The best places to purchase a diamond engagement ring are often a hot topic of discussion, but what about the rest of the members of the fine jewelry arsenal? Specifically, what about the best place to buy diamond stud earrings?
We’ve all been there; you think that you’ve found the perfect pair of sparkly stunners only for them to tarnish and turn your ears green after a few wears. Now that just won’t do. In this quick article, we’ll explore the best places to buy a diamond stud earrings, and a few tips as to how to find a high-quality diamond that fits your price point.
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Guidelines for Buying Diamond Stud Earrings
First things first, before we spill the deets as to where you can find your new favorite fine jewelry style, we need to cover a few ground rules. There are a few things that you should always remember when shopping for a piece of jewelry, whether it be online or with a local jeweler.
Consider the 4Cs
First, keep the 4Cs of diamond quality – cut, color, clarity, and carat – at the top of your mind. For the best results still within a reasonable price range, aim for a color grade within the G to I range and try to find a stone with clarity within the VS to SI range.
You’ll want to be sure that the diamond is “eye clean,”, meaning that there are no visible flaws or inclusions that can be seen with the naked eye. Additionally, diamond cut quality is another factor that is essential to consider as a bad diamond cut will directly impact a gemstone’s sparkle which is arguably the most alluring trait that diamonds have to offer.
Verify Authenticity
If you’re exploring your buying options, you might be curious about how you can tell if a pair of earrings, specifically, the diamond within them, is legit. To alleviate any suspicions, diamonds purchased from a reliable source are often combined with a grading certificate either from the Gemological Institue of America(GIA), the American Gem Society(AGS), or in-house certification. These documents verify the value and authenticity of a stone, and they also offer more insight into a diamond’s grading and unique specs.
Stick to Your Budget
Anyone who has scoured the digital shelves of an online diamond retailer or who has stepped foot in a jewelry store knows that it’s easy to get carried away as far as spending goes. A dazzling little something here and an irresistibly sparkly little something there, the hypnotic pull of diamond jewelry can easily get out of hand, and before you know it your grand total is sitting somewhere in the thousands. For this reason, it’s absolutely essential to know and stick to your budget throughout the jewelry buying process.
Best Places to Buy Diamond Stud Earrings
Popular Online Retailers
Convenient and fast at its best and overwhelming and confusing at its worst, shopping for fine jewelry online can be intimidating. But have no fear, there are several tried and true retailers that have been properly vetted throughout the years. Of these brands, there a few that stand out as some of the best places to shop online for diamond stud earrings, and they are Blue Nile, James Allen, Whiteflash Diamonds, and Ritani.
Well-Known Chain Stores
Of course, if the stress of making a blind buy over the interwebs proves to be too daunting, chain stores are always an option. Think places like Jared, Kay, and Zales.
Custom Design
Alternatively, you can create your own look from scratch, or alter an already existing piece with a custom design. Custom design provides a lot of opportunities for personalization as you will be part of the decision-making process when it comes to stone shape, color, and carat size.
Custom design is also a great way to add your own twist to a vintage piece or a family heirloom.
Loose Diamonds
If you’re on the hunt for a pair of studs that are larger than 0.3 carats, you might want to ditch pre-set designs altogether and opt for a pair of loose diamonds instead. Since these stones are larger than those used in the average pair of studs, purchasing loose diamonds and having them set later will allow you to examine the stones for any damage and inclusions.
Best Color and Clarity For Diamond Stud Earrings
When it comes to diamond color and clarity grades, the GIA is one of the industry’s most trusted sources. Here’s what the GIA has to say about choosing the best diamond color and the best diamond clarity for your earrings, beginning with color. See our diamond cut and shape guide for more information.
“The facets on a diamond are like tiny mirrors, reflecting what is close to them. That means the diamond will pick up the color of the metal it is set in, your skin, hair, and anything near it, like glasses or other earrings. All these will affect the perceived color of the diamond. So, choosing a more expensive colorless diamond is less important. You can save money by choosing a diamond that’s lower on the D-to-Z color scale.”
As for clarity, the GIA says the following, “It’s unlikely that anyone will be able to spot inclusions and blemishes on your diamond stud earrings – unless they’re close enough to examine your earlobes with a 10x jeweler’s loupe. Diamonds on the lower end of the clarity scale – Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) or Included (I1, I2) can be a good value, allowing you to spend more on the next two Cs.”
Diamond Stud Earrings Size Guide
Many shoppers are curious as to which size is the best size for diamond studs. However, the truth is that there is no right answer since what’s considered best will vary from person to person. In the end, it comes down to personal preference, and a number of other factors such as style and budget.
When selecting your new pair of studs, there are a few things to remember. Firstly, carat weight is not the same thing as diamond size. That’s right, just as the name implies, carat weight is actually a weight measurement. Additionally, you might run into the term “ctw”, an abbreviation that stands for carat total weight. This means that the carat weight listed is the total carat weight of the piece. This can get a little tricky when it comes to studs since there are two stones in question. For example, if a pair of earrings has a 1.0 ctw, each diamond is 0.5 carats in weight. For this reason, it’s important to double the “ctw” if you’re looking for diamonds of a specific carat weight per earring.
As we covered above, the 4Cs will have a huge impact on the appearance of natural diamonds and lab created diamonds alike. However, there are a few additional factors that will also affect the overall look of a pair of diamond stud earrings including diamond shape and setting.
When it comes to studs, the most popular diamond shape is by far the round brilliant cut. Round cut diamonds offer ultimate shimmer making them one of the most coveted styles in the fine jewelry world. Interestingly, round cut stones can appear a bit smaller than diamonds cut in other shapes. If you’re looking for a diamond shape that appears the largest per carat, consider an alternative shape such as a marquise, pear, oval, or emerald cut. On the other hand, if you don’t mind a diamond shape that looks a bit smaller per carat but aren’t digging round, try a timeless Asscher cut stone instead.
Many diamond earrings come in a simplistic basket or prong setting available in your choice of precious metal – yellow gold, white gold, or rose gold. Similar to diamond shape, choosing the right earring setting can impact the appearance of your stone’s size. To create the illusion of a larger diamond, go with a dazzling halo setting. Earrings in this style feature a center stone surrounded by a halo of accent stones to create an ultra sparkly effect.
Diamond Earrings Price
With pieces ranging anywhere from $100 to $30,000 or more, the price range for a quality pair of diamond earrings is truly expansive. How much you should spend comes down to your priorities. If the size and quality of the stones aren’t a huge concern, you can expect to pay less. On the flip side, if you’re looking for large, colorless stones that rank at the top of the 4Cs you can expect to pay more.
Sources
https://4cs.gia.edu/en-us/blog/how-to-choose-diamond-stud-earrings/