspx?Diamond1=4596905&Diamond2=4611323

I like this pair the best but I would check with WF and ask if the "clouds not shown" on the cert of the SI1 create any issues. Other than that, WF says they are eye clean so the inclusions wouldn't concern me for earrings, and probably not in a ring either.

 

[WillyDiamond]

Confession: I am a fanboy of BGD
solution: call Lesley at BGD to put together pairs for you.
Good luck.

 

[headlight]

I would not get studs (or pendant) of (relative) lower quality than I would a ring. I have never understood this.

 

[pancake]

Assuming you want colourless, eye-clean studs, these would be my considerations:

1. There's "eye-clean from normal viewing distance" and then there's "eye-clean with the diamond 6 inches from my eye". For me, I think that I would be considering viewing distance ie a ring you will look at close-up, but people aren't going to squash their heads into your personal space and hold your head still to scrutinise your studs, haha

2. Similarly colour..
Depending on your skin tone, you may be able to drop quite a bit. With studs you aren't going to see the pavilion when they're worn, which is where colour is most obvious. In a well-cut RB with great dispersion, and in the absence of a neighbouring stone of higher colour, I think you would be fine going down to J, even K if you are olive/golden/brown-toned.

3. If budget is no issue then just go for whatever is "mind clean" for you! Personally I would save some $ and drop to I/J/SI1...and get myself a pair of huggies with the "savings"

 

[kngy422]

For roughly the same price ($8,800 excluding the setting), I could get 2ctw GIA triple X, G SI1 OR 1.82ctw ACA, I SI1. Unfortunately i did not get the GIA #s for the pair I saw in person in diamond district, but i guess my question is whether the superior cut of the ACA makes up for the drop in color?

 

[mayaINaU]

For roughly the same price ($8,800 excluding the setting), I could get 2ctw GIA triple X, G SI1 OR 1.82ctw ACA, I SI1. Unfortunately i did not get the GIA #s for the pair I saw in person in diamond district, but i guess my question is whether the superior cut of the ACA makes up for the drop in color?

I think it’s a personal preference issue, but I know that I would not be able to tell the difference between a G and an I on the ear. I might be able to tell the difference between a G and an I if I held them right next to each other, and compared them as rings, for example. Other people might not be able to see a difference at all. Remember that color is graded with the diamond unset and upside down, so the way you would normally view it in the setting, the difference is a little less noticeable. And even if you can tell the difference, there’s the question of whether it bothers you or not. The cut of an ACA will be much, much better than the average triple X. I have J ACA studs, and I would choose ACAs of any color or clarity over a GIA triple X that did not meet ACA cut standards.
To add, my ACAs are .5 carat each. I helped my mother-in-law purchase ACA studs in I color that are .8 carats each. On her ears, all you see is the amazing sparkle and light that they reflect. I’m not super color sensitive, but the color is not something that I think about when she wears them. They are just very bright and noticeable.

 

[Lookinagain]

For roughly the same price ($8,800 excluding the setting), I could get 2ctw GIA triple X, G SI1 OR 1.82ctw ACA, I SI1. Unfortunately i did not get the GIA #s for the pair I saw in person in diamond district, but i guess my question is whether the superior cut of the ACA makes up for the drop in color?

It would for me and in fact, I traded up ACA H color, SI1s of about 1.3 tcw for ACA I color, SI1s that are about 1.7 ctw and very happy I did. They just look very white to me.

 

[yodaling]

For roughly the same price ($8,800 excluding the setting), I could get 2ctw GIA triple X, G SI1 OR 1.82ctw ACA, I SI1. Unfortunately i did not get the GIA #s for the pair I saw in person in diamond district, but i guess my question is whether the superior cut of the ACA makes up for the drop in color?

I've always been told cut is king so I would prioritize cut than anything else. As a matter of fact, a good cut will make a diamond appears larger than a larger carat weight of lower quality cut. I would pick the ACA anytime no question based on these 2 you picked. The sparkles and rainbow scintillation especially when outdoor will cover up (if any) hint of yellow color you may see. Since this will be for studs, I would not worry too much about it. Please show us the final creation with videos when you get them. I'm always amazed by triple ideal cut diamonds. I bought an ACA from Whiteflash and I still can't stop staring at the sparkles even after 8 years later. I am so happy I went with the super ideal cut and never regretted to this day. I don't think i can ever buy a diamond that isn't ideal cut anymore after seeing the ideal cut sparkles.

 

[kngy422]

Thanks so much for everyone's feedback! I'm new to this forum and have learned SO MUCH and really appreciate the wealth of knowledge here! i have reserved the Whiteflash diamonds, and today received GIA reports for two pairs of diamonds from a vendor I met in person ($7,700 for the G/SI1 and $6,300 for the H/SI1). Any feedback would be so welcome! I hope to make a decision next week

 

[Lookinagain]

Not seeing the all the data on the stones like table, depth, pavilion angle, etc means no one can really tell much about these stones and they would have to look up each report at GIA. This is the part of the reports people will also need to see (this is for the stone in your first attachment). You should look up each report and post the PDF of the entire certificate. And just to note that none of them are triple excellent by GIA standards, which is pretty broad, so unlikely to beat out any WF ACAs.

 

[kngy422]

Ahh! Thank you for that and sorry! I looked up the reports and am attaching them here.

 

[pancake]

Without running the numbers through the HCA or similar, right off the bat all of those stones face up small for a RB - they are deep.

 

[tyty333]

Can you post the reports instead of people having to download them? I can pretty much tell from the
size of the stones that they are not well cut because they are too small for a well cut stone. A well cut
1 carat should be at least 6.45-ish mm. They should be XXX at a minimum.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I would stick with the ACA diamonds. You aren’t getting the full impact of one carat stones from the recently posted diamonds. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for!

 

[mayaINaU]

I would stick with the ACA diamonds. You aren’t getting the full impact of one carat stones from the recently posted diamonds. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for!

I could not agree more. Someone on here told me “buy once, cry once.” You have a healthy budget. Get the best cut. You will not regret it.

 

[Old_Fossil]

I concur with the experts here. The sheer number of poorly cut stones on the market is shocking to me, which means there are consumers out there who are unaware of the possible - I know as I was once one of them - probably as most of us were at one time. My better half has a jewelry box full of earrings and rings that when I look at them with my Ideal Scope and ASET scope combined with my recently acquired knowledge from the helpful PSers here make me wish I could go back in time and better inform my younger self.

I got these I color ACA stones for a pair of studs, and their light performance is spectacular. Couldn't be happier and they face up as white as can be in all lighting conditions. Would not hesitate to buy another pair with a J color knowing the cut quality of these stones and seeing them in person.

 

[mayaINaU]

I concur with the experts here. The sheer number of poorly cut stones on the market is shocking to me, which means there are consumers out there who are unaware of the possible - I know as I was once one of them - probably as most of us were at one time. My better half has a jewelry box full of earrings and rings that when I look at them with my Ideal Scope and ASET scope combined with my recently acquired knowledge from the helpful PSers here make me wish I could go back in time and better inform my younger self.

I got these I color ACA stones for a pair of studs, and their light performance is spectacular. Couldn't be happier and they face up as white as can be in all lighting conditions. Would not hesitate to buy another pair with a J color knowing the cut quality of these stones and seeing them in person.

Those are gorgeous.