Whether you are buying stud earrings to treat yourself or as a special gift for a loved one, you will get a better deal on your diamond studs purchase if you take your time.

Knowing your budget

How do you decide what a good deal for diamond studs is?  For a start, you will need to establish what you are prepared to pay for your round brilliant or princess cut diamond earrings.  Be realistic.  Only you know what your budget should be, but once you’ve worked it out it’s time to get best value for money.

Choosing the metal

Stud earrings come in all sorts of metals, from white gold studs to silver and from platinum earrings to yellow gold.  You may have your own preference when it comes to precious metals or – if you’re buying earrings as a gift – you will want to take into account what jewellery the recipient loves. 

What you select will also depend on whether the stud earrings are likely to be worn with other jewellery, in which case you may want to match the metal.  In other words, if the recipient usually wears yellow gold rings, you may want to stick with yellow gold rather than platinum when choosing your gift.

Allergies

Gold and silver are often mixed with other metals to create a less soft material for use in jewellery.  Pure gold is 24k, for example, whereas 18k gold means that it’s an alloy containing 75% pure gold mixed in with other metals, such as nickel.  Some people are allergic to alloys containing nickel.  Although more expensive, platinum is less likely to contain nickel and is therefore a safer choice if you are worried about possible allergies.

The Four Cs of diamonds

If you have done your research, you will undoubtedly have read about the Four Cs of diamonds.  These are: Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight.  This website has a lot more in-depth information on all four of these available, but let’s for a moment consider which of these matter most when it comes to diamond stud earrings.

Clarity is a measure of the number of internal or external flaws or inclusions a diamond has.  Flawless diamonds are rare and therefore expensive.  Unless you plan to buy huge diamonds and invite your friends and relatives to study them up-close, the diamond’s clarity probably doesn’t matter very much.  In most cases, you would need a magnifying glass to see tiny inclusions within the diamond anyway.  It’s probably safe to say that none of your friends or colleagues will study your earrings with a magnifying glass.

FL, IF Flawless: No internal or external flaws, extremely rare. Internally Flawless: no internal flaws, but some surface flaws. Very rare.

VVS1-VVS2 Very, Very Slightly Included: Inclusions are very difficult to detect under 10x magnification. An excellent clarity grade.

VS1-VS2 Very Slightly Included: Inclusions are not typically visible to the unaided eye, and difficult to see under 10x magnification. A very good clarity grade.

 

SI1-SI2 Slightly Included: Inclusions are visible under 10x magnification, and may be visible with the unaided eye. A good diamond value.

I1-I2-I3 Included: Inclusions are visible under to the unaided eye. This clarity grade represents the best value for those who prefer size over quality.

 

Diamond colour grades

The colour is another factor that can really influence the price of your diamond earrings, but is not hugely relevant in stud earrings.  Only a diamond expert may be able to tell the subtle differences between – say – a G and an H colour grade, but even then only by direct comparison of the loose diamond against diamonds of other colour grades.

Buying near-colourless diamonds rather than absolutely colourless ones often means that you can buy larger diamonds for the same price.  It all depends on your preference and budget.  Just remember that diamonds with a colour grade from G to J will still appear colourless when mounted.

Cut and shape

The cut influences most how much sparkle you get for your money.  ‘Cut’ and ‘shape’ are not the same, by the way.  The shape is the general outward appearance of the diamond: round, pear, princess, emerald etc.  Diamond stud earrings are typically either round or Princess cut, the latter appearing somewhat squarer. 

The term ‘cut’ is used by jewellers for the diamond’s reflective qualities, not its shape.  The cut is responsible for how light travels through the diamond and is reflected by it.  The average round diamond has 58 facets.  The better the cut, the more sparkling the diamond will appear.  Most expert gemmologists consider the cut to be the most important of the Four Cs.  If you have a limited budget, go for a lower quality diamond with an excellent cut.

A well-cut diamond will have a fiery, flashing sparkle that makes the most of the available light.  A poorly cut diamond, on the other hand, does not reflect all the light back to the eye.  Diamonds with an Ideal cut grade are more rare and costly than a diamond with a Very Good or Good cut grade.

Diamond stud earring settings

Whether you opt for a dainty little setting or a more robust pair of elegant stud earrings depends not only on your budget, but on the proportions of the recipient’s face and ear lobes.  A common prong setting allows more light to be reflected by the diamond, whereas bezel or half bezel settings are more secure – ideal if the wearer has an active lifestyle.

Diamond stud earrings usually have either threaded backs or friction backs.  Friction backs are more convenient to wear, as they are easier to put on and take off.  A few notches on the post make it unlikely that they will slip off by accident whilst being worn.  They are a great choice for studs you’d wear every day.  Threaded backs are more secure, but can be more time-consuming to put in and remove. They are ideal if you’re concerned about losing a diamond earring while wearing it.

In conclusion, you can get excellent bargains on diamond stud earrings if you are happy to compromise on colour and clarity, as long as the cut of the diamonds is good.  What woman could resist a lovely pair of dazzling 1 carat diamond studs or 2 carat diamond stud earrings?  They make the perfect gift for any occasion.