A fine pair of diamond stud earrings can jazz up your look. But to invest in such a pair, you first need to have a basic understanding of getting it. The quest should begin with learning about diamonds, ending with ascertaining how to manipulate the little nuances of choosing a pair that stands out and gives utmost satisfaction.
Study the 5 key factors mentioned in this article to choose diamond studs earrings.
How Much You Should Spend on Diamond Stud Earrings
The amount you spend on your pair is directly related to its quality and budget. For instance, if you’re eyeing bright and shimmery inclusion-free colorless diamonds, you need to pay for the highest quality excellent cut diamonds. These will be pretty expensive. On the contrary, a fair-quality pair will go easy on your wallet. What most people typically do when getting a pair of diamond studs for themselves is pick diamond center stones in the exact color and clarity required for the diamond center stone of an engagement ring.
But that’s pointless because nobody’s going to get an up close and personal look at your diamond studs like how people generally observe an engagement ring. Diamond studs are low-contact jewelry pieces that’ll not be under constant observation of beholders, so unless you’re ever so inclined, there’s no need to go for the topmost quality diamonds.
Consider Alternatives To Natural Diamond Stud Earrings
There’s no point in stretching your budget to get natural diamond stud earrings when you can save big on your bling by choosing lab-made diamond earrings. These look exactly like natural diamonds, only they’re formed in laboratories under a controlled environment. Only an experienced gemologist with a 10x jewelry loupe will be able to discern that your studs are made up of lab-made diamonds. So, no point in opting for natural diamonds.
Color
Diamonds are graded on GIA’s D to Z grading scale, in which D stands for top-end diamonds and Z for low-end diamonds. The extent of the absence of color in a diamond is what decides its quality and value with respect to color. D color-grade diamonds are the most colorless and chemically pure diamonds, thus expensive. On the contrary, Z color-grade diamonds are inexpensive because they have a substantial presence of light yellow or brown color. So, as you move up on this grading scale – from Z to D – the per-carat price of diamonds starts increasing dramatically.
When choosing center stones for your diamond studs, you can opt for H or I color diamonds because these are nearly colorless and, thus valuable. Also, an H or I color diamond will go easy on your pocket compared to its completely colorless counterpart, the D color-grade diamond.
Cut
Diamonds are basically known for their brightness, fire, and scintillation. The way diamonds interact with light depends on how their facets are cut. A diamond cut is one of the most confusing quality factors of diamonds. It’s often confused with the diamond shape. However, cut and shape are two different aspects of a diamond in which cut denotes how the facets of a stone are arranged rather than denoting its mere outline. Whereas, shape denotes the outline of a stone.
You might have heard the terms excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor in connection with diamond cuts. All these terms denote the cut grades of diamonds in which excellent is the highest quality grade and poor is the lowest quality grade. Similarly, round, oval, pear, square, etc. are the shapes of a diamond.
Diamonds with excellent cuts offer maximum brightness, fire, and scintillation because of their evenly proportioned facets. On the other hand, a poorly cut diamond offers limited brightness, fire, and scintillation. You might have also heard about the terms brilliant cut, step cut, and mixed cut. All these are diamond-cutting styles based on the number of facets and the level of sparkle that they offer.
You can choose lab-made round brilliant diamonds with the excellent cut for your diamond stud earrings. These will do just about fine if you’re on a tight budget. Choosing natural diamonds of the same shape and cut will increase the price drastically. You can also opt for shapes other than the round brilliant if you’re looking to save big on your diamond studs.
Clarity
When it comes to choosing a clarity grade for the diamond center stones of your studs, you can enjoy a decent level of leeway. That’s because any blemishes or inclusions in your diamond studs will not be visible anyway to anybody unless someone specifically examines your earlobes with a 10x jewelry loupe, which I doubt. In terms of clarity, GIA grades diamonds on its Flawless to Included grading scale. On this scale, diamonds graded Included have inclusions visible to the naked eye.
Whereas, diamonds graded Flawless on GIA’s clarity scale have no visible inclusions even when viewed under 10x magnification. So, now you can have an idea about the price difference between Flawless and Included diamonds. You can get SI1 or SI2 clarity centerstones for your diamond studs because these have inclusions that can only be seen under 10x magnification. Also, these will not cost you a great deal of money.
Carat Weight
The carat weight of a diamond is another confusing aspect. While the carat weight of a diamond describes its weight, people often confuse it with a diamond’s size. However, diamond carat weight and size have different meanings. The size of a diamond describes its dimensions. A pair of 0.5-carat weight diamonds are perfect for your diamond stud earrings. This carat weight won’t break the bank. Even a fraction of a difference in the carat weight can result in a rapid increase in the price of the stone. Therefore, it’s best that you keep the total carat weight of your diamond studs below the 1-carat weight mark.
Metal
You should choose a metal for your diamond studs based on two factors: compatibility and allergies. Diamonds are highly reflective gems, meaning they reflect the color of anything that comes near them. In that sense, your diamond centerstones will shine bright in the color of your metal. This allows you to experiment with different metals and choose the one that pleases you as regards your diamond center stones. If you want a bold look for your diamond studs, you can choose yellow or rose gold. On the other hand, if you want to fashion a pair of simple diamond studs, you can choose either white gold or platinum.
Other than compatibility, what you should bear in mind is choosing a metal that you’re not allergic to. If you’re allergic to different metals used in gold alloys, a hypoallergenic metal like platinum is a boon for you. It’s always good to invest in a metal that you’re comfortable with to avoid any disappointment later.
Backs
If you don’t want your diamond studs to droop and fall from your earlobes, secure them with screws or locking backs. These two earring backs offer the utmost protection to studs, especially compared to friction backs which don’t offer much protection.
The Takeaway
Now that you’re well-versed in purchasing a fine pair of diamond stud earrings, it’s about time you got one for yourself. The most important takeaway that I want you to bear in mind is that you can save big on your pair by choosing a lab-made diamond. Otherwise, Cinderella, you’ll have to stretch your budget to a considerable extent.
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