earrings for $500-$1000?

[chrisjr]

Gents,
For the two year anniversary with my GF, I am looking at 1/2 carat diamond earings. Which style fo you prefer:
http://www.bluenile.ca/diamond-jewellery/diamond-earrings/stud

I quite like the Princess-Cut Diamond Earrings in 18k White Gold... Thoughts?
For reference, I got her a tiffany's silver ring for our 1 year, but now that i've got decent job i'm willing to drop some more coin.
Cheers

 

[oneeightyseven]



Gents,
For the two year anniversary with my GF, I am looking at 1/2 carat diamond earings. Which style fo you prefer:
http://www.bluenile.ca/diamond-jewellery/diamond-earrings/stud
I quite like the Princess-Cut Diamond Earrings in 18k White Gold... Thoughts?
For reference, I got her a tiffany's silver ring for our 1 year, but now that i've got decent job i'm willing to drop some more coin.
Cheers

look at tahitian pearls. IIRC you can get them for 12-1400

 

[chrisjr]



look at tahitian pearls. IIRC you can get them for 12-1400

Trying to keep it under $800, was ideally aiming for $600.

 

[Kyoung05]



Gents,
For the two year anniversary with my GF, I am looking at 1/2 carat diamond earings. Which style fo you prefer:
http://www.bluenile.ca/diamond-jewellery/diamond-earrings/stud
I quite like the Princess-Cut Diamond Earrings in 18k White Gold... Thoughts?
For reference, I got her a tiffany's silver ring for our 1 year, but now that i've got decent job i'm willing to drop some more coin.
Cheers

Does your gf really like the shape of the princess-cut? If so, get her what she wants. If not, keep in mind that princess cut diamonds won't "perform" i.e. shine, as much as a round-cut diamond - they're just not built for that. Most "fancy-cut" diamonds, like princess, radiant, asscher, etc. are cut with the overall shape in mind. Thus, they tend to be cut very few large facets, and as a result, don't reflect as much light. If you look at a princess cut stone up close, it will resemble "crushed ice." Round-cut diamonds, on the other hand, are cut with very many small symmetrical facets, and thus, they are purpose-built to reflect light.

 

[chrisjr]

Thanks for the lesson KY05, I did not know that. She does not have a particular preference for princess cut. She doesn't own any diamonds yet.
Care to comment on the 18k white gold vs platinum? And is the screw on back a desireable feature?

 

[Kyoung05]



Thanks for the lesson KY05, I did not know that. She does not have a particular preference for princess cut. She doesn't own any diamonds yet.
Care to comment on the 18k white gold vs platinum? And is the screw on back a desireable feature?

Sorry in advance for "geeking" out on you, but I thought it was pretty cool to learn about this stuff, and maybe you will too.

I'm not an expert on metals, but if I recall correctly, 18k white gold will look whiter/shiner than platinum (which can look a bit dull-ish grey), whereas platinum will be more sturdy/stronger.

As for screw-back, it really depends on how your gf will wear the earrings. Some women will wear their earrings 24/7, in the shower, in bed, to the gym, etc. In that case, screw-backs offer a bit more security in terms of keeping them in her ears. On the other hand, if your gf is the type to take them off at home, keep them in a box and switch out which earrings she wears throughout the week, then screw-backs might be a pain **********. FWIW, I got my gf studs without screw-backs, and even though she might wear them days/weeks at a time, to the gym, etc., they've never fallen out.

In your budget range, you're probably looking at 1/4-1/3ct (each) studs in either 18k white gold or platinum. They sound small, but if they're well-cut stones, they'll really shine and appear bigger than they actually are. While you could shop around for loose-stones on Bluenile or WhiteFlash and build a custom set of studs, unless you really want to invest some time into learning about the various measurements, angles, etc. of the stones, it would probably be best to buy a pre-made set. WhiteFlash has some nice ones:

Here are the 4-prong kind - There are referred to as a "basket setting." These are probably the more classic of the two settings - and look very symmetrical. Even though the stone is round, the earrings will appear slightly square-ish in shape because of the prongs.

Here are the 3-prong kind - These are referred to as a "martini setting." I like these because they have less metal than the 4-prong setting, so more of the stone can be seen.

I ordered mine through these guys - They don't list prices online, but you can always email/call and ask - They were really fantastic, showed me pictures before I placed my order, answered all my questions, etc.

Both WhiteFlash and GoodOldGold will use "ideal cut" diamonds in their earrings, meaning they are roughly the top 3% of diamond quality based on cut, and reflects nearly all light that enters the diamond. However, if you want to go the extra mile, you can ask GoodOldGold to see whether they have any studs that are made with "Hearts and Arrows" diamonds - meaning an ideal cut diamond with perfect proportions and perfect symmetry. When a diamond is cut this well, they exhibit a very distinct visual phenomon:

This is pretty much as good as a diamond can be cut. All Hearts & Arrow diamonds are ideal cut, but not all ideal cut diamonds will exhibit the Hearts & Arrows. This may or may not matter at all to you or your gf, so use your judgment when deciding to spend the extra money.

I asked WhiteFlash whether their pre-made earrings could be made with Hearts & Arrows diamonds, but I was told that they don't actually have anything "in stock" at their warehouses - they place an order to their distributor when you place an order, so they can't guarantee what a particular stone will look like beforehand. You may want to call again to double-check though, if you're interested.

Hope this helps.