Choosing the Best Diamond Studs
If you are in the market for diamond stud earrings, it is important that you know how much you can afford to pay. Of course, everyone wants beautiful and brilliant diamond studs but the better the diamond, the more it will cost. If you want to get the best diamond studs at the lowest cost, it pays to be prepared before shopping.
Colourless diamonds are beautiful, but they can also be very costly. Many experts agree that, when mounted, diamonds which range from G-H on the diamond colour spectrum appear colourless. Higher graded D-F stones command more money but if a G-H stone is all that you can afford, this should still be a lovely stone. On the GIA grading scale for diamonds, any diamond rated D-F is considered to be colourless. Any stone that is graded at a J or below has a yellowish tinge. So if you are looking for a white diamond, avoid stones graded at J or below.
A big consideration when shopping for diamond stud earrings is the cut. The cut can make the diamond appear to sparkle and it can breathe life into the diamond. A diamond that is eye-clean, meaning that there are no flaws visible to the naked eye, can be stunning with the right cut.
Clarity is one of the four Cs when discussing diamonds. Diamonds with few flaws, or inclusions, are rare. These diamonds cost more to purchase than those that have flaws. Flaws don’t make the stone less beautiful because they are not visible to the naked eye. A jeweller would have to see the stone under a magnifying lens in order to be able to notice the inclusions. Diamonds with a grade of S12 are eye clean. Diamonds with a grade of I3 are noticeable darker and look opaque to the naked eye.
In conclusion, if your budget allows for it, a well cut diamond in the G-H colour range is a moderately priced stone. Diamond stud earrings of this quality will be beautiful and will impress nearly as much as stones costing thousands of pounds more. A good size for diamond stud earrings is from ½ a carat to a full carat. If your budget does not allow for that quality of stone, you have other options. You can go for a lower grade stone, or you can go for a smaller stone. If you are more concerned with having a larger stone, go for a lower quality. However if you are more concerned with higher quality, go for a smaller cut.