Earring size progression

[Mekp]

Last December I bought some small whiteflash ACA earrings. They are 0.63 ctw. I love them, I wear them everyday.
I already know I want to upgrade them, likely around this coming Christmas.
My question is, what is a reasonable increase in size for earrings? If I aim for 1 ctw will that be an appreciable difference? Or should I aim for 1.2?
What is a typical progression for earring size?

 

[Patty]

It depends on your budget and how much bigger you want to go. I would notice a difference between a .32c stone and a .50c stone.

One thing to consider is that ever time you upgrade, you are paying for new settings, so I’d be inclined to go for the larger pair now rather than doing several small upgrades over time.

 

[Mekp]

That's a good point about the settings. Especially in the smaller sizes it takes up a larger percentage of the budget.
I can't imagine I will ever go very big with the earrings, I'll likely max out at around 1.5 - 1.8 ctw. I don't think I want to increase all at once (and I'm unlikely to get the funds together for a huge jump in size by the end of this year), so maybe I want to aim for 1.2 ctw this year and 1.8 at a later date.

 

[MrsBlue]

I've gone from .8 (4.75mm) to 1.3ish (5.5mm) to 1.6ish (6mm), with availability at time of purchase being a big factor for me.

@Patty makes a great point about the cost of the setting but my last upgrade was completely unplanned. I found some that I really liked and pulled the trigger knowing that pairs in my budget range don't come up often. I ate the cost of the settings and was happy with my decision.

If I ever upgrade again or feel like changing settings, I will buy colored stones for the 6mm settings so they don't go to waste.

 

[missy]

My preference is as big as your lobe and budget allow. That is, as long as you have lobe around the stud it’s not too big. IMO.


Having said that you do what works for you and if you feel you’re going to keep wanting bigger I recommend going as large as your budget allows so you don’t have to keep upgrading.

As pointed out there are additional expenses associated with upgrading even when there’s an excellent upgrade policy.

I often find it’s least expensive in the long run to get exactly what I want in the beginning. If I know what I want and the budget allows that is.

 

[Mekp]

I did some poking around Whiteflash. Right now they have a pair of 1.5 ctw that are one colour grade lower than what I have that would cost about $3200 with my trade in. That includes the settings.
That makes me think a single, big upgrade might be feasible this year.
I'll have to think about whether I'll be happy with a lower colour grade.

 

[Lookinagain]

OP would you mind telling us your current color grade? I have WF ACA's and when I upgraded I went down one color and really don't notice it at all so perhaps the lower color won't bother you. I guess it depends on where you are starting.

 

[ringo865]

Or... it’s whiteflash. So you get the size you want now and IF you feel you need a higher color later, trade up for color only (same size) so you can use the same settings.

 

[Mekp]

OP would you mind telling us your current color grade? I have WF ACA's and when I upgraded I went down one color and really don't notice it at all so perhaps the lower color won't bother you. I guess it depends on where you are starting.

I'm at a J already. Looking at going to a K. I have them set in yellow gold and the J's don't bother me at all, but unsure what I'd think about K's.

 

[Mekp]

Or... it’s whiteflash. So you get the size you want now and IF you feel you need a higher color later, trade up for color only (same size) so you can use the same settings.

That is smart! That is definitely an option!

 

[LilAlex]

What is a typical progression for earring size?

I don't think they are like gauges . You just buy the size you actually want to wear.

 

[Mekp]

I don't think they are like gauges . You just buy the size you actually want to wear.

True. My budget and what I desire don't always match up though. Incremental purchases make the end purchase seem more in reach. Plus, I'm not 100% sure where I want to end up.

 

[vintageinjune]

Not sure if there is any set standard to "typical" progression for stud earring upgrades. I started with 5.5mm (roughly 1.33 cttw) that were lovely, but I wanted a bit larger, then went to 6.4mm (roughly 2cttw), which ended up feeling too big even after several years of wear (these were both moissanite studs, so relatively inexpensive for figuring out my preferred taste), and when I was ready to pull the trigger on diamonds I wanted something around 6 mm in diameter but ended up with 1.83 cttw and 6.2mm diameter. They are my "goldilocks" stud earrings.

You might consider buying a few different sizes of CZ studs to get a feel for what you may want long term, in the short term though I'd opt for a 1.2 cttw as the in-between step if you don't want to go straight to the 1.8 in the K color, but with ACA's I think a color drop for earrings really wouldn't be too noticeable, but as ringo865 suggested, you could get the K color in the size you like, and if that ends up being your perfect size, you can just upgrade the color in the future if the K is too tinted.

Any chance WF would be willing to do a video of the K you are looking at compared to a J in the same size range, or have them tell you if it's a "high" color K or a "low" color K?

 

[Lookinagain]

I think asking for a video of J and K next to each other is a good idea. Also, if you are staying with yellow gold, with the great cut of ACA's the one drop in color might be fine for you. I just had DK set some K's for me in YG bezels. They are 1.1 ctw. One is an ACA that I took from a pendant and the other is a match I found on JA that had ideal proportions. I don't have them yet, but here are two photos from DK. Maybe this will help you visualize.

 

[Mekp]

I think asking for a video of J and K next to each other is a good idea. Also, if you are staying with yellow gold, with the great cut of ACA's the one drop in color might be fine for you. I just had DK set some K's for me in YG bezels. They are 1.1 ctw. One is an ACA that I took from a pendant and the other is a match I found on JA that had ideal proportions. I don't have them yet, but here are two photos from DK. Maybe this will help you visualize.

Those are stunning!

 

[OECfan]

Totally depends on your earlobe size and how much lobe coverage you want.
I agree there's no "typical progression"--if you want them to look visually different from your current studs, choose a size that'll look different enough while balancing that payoff with your budget.


I started with 0.33 ctw (tiny, I bring these on vacation for active trips), 0.70 ctw (excellent all-purpose earrings including relaxed travel), 1.6 ctw (more bling but still good for daily wear) and now I have 2.0 ctw equivalent/6.5mm each and 4.0 ctw/8mm each moissanite studs that I wear that to my eyes are still not too big. My ear lobes are huge. I envy ladies who can have 2.0 ctw studs fill their lobes the way the 4.0ctw still can't fill mine.

 

[munchee]

I’ll say go as big as your budget allows

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Go big
i too have found diamond shrinkage is a thing
the 1CTW looked huge down the mall
now im like .... i can hardly see them and i have small ears