Diamond studs - where to buy

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Misha333

Misha333

Member
Dec 14, 2016
1,205
2,779
#1
Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for advise on where to buy diamond studs. I'm sure many of you went through this shopping process and I would really appreciate your advise and opinions.

I realized that I badly need a pair of earrings that I can wear on trips and not to worry about taking them off in the shower, beach etc. Normally I wear VCA with different stones, but since you need to be careful not to get them wet I found that it's a real hassle when I travel. My budget for the studs is about $3000, I could probably go up to $5000 if there is a huuuuge difference in appearance, but I think I'd prefer to stick to $3K also because if I end up losing one I'd feel less bummed. I've tried to lay out different factors I'm considering below.

1) I understand that I can probably find better quality diamonds for a lower price outside of brands (e.g. non-Tiffany), however for me the quality of setting/backs is just as important as the diamond. I would be willing to go for a smaller diamond if the overall "perfectness" of the studs is better if I get them from a brand.
2) Sparkle is super super important to me.
3) I think don't care much about the size, anything more than .4 would work.
4) The overall effectiveness of the shopping process is important to me too. I don't have the time to ask for 20 different images from various retailers etc. I'd like to do maximum 2-3 store visits and be done with it. I'm not sure how this works with online purchase, I imagine I could order and return, but I do get nervous shipping back expensive items.

Thanks so much!!
 
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#4
Maria333 said:
Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for advise on where to buy diamond studs. I'm sure many of you went through this shopping process and I would really appreciate your advise and opinions.

I realized that I badly need a pair of earrings that I can wear on trips and not to worry about taking them off in the shower, beach etc. Normally I wear VCA with different stones, but since you need to be careful not to get them wet I found that it's a real hassle when I travel. My budget for the studs is about $3000, I could probably go up to $5000 if there is a huuuuge difference in appearance, but I think I'd prefer to stick to $3K also because if I end up losing one I'd feel less bummed. I've tried to lay out different factors I'm considering below.

1) I understand that I can probably find better quality diamonds for a lower price outside of brands (e.g. non-Tiffany), however for me the quality of setting/backs is just as important as the diamond. I would be willing to go for a smaller diamond if the overall "perfectness" of the studs is better if I get them from a brand.
2) Sparkle is super super important to me.
3) I think don't care much about the size, anything more than .4 would work.
4) The overall effectiveness of the shopping process is important to me too. I don't have the time to ask for 20 different images from various retailers etc. I'd like to do maximum 2-3 store visits and be done with it. I'm not sure how this works with online purchase, I imagine I could order and return, but I do get nervous shipping back expensive items.

Thanks so much!!
Click to expand...

Exciting! I wear my diamond studs every day and love them (approx. 2ctw/6.2mm). Since the smaller diamonds generally show less tint than larger ones, I color or above (as graded by GIA) is usually plenty white at around 1ct or less...especially in earrings vs. rings. Cut quality is what makes diamonds sparkle. You can absolutely get exceptionally well cut diamonds from places other than Tiffany, etc. Go to Pricescope . com. There you can learn a TON about the importance of cut quality, etc. If you post your question in the Rocky Talk forum, you will get lots of suggestions. Keep in mind though that many of the posters are huge supporters of retailers selling branded super ideal diamonds. Those retailers take the guess work out of diamond shopping because they vet diamonds for you. You pay a premium, but they also have very generous upgrade policies and if you don't want to deal with the screening process yourself, those super ideal retailers may be a great choice for you. However, using their HCA Tool and the advise you receive there, you can also screen diamonds yourself. BlueNile is a great option if you go this route because they have a search option for matched pairs. Regarding the setting, I highly recommend jumbo backs. They are super secure and don't have the issues that screw backs have (irritating the piercings, hard to put in and take out, threads stripping, etc.). Best of luck!
 
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#7
FunBagz said:
Exciting! I wear my diamond studs every day and love them (approx. 2ctw/6.2mm). Since the smaller diamonds generally show less tint than larger ones, I color or above (as graded by GIA) is usually plenty white at around 1ct or less...especially in earrings vs. rings. Cut quality is what makes diamonds sparkle. You can absolutely get exceptionally well cut diamonds from places other than Tiffany, etc. Go to Pricescope . com. There you can learn a TON about the importance of cut quality, etc. If you post your question in the Rocky Talk forum, you will get lots of suggestions. Keep in mind though that many of the posters are huge supporters of retailers selling branded super ideal diamonds. Those retailers take the guess work out of diamond shopping because they vet diamonds for you. You pay a premium, but they also have very generous upgrade policies and if you don't want to deal with the screening process yourself, those super ideal retailers may be a great choice for you. However, using their HCA Tool and the advise you receive there, you can also screen diamonds yourself. BlueNile is a great option if you go this route because they have a search option for matched pairs. Regarding the setting, I highly recommend jumbo backs. They are super secure and don't have the issues that screw backs have (irritating the piercings, hard to put in and take out, threads stripping, etc.). Best of luck!
Click to expand...

Some great advice here! I just upgraded my diamond studs and chose to go via Blue Nile using the information I learnt about how to select quality stones from here as well as Pricescope. Mine are 1.62 ttcw, ideal cut, VS2, D, GIA triple excellent and with HCA scores of 1.2 and 0.8. I’m hoping for little fireballs!

I know you said size is not important to you, however for your budget you can get 1-1.50 ttcw studs (maybe bigger) if you go the custom route. I personally would avoid going designer as you are effectively paying for the name and the quality may not be reflected in the price.
 
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#10
I got new diamond studs a little over a year ago. We went with Blue Nile and I’d definitely recommend them. I also referred to Pricescope, which helped me determine how to maximize the sparkle. The process with Blue Nile was seamless. Because my smaller, older studs had a screw back, I thought that was what I wanted on the new studs. I was a bit nervous about the guardian backs that I think came standard on earrings over 1 or 1.5 ctw, but I’ve had no issues and find them super comfortable.
 
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#11
nikkomochi said:
How about Maria rash’s invisible diamond collection? Their earrings are threaded too so very comfortable to wear 24/7.
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I've never heard of this brand, thank you for sharing! I liked a few jewelry pieces on the website, which I'll definitely keep in mind for later purchases. For studs, however, I the biggest I saw was 3MM and it didn't have any specifications except for color and inclusions. I do want to make sure that the diamonds have the best cut I can find.
 
#12
Swanky said:
If you don't have a local jeweler you trust, I'd use Victor Canera tbh. DH commissioned him to make my ring and the process was amazing and he works with any budget and is very picky about good stones.
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Thank you for sharing! I just checked Victor Canera website and while it seems very easy to find all the specifications, I realized I wouldn't know how to find two similar stones myself. I wonder if any of these websites offer matching services.
 
#13
Maria333 said:
I've never heard of this brand, thank you for sharing! I liked a few jewelry pieces on the website, which I'll definitely keep in mind for later purchases. For studs, however, I the biggest I saw was 3MM and it didn't have any specifications except for color and inclusions. I do want to make sure that the diamonds have the best cut I can find.
Click to expand...
Np! They do larger studs but only for their invisible collection (which is their best collection IMO!) here’s their 5.2mm stud - https://www.mariatash.com/5-2mm-invisible-diamond-threaded-stud-with-2-5mm-diamond-back.html

They have so many different styles so the site is a bit hard to navigate, you basically have to know the name of the item you wanted. When I bought my invisible clicker they don’t even have a picture of the actual earring on website, I had to check their Instagram. My friend said their virtual styling is great tho, I’ve never used that service before so can’t say for sure.

I believe their diamonds are vs2. Very sparkly irl. But yeah, their products do not come w any paper or certificate:sad:
 
#14
Maria333 said:
Thank you for sharing! I just checked Victor Canera website and while it seems very easy to find all the specifications, I realized I wouldn't know how to find two similar stones myself. I wonder if any of these websites offer matching services.
Click to expand...
Victor will do it all for you. He’s VERY detailed and talented, DH was so impressed!
 
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