Hottest Gift of the Season: Diamond Stud Earrings

Although a reasonably simple purchase, there are still a few considerations to make:

Carat
The size (carat weight) of the studs depends not only on budget, but also her personality and style. Some women love the flashy look of 2 carat studs on each ear, but others may want a more classic, understated look and opt for a .50 to 1.0 carat weight. Any smaller may make the earrings not noticeable enough, particularly if she has longer hair which she likes to wear down often. Above anything else, carat weight dramatically affects the price of the earrings.

Here is a  chart to give a more clear visual of mm size and carat weight:

 

We recommend keeping within the H-J color grade and not needlessly pay for a higher color grade when it simply won’t be noticeable to the naked eye when on a woman’s ears.

As with picking a color grade, you can ease up on the standards a little with the cut grade since studs on a woman’s ears are not under as much scrutiny. Be sure to get a well proportioned, even graded stone in which the table isn’t cut too deeply or too shallow.

The most important thing to remember when talking about clarity for diamond earrings is that it simply must be eye-clean. If it looks fantastic by the naked eye, you need not spend hundreds more on a higher clarity grade. An important thing to remember is that many online jewelers offer certified and uncertified diamond stud earrings. The uncertified studs can be listed as having a more generous grade, so it pays to check out their return policy if buying online. Our bottom line recommendation? Try for a SI2 or SI1 clarity grade; anything above that may prove to be wasting money on a higher clarity grade which can’t be appreciated by the naked eye.

• 14k white or yellow gold are the most popular choices. White gold falls in the cool color category, while yellow has a little more warmth. Note that if the diamond color grade leans closer to the J range, you may want to opt for white gold to better highlight the white of the diamond instead of the yellow.
• Some stores may offer 10k gold and although not as high of quality, they still can be a good alternative to sterling silver.
• 18k white gold is another popular option, but be sure to check out the price differences. If it is substantial, opt for 14k gold instead.
• Platinum is a high end, expensive option that one may not be able to appreciate with earrings.  We recommend you save the money and get a larger carat weight instead of paying a premium for platinum.
• Sterling silver is an affordable alternative to gold but care must be taken to ensure that it is of high quality. However, generally speaking sterling silver is used with cubic zirconia in diamond earrings and if on a budget, one may as well purchase a high quality cz set of studs instead.

While great deals can be found in-store and are certainly worth checking out, consumers are increasingly moving towards online retailers as they have little to no overhead and can pass the savings onto the customers. The only disadvantage is that the customer is unable to see the actual stones before purchasing. The solution? Check out the fine print, warranty, guarantee and all other information listed on the website and only shop with reputable retailers. Here are a few retailers that offer some great deals on diamond stud earrings: