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Q&A: Experience Shopping for Diamond Studs on an £800 Budget

By Mike Fried,

Looking to buy diamond stud earrings, looking at Blue Nile. Probably spending £750 – £850, any one time discount codes available? Checked several other sites but Blue Nile seems to be only one with GIA certification as standard one site quoted me £350 to get a GIA assessment on their products.

We offer a coupon for $50 off of a purchase over 1k:[contact us for your own unique coupon code]. According to BN, this is the best coupon they are offering right now. I hope it helps.

For studs, the diamonds must be within 1% of each other on the table size and the diameter of the diamonds should be the same. Under 1ct, the difference in average diameter should be <0.13mm. Over 1ct, the difference in average diameter should be <0.18mm.

For earring studs, we usually recommend sticking with I+ colored stones for pave and solitaire setting and H+ for halo settings (https://www.diamonds.pro/education/stud-earrings/). Color and fluorescence of both diamonds need to match. Clarity-wise, once the stone is eye-clean, it’s eye-clean, no matter if it’s an SI2 or VS1. The actual clarity grade isn’t important (https://www.diamonds.pro/education/clarity/). For J-H color, you can get diamonds with none, faint and medium fluorescence. The medium fluorescence may help the diamond look a tad whiter. In case of G-D stones, it’s better to avoid medium or strong fluorescence as it may cause a hazy/milky look (https://www.diamonds.pro/education/fluorescence/). Ideally, diamonds should have none culet. We recommend getting diamonds with GIA/AGS certs only (https://www.diamonds.pro/education/diamond-certification/). These two are the most consistent and reliable labs.

Just to be sure we are on the same page, are you looking for round cut studs? Then I might be able to recommend some nice stones that would perform lots of brilliance. Do you plan to go with a solitaire setting? This will help me set the right search parameters.

Round diamond stud, 3 claw setting, 18k white gold. Diamonds 0.46ct , ideal cut, E colour SI1 clarity but also considered vs2. No fluorescence. GIA certified.

Is there a reason you want to get such a high color grade? E is a lot more than what’s necessary to have beautiful earrings. You could easily go with an H+ and either save some money or get larger diamonds. Color-wise, it would look identical.

Please pick me out the best pair you feel work, colour clarity etc. Heaviest I can get for $1000 or UK equivalent circa £800, after any discount voucher and including setting. Has to be GIA cert, and has to be white gold or platinum setting. Im not worried if 3 or 4 claw. Presumed 3 shows off more of diamond. My only stipulation is cut must be ideal or better and diamonds must be flawless to the naked eye. Obviously not interested in lab made or enhanced diamonds.

When you go into the option to build your own earrings the diamonds you select are already paired. I cannot find the pairs you quote although they are available as single diamonds. Therefore there appears there is no way to select the diamonds you recommend for the stud earring setting I want.

If you contact Blue Nile directly via phone or live chat, they will be more than happy to help you and create the pair of studs. Please, let me know how it goes.

Ok thanks. I notice the first pair have slightly different clarity SI1/SI2 and the bottom pair are .30/.31 ct, will these mis matches be an issue ?

Different clarity grades or different carat size doesn’t have to be a problem at all. Once the stone is eye-clean, it’s eye-clean no matter what’s the clarity grade. As for the size, it’s always important to check the actual measurements, not the carat weight only. All the pairs match perfectly.

Thanks. I think I’ll go with the first pair.

You’re welcome, I was happy to help.

James Allen James Allen is the leader in online diamond sales. Their imaging technology is the same as inspecting a diamond with a jeweler's loupe. They have the largest exclusive loose diamond inventory online and fantastic prices. They also have the nicest collection of lab-created diamonds online.
What we love about them:
  • No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Free International Shipping
  • Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
  • Provide insurance appraisals
  • One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
  • Free ring inscriptions
  • Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • Best-in-class packaging
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Blue Nile Blue Nile is the largest and most well-known internet jewelry seller. They have a very large exclusive online inventory. Their high-quality images are catching up to James Allens' and their prices are amazing. Save 25% on settings at Blue Nile!

Please enter your email address to receive your 25% off coupon code:

What we love about them:
  • No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Free Shipping
  • Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
  • Provide insurance appraisal
  • One free resizing within the first year of purchase
  • High quality images of about half of their diamonds
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
  • Best in class fulfillment
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