Stud size poll (and related commentary!)

[SandyK]

Hi everyone - so I got a 2.27ctw pair of super ideal studs from BGD relatively recently (G, SI1 & SI2); and while I love the light performance, I have to admit that they just don't look big enough on me to be worth the price, if that makes sense. They were the best I could do with my budget and color preferences, but to me the size just doesn't seem big enough to give me the look I am going for with studs (how I wish I had tiny earlobes!!). Here are some not so great pics of my current studs for reference:



And calling @RunningwithScissors ! I have been low key stalking your diamond stud journey and I am SO excited to see your final pair when they are ready - you have my dream budget/specs! Do you happen to know how many mm the 1.7ct stone in your picture below is? To me, the proportions of that stone on your ear are just perfect. Sadly I know I would have to go bigger to get the same look on my ear -- definitely interested in your opinions! I've basically come to the realization that it would be impossible for me to ever go too big for studs, given any realistic upgrade budget I might be able to get my husband to agree to...

 

[FL_runner]

Honestly I think they look gorgeous! But my preference is to have a bit of earlobe showing around a stud, so this would look perfect for my taste. What matters most is that you are satisfied with the look- it’s such a significant investment that you want to be sure!

 

[elizat]

Have you gotten some trial pairs of CZ? That might help you figure out what size you really want. I think it does look nice on you, but you are the one that has to like the size.

I personally would not buy super ideal cut for studs myself. I think that it is probably overkill, but that's my personal opinion. Would your budget stretch farther if you went somewhere with a still very nicely cut stone, but not a super ideal, such as ID Jewelry?

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Your studs still look very nice and pretty on your ear, and not “too small”, but I can understand the desire to go bigger and get more coverage - I too have enormous lobes lol.

also, for studs I find that spreadier and brighter stones work better than super ideals, though that’s personal preference ofc. I do feel like super ideals are overkill like elizat said as well, but you have to see what you’re comfortable with.

Also, how colour sensitive are you? Would you consider going down to an H or I, for example, still fairly white but you’ll def be able to go bigger that way in your budget!

 

[lucida818]

I voted 1.6ct since you aren’t happy with the current size (I think it looks good on yr ear). 1.4ct might not satisfy your craving fully.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Hello Sandy K!

The 1.7 ct in my photo was not my diamond, it belongs to a friend, so I do not know the mm spread. I'll reach out to her and ask but my guess is that she won't know either.

We all want to have our dream piece of jewelry (whether its a ring or studs or whatever) right away. But the reality is that our dream piece is usually more than we can afford -- we have to work our way there over time. That is why I really, really think it is best to purchase from a vendor with a good trade up policy, so you can grow your diamonds over time.

I wore 1 ctw (.5 each) studs for 20 years! Then last year I bought 2ctw studs. Now I'm trading those up for 3.9 ctw studs. And at this size, I can only afford 1 stud at a time! To make this most recent trade up, I'm having to go without studs for about 6 months until I can afford to buy the 2nd stud! (I'm trading in my two 1 ct diamonds for one 1.89 ct diamond.) It is a process to get to my dream pair, not instant gratification.

So if you decide not to get super ideals, then at least make sure you buy at a place where you can continue to trade up down the road. And know that 99.9 % of us who have larger sizes have taken a long road to get there! I'm in my late 40's and I started in my 20's.

Best of luck to you. I look forward to seeing your decision.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

If I were you, I'd hold on to your current pair while I saved up for a size upgrade.

Or, if you are very unhappy and are still within the return window, exchange them for a larger, lower-colored pair at BG. Then continue to save up for an upgrade for larger and/or higher color down the road.

The good news is that you are with a company that has a trade-up policy. My first pair I had to sell on my own. That taught me the value of a vendor that allows trade-ups.

 

[Semy]

Your current studs are gorgeous enough, but I fully understand you want a larger pair (as I am exactly in the same situation ). I believe 1.5 ct per ear would look on your ear perfectly big without overwhelming.

 

[xxxxxx]

I love your studs. But I understand that they aren’t the “look” you’re going for. I know I’ve said this already under your last stud post. But with your budget constraints something will have to give.

In Mined diamonds this will be either:
- color
- clarity
- cut
- size
- time till you have your dream size

in Lab Grown Diamonds this will be:
- the mined part about the diamond (something that you can’t see)

You could rank your criteria to what really are your priorities. Maybe you can live with a lower color as long as the diamonds are mined? Maybe you’re happy to wait another 10 years till you get your dream pair of studs.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

With lab grown diamonds you give up the equity you have in your diamond.

If you ever need to sell your earth-mined diamond, you can sell it for at least 50% of what you bought it for, and potentially more if you sell it many years down the road and diamond prices have risen.

I got 90% of my earth-mined 1 ct oval engagement diamond back when I sold it in 2019 to fund my CBI.

You get almost nothing back if you try to sell a lab grown stone.

 

[xxxxxx]

okay let’s calculate that:

mined CBI Diamonds: 3.8 ctw E VS1
Retail = ~60k
Resell = 48k buyback to Wink
- you are out of 12k


Lab Grown Diamonds cut to super ideal specs by a whiteflash recommended cutter: 3.8 ctw E VS1

Retail = 12k
Resell = 0k (but I do think you would sell them easily for 2-3k on pricescope)


The extra 48k (that one should put into an ETF if they want to make the best financial decision) can easily make 5% (or actually 10%) a year, while one can wear their the lab grown studs. That doesn’t seem like “loosing” money. Equity belongs in stocks or a house if one is trying to make the best financial decision. Not even considering the insurance premium if you want to insure your mined diamond „equity” on the ear. I have no problems with mined diamonds and I understand they have a romantic appeal to lots of people. But the resell value of Lab Grown Diamonds and Mined diamonds are not really an Argument. Both MMD and Mined D are „frivolous“ and no investments.

But maybe I’m missing a point about this resell argument, please let me know!

 

[RunningwithScissors]

You are missing the point.

This is about making an accurate list of "cons" under the earth mined diamond category.

Not being able to resale lab diamonds is a serious "con" that you neglected to list.

I never suggested diamonds of any variety are a good investment.

But the truth is you can get money back out of earth mined if your life changes and you need to do so. You can't with lab created ones. They are a total loss.

Its as simple as that. An earth-mined diamond gives you options down the road if you need them. A lab diamond does not.

No one is arguing that a person should buy diamonds instead of stocks or a house or an annuity.

But when I buy things, even fun items, I believe in buying things that hold at least part of their value.

And for me, I like the idea of leaving my jewelry pieces to different friends and family members in my will to remember me by. An heirloom is a piece that holds some monetary value as well as sentimental value. This wouldn't work with created gemstones because history has shown they simply don't hold monetary value.

 

[xxxxxx]

You are missing the point.

This is about making an accurate list of "cons" under the earth mined diamond category.

Not being able to resale lab diamonds is a serious "con" that you neglected to list.

I never suggested diamonds of any variety are a good investment.

But the truth is you can get money back out of earth mined if your life changes and you need to do so. You can't with lab created ones. They are a total loss.

Its as simple as that. An earth-mined gives you options down the road if you need them. A lab diamond does not.

No one is arguing that a person should buy diamonds instead of stocks or a house or an annuity.

But when I buy things, even fun items, I believe in buying things that hold at least part of their value.

And for me, I like the idea of leaving my jewelry pieces to different friends and family members in my will to remember me by. So I buy only pieces that would make for heirlooms, pieces that will hold value over time. This wouldn't work with created gemstones because history has shown they simply don't hold their value.

Oh I’m so sorry I missed that point. So you’re point is that you can’t resell lab diamonds?
Or that mined diamonds have more (intrinsic) value stored in them?

Heirlooms can also be created gemstones. I will leave it at that as I don’t want to derail the thread.

Anyway I just wanted to show the OP a different solution to the size, color, budget dilemma that we all face. But obviously there is no right or wrong there’s just all these great option we can pick from.

 

[mrs-b]

@SandyK -

"Hi. My name is Mrs-B and I have the world's biggest ear lobes."

Like - really. So I went cluster for my studs. To be honest - and with all due apologies to those who love studs - I find plain solitaire studs rather boring looking, so switching to clusters worked well for me from multiple directions - which, I freely admit, may not be the case for you.

I have 2 x .95ct centers with 11 pt sides - 9 on each stud. So in total, my studs are 4ctw, and their coverage is substantial. They're top flight, super ideal cut colorless diamonds and their sparkle is off the chain. They're not 'the cheap option' - but they're not as expensive as massive studs.

Anyway, as someone with a large lobe issue, I thought I'd just toss in my 2c worth because it's worked so well for me, and I like a substantial look, without being trashy or overly glitzy. I've worn these with jeans many times and, frankly, think they're more low key than huge solitaires.

Just a thought.









And here are a couple of alternatives in case you want to stay with single stones, but need a little more presence and visual interest.

 

[Fancygems]

@SandyK -

"Hi. My name is Mrs-B and I have the world's biggest ear lobes."

Like - really. So I went cluster for my studs. To be honest - and with all due apologies to those who love studs - I find plain solitaire studs rather boring looking, so switching to clusters worked well for me from multiple directions - which, I freely admit, may not be the case for you.

I have 2 x .95ct centers with 11 pt sides - 9 on each stud. So in total, my studs are 4ctw, and their coverage is substantial. They're top flight, super ideal cut colorless diamonds and their sparkle is off the chain. They're not 'the cheap option' - but they're not as expensive as massive studs.

Anyway, as someone with a large lobe issue, I thought I'd just toss in my 2c worth because it's worked so well for me, and I like a substantial look, without being trashy or overly glitzy. I've worn these with jeans many times and, frankly, think they're more low key than huge solitaires.

Just a thought.









And here are a couple of alternatives in case you want to stay with single stones, but need a little more presence and visual interest.

Wow! You have beautiful skin/complexion and the studs are not too shabby either!

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Oh I’m so sorry I missed that point. So you’re point is that you can’t resell lab diamonds?
Or that mined diamonds have more (intrinsic) value stored in them?

Heirlooms can also be created gemstones. I will leave it at that as I don’t want to derail the thread.

Anyway I just wanted to show the OP a different solution to the size, color, budget dilemma that we all face. But obviously there is no right or wrong there’s just all these great option we can pick from.

My point is that when you buy lab diamonds, your purchase is worth pennies on the dollar.

When you purchase an earth diamond, you can resell it down the road if you want to and get between 50 - 90% of your money back.

That's all I'm saying. I'm not telling anyone to buy anything or not buy anything. I'm merely pointing out the fact that one diamond you can resell for a significant percentage of your purchase price and one diamond you cannot.

And when making a list of pros and cons, that needs to be added to the list.

We both agree that people shouldn't view jewelry of an investment. We both agree that our savings and retirement and home should be soundly in place first.

However, I do think it is wise that when we buy extras, fun stuff like jewelry or art or cars or anything that is expensive, that we consider whether the objects will retain any value in case our life changes in an unexpected way and we'd need to sell them. Hopefully, we will never need to, but its good to know we could if necessary.

To use my own life an example, I was very thankful I had a high quality engagement ring to sell when my first marriage didn't work out.

My husband was abusive and owed me money when we broke up. I kept the engagement ring he gave me and sold it for a good chunk of money. I was able to recoup my losses. Had I had not had a diamond I could sell for 60% of its value, I would have been in far worse shape.

Deeper in my family history, I had a relative who fled Poland during the second world war. She was only able to bring a small suitcase with her. She was from a well-off family but had to leave almost everything behind. She sewed the jewelry she owned inside her clothes. They allowed her to not be destitute when she arrived in America.

I don't know why that point of view angers you so much.

 

[headlight]

I share a similar perspective to @RunningwithScissors in that natural diamonds have value... they are rare. You cannot just manufacture more as you can with synthetics.
Also, similar to @RunningwithScissors, I have been able to sell/trade diamonds I’ve held over the years with minimal loss. They do have/hold value because they are natural diamonds, a limited resource.

 

[missy]

@SandyK -

"Hi. My name is Mrs-B and I have the world's biggest ear lobes."

Like - really. So I went cluster for my studs. To be honest - and with all due apologies to those who love studs - I find plain solitaire studs rather boring looking, so switching to clusters worked well for me from multiple directions - which, I freely admit, may not be the case for you.

I have 2 x .95ct centers with 11 pt sides - 9 on each stud. So in total, my studs are 4ctw, and their coverage is substantial. They're top flight, super ideal cut colorless diamonds and their sparkle is off the chain. They're not 'the cheap option' - but they're not as expensive as massive studs.

Anyway, as someone with a large lobe issue, I thought I'd just toss in my 2c worth because it's worked so well for me, and I like a substantial look, without being trashy or overly glitzy. I've worn these with jeans many times and, frankly, think they're more low key than huge solitaires.

Just a thought.









And here are a couple of alternatives in case you want to stay with single stones, but need a little more presence and visual interest.

THUD!!!!!
When my baby halo studs grow up I wish they’d grow up like yours. Gorgeous!!! Honestly the most gorgeous studs I’ve ever seen.

I’d call dibs but girrrrl, don’t ever give those up. They look amazing on your beautiful ears!

 

[motownmama]

Mrs B - your earlobes don’t look BIG!! Your earrings are GORGEOUS! And aren’t you CUTE!!

 

[SandyK]

@FL_runner @elizat @AllAboardTheBlingTrain @lucida818 @RunningwithScissors @lihoo @Lessics @mrs-b Thanks so very much for all the input!! It is really helpful to hear the different perspectives and see the poll results!

I completely forgot to mention in my first post that I am outside the return window, so I will probably need to stay with BG, although I've also thought about seeing if WF or HPD might be willing to do some kind of trade in for my BG studs, at a discount of course. Not sure if anyone here has ever done that? My husband was really adamant about going with the BG studs because they checked all my preferences and were within budget, but the BG inventory is more limited and maybe a little more pricey at the higher carat weights (plus more restrictive on the upgrade criteria), so we might not have thought it through all that well. In retrospect, given my budgetary constraints I probably should have thought a little harder about other alternatives like IDJ, but since my budget wouldn't have been enough to get me the ultimate size I want anyway, at least this way I am not second guessing the performance and have the upgrade option.

I tried on 7mm CZ studs and those did not look big on me at all, I would definitely be happy to go bigger than those! It is really helpful to see that almost everyone who voted for going bigger voted for 1.6ct each; that kind of confirms my suspicion that 1.4ct would not be worth the cost. I was initially shooting for 1.4ct until I saw @RunningwithScissors 's picture with the 1.7ct, which was super helpful.

And I definitely appreciate the point about being patient and in this for the long haul - I have a big birthday coming up in a few years, so I think I will try to save up until then and maybe my husband will be in a more generous mood, haha...

 

[nkc]

Depends on the size and shape of earlobe, in my opinion. The one in the first picture looks perfect in size and proportions.

 

[123ducklings]

I know I’m late to the discussion but I just wanted to say that those studs look lovely on you! I know it’s not your dream pair, but if I were you I’d enjoy them for a few years while saving to upgrade. I think they are a really versatile size on you.

 

[gregchang35]

FWIW: I think the size looks great. However, you are feeling not quite right with it, so considering changes.

Completely different perspective.... throwing it out there for consideration only.

looking at your picture: the ear piercing seems further away from your face compared to running with scissors... therefore there is more earlobe between the face and the earring. Perhaps that is what is the illusion that the studs are not big enough??? I then wonder if a bigger stone will close that gap enough to make it look big enough?

maybe jackets would work better (as suggested by mrsb) and it may fill in that space that I see, and look big enough.

would a piercing closer to the face change the perspective of how big a stone is needed? Piercing on the inside edge of the stone - am attaching a bad mark up of where I think it should be.

But it is only my perception.
It may not be something that you have considered and I hope that I haven’t raised another issue that is causing more consideration/ grief to your quest.

Edit: I jsut read that you tried on 7mm CZ and they were a good size... perhaps that is your answer and no need to change ear piercing.

 

[SandyK]

Thank you very much @nkc @123ducklings ! I do feel lucky to have these, so I am going to do my best to enjoy what I have! And when contemplating the cost of an upgrade, it does get a little crazy when I start thinking about the other things I could buy with the money...

@gregchang35 no I actually have had the same thought before and wondered if my piercing was in a weird location? I am going to think about that some more, I think there is something to that. And haha the 7mm looked like a perfectly reasonable size to me - but still not the woah look I am going for, sadly lol.

And I just realized I had forgotten to make all of the comments I intended to - @mrs-b I echo all the comments about your skin, you have perfect skin! It reminds me of the perfect skin of a little baby I love your cluster studs! But sadly for my budget I am just obsessed with plain studs. I had a moment where I even contemplated selling my 3ct EC to fund the stud upgrade, haha.

@RunningwithScissors - a little off topic but you look like you are max early 30's!

 

[heididdl]

Hello Sandy K!

The 1.7 ct in my photo was not my diamond, it belongs to a friend, so I do not know the mm spread. I'll reach out to her and ask but my guess is that she won't know either.

We all want to have our dream piece of jewelry (whether its a ring or studs or whatever) right away. But the reality is that our dream piece is usually more than we can afford -- we have to work our way there over time. That is why I really, really think it is best to purchase from a vendor with a good trade up policy, so you can grow your diamonds over time.

I wore 1 ctw (.5 each) studs for 20 years! Then last year I bought 2ctw studs. Now I'm trading those up for 3.9 ctw studs. And at this size, I can only afford 1 stud at a time! To make this most recent trade up, I'm having to go without studs for about 6 months until I can afford to buy the 2nd stud! (I'm trading in my two 1 ct diamonds for one 1.89 ct diamond.) It is a process to get to my dream pair, not instant gratification.

So if you decide not to get super ideals, then at least make sure you buy at a place where you can continue to trade up down the road. And know that 99.9 % of us who have larger sizes have taken a long road to get there! I'm in my late 40's and I started in my 20's.

Best of luck to you. I look forward to seeing your decision.

I'm on a similar journey I have 2.40 1.20 each and. I really want 3.26 but can't swing it so I am going to trade in my 2.40 plus some for 3.00 ish but i may also have to without my earrings for a couple of months. I think these earrings look perfect on you.

 

[lambskin]

I have huge fat/ flabby earlobes. 2ctw studs look tiny and droop.Rarely to never wear them. I love Mrs. B‘s halo studs as they are in PERFECT proportion and color. Not doing anything with them as the are about 25 years old and my two girls each want one for a reset....OMDB!LOL

 

[LLJsmom]

I have 1.2 and 1.1 ct each, and they are a perfect size for daily wear. My earlobes are similar size to yours and I don't think they are deficient. However, they don't have the WOW factor. Even though objectively they are not small, they are small to me. I'm bored of them to be honest, and I wouldn't mind at all going to a 1.5 carat each. But for me, it isn't worth the money. I'm so glad I know my mind about this. So I considered getting a very beautiful delicate halo put around them, like Victor Canera quality permanent halos around them. That would add at least 2 mm each. That's going from about 6.8mm to 8.8, which is about the size of a 2.5 carat stone. From a distance, they will look awesome. And I will not spend another $15K to upgrade my earrings. Nope, won't do it.

 

[SandyK]

I'm on a similar journey I have 2.40 1.20 each and. I really want 3.26 but can't swing it so I am going to trade in my 2.40 plus some for 3.00 ish but i may also have to without my earrings for a couple of months. I think these earrings look perfect on you.

Thank you so much, and good luck with your upgrade!! 3ctw is an awesome size.

 

[SandyK]

I have huge fat/ flabby earlobes. 2ctw studs look tiny and droop.Rarely to never wear them. I love Mrs. B‘s halo studs as they are in PERFECT proportion and color. Not doing anything with them as the are about 25 years old and my two girls each want one for a reset....OMDB!LOL

Lolll - well I am sorry that yours are not getting much wear these days, but that is too funny about your girls. My daughter is still little but she definitely likes to grab my bling - my husband tried to teach her to say: "I like little diamonds Mom! Big diamonds are poo poo!" But she is super ornery, so she tells him that she likes big diamonds

 

[SandyK]

I have 1.2 and 1.1 ct each, and they are a perfect size for daily wear. My earlobes are similar size to yours and I don't think they are deficient. However, they don't have the WOW factor. Even though objectively they are not small, they are small to me. I'm bored of them to be honest, and I wouldn't mind at all going to a 1.5 carat each. But for me, it isn't worth the money. I'm so glad I know my mind about this. So I considered getting a very beautiful delicate halo put around them, like Victor Canera quality permanent halos around them. That would add at least 2 mm each. That's going from about 6.8mm to 8.8, which is about the size of a 2.5 carat stone. From a distance, they will look awesome. And I will not spend another $15K to upgrade my earrings. Nope, won't do it.

Sigh and yes, this is exactly how I feel about the size. The VC halo would be stunning!!

TBD on how much I would be willing and able to spend on an upgrade, but I've been thinking about the other suggestions to compromise on color (thanks @Lessics @RunningwithScissors ) to help with the size and I'm thinking that will be a necessity if I want to get to a size I am happier with. My style is super basic and I don't really have many wishlist items or must-have items, so I really do think I would be happy with just my e-ring and a killer pair of studs.