earrings for $500-$1000?

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

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any woman in her right mind would rather have larger diamonds that don't come in a blue box.

Women are generally not "in their right mind!"

I'd also recommend getting simple diamond studs, and definitely NOT from Tiffany's - seriously, you'd be overpaying for the name. FWIW, I was able to get a paid of .50ctw studs (Ideal cut, hearts & arrows, J VS2) from GoodOldGold.com for $800. Fantastic vendor - I'd highly recommend them (they're also a PriceScope vendor, if that means anything to you).

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

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any woman in her right mind would rather have larger diamonds that don't come in a blue box.
I vehemently disagree.

Originally Posted by intent

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I vehemently disagree.

My girlfriend specifically told me "no Tiffany's ever".

I was glad to oblige with .50 ctw studs bezel set in 18k white gold. She was over the moon about them and I was happy with the price of $630 from blue nile.

FWIW her sister has the bezel set Tiffany's and is a bit jealous of the earrings I got my gf as they do look much nicer.

Originally Posted by whiteslashasian

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My girlfriend specifically told me "no Tiffany's ever".

I was glad to oblige with .50 ctw studs bezel set in 18k white gold. She was over the moon about them and I was happy with the price of $630 from blue nile.

FWIW her sister has the bezel set Tiffany's and is a bit jealous of the earrings I got my gf as they do look much nicer.

we get it, you're a perfect boyfriend. you know what diamonds to buy. your legs and abs are chiseled to the point of being approachable, but beyond reproach. your face sings with heavenly glory. I want to be you.

I think certain regions of the US, and certain social stratas, place much more emphasis on the Tiffany's name that the general population does.

I've had good experience on bluenile.com. Just saving the sales tax = four figures.

How about buying from Costco? I saw some nice ones there today.

I like the $1100 ones more

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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we get it, you're a perfect boyfriend. you know what diamonds to buy. your legs and abs are chiseled to the point of being approachable, but beyond reproach. your face sings with heavenly glory. I want to be you.

lulz, this post makes me want to be me.

blue nile is good stuff though, saving on sales tax is huge as Pio mentioned. The quality is quite good as well and the prices are hard to beat.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Just saving the sales tax = four figures.

And you say you're not rich?

I don't know why everybody always suggests pearls. MAke sure your GF likes pearls before you buy, I know mine would not be very excited to get even a very nice set.

Of the two you posted the first.

Can you buy a blue box? Seriously, is there a market for the "trappings of Tiffany?" Do real Tiffany goods have a makers mark?

Personally I would buy something vintage or antique but that's just me.

Originally Posted by Douglas

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And you say you're not rich?



Seriously, at 7% that means a 15k purchase, or accumulation of purchases, saves you 1.05k. Most reasonably affluent (and even many that are not) people make at least one big purchase in their lifetime, like an engagement/wedding ring set.

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

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any woman in her right mind would rather have larger diamonds that don't come in a blue box.


+1. You will get decent quality from Tiffany, but not quantity. The earrings will be on the small unimpressive size. Blue nile or the like for a decent quality, bigger size is the way to go. My friend is in the business and made earring for my wife, and he even states you don't need the best quality for the ear, but size makes a difference.

Originally Posted by Beckwith

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+1. You will get decent quality from Tiffany, but not quantity. The earrings will be on the small unimpressive size. Blue nile or the like for a decent quality, bigger size is the way to go. My friend is in the business and made earring for my wife, and he even states you don't need the best quality for the ear, but size makes a difference.

Actually, with diamonds, it's all about the cut. IMO, for a given price, I'd make sure you get best cut diamonds you can afford, i.e. ideal, and THEN worry about size, color, and clarity. A well cut stone won't just sparkle more than a stone that's cut like ****, but it will also "look" bigger than a comparably sized stone that isn't cut as well. You're right though, for earrings, color/clarity isn't much of a concern.

BlueNile has great prices, as does WhiteFlash. Much better value than a mall jeweler, i.e. Tiffanys. Here's an example: http://www.whiteflash.com/diamond-ea...-to-go-595.htm You can get a pair of white gold or platinum 3-prong .50ctw studs, that will be very well cut, squarely within your price range. Hell, if you could stretch your budget a bit, you can spring for the .75ctw studs set in 14k white gold. A somewhat comparable pair at Tiffany's (.62ctw set in platinum) runs $5,400 (granted, they're lower in color and higher in clarity, but for that size stone, who gives a ****).

As a final consideration, do you think your gf will ever want to "trade" these earrings up later on down the road? For instance, trade in her .50ctw earrings for 1ctw? If so, some vendors (although not BlueNile or WhiteFlash, I believe) offer a trade-up policy, where they'll credit you as much as the full purchase price of the earrings (less the cost of the setting) towards an upgrade.

Originally Posted by jakejake

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http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item...+6-ri+-ni+0-t+

What do you guys think? $1100

vs.

http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item...+6-ri+-ni+0-t+

Second for sure.

Remember that most women are not like on STyleforum where they'd prefer higher quality and better value from a lesser known brand. The blue box goes very far. With certain girls a red box (Cartier) goes even further.