Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Did I make a mistake..? James Allen Diamond Studs

Diamond BFF

Diamond BFF

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 23, 2018
Messages
26
IMG_0958.PNG IMG_0953.PNG IMG_0954.PNG Hello,
I'd appreciate brutal honesty. Wanted a pair of high quality studs for daily wear under $1900. Researched diamond specs and bought these on James Allen. They haven't arrived yet but I am second guessing the size (.60 total) /fire/brilliance based on the specs. Do you think I over paid? Will .30 in each ear (.60 total) look too small/unnoticeable ? Thank you for time/response :)
 
Internally flawless IMHO is overkill, paying for clarity that high isn't something you can actually see.
 
HI:

In diamond earrings, for you, what are the most important attributes?

"High quality" is subjective.

And FWIW, I have .50 ctw (Tiffany) diamond studs and, for size and wearability, they are not irrelevant.

cheers--Sharon
 
Last edited:
Also, if your top priority is clarity such that you will pay for IF shouldn't the "minor details of polish" bother you?
 
What do you think is your mistake?
 
AprilBaby said:
What do you think is your mistake?
Click to expand...

I think my attempt to educate myself led to confusion and an emphasis on the wrong specs (example: I wasn't aware that my eye is unable to differentiate an IF and that clarity grade is excessive. This is my first diamond purchase and I wanted to be a smart consumer. Maybe as I grown in experience/knowledge, I'll learn more about how to expertly get value/quality! This is why I decided to post on this thread and get some feedback!
 
canuk-gal said:
HI:

https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD8923

and

https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD8956

cheers--Sharon
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Sharon! Yes, these are a small gift to me (I recently left a horrible job and needed a pick me up). This is also my first ever pair of diamond anything. Being a diamond newbie, I tried to base my perception of quality on a collage of information describing ideal diamonds (but it seems I should have done a bit more research). I bet your T&co .50 studs are stunning!!! Glad to know the size is suitable for everyday wear! Thank you for responding to my post.
 
You will be able to afford larger stones if you go down in clarity/color. Eye clean S1 should be fine for earrings. G is a nice color but well cut H-I will also be white. Super ideal cut will be white in J or even K.
 
skypie said:
Also, if your top priority is clarity such that you will pay for IF shouldn't the "minor details of polish" bother you?
Click to expand...

I found it difficult to understand certain aspects of GIA grading. Opinions of how they affect the diamond were all of the place (internet opinions ran rampant). To be honest, I don't know if "minor polish details" should bother me or not, because this is my first diamond purchase. I posted this in the hopes that more seasoned diamond lovers could provide some feedback so I can determine to return this diamonds (once they arrive) or keep/enjoy them. I appreciate your help!
 
Look through the studs thread to see if the size is right. IF is too much to be paid on studs in my opinion only. I would rather pay for color cut or size.
 
Kim Patterson said:
Thanks for the info Sharon! Yes, these are a small gift to me (I recently left a horrible job and needed a pick me up). This is also my first ever pair of diamond anything. Being a diamond newbie, I tried to base my perception of quality on a collage of information describing ideal diamonds (but it seems I should have done a bit more research). I bet your T&co .50 studs are stunning!!! Glad to know the size is suitable for everyday wear! Thank you for responding to my post.
Click to expand...


I am sorry for your job difficulties--I hope your earrings will give you the boost you desire.

Honestly, I never dissuade folks from buying high colors and high clarity. And you are correct, there is an association (whether real or perceived) between "high quality and top colorless and clarity". No fault here, yet the make of the stone (cut) is really the game changer.

You have a healthy budget, hence I recommend buying the best cut possible. Earrings are easily noticeable--framing the face and all--so get the best cut stones on the market. Hair products and finger prints also interfere with the sparkle quotient, so buy in mind that ideal cut gems will stand up to gunk and still look great. Let us know how your earrings looks and go from there

cheers--Sharon.
 
Last edited:
I just purchased a set of studs from James Allen with the same budget. I looked for True Hearts, color I or better, SI2 or better. Ended up with .92tcw I stones, one is an SI1 and the other an SI2. They were $2k even with the settings. I received them today...studying them in the car I couldn't see any inclusions and they looked fantastic. Can't take them out at home right now, but tomorrow I'm going to see if I can identify which is the SI2...the inclusion looked huge in the pictures. Either way, I think in these sizes you can definitely drop in clarity for sure. I get paying a little bit more for color...but cut and size, imo, are the most important.
 
I’m no diamond guru but from experience diamonds in the ear is that colour and clarity are less discernible to the “viewer” than size and cut. Size for obvious reasons and cut for sparkle.
I have some champagne colour studs and no one even notices they are actually “pale lemon”.
So G and IF in your ears is a bit of “overkill” but they will be very beautiful.
 
Those are beautiful stones, but I would agree with the above in that IF is overkill in any situation, but particularly in earrings. You'll never notice SI1 type inclusions in earrings. All you'll see is the size and sparkle (which are determined by cut and carat). For example, you could go with this pair:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i1-clarity-excellent-cut-pair-3383027,4309517

And would be looking at around a $300 savings over the set you've currently selected with an increase of .09 tcw in size.
 
I love James allen’s photos they really show you what the stone looks like. With that being said for an inexperienced customer the photos can be deceptive because of the high quality they make you think you will be able to see the inclusions that are so obvious in the photos. You can’t, when I look at diamonds on their site I will zoom all the way out to prevent my own bias when seeing the inclusions.

If you are second guessing your self and wanted larger diamonds then you purchased I would see if you can cancel the order before they ship.

For studs, especially if you have long hair they will not be as visible as a ring. I would look at the best cut (most important aspect), SI1 and probably look for J - H in color. The difference between a H and G isn’t that obvious, even less so is set in yellow gold.

1) Cut
2) Color (based on preference)
3) Clarity (I would only rank clarity higher if going below SI1)
 
The diamond itself is fine. And will make a gorgeous earring. Actually it's a beautiful diamond.

What others will tell you is that pragmatically, for the same amount of money, you probably could have gone with something of less clarity and larger size and that nobody without a loupe would be able to tell the difference.

$2500 would get you a pair of ACA studs in 0.7 to 0.8TCW (well okay, you may be pushing $3000 depending on specification - e.g. F/G VS1/2 for 0.8TCW). Splitting hairs really.
 
skypie said:
Also, if your top priority is clarity such that you will pay for IF shouldn't the "minor details of polish" bother you?
Click to expand...


What does that even refer to? “ minor details of polish”?..

FM
 
Reading through this forum for buying tips, educating oneself, etc makes one second guess their own ability to choose to make a decision on what to buy.... With my garbled sentence in mind....relax...enjoy your new bling!

FM
 
.

I may or may not know much about grading ... (not enough to do it, enough to read the dam' reports ... ), & still live with an entirely senseless feeling for what is good. Would have went D-E & match cut, letting clarity vary anywhere between IF & I1. I have certainly come accross diamonds matched this way & not necessarily in bad places.

2c


Could I tell D from I in your ears ? Not. You could go way further from colourless in this size ... I am not sure where on GIA's colour line I might start seeing a tint in studs being worn. The stark colourless look the part when the light hits just right & that is certainly not often ... - so I cannot quite tell you why 'D-E'. Perhaps more interesting: very bright diamonds give the same impression; the HCA has a particular range (0-1) 'for earrings' because this works so well for diamonds meant to be seen from arm length & beyond. It might be too much of a chore to hunt down a pair this way, however.
 
Last edited:
FinleysMom said:
What does that even refer to? “ minor details of polish”?..

FM
Click to expand...

Minor surface scratches and blemishes that occur cut/polish that have no impact on the actual performance of the diamond, and hence are not mentioned in detail. As they are external, they do not affect the "internally" flawless clarity grading.
 
I think they are excellent diamonds. They are a great match and you'd have trouble seeing any hint of colour in them and there will be no inclusions. They are good noticeable everyday size and I don't think they'll be too small or anything.

That said, if I were in the market for earrings and had your budget I'd prioritise cut, size, colour, and finally clarity in that order. I think you can get 0.75 - 0.85 cwt if you were willing to have lower clarity, but still eye clean, diamonds.
 
UPDATE:
Dear Everyone,
I weighed your opinions and did more research. I think ya'll were right about the necessity of IF clarity stud diamonds earrings. I decided to lower the clarity to VVS2 (color remains G, cut is James Allen True Hearts (which I take as falling into the ideal range..?).

As a result, I was able to go from .60 ctw to .70 ctw (.35 each ear). I got a smidge more bang (size-wise) for my buck ($2,000 or less!). Happy to post photos when they arrive.

Thanks again! :)
 
Kim Patterson said:
UPDATE:
Dear Everyone,
I weighed your opinions and did more research. I think ya'll were right about the necessity of IF clarity stud diamonds earrings. I decided to lower the clarity to VVS2 (color remains G, cut is James Allen True Hearts (which I take as falling into the ideal range..?).

As a result, I was able to go from .60 ctw to .70 ctw (.35 each ear). I got a smidge more bang (size-wise) for my buck ($2,000 or less!). Happy to post photos when they arrive.

Thanks again! :)
Click to expand...
It def a personal choice ,but in that size of stones , even SI1-SI2 would be perfect ! I would go to just bigger diamonds
 
495BA8AA-3D59-4DBD-8387-8F827D221C93.jpeg

So glad you made the switch, OP! You’ll love your studs. Can’t wait to see the pics. I currently have .60 ctw and I love what Sharon said about that range of weight being “not irrelevant.” :lol-2: I concur! Here are mine—not a great shot, but it gives you a perspective on size. Hubby originally gave me .44 ctw for one of our first chrismases. Then we traded up for .60 about 4 or 5 years ago. I am planning on trading up for Valentine’s Day this year, but I have loved this size! I am lucky that I have smallish ear lobes, hah. Mine are J and clarity SI1, I believe.
 
G vvs : I bet your earrings will be gorgeous! Can't wait to see pictures!
 
Size of diamond depends on your lobes. @KristinTech's studs have a nice presence on her dainty lobes. I put on 40 lbs since I got my first pair of huggies and studs and I can tell you I can't stuff my lobes into the huggies anymore without getting earring muffin top:oops:.

Your new studs sound beautiful. If you decide that you want to go bigger, I'd consider dropping to H vS2 next. You won't know how you feel until you have them on.
 
PintoBean said:
Size of diamond depends on your lobes. @KristinTech's studs have a nice presence on her dainty lobes. I put on 40 lbs since I got my first pair of huggies and studs and I can tell you I can't stuff my lobes into the huggies anymore without getting earring muffin top:oops:.

Your new studs sound beautiful. If you decide that you want to go bigger, I'd consider dropping to H vS2 next. You won't know how you feel until you have them on.
Click to expand...

My earlobes are the only dainty thing about my 5’10 self! :lol:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top