I bought a pair just over 2 cttw earlier this year. They're ideal F VS2 and my rationale with going for better quality stones is because I thought I'd wear them everyday. Now that I've had them for awhile, I think I should have gone with bigger and lesser quality. I don't think there's much difference of G/H/I color when they're on your ears. That being said, I do wear them almost everyday and I receive a lot of compliments on them. Sitting with my jeweler planning my studs was so much fun. I hope you enjoy your hunt and good luck!

Iwear .75 cts in each ear,I upgraded from .50cts each,not for any other reason than I was able to purchase and p-ex my pair for a ridiculously low price so I thought what the hell!!!!! But I have sort of shoulder length hair,so I don't have a problem with them being hidden that much.I'm also pretty lucky I have alright shaped ear lobes so I could move up to .75 cts without them looking like they were going to fall off my ears!!!

Originally Posted by amiekbs8

It also depends on the size of your ears, i have small/medium sized ears with not too much extra lobe action, so the .5 ct each ear, 1 ct total wt, was perfect for me. The 1ct each ear, 2 ct total wt, was far too rapper/football player blingy for me. I recommend the .5ct per ear!

Definitely don't want to look like a rapper or football player...particularly since my work environment is very non-fashiony (medical group)....women, even in sr management, don't dress up that much

Originally Posted by Toto too

I wanted diamond studs, and kept looking all over. I even bought an inexpensive pair, then returned them because I didn't think the quality of the diamonds was good enough. I found a pair of beautiful 1 ctw studs at Costco for about $2800. However, next to them was a pair of hoops, 1.3 ctw, five princess cut diamonds in each earring, and they blew me away, for less than half the price. I wear hoops much more than studs, I guess I don't like the look as much -- I have double pierced ears and always wear a small diamond in the second hole. I guess I would still like a pair of studs, but I love the hoops. However, this didn't really answer your question, did it? I was looking at 1 ctw because smaller was too small, and bigger was too much $$.

Your comment about the hoops gave me pause. I have always preferred hoops or dangling earrings. But what started this whole thing is I've been having trouble with metal since repiercing my ears. Dr said platinum would be best. And finding platinum hoops is almost impossible. Any I have found have been very small huggies that aren't particularly pretty for a lot of $. So I'm sure your hoops with diamonds are beautiful but probably not an every day earring for me and 14K is not going to solve my metal problem. So I need to keep going on the same track.....or if I were to change direction, other option might be to try 18K hoops.

My diamond studs are modest at .50ctw princess cut. They may not be as larger as some but I love them.

i wear 2cttw -one carat per ear- everyday. i am currently looking at double the carat weight 4cttw - 2 carats per ear. i am adamant about the screw type posts tho. i want to be sure they stay on my ear and come home with me too! also i am very tall -5'10" - so the larger studs will be proportionate.

I don't have any but want some! I think anything 2ct under is okay for day wear depending how big your ear lobe is ect. I would like a 1.5ct pair!!

I went jewelry shopping with DH and tried on a pair of 6ct tw studs. Yes, that is right: 3ct for each. They were huge and beautiful but my husband said they would be too big for everyday . . .oh well

i def think the size of the person matters. my mom wears 2 ct in each ear, and they fit her well, shes 5'10''. twin--you should def upgrade, you can carry it off!

i just think it sometimes looks crazy when someone very small has huge rocks, they almost look fake. i'm tall also, but if i wear my mom's earrings, i KNOW nobody thinks they're real (i'm 24, and am often casual with no makeup).

but you've got to pick what your comfortable with! i would go with at least a carat in each ear, unless you're very petite.

SUPERSASH - thanks for enabling me! LOL..... yes i've seen some ladies with huge studs and it looks totally out of proportion. i do have a pair of 1cttw- half carat per ear - which i find look better with my diamond earring jackets rather than the larger pair.

I'm only 4 11" and petite and I wear 2 ctw everyday...I personally don't feel like they look out of proportion on me either. I only wear stud earrings because I feel that other style earrings do look overwhelming on me such as some dangling earrings...I do have a lot of hair but I think my studs make a nice statement without looking like over kill. When I was trying on different sizes, I found that anything over 2 ctw was actually bigger then my earlobe and didn't look proportonate. My studs are also set extremely flat so they sit very low on the ear which I think also makes a big difference so they don't look like you can just "flick" them right off...I will try to post a pic of them on if I can.

chanel-girl, i agree that ear lobe size is a factor too. wear what you feel looks best. for instance, i wear chubby diamond huggy type hoops also as the larger hoops just don't look right on me. everyone is different, but studs look great on everyone.

I wear 1.5 CTW studs - DH got them for me earlier in the year. I have small lobes, but these certainly don't look too big - very wearable, but noticeable at the same time. I've seen some that look VERY large...they are quite flat...mine are a more traditional brilliant cut, so they aren't that wide across...

They do have the screw backs...I'm happy with them, feel more secure. I have a pair of inside/outside diamond hoops - I'm not sure of the total weight on those, but I think they are dressier than the studs...of course, I wear both pair whenever...not only when I get dressed up!

chanel girl-- i def think that small women can carry larger cw, i didnt by any means try to say if you're small you shouldn't wear 2 cts

i do agree about lobe size though! many different factors go into making the right choice. and twin--go for it, get 2 cts in each ear!

I have 1.5 ct, 2 ct and 3 ct. I wear the 2 ct the most.

And they are screwbacks.