Earrings add a touch of elegance to an outfit. They can even be fun, contemporary or trendy, depending on the design. They also tie your entire ensemble together at times.
Among the more popular choices for earring designs are hoops, drops, danglers and studs. The stud earring shows off the diamond very well. It can look as classic or as modern as you want it to be. Here are simple ways to select a diamond stud earring.
Keep the 4 Cs in mind but you can relax a bit – while cut, clarity, color and carat are always important, with the earring you can take liberties with two of them – clarity and color.
Simply because it’s more hidden away, than the ring, for example. So even if there are minor inclusions, as long as the diamond is ‘eye clean,’ it should be fine. Color variations are also okay to a large extent, for the same reason. Visible external flaws and a discolored experience are a no-no in any situation. With color, stay within the H-J range. For clarity, choose S11 or S12 (and higher), but nothing lower.
Don’t Compromise on Cut and Carat
Where you shouldn’t compromise is the cut and the carat. The cut of the diamond is significant in every way. The term refers to the facets in a diamond that cause the stone to glitter with brilliance and fire. The most common cut for the diamond is the round shape. This is a great shape for earrings too. The princess cut is next in popularity and could be square or rectangle. You might also want to consider the asscher cut, with its large facets and clean lines. You’re looking for Good, Very Good or Excellent as your cut grades. Good is good enough!
If you’d like to do something totally different, you can think about the distinctive shape of the marquise cut diamond. The pear-shaped stone is also a choice. The worry with both shapes is whether they will work as a stud earring. An earring that is a drop or a tear drop will lend itself beautifully to these kinds of stones. But a stud has less surface area to work with and so, is restricted by dimensions. You’d be safe with a round, square or regular shape.
Like with other jewelry, you should consider the carat size here too. Nothing makes a statement quite like a single large diamond on each ear lobe. If you’re looking to create your own diamond set, that might be wise. Diamond studs don’t always come with a certification and we don’t always know the genesis of the stone.
Tips for Buying Loose Stones
If you’re in the market to buy loose stones, make sure they bear the GIA certificate. A round figure for a carat is expensive. The trick is to aim for a shade lower than the number. Choose a 1.8, instead of a 2. Or a .8 instead of a 1 and see how the number changes. A note of caution – a large loose stone may seem appear great, but visualize it on your ears and think about whether it will look good. A smaller stone lends itself to a whole bunch or design ideas.
Think about the metal you want for your diamond studs – yellow gold is safe and depending on the size of the stone and the setting, the metal may not be too visible. However, platinum is a smart choice too. Rose gold is elegant as well and goes well with the bezel cut stud.
A stud is held in place with a back. The common back is a butterfly shape, that’s easy to remove and put back. The other comes in the form of a screw that needs to be tightened along the grooves or threads of the post. This is the most secure and gives the best safety for your earring. It does take a bit of time to put on and it’s more painful, being thicker, but if you don’t change your earrings every day, then this may not be too great a concern.
Consider Your Design Choices
Think long and hard about the design of the diamond studs. The simplest would be to choose a brilliant cut, large-sized, colorless stone. But why not consider other designs too? For instance, colored diamonds? You could choose an edgy black stone and complement it with other colored diamonds. Maybe a yellow diamond encircled with another color of your choice.
Make sure your diamond is held in place with prongs or decorative baskets. Neither of them should distract from the beauty of the stone. If you’d really like to put the bling in your bling, then a halo setting is perfect. It shines and even if the stone isn’t too large, it will do justice to your jewelry choice. Do keep in mind that if you are choosing a cluster of stones, the center stone shouldn’t be too large so as to overwhelm the others or too small to disappear. Balance is key.
The best part of a diamond stud is the fact that it goes with any face shape. A diamond stud is also a great foil to any outfit, traditional or modern, casual or dressy.
