Diamond Stud Earrings buying tips
by Ardamun
The idea is to buy the brightest diamond stud earrings at a cost that is within your budget. You should not worry too much about Clarity and Color. You should concentrate more on Carat weight and Cut.
Diamond Stud Earrings – Facts and Buying Tips
For simplicity and appearance, there is nothing to beat the elegance of
diamond stud earrings. They are a bare minimum piece of fashion jewelry a
woman, who loves diamonds, should possess. And now comes the crunch. Buying
diamond stud earrings brings forth the question – the beauty of diamonds or
the cost. When buying diamond earrings, just follow one simple rule: Buy
what you can easily afford.
more brilliant and sparkling, and they cost more too! When buying diamonds,
you evaluate based on the Four Cs. These are Carat, Color, Clarity, and Cut.
These are the basic facts when buying diamonds. However, do these matter
when you are buying diamond stud earrings? No one is going to look too
closely at them. At least, no one goes around with a magnifying glass
looking for the inclusions in the diamonds of your diamond stud earrings!
The idea is to buy the brightest diamond stud earrings at a cost that is
within your budget. You should not worry too much about Clarity and Color.
You should concentrate more on Carat weight and Cut. These will make your
diamonds in your stud earrings look bigger and sparkling. For example:
Diamonds with I1 clarity in your stud earrings is not a bad choice if you
can get larger diamonds. Any woman would go for a pair of 1 ctTW diamond
stud earrings with I1 clarity than for one with a 1/2 ct TW of higher
clarity! (ct TW = Carat Total Weight of the diamonds in the pair of
earrings).
Diamond Stud Earrings – Diamond Facts
Let us look briefly at the diamond facts when buying them. Evaluation of
diamonds is done based on the four Cs – Carat, Color, Clarity, and Cut.
* Carat – A carat is a measure of weight of diamonds and other precious
gemstones, and equals 200 milligrams. It is a major factor in determining
the value of a diamond. However, the value of two diamonds of the same carat
weight is necessarily not the same. This depends on other factors, as well.
In addition, the diamonds of the same carat weight are necessarily not of
equal size. The size will depend on the type of cut given to the diamond.
For stud earrings, depending on your choice and budget, you can ideally go
for 0.25 ctTW up to 3.00 ctTW.
* Color – It varies from colorless to light yellow, with the transition from
one color to the next very subtle to be distinguishable. The color grading
standard varies from D-F: Colorless, perfect to almost perfect, to K-M:
Noticeable yellow, not for large size diamond purchases.
* Clarity – Diamonds of the highest quality are devoid of flaws – free from
internal or external inclusions. This measure of flaws is its clarity.
Trained gemologists study the diamonds under 10x magnification to determine
their clarity. Small inclusions are acceptable and in no way mar its beauty
or affect its durability. The clarity scale ranges from FL – flawless to I2,
I3 – inclusions visible to the bare eye with black spots and black
inclusions.
* Cut – It contributes the most towards the beauty of the diamond and has
not much significant influence on its price! The cut is responsible for how
well the diamond handles light. Most diamonds are round cut with 58 facets,
and better the cut, the more sparkling the diamond. The way the diamond is
cut allows the diamond to make the best use of the light through it.
How to go About Buying Diamond Stud Earrings
Women love to wear diamonds, and on their stud earrings they look bright and
sparkling. If your budget allows you to only go for lower quality diamonds
for your stud earrings, do not let it concern you. The difference in the
quality of diamonds comes across only when they are examined under a
microscope. Remember, it is the cut that lends sparkle to the diamonds in
your earrings.
An excellently cut diamond, with a color range of G-H or even I-J, and with
clarity of SI1 – SI2 will be well within your budget. This selection when
mounted in white gold or platinum stud earrings will give a colorless
appearance. This will produce the same sparkle as those costing thousands of
dollars more. As per the experts, there is a three-fold reason:
* It is the excellent cut that adds to the diamonds’ sparkle.
* Most agree that when mounted, G-H or I-J colors appear colorless.
Therefore, there is no need to spend more on a diamond with a color range of
D-F, especially if you have a limited budget.
* A diamond with SI2 clarity has slight flaws that are not visible to the
naked eye. These definitely cost much less than the diamonds of higher
clarity.
You can get excellent bargains in diamond stud earrings if you compromise
slightly on clarity and color, as long as the cut is excellent. After all,
the pair of stud earrings is small and no one would know the difference! If
you are constrained by budget, do not let the slightly lower quality of
diamonds deter you. Any woman would be happy to buy a diamond of a higher
carat weight of slightly lower clarity than one of a lesser carat with
excellent clarity.
Diamond stud earrings make perfect gifts as long as there are no visible
inclusions in the diamonds, and are as near colorless as possible – when
mounted. Of course, if budget is no constraint at all, go for diamond stud
earrings with clarity of FL and color grading of D-F!
Contrary to popular belief, diamonds are no longer ‘woman’s best friend.’
Style is eternal, and men are known to make a style statement with diamond
stud earrings, as well. The strength of diamond stud earrings lies in their
universal unisex appeal. In the western culture, diamonds stand for
fearlessness and virtue, and symbolize eternal love. They make beautiful
gifts to loved ones.
A Word of Caution
When purchasing your diamond stud earrings, ensure that your diamonds are
not Conflict Diamonds. Conflict diamonds come from areas controlled by
forces opposed to legitimate governments. They are sold on the black market
and support bloody wars that victimize children, and help aid brutal acts of
aggression.