Diamond Studs

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#1,006
Hi! I can't majorly contribute to this thread, because I haven't bought any diamond studs anywhere yet but will probably be receiving or buying a pair this year. I really like blue nile a lot because I find them to be a tad bit more affordable than james allen, and I still trust their quality and they have a good name/reputation. I've always wanted a 1 carat pair but will probably get more than one pair of diamond studs throughout my lifetime as I have multiple holes in both ears pierced for a reason? (I was thinking I could always do a 1 carat or bigger pair in my first holes, and then smaller ones near the end.) Blue Nile has their studs for 1 carat priced at two thousand something dollars, and I don't know if I would be wiling to spend that....you could buy a pair of never worn diamond studs from a trusted pre loved jewelry website, yet ones that have never been worn yet for 1,000-1,500.00. Dilemma for me is should I buy 1/2 carat studs brand new from a trusted place or get 1 carat studs that may have been worn a few times? My solution is probably both. I will probably go for the brand new ones just to have the experience, as I don't get to buy many nice jewelry pieces, and then get the 1 carat ones off a preloved website further down the road. (Was thinking of picking out a 1/2 carat pair for a holiday present this year from SO, and then saving up for the 1 carat pair myself yet still getting them from a preloved website.)

I've bought many things from blue nile though before and love them. If you need help with anything and don't want to call and be placed on hold, they have an immediate online chat with someone. They have a good policy too, as they never make you add a plan on for more money, I believe--it is just included. Online representative told me that if you buy something diamond from them, you can send it back and have it cleaned for free or take it to one or their stores for free cleaning. I thought that this was just for rings on their website but the representative informed that they can do diamond earring free cleanings/repairs, as well once every six months. I've also heard good things about james allen as well. Haven't heard much about whiteflash, so I don't have things to share about them. But I think they are all good websites so it just comes down to exactly what you want, you know? (Some people really want the martinis, some people also want lock backs and etc.).
 
#1,007
mcb100 said:
Hi! I can't majorly contribute to this thread, because I haven't bought any diamond studs anywhere yet but will probably be receiving or buying a pair this year. I really like blue nile a lot because I find them to be a tad bit more affordable than james allen, and I still trust their quality and they have a good name/reputation. I've always wanted a 1 carat pair but will probably get more than one pair of diamond studs throughout my lifetime as I have multiple holes in both ears pierced for a reason? (I was thinking I could always do a 1 carat or bigger pair in my first holes, and then smaller ones near the end.) Blue Nile has their studs for 1 carat priced at two thousand something dollars, and I don't know if I would be wiling to spend that....you could buy a pair of never worn diamond studs from a trusted pre loved jewelry website, yet ones that have never been worn yet for 1,000-1,500.00. Dilemma for me is should I buy 1/2 carat studs brand new from a trusted place or get 1 carat studs that may have been worn a few times? My solution is probably both. I will probably go for the brand new ones just to have the experience, as I don't get to buy many nice jewelry pieces, and then get the 1 carat ones off a preloved website further down the road. (Was thinking of picking out a 1/2 carat pair for a holiday present this year from SO, and then saving up for the 1 carat pair myself yet still getting them from a preloved website.)

I've bought many things from blue nile though before and love them. If you need help with anything and don't want to call and be placed on hold, they have an immediate online chat with someone. They have a good policy too, as they never make you add a plan on for more money, I believe--it is just included. Online representative told me that if you buy something diamond from them, you can send it back and have it cleaned for free or take it to one or their stores for free cleaning. I thought that this was just for rings on their website but the representative informed that they can do diamond earring free cleanings/repairs, as well once every six months. I've also heard good things about james allen as well. Haven't heard much about whiteflash, so I don't have things to share about them. But I think they are all good websites so it just comes down to exactly what you want, you know? (Some people really want the martinis, some people also want lock backs and etc.).
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thank you @mcb100. i have had good experiences with Blue Nile also, and their prices are great, but i wish they had more information on their diamonds. james allen and some other sites that allow you to actually see the diamond you get are so much more helpful! how lovely to think you might be able to purchase two pairs... for me, buying is so much fun that i'm sad i'm only planning to do it once! :) good luck with your studs!
 
#1,008
Have you considered lab diamonds? Both my sets of earrings were lab created. They were slightly cheaper than regular diamonds and allowed me to go a bit larger than I would have been able to otherwise.

My first pair came front Brilliant Earth and my second from a seller on Etsy because I wanted more settings than Brilliant Earth had. They were certified so I was still able to pick my specs as cut and color quality was important to me.

I would def recommend you look at those. The only drawback is the resale value is unknown at this time since they aren't naturally mined - this didn't bother me though since I knew I would never sell the stones as they were purchased to commemorate things in my life. If you may re-sell the stones later that's probably the only instance I'd say you shouldn't buy lab diamonds.
 
#1,009
dieguteteufelin said:
Have you considered lab diamonds? Both my sets of earrings were lab created. They were slightly cheaper than regular diamonds and allowed me to go a bit larger than I would have been able to otherwise.

My first pair came front Brilliant Earth and my second from a seller on Etsy because I wanted more settings than Brilliant Earth had. They were certified so I was still able to pick my specs as cut and color quality was important to me.

I would def recommend you look at those. The only drawback is the resale value is unknown at this time since they aren't naturally mined - this didn't bother me though since I knew I would never sell the stones as they were purchased to commemorate things in my life. If you may re-sell the stones later that's probably the only instance I'd say you shouldn't buy lab diamonds.
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i hadn't, but i will take a look - thanks!
 
#1,010
luckykit said:
hi ladies -
my husband is getting me a pair of diamond studs for my birthday! so excited as this will be my first pair. but i'm picking out the diamonds, and since i'm new to this (but have learned 1000x what i knew just in the last two weeks...) i'm driving myself crazy with ASET images and idealscope images and whether i should go whiteflash or blue nile or james allen. i'm looking for a 1 ctw pair (i have very small earlobes, which i didn't realize was a blessing until this!) set in platinum 3 prong martinis, and wondering where you've had the best shopping experiences...
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I am not a fan of Blue Nile specifically because they don't provide the ASET and IS images, or the images of the stones like BGD, JA, WF, etc. provide. I am not a fan of WF personally from past experience, but others really love them. I have sourced many stones from them from others, though, when they had what the person was looking for.

Cut is king. Look at the numbers (check my cheat sheet), look at the ASET/IS, look at the images. And for pairs, keep an eye on the dimensions to make sure they match as well.
 
#1,011
ame said:
I am not a fan of Blue Nile specifically because they don't provide the ASET and IS images, or the images of the stones like BGD, JA, WF, etc. provide. I am not a fan of WF personally from past experience, but others really love them. I have sourced many stones from them from others, though, when they had what the person was looking for.

Cut is king. Look at the numbers (check my cheat sheet), look at the ASET/IS, look at the images. And for pairs, keep an eye on the dimensions to make sure they match as well.
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thanks Ame! i found your cheat sheet early on (along with other diamond advice) and it was so helpful. so thank you very much for putting those out there! i've also been hanging out on pricescope and other reputable sites learning about every aspect of diamonds... what an addicting hobby this could end up. :)

the pairs thing is tricky and that's where i am right now... trying to decide how closely matched two diamonds need to be (as well as whether i can trust a jewelry professional to tell me whether to wait for a better pair or not... i feel like they're so excited about all of their stock). do you have a cheat sheet for matching them up? i know i'm probably being overly paranoid here... but this is an important purchase for me and i want them to be a forever pair.
 
#1,012
Blue Nile does offer Asset images as well as videos of the actual diamond if you buy from their signature ideal line. This cut is on par with anything you can buy from Brian Gavin, White Flash, or James Allen. However, all of these diamonds are overpriced, you're essentially paying for the asset images that you don't really need. If you purchase a diamond with cut proportions that fall within the AGS 0 guidelines you are purchasing the best out there. You cane be assure that the Asset images will be beautiful and the diamond will probably show hearts and arrows as well. Here is a compilation of the charts. As long as you stick to this cut chart, buy VS2 or better, and I color or better you won't be disappointed. https://www.agslab.com/docs/pbcg/AGSLProportionCharts.pdf

As for matching up pairs, All of the aforementioned websites offer pairs. Don't try to match them yourself, there's no need.

I have purchased AGS 0 diamonds from Brian Gavin, White Flash, and Blue nile. All of them are perfect.
 
#1,013
Numbers don't guarantee you're getting the best. The ASET shows how the stone actually handles light. Numbers don't. And not every signature ideal stone from blue Nile falls into those ranges.

Blue Nile is a drop shipper. Save for James Allen, the others are not. There is a reason they may have slightly higher prices--and it's not just because they cut their own stones to their specs. Overhead, personal attention, photography equipment, in house custom jewelers. That's not the same as a call center using stock catalog jewelry.
 
#1,014
luckykit said:
thanks Ame! i found your cheat sheet early on (along with other diamond advice) and it was so helpful. so thank you very much for putting those out there! i've also been hanging out on pricescope and other reputable sites learning about every aspect of diamonds... what an addicting hobby this could end up. :)

the pairs thing is tricky and that's where i am right now... trying to decide how closely matched two diamonds need to be (as well as whether i can trust a jewelry professional to tell me whether to wait for a better pair or not... i feel like they're so excited about all of their stock). do you have a cheat sheet for matching them up? i know i'm probably being overly paranoid here... but this is an important purchase for me and i want them to be a forever pair.
Click to expand...

Use the matched pair search and pay attention to arrow patterns, proportions and diameters.
 
#1,015
luckykit said:
thanks Ame! i found your cheat sheet early on (along with other diamond advice) and it was so helpful. so thank you very much for putting those out there! i've also been hanging out on pricescope and other reputable sites learning about every aspect of diamonds... what an addicting hobby this could end up. :smile:

the pairs thing is tricky and that's where i am right now... trying to decide how closely matched two diamonds need to be (as well as whether i can trust a jewelry professional to tell me whether to wait for a better pair or not... i feel like they're so excited about all of their stock). do you have a cheat sheet for matching them up? i know i'm probably being overly paranoid here... but this is an important purchase for me and i want them to be a forever pair.
Click to expand...

Some places already have pairs of stones matched for you. Other places you will probably need to weed them out on your own. I've had 2 pairs (so far) of Brian Gavin studs. Neither pair was exactly matched either for ct weight or size. The way I understand is they usually look for overlap or one match in measurement in size range in pairs. For example 4.55x4.51 paired with something like 4.52x4.55 or something like that. you get the idea.

The first pair I had was an I and j paired. Then I traded up a year later to a bigger size and 2 j's....and who knows where I will go next?
 
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#1,017
squiggy241 said:
I got my 1/2 ctw diamond studs form Brian Gavin Diamonds. Had them for almost 4 years now and wear them daily. Hearts and Arrows! I will be getting the huggies from them on my birthday.
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:tup: I'm afraid I am really biased in favor of BGD. My old and new e-ring stone were/are from there too. Lesley is always so helpful and Brian was fun to meet and talk to as well.
 
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#1,019
It it wasn't for the fact I'm UK-based so returns are tricky plus there's the issue of import tax, I would probably use James Allen or Brian Gavin. As it is, I've shopped with BN a few times and always been happy, and as pp said images are available for some stones.

One thing I find useful if buying 'blind' is the HCA tool; you input various details and it gives you a score which indicates how the stone should perform. Only go with stones with a rating of 2 or lower.

As a PP said, cut is king and I absolutely would not compromise on this, at all.
The other Cs I would compromise on, to a point. If you are fairly new to buying diamonds it would be worth trying to see some in different specs in person to get an idea of what matters to you; colour particularly is very personal. I like white stones (unless it's an old-cut stone where I love warmth) but many people prefer slightly warmer stones and actually don't like the icy white of D-E-F stones. So do try to take a look at some in person if possible
 
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