On a side note, you can get sensitive ear studs if you are looking for something basic to wear when not wearing the diamonds. I wear this brand and they are awesome - no reaction: https://www.studex.com/category/sensitive
Diamond Studs
- Thread starter sdkitty
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I previously owned a pair of diamond studs that were just over 1 cttw but lost them just over a year ago. In the meantime I have bought a pair of 1.50 cttw diamond hoops in 18k gold which I wear virtually everyday, rotating them with a few other pairs of hoop/drop earrings. I always intended to replace the diamond studs I lost at some point, but wanted to wait until I could afford to buy the carat weight/quality that I would be happy with. My plan was to get them from a Blue Nile where I would have full control over cut, clarity, colour, table and depth % etc. However, bearing in mind that I would be looking for at least 1.20 cttw, that would cost me in the region of £4-5k with current UK prices...
My jeweller - who I adore and who sourced my diamond hoops for me together with another piece of jewellery - has offered me preset 1 carat or 1.50 carat diamond studs with G colour and SI clarity for incredible prices, literally at least half retail or even lower (he has great contacts in Hatton Garden). I haven’t seen them yet (would want the 1.50 ttcw studs) but am a bit worried about spending what is still a lot of money on studs that may or may not be a good deal quality wise.The price is literally amazing and I have been delighted with the hoops he found me (from the same supplier), however those are VS1 clarity and F colour and the diamonds are a lot smaller.
If I like the studs in person, they sparkle beautifully and face up white etc, should I be satisfied with that for the price I am paying? Or would you hold out, save more (could take years as I am a SAHM) and find earrings which tick every single checkbox quality wise? I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about this before joining TPF but know quite a bit about diamonds now from this forum and reading Ame’s posts!
Just to add that I can see myself never buying the studs that I want otherwise as I would feel uncomfortable about spending £3k+ in my current situation with a young daughter (and we want to have another child in the next year to two years).
Any thoughts/feedback would be great!
My jeweller - who I adore and who sourced my diamond hoops for me together with another piece of jewellery - has offered me preset 1 carat or 1.50 carat diamond studs with G colour and SI clarity for incredible prices, literally at least half retail or even lower (he has great contacts in Hatton Garden). I haven’t seen them yet (would want the 1.50 ttcw studs) but am a bit worried about spending what is still a lot of money on studs that may or may not be a good deal quality wise.The price is literally amazing and I have been delighted with the hoops he found me (from the same supplier), however those are VS1 clarity and F colour and the diamonds are a lot smaller.
If I like the studs in person, they sparkle beautifully and face up white etc, should I be satisfied with that for the price I am paying? Or would you hold out, save more (could take years as I am a SAHM) and find earrings which tick every single checkbox quality wise? I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about this before joining TPF but know quite a bit about diamonds now from this forum and reading Ame’s posts!
Just to add that I can see myself never buying the studs that I want otherwise as I would feel uncomfortable about spending £3k+ in my current situation with a young daughter (and we want to have another child in the next year to two years).
Any thoughts/feedback would be great!
1. Make sure that the diamonds your jeweler offers are either GIA or AGS graded. 2. Ask AME here for help in judging cut quality of the diamonds per the cut parameters (%depth, crown angle, pavilion angle, %table, %lower halves, and etc., or simply provide the certification number and carat weight).
Reason for 1 is that the grading of color, clarity, and cut can be subjective, and some jewelers tend to overestimate. Only GIA or AGS grading can be trusted. Reason for 2 is that cut is the most important of the four C’s. The cut quality affects how sparkling and bright the diamond is.
Since you are relatively new to diamonds, you may not know how to judge them. Let AME help you screen out diamonds. In addition, she can tell you if your jeweler’s asking price is fair, by looking up the prices of available diamonds with the comparable C’s (cut, color, clarity, and weight/size).
Another resource is to ask the members from Pricescope for help.
Do you know what kind of stud setting you want? For example, 3, 4, or 6-prong? Pointed or flat back, friction or screwed post? Metal: white gold, yellow gold, or platinum? Budget for stud setting?
Reason for 1 is that the grading of color, clarity, and cut can be subjective, and some jewelers tend to overestimate. Only GIA or AGS grading can be trusted. Reason for 2 is that cut is the most important of the four C’s. The cut quality affects how sparkling and bright the diamond is.
Since you are relatively new to diamonds, you may not know how to judge them. Let AME help you screen out diamonds. In addition, she can tell you if your jeweler’s asking price is fair, by looking up the prices of available diamonds with the comparable C’s (cut, color, clarity, and weight/size).
Another resource is to ask the members from Pricescope for help.
Do you know what kind of stud setting you want? For example, 3, 4, or 6-prong? Pointed or flat back, friction or screwed post? Metal: white gold, yellow gold, or platinum? Budget for stud setting?
Seek help from Pricescope. The members there will help you find your diamonds (your desired spec and budget).
Thanks. I actually know quite a bit about diamonds now (thanks in main to Ame and this forum, have been a member for a few years) and if I had to build a set of studs myself I do know exactly what to look for. My dilemma is that if I go the custom route I will need to pay in the region of £5-6k for 1.50 ttcw studs with the quality I want. The preset ones my jeweller has offered me are £1750!!!
He is a very reputable jeweller who used to have a bricks and mortar shop in my town but became independent last year and can offer much more competitive prices as a result. He knows my tastes well and so to offer them to me I’m pretty sure the studs will sparkle beautifully, have no visible inclusions, face up white etc. However, just under £2k is still a lot of money for me and I’m conscious of the fact that on paper they may not be what I would look for if I went the custom route (ideal cut, VS clarity, no lower than G colour as I have discovered I am colour sensitive, 55% table etc).
I’m just wondering if I should be satisfied with my hoops for now and continue to save towards custom made studs, however that could take years and I think at this stage in my life I would find it difficult to part with in excess of £5k for something ‘frivolous’ and which doesn’t benefit my child. I can’t help thinking that if the preset studs look great and have the earlobe coverage that I want, at this amazing price, they might be the more sensible option. I guess I want to spend wisely but not sure what the wisest decision is!
He is a very reputable jeweller who used to have a bricks and mortar shop in my town but became independent last year and can offer much more competitive prices as a result. He knows my tastes well and so to offer them to me I’m pretty sure the studs will sparkle beautifully, have no visible inclusions, face up white etc. However, just under £2k is still a lot of money for me and I’m conscious of the fact that on paper they may not be what I would look for if I went the custom route (ideal cut, VS clarity, no lower than G colour as I have discovered I am colour sensitive, 55% table etc).
I’m just wondering if I should be satisfied with my hoops for now and continue to save towards custom made studs, however that could take years and I think at this stage in my life I would find it difficult to part with in excess of £5k for something ‘frivolous’ and which doesn’t benefit my child. I can’t help thinking that if the preset studs look great and have the earlobe coverage that I want, at this amazing price, they might be the more sensible option. I guess I want to spend wisely but not sure what the wisest decision is!
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Well, for a start, if something sounds too good to be true, it often is. How do you know these stones are actually G, Si1 if they’re not certified? They could easily be H or I, maybe you are not as colour sensitive as you think! Also, what about the cut? That is what will make the stones sparkle.
I have often fallen victim to the desire to spend some money NOW, rather than planning my jewellery collection with care. I have thus ended up with several pieces that don’t fit with my wants any more, and we all know trying to sell second hand jewellery does not usually give a good return.
Either take that £1750 and put it away to save up for really great stones OR consider buying a smaller pair from a superideal vendor like Whiteflash who have a fantastic upgrade policy with the intention of going bigger in the future.
And, your daughter will thank you when you can eventually leave her a pair of super top quality diamonds!!!
I have often fallen victim to the desire to spend some money NOW, rather than planning my jewellery collection with care. I have thus ended up with several pieces that don’t fit with my wants any more, and we all know trying to sell second hand jewellery does not usually give a good return.
Either take that £1750 and put it away to save up for really great stones OR consider buying a smaller pair from a superideal vendor like Whiteflash who have a fantastic upgrade policy with the intention of going bigger in the future.
And, your daughter will thank you when you can eventually leave her a pair of super top quality diamonds!!!
I haven’t actually seen them yet. My previous stones were I colour (although ideal cut with VS2 clarity) and the colour did start to bother me. Since then I have bought other jewellery with much better colour grades and realised that I prefer G or above for colour.
In answer to your question about the certs, this guy is a reputable jeweller as I stated in my last post. He would provide certification and normally does an insurance valuation as well for new pieces. Price wise they are only “too good to be true” as he is now independent and doesn’t have to pay overheads. I got a similar bargain with my diamond hoops which were around a third of the normal retail value here in the UK. They are really fabulous, but with higher clarity and colour than the diamond studs I have been offered.
I appreciate your suggestion about either going smaller or saving the money. Going smaller is not an option as having had studs that were just over half a carat per stone I wouldn’t want to go any smaller than that. They were literally perfect for everyday and I am on the curvy side so wouldn’t suit teeny tiny earrings. I could save the money but as I mentioned in my last post I would feel uncomfortable about spending £5-6k at any point on earrings when I am not working and could put the money towards my daughter’s education. She will inherit a fantastic jewellery collection from her grandmother and some lovely pieces that I have already invested in.
I think the next step is obviously to meet with the jeweller to see the earrings in person and ask for GIA or AGS grading as Christiflora suggested. I definitely need certification, that’s for sure.
I’ve just had a wee look at Blue Nile, as I find they have pretty good prices compared to the UK retail market and have a great selection. A pair of G Si1 GIA XXX cut stones at 1.5ct total will cost around £5k plus the settings. Unless the stones you are offered are already certified it will be difficult to get them to GIA or AGS as neither have labs in the U.K. I’m sorry if I’m sounding negative but I just don’t see how your guy can get you anything remotely equivalent in quality for 1/3 of the price! Buyer beware!
He buys direct from the supplier and sells them on, since he can now that he doesn’t have to pay massive overheads for a bricks and mortar shop. Retail prices are vastly, vastly inflated but then I am sure you are aware of that. My diamond inside out hoops cost me £1300 and would normally be £3.5-4k. I had them independently assessed to ensure that they were as sold to me - 1.50 ttcw, VS1 clarity and F colour in 18k gold. They are simply stunning so that bodes well for the studs (same supplier), however the studs will be much bigger diamonds. I am also a bit wary of SI clarity for earrings, would be happier with VS2 and above.
I can ask for certification but it may be from another lab rather than GIA/AGS. It is possible that they already are.
Just to add that this jeweller is extremely well thought of in the very affluent commuter belt town that I live in, in case anyone thinks he is a conman! He has been in the trade for years and also still has premises in Hatton Garden in London. I am not saying that I should buy the studs on this basis, but just to be clear that he has an excellent reputation and I have always been very happy with the service he has provided. He has also made a couple of pieces for me.
Let me start off by saying I have none of the diamond expertise of the other ladies on this forum, so I can’t contribute to answering your question based on the technicalities of the diamond specs. However, it seems to me your question is more emotional. It reminds me of a lot of questions about people post when they’re faced with the dilemma of buying a premiere bag at a price that is a stretch, vs. a contemporary or different bag at a price that is in a much more comfortable financial range.
A couple of things always come out of those threads:
1) Is the non-premiere bag going to be good enough, or will you still be longing for the premiere one and be unhappy with the one you bought?
2) Is it just a matter of thinking you “should” get one, when the other will make you just as happy? This seems even more applicable to diamonds, since many people may recognize the difference between a Chanel flap and a Rebecca Minkoff “inspired by,” but the majority of regular folks will just see diamond earrings and not give it a second thought after that (again, this is coming from someone who loves jewelry but spends most of her tPF time on bags, so I know some of you may disagree with me here!). How important is it to you to know the quality of your diamonds, even if no one else does?
3) Is your dilemma coming from the fact that you are anticipating either handing the earrings down to your daughter, or selling them to upgrade at some point? I think if the earrings from your jeweler will make you happy for years to come, and make you feel better financially, then that’s the way to go. Your daughter will either become a diamond stud person or she won’t. I don’t think your decision should be based on that. As far as reselling, if you see yourself doing that in a year, maybe it makes sense to save up for the higher quality diamonds. However, if it’s going to be five to 10 years, well, that’s a lot of time for you to enjoy the ones from your jeweler. In that amount of time, you may not even need a high trade-in value to upgrade.
4) Is this a real hole in your jewelry wardrobe? Personally, for me hoops and studs are so different. I wear hoops on occasion but my diamond studs are my everyday earrings. They are just so easy and classic and I don’t have to worry about them getting caught on anything. But if you gravitate toward the hoops most of the time anyway, maybe it’s OK to wait and save up.
At the end of the day, only you can really decide what feels right. Hopefully, seeing the studs from your jeweler in person will help make the decision more clear.
A couple of things always come out of those threads:
1) Is the non-premiere bag going to be good enough, or will you still be longing for the premiere one and be unhappy with the one you bought?
2) Is it just a matter of thinking you “should” get one, when the other will make you just as happy? This seems even more applicable to diamonds, since many people may recognize the difference between a Chanel flap and a Rebecca Minkoff “inspired by,” but the majority of regular folks will just see diamond earrings and not give it a second thought after that (again, this is coming from someone who loves jewelry but spends most of her tPF time on bags, so I know some of you may disagree with me here!). How important is it to you to know the quality of your diamonds, even if no one else does?
3) Is your dilemma coming from the fact that you are anticipating either handing the earrings down to your daughter, or selling them to upgrade at some point? I think if the earrings from your jeweler will make you happy for years to come, and make you feel better financially, then that’s the way to go. Your daughter will either become a diamond stud person or she won’t. I don’t think your decision should be based on that. As far as reselling, if you see yourself doing that in a year, maybe it makes sense to save up for the higher quality diamonds. However, if it’s going to be five to 10 years, well, that’s a lot of time for you to enjoy the ones from your jeweler. In that amount of time, you may not even need a high trade-in value to upgrade.
4) Is this a real hole in your jewelry wardrobe? Personally, for me hoops and studs are so different. I wear hoops on occasion but my diamond studs are my everyday earrings. They are just so easy and classic and I don’t have to worry about them getting caught on anything. But if you gravitate toward the hoops most of the time anyway, maybe it’s OK to wait and save up.
At the end of the day, only you can really decide what feels right. Hopefully, seeing the studs from your jeweler in person will help make the decision more clear.
I think just about any jeweler would tell you G color SI 1 is fine for earrings. Also take cut into consideration. If there is concern about the grading, you could get an independent appraisal.
Update: I saw the jeweller and unfortunately the original earrings he had offered me were awful! He brought them with him anyway to show me how bad they are - supposedly SI/G but horribly cloudy and poorly cut. He was forced to find another supplier which is more expensive (not surprisingly), £2k, however the new earrings available are bigger - 1.60 ttcw - and VS2/G/ideal cut. They are really stunning and as they are currently bezel set in white gold he can reset them for me in 18k yellow gold martini settings. No certification included at this price but I can and will get them independently assessed myself.
I haven’t made a final decision yet but am swaying towards getting them. Even if they are not technically perfect on paper they look wonderful to my eyes and I am never going to find earrings of this size at this price again. Normally I would be looking at £6-7k retail, possibly more, and I could never bring myself to spend that on earrings regardless of any other factors.
I haven’t made a final decision yet but am swaying towards getting them. Even if they are not technically perfect on paper they look wonderful to my eyes and I am never going to find earrings of this size at this price again. Normally I would be looking at £6-7k retail, possibly more, and I could never bring myself to spend that on earrings regardless of any other factors.
It sounds like you have already made up your mind as far as what you are ever willing to spend, and if the 2nd pair you were shown look good to you and you can protect yourself by having them independently verified, I see no reason not to get them.