What's the biggest carat weight you'd go for studs?

[Swanky]

I tried a 5.6 tcw MRB pair and it was already too big for me but I still love it.

I'm struggling because I cannot bring myself to buy lab but at the same time, I'm worried that the price of MRB will fall further.

While I don't expect to recoup 100% of what I spend on most jewelry items, I will definitely be pissed off losing more than 50%.

Sorry… what is MRB?

And by recouping, are you buying to sell?
Again, sorry! Trying to follow.

I’m assuming here until you tell me otherwise… I never choose my purchases with intent to sell as I don’t sell my jewelry or bags. IMO they are not investments typically.

 

[A1aGypsy]

Modern Round Brilliant, I think

 

[Swanky]

I still don’t know what that is lol

 

[mocktail]

Modern Round Brilliant, I think

You might be right but I hope that’s not what she means because both lab and mined diamonds can be cut in the MRB style, and she seems concerned about prices falling for mined or lab diamonds.

For anyone who doesn’t know, MRB is a round diamond cut with specific facet and angle patterns that are different than other round cuts like Old European cut or Rose cut.

 

[chanellover333]

Sorry… what is MRB?

And by recouping, are you buying to sell?
Again, sorry! Trying to follow.

I’m assuming here until you tell me otherwise… I never choose my purchases with intent to sell as I don’t sell my jewelry or bags. IMO they are not investments typically.

I agree ^^

BTW, Swanky, OMG, your earrings and ring. Just pure class, glitz, and PERFECTION!!

 

[chanellover333]

I tried a 5.6 tcw MRB pair and it was already too big for me but I still love it.

I'm struggling because I cannot bring myself to buy lab but at the same time, I'm worried that the price of MRB will fall further.

While I don't expect to recoup 100% of what I spend on most jewelry items, I will definitely be pissed off losing more than 50%.

At least naturally mined will retain some value over time and can be passed down! But I agree with swanky, these items are def not investments (or at least smart investments). Pre-owned might be better value but I know there is some debate with that route.

 

[Swanky]

I agree ^^

BTW, Swanky, OMG, your earrings and ring. Just pure class, glitz, and PERFECTION!!

Thank you!

 

[Kfka_btsea]

Sorry… what is MRB?

And by recouping, are you buying to sell?
Again, sorry! Trying to follow.

I’m assuming here until you tell me otherwise… I never choose my purchases with intent to sell as I don’t sell my jewelry or bags. IMO they are not investments typically.

I wish I could buy never with the intent to sell, but experience has taught me that my tastes do change alot, although less so after my 20s. I definitely love items at the point of purchase, but 1 or 2 years later? Most of the time, I've gotten bored of it. Even my wardrobe style changes every 3 years or so - I get bored of things even if they suit me. I am neuro diverse so idk if that's partly the reason why.

Because of this, I definitely consider future resale value for more expensive purchases. I don't expect to make money, but I hope not to lose too much. A 4 figure item? I can and do gift it to family and then forget about it. Above that, well I'm not made of money, so I would hope to get a substantial portion back.

Which is also why I haven't actually got the large studs! Am not comfortable with the potential hit when I resell.

 

[Kfka_btsea]

At least naturally mined will retain some value over time and can be passed down! But I agree with swanky, these items are def not investments (or at least smart investments). Pre-owned might be better value but I know there is some debate with that route.

Yes and I'm actually fine with pre-owned. It just irks me to no end if I have an expensive purchase that I no longer want, and I have a tendency to get bored with things much faster than others.

 

[Kfka_btsea]

You might be right but I hope that’s not what she means because both lab and mined diamonds can be cut in the MRB style, and she seems concerned about prices falling for mined or lab diamonds.

For anyone who doesn’t know, MRB is a round diamond cut with specific facet and angle patterns that are different than other round cuts like Old European cut or Rose cut.

I did mean MRB. What I meant was:

Lab prices are so cheap that if I buy lab and the prices fall, no biggie. However, I just can't bring myself to buy a lab, idk why.

Natural prices are still pretty high for colourless, good clarity stones in those sizes (stones that are 2.5ct to 3ct each). And I wouldn't be happy if I bought natural and prices fell much more steeply than I anticipate. Everyone knows that jewelry is often not an investment, and even rarely so with diamonds, but there's still a difference between getting back 20% or 50% of your money spent.

 

[PorscheGirl]

My 4cttw are emerald cut. F-IF. I think they're the perfect size on me. I wear them every day. They don't draw too much attention because many people think they're CZ because of the size and clarity. My lobes are average size and shape.

 

[880]

Hooray for chunky, stout earlobes and a wide, full face (only time I’ve ever gotten the chance to say that

I have under 4 carat total weight for studs and larger for emerald cut (no idea. There were my moms and I have to dig out specs). They don’t look that big on me.

 

[N_Tonks]

Hey all.. would love your thoughts. I love a little bit of a flashy diamond but can't decide what carat weight is going to work best. I am reading about how different settings and backs can help prevent the earrings from drooping.

What is the biggest carat weight you'd go for diamond studs, budget permitting?

To me this answer is totally dependent on two things:
—size of your earlobes, and
—your preference about whether any lobe shows around your studs (and how much lobe)

My earlobes are bizarrely tiny compared to the rest of me so I’m at my max with 1.1 carat each ear, or 1 carat in a bezel (that is 6.66 mm for the 1.1 carat stones and I think maybe 7.3 mm for the 1 carat in a bezel).

BUT. This is if I want the look of a sliver of lobe showing around the studs. It’s a different look but you can absolutely do stones that show past the bottoms of your lobes.

Angelina comparison!

Studs entirely on lobes:




Studs that go beyond lobes:

 

[skyqueen]

@chanellover333...what did you buy?
I have 3 types of diamond stud earrings.

#1 My best pair that I've worn for years. WG/G/VS1/ideal cut/5.17 tcw
#2 OEC WG/F/SI1/4.3 tcw Love the cut!
#3 studs with small diamond rim YG/G/SI1/3.97 tcw

My advice would be to get the biggest carat weight, best color, clarity, but most importment the cut that you can afford!
Diamond shrinkage is very real, especially in studs! Trust me

 

[Cthullu]

For me personally I don't want to go over 2.5 per ear (or 5ctw for the pair) on diamonds. On colored stones I will go a little larger, but not too large because they don't sit properly. I use the large plastic backs on larger studs to keep them straight. Currently my largest pair of diamond studs are 1.60 ctw, and I find that for everyday wear they are perfect. I have a larger set of white zircon studs (NOT cubic zirconia but white zircon) that are equivalent to 4ctw and that I wear when I travel.

Some of you might find this interesting, my brush with huge diamond studs. My husband and I own a retail business and one of our customers fell into some financial difficulty. The wife decided to sell some of her jewelry to help out, and that resulted in the acquisition of a beautiful Tanzanite ring and a diamond and sapphire slide which I ADORE. Her mother also had a LOT of jewelry and wanted to sell some of hers to help out further. She said she had a set of diamond studs that were 5ct and all I could think was finally I would get the diamond studs of my dreams at 2.5ct each! That's not what she meant. When she came in with them, imagine my shock to find that they were 5cts EACH. Honestly, I didn't even want them. There is no way they would have looked good on my ears. (Plus she wanted more than either I or hubby was willing to invest. I thought she was asking a fair price, just not for me!) She ended up selling them to a jewelry store in town for what I thought was a good price, but it was quite a let down for me.