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Which size/grade should I choose a pair of round studs

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ps_stone

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
33
Hello Pricescopers,

I own a bezel .6 TCW, F color, VS2, GIA XXX but have always wanted a larger pair of diamond studs. I now am starting to look but am not sure what I should buy, and I have looked at the posting on show me the studs. I do prefer the cool color diamond over warm white, and I know I cut is the most important quality so I will stick with excellent cut, and I can downgraded to a eye-clean SI1 clarify. What I don't know is what mm size or carat weight. This will be my everyday pair so I would prefer not too showy, but just right size in hope that I will not regret and feel I need to upgrade in the future:):) I am very petite but has round and large earlobes.

Should I buy a pair 1.5CTW or close to 2CTW? Is a size 5.7mm better for daily wear or 6.3mm would be better choice ? There is a price different with each jump in weight - thinking about save some $ if I can.

Should I buy only Hearts & Arrows with top cut? or would GIA XXX would be sufficient?

And lastly should I go with 3 prongs martini or 8 prongs setting? I've heard that the 8 prongs seem to make the diamond appear larger.

I really appreciate your input and recommendation! :confused:
 
Color and clarity are up to you, its personal preference. For studs I am cool with J and eye clean SI2s.

For studs I think GIA Ex is more than adequate.

Size... up to you. Prices jump a lot at 0.70ct, 0.90ct and 1.00ct. So if you want to get the best "deal" find something in the 0.80ct range and 6mm+.
 
Can you go try on some pairs of studs in different sizes to get a feel for the size you prefer? This is what I would recommend.

If you prefer icy white stones I probably wouldn't go any lower than G/H in color. I'm very color sensitive and went with F stones for my studs and I'm very happy with them. I agree with Dreamer than you can probably go down to SI2 and GIA XXX is great for studs. I love 8-prong settings for studs so those get my vote over the 3-prong settings.

Be sure to post pics once you decide!
 
I also think H-I is as low as you can go if you don't like warmth in diamonds. There is nothing wrong with GIA XXX, but I have found it much easier to match up pairs at WhiteFlash because they have their stones cut to a narrow range of standards.

I am going to take a different opinion on the 8 prongs as I think too many prongs on smaller stones makes the prongs more apparent and may make the diamonds look smaller! I wouldn't do more than 4 prongs on a stone under a carat for earrings.

As far as size goes, I just bought a pair of diamonds at .80 each. There is a pretty big price jump at .90 and even more at 1 ct. So I'd recommend .75 to .85. You want the .75 to be 5.8mm and a .80 to be 6mm. Do not look at stones that are deeper than about 62%.

But do you have an e-ring? If so, what size is it?
 
I don't have an e-ring, but I have a right hand ring - GIA 1ct, 6.4mm, G, very good cut, center stone in a channel set/catheral style - which I occasionally wear.

In this case should I go smaller to 5.8mm? If I plan to upgrade my ring to 1.5 then should I consider 6mm? Is it true that most people tend to have the shrinkage syndrome and wanting to upgrade their studs after awhile?

I will try to look, and will be back to report what I find. If you see some good stones and good deals would you please direct me?

THANKS ALL!
 
I don't think there needs to be relationship to your e-ring. My earrings are 1.60 and my e-ring is either 0.33 or 0.47 depending on which I wear. I much prefer earrings and my actually e-ring (the 0.47) is non-upgradable. No point in letting the non-upgradable status of it affect what I decorate my ears with.

How big are you earrings including the bezel? I think it'll take a much larger stone to compete with the size of the bezel.
 
I generally want my studs smaller than my diamond ring, but obviously you can do whatever you want!

The main issue is budget. How much do you want to spend and then we can give you some ideas of what you can get for that amount.
 
Good point! My current pair is about 3.5mm with the bezel it might look like 5mm.
 
At this time I am thinking maybe somewhere between 5K-7K for a pair.

I am also thinking - should I consider finding a match and use the stone from my diamond ring? Then I will have a really nice pair at 6.4mm, since I don't wear my ring much, but then I don't have a ring when I want it...decision...decision...decision! Don't we wish to have budgets for all :appl: What do you think?
 
diamondseeker2006|1352317326|3300663 said:
I generally want my studs smaller than my diamond ring, but obviously you can do whatever you want!
Click to expand...

I've been trying to use this as a reason to get a larger ring, but DH told me to just downsize my earrings! My original pair was 0.20ctw, then 0.33 (I should have stopped there to keep up with the ring!), then 0.71, and now 1.60.

PS, have you seen the Show Me Your Earrings thread? It has tons of different sizes and comparisons. It may help you decide what a 0.70 v something larger looks like.
 
I've looked at the thread before posting. Are you satisfy at 1.6CTW or do you feel you need larger? I've tried on the 5.5mm and 6mm pair today at the mall and do like the look of the bigger pair, maybe it shows off the diamonds as it has a better cut. I am hoping I be able to accomplish that with my budget.
 
ps_stone|1352321244|3300682 said:
I've looked at the thread before posting. Are you satisfy at 1.6CTW or do you feel you need larger? I've tried on the 5.5mm and 6mm pair today at the mall and do like the look of the bigger pair, maybe it shows off the diamonds as it has a better cut. I am hoping I be able to accomplish that with my budget.
Click to expand...

Realistically, .80 each is about as big as I can do in the relatively small town where I live. Most people I know have smaller studs than that. I think 1 ctw (.50 each) is much more common. I think being on PS makes me want larger, but in real life, my jewelry is nicer than most around me. So I think 1.6 ctw is probably my max (not to mention I think my studs would have cost $12k if I had even gone to .90 each at H VS2!!!). But cut is so important...my studs are bright from edge to edge and face up large since they are well cut.
 
Diamondseeker your pair looks fab on your ears. They are white and sparky! I think I am convinced that I want a 6mm pair. So I can go down to H and would not see the warmth - right?
 
Mine are very bright and white face up. That picture was taken with my bathroom lights on and that lighting is a little warm. I think H is your best bet. Like you, I just prefer whiter stones over warm ones, so that is how I ended up at H! The last pair were G color and you really couldn't tell the difference face up.
 
ps_stone|1352321244|3300682 said:
I've looked at the thread before posting. Are you satisfy at 1.6CTW or do you feel you need larger? I've tried on the 5.5mm and 6mm pair today at the mall and do like the look of the bigger pair, maybe it shows off the diamonds as it has a better cut. I am hoping I be able to accomplish that with my budget.
Click to expand...

I thought I'd chime in too. Mine are OECs and measure about 5.9-6mm each. I had them set in 6 prong settings which have a fair bit of metal to them and I think make the diamonds look larger. My main goal with the settings was to protect, they have thin girdles. I probably don't get the same light return as modern cut diamonds and mine are lower coloured, L-Ms, but I really like them and wear them daily.

I could and would go bigger, but probably not for daily wear. I doubt anyone notices them and if I'm uncomfortable then I can hide them behind my hair easily. To me, that makes them the perfect piece of jewelery. I felt very self conscience in a 0.20 carat necklace I was wearing, but love this size earrings. I think it also makes a difference with your job, peer group, where you live, and what other jewelery you wear.
 
In terms of studs, I don't think you can go too big for daily wear because, if anything, people will just assume they are fake. I have a pair of 1.5 cttw studs, which are very large for my circle. I have not gotten a single comments about them because I think people assume that they fake just like a large majority of studs that exist in the world :)
 
After spending many hours searching, I found a F color, SI1, 5.7mm BGD signature. The rep said she will put it on reserve until Friday for her to search for a match, and if not I will have to make the purchase and put that on-hold awaiting their next shipment . I then called back on Friday morning and was told the stone has been released from the reserve status and a customer just bought it two hours ago! She then told me she didn't have my credit card info therefore it was not a secured reserve! Needless to say I was very upset :angryfire:

I have heard many good comments from them, but now am very disappointed with BGD.
 
Truthfully, even though I can understand why you would be upset (because they should have called you before releasing it), I think it is for the best. You don't know if it would be 6 weeks, 6 months, or a year before a close match to that stone would have come in (as a BG Signature stone). It is always best to choose two available stones at the same time.

I will also remind you that 5.7mm is closer to my smaller pair and not my newest pair from my other thread.

WhiteFlash has a great pair of F SI1's, but I'd go to G or H for myself because they still appear very white on the ears.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2829801.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2763653.htm


http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2829791.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2829804.htm

I hope the PS wire price is showing up for you. There should be 3 prices showing. I think I already posted an H pair for you earlier.
 
ps_stone|1352317941|3300668 said:
At this time I am thinking maybe somewhere between 5K-7K for a pair.

I am also thinking - should I consider finding a match and use the stone from my diamond ring? Then I will have a really nice pair at 6.4mm, since I don't wear my ring much, but then I don't have a ring when I want it...decision...decision...decision! Don't we wish to have budgets for all :appl: What do you think?
Click to expand...

I did just that. I found a SI1 F to pair with the VS1 G (medium blue) from my ring. Very close dimensions but diff table size. Though the stats are diff on paper, you really can't tell them apart especially when wearing them. So I wouldn't worry about finding exact match. Though that would be something to consider if you intend to sell them as a pair in the future.

So YES! And get a bigger ring when you miss having one! :tongue: a girl needs diamond earrings, jackets, rings (solitaire, haloed, double haloed, eternity, 3 stone), bracelet and pendant!
 
If you are colour-sensitive then I think you will see a tint at H. My ering is an I colour, and it looks pretty white but when I put my D pendant next to it then it does look noticeably yellow. It's a Hearts on Fire with an AGS cert too, so good quality. Even with the super ideal cut, it still has a tint. In dim lighting it has warm, colourful fire instead of that really winter-icy look. I think, since you have a great budget, G would be an excellent compromise. Then, you could still get a nice size but no tint.

I am like you - I definitely like the cool diamond colours rather than the warm white. After I got my D pendant, I realised how much I loved that really icy look. If you want that, I would go for E/F.

My own studs are Blue Nile, 0.68 ctw, signature ideal cut, one is an E and the other is an F. I don't agree that studs should be of lesser quality than engagement rings, except with regards to clarity. People see your ears a lot, and they see your side view a lot. When you are sitting across a table, people see your earrings, and a great pair can really sparkle in a restaurant setting with the favourable lighting. Why would you want something that isn't as sparkly as your e-ring? This is the received wisdom, that you can go down in quality for studs, but I wanted the sparkliest earrings I could possible afford. That's why I went with the fabulous cut. Although each diamond is only 0.34, the amazing cut and all that fire make them look like half a carat each. Since a super-ideal cut throws out so much light return, your earrings will look bigger and therefore you can go down a few points and perhaps save some money.

Another way to make them look bigger is to bezel them in a white metal. :naughty:
 
I am drawn to the wintery cool color diamonds and I am debating whether to buy a 6.2mm pair of E color, but I will have to really stretch my budget. Will at $2700 be worth it ? From 5.9 mm H color to a 6.2mm E color??? I have placed this onhold pending my final decision tonight! :?:

Also will a 8 prongs drwaft the diamonds? I don't like the square look of the 4 prongs basket. I sit higher and the 3 prongs martini disappear in my stretched ear pieced.
 
ps_stone|1352850008|3305791 said:
I am drawn to the wintery cool color diamonds and I am debating whether to buy a 6.2mm pair of E color, but I will have to really stretch my budget. Will at $2700 be worth it ? From 5.9 mm H color to a 6.2mm E color??? I have placed this onhold pending my final decision tonight! :?:

Also will a 8 prongs drwaft the diamonds? I don't like the square look of the 4 prongs basket. I sit higher and the 3 prongs martini disappear in my stretched ear pieced.
Click to expand...


I love icy white stones like you, and I know I would be much happier with E color than H, even though they're studs. But $2700 is a big jump. Only you can decide if its worth it to you.

I don't think 8 prongs will dwarf diamonds of that size, especially if the prongs are done right (where are you getting the studs from)? My studs are 0.44ct each and I have the 8-prong settings. BGD did tiny little claw prongs on them and I LOVE them.
 
Order placed!!!! I went ahead and pulled the plug - They are GIA EX E color, SI1 eye-clean, 6.2mm each. I am very excited, but also has nerves since this is my first online purchase. One is a CUT ABOVE and with .6 HCA and the other 1.2 HCA they should be beautiful - right? I sure hope so! Now onto which setting. Will post pics when received.

Thanks to ALL for your inputs and comments!
 
Forgot...I got them at James Allen. I also contacted BC2JEWELS for some D color. It was not a good experience with my contacts, so I took a pass on those.
 
So I finally decided on the 8 prongs martini setting. Ordered it from Brian Gavin and have it set by a local jeweler. I am very very happy with the icy cool E color, but am thinking they are still a little small for my earlobe. Perhaps return for something a little bigger...if money is no object :naughty: :naughty:

sam_1.jpg

sam_0040.jpg

sam_0050.jpg
 
Very nice!!! :appl:
 
GORGEOUS!!!!!! :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love:

They definitely don't look small!

We need earshots!!!!!!!!
 
Those are beautiful! You have one very lucky teddy bear there :))
 
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