Diamond earrings... quality vs size

SCBQQSTN

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This is a christmas present for my g/f. At all of the jewelry stores that I visited (kays, helzberg, zales, jared) they carry three categories of diamonds. Good, great, and premium. My budget is $1,500 for diamond studs. I have narrowed down to two options, first is a 3/4 karat premium diamond earrings, second is a full 1.00 karat but one notch down in quality in the great category. The premium is noticeably more sparkly than the other one, however the fact is that the other one is a one karat diamond. Everyones opinion is welcome, girls opinion preferred. What would guys do?
 

ju015dd

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1carat between the pair correct? I am biased because I have a pair of 3/4 for sale but I say find some nice preowned ones before paying the evil markups.....
 

SCBQQSTN

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1carat between the pair correct? I am biased because I have a pair of 3/4 for sale but I say find some nice preowned ones before paying the evil markups.....

Yeah, it's a 1 carat between the two of them.

Clarity is always more important than the size IMO. Who wants a big diamond with the clarity of a urinal full of piss.

Trust me, it's not. The 1 carat is still very pretty, just not AS pretty as the higher quality 3/4
 
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xXGadfly09Xx

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depends on your wife. If she is the look at me kinda girl then sure get the 1 carat stuff. If she is the more quiet and legant (sp?) type (like my gf) she would like the smaller ones more.
 

FL-Orange

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Quality over size.
I also agree that you will save money buying loose stones and having them set but you may not have the time.

I would also consider adding these to an insurance policy if you have one (for jewelry) or to your homeowner's if you own a house.
 
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GM Nitemare

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Costco has some awesome deals on diamonds. They are of superior quality. Their prices are pretty hard to beat. But I would go for quality over size anyday.
 

txyaloo

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depends on your wife. If she is the look at me kinda girl then sure get the 1 carat stuff. If she is the more quiet and legant (sp?) type (like my gf) she would like the smaller ones more.

WTF is legant?

Do you mean elegant?

Quality over size.
I also agree that you will save money buying loose stones and having them set but you may not have the time.

I would also consider adding these to an insurance policy if you have one (for jewelry) or to your homeowner's if you own a house.

+1 to buying loose. You can get a bigger diamond of better quality for less. If he hurries, he should have time to get them set.

An extra insurance rider is good for a lot of things. I have one for watches and guns. It really isn't that expensive and covers theft or if one of my guns goes kaboom when shooting it.
 

SpectorV

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research diamond ratings there are more than just 3 categories~ also do tons of shopping around and you will get a feel for what should cost what.
 

Njc0las

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Personally I'd never buy from a chain like that. They're way over-priced and known for grading their stuff higher than it really is. I saw ju015dd's for sale ad a week back or whatever and damn near had a seizure when I saw what he paid and what he wants for those. I got a pair similar to what he got but a little bigger, better quality (VS2/SI1 - D Color) and I only paid a couple hundred bucks. They were IGI certified and all that stuff too. :shrug:



diamond_color_chart.gif


diamond_clairty_scale.jpg


For grades F through SI, a diamond's clarity grade impacts diamond's value,
not on the unmagnified diamond's appearance.

* F = Flawless: No internal or external flaws. Extremely rare.
* IF = Internally Flawless: no internal flaws, but some surface flaws. Very rare.
* VVS1-VVS2 = Very Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions very difficult to detect under 10x magnification by a trained gemologist.
* VS1-VS2 = Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions seen only with difficulty under 10x magnification.
* SI1-SI2 = Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions more easily detected under 10x magnification.
* I1-I2-I3 = Included (three grades). Inclusions visible under 10x magnification and visible with the human eye. We do not recommend buying diamonds in any of these grades.





1 thing a jeweler told me was that the red sparkle in the diamond will be more red in higher quality stones. The reds look orange or even rusty brownish in lower quality stones. IDK if that's a solid way to judge a diamond or not. That's just 1 thing I remember him telling me a few years ago.
 
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PowerWheels

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I got a pair off ebay a year ago or so. The local high end jewelers had nothing comparable for 3 times the price. I'll try and find the seller if you are interested. And yes quality over quantity.
 

ju015dd

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Personally I'd never buy from a chain like that. They're way over-priced and known for grading their stuff higher than it really is. I saw ju015dd's for sale ad a week back or whatever and damn near had a seizure when I saw what he paid and what he wants for those. I got a pair similar to what he got but a little bigger, better quality (VS2/SI1 - D Color) and I only paid a couple hundred bucks. They were IGI certified and all that stuff too. :shrug:



diamond_color_chart.gif


diamond_clairty_scale.jpg


For grades F through SI, a diamond's clarity grade impacts diamond's value,
not on the unmagnified diamond's appearance.

* F = Flawless: No internal or external flaws. Extremely rare.
* IF = Internally Flawless: no internal flaws, but some surface flaws. Very rare.
* VVS1-VVS2 = Very Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions very difficult to detect under 10x magnification by a trained gemologist.
* VS1-VS2 = Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions seen only with difficulty under 10x magnification.
* SI1-SI2 = Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions more easily detected under 10x magnification.
* I1-I2-I3 = Included (three grades). Inclusions visible under 10x magnification and visible with the human eye. We do not recommend buying diamonds in any of these grades.





1 thing a jeweler told me was that the red sparkle in the diamond will be more red in higher quality stones. The reds look orange or even rusty brownish in lower quality stones. IDK if that's a solid way to judge a diamond or not. That's just 1 thing I remember him telling me a few years ago.

tried to pm you but your box is full.

Please tell me where you bought the better diamonds than the ones I have posted for a couple hundred bucks please. I would love to find a place like that. I have spent wayyyyyy too much on diamonds for my wife over the years. Would love to get some for wayyy cheaper. How much should I be asking for the diamonds in my ad? I know jack shit about these stones other than they hurt the wallet.
 

SCcobra4me

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I'm a fan of quality myself and the place I go lets you trade in your jewelry and upgrade. They'll give you what you paid for your trade in but you have to spend X amount also. I did that with my wife's engagement ring, at the time I could only get her a .50 carat and once I was able to trade that in I did and got her the ring I really wanted to get her, now a 1.15 total carat in a cathedral setting. The quality is good but not perfect and not one person has whipped out the magnifying glass to check so like mentioned, it's going to come down if she wants quantity or quality.
 

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