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Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. But really, they’re a timeless piece that everyone appreciates. When considering buying diamond earrings, you may think that the more it shines, the better. However, there are more things to consider when looking for the perfect set of studs.
Evaluating the quality of diamond stud earrings starts with first knowing if they are real. There are several different ways to test them.
One of the easier ways is with the fog test. Simply breathe on the diamond with humid, warm air. If the fog immediately dissipates, the stone is real. If it takes a few seconds to go away, you more than likely have a fake on your hands.
Another test you can do is to look at the engravings on the earrings. If there is a CZ anywhere, you’ll know right away it’s cubic zirconia. You want to look for indicators that it’s real silver, gold, or platinum. You’ll never find a real diamond on anything less.
If you’re not certain about your earrings, ask a professional appraiser who can tell you right away whether or not the stone you have is real.
Quality of the Diamond Earrings
If you’ve determined that your diamond earrings are real, you can next evaluate their quality. There are four areas to look for, also known as the 4 Cs: color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.
1. Color
Diamonds have what are called facets, which are the flat surfaces on the geometric shape of the stone (the cut). These little mirrors will reflect the color from the surface they are on. Any color will be brought into the diamond from your skin or the setting of the diamond.
These outside sources will impact what the human eye perceives as the color of the ring, even though they fall on a color scale. This is why you wouldn’t necessarily focus too much on the color aspect of the diamond or spend more money on what’s called a colorless diamond. Any stone in the D to Z range is more than acceptable.
2. Clarity
The clarity of a diamond you might think is just about the sparkle and shine. But it’s also about the purity and rarity of the stone.
Professionals will use a 10-power magnification to look for blemishes and inclusions (the unique characteristics of the stone). It’s very rare to find a diamond that has absolutely no inclusions, hence why diamonds with perfect clarity are significantly more expensive.
If your diamond earrings are lower on the clarity scale, it will make them more affordable. This means you can spend more money on other aspects, such as the cut and carat size.
3. Cut
The cut of a diamond refers to how is shaped. The better and more precise the cut, the brighter and more elegant it’ll look. Technically, diamonds can be cut into any shape, but there are ten that are the most popular.
The ten most popular cuts for diamond earrings include:
– Round
– Princess
– Cushion
– Oval
– Emerald
– Pear
– Marquise
– Asscher
– Radiant
– Heart
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will determine whether a diamond has an excellent or very good cut grade. This will ensure to the buyer that the stone has proper symmetry, proportions, and craftsmanship.
4. Carat Weight
The carat weight will make an impression. The larger the carat, the larger the stone. The larger the stone, the heavier it is. However, bigger isn’t always better.
One carat is equivalent to 0.200 grams. The weight of a carat is usually deemed as the most important in terms of rating the quality of diamonds. However, that isn’t necessarily true. It’s mostly determined based upon your budget and taste in style.
You could also have a 3 carat stone that is rather dull and is poorly cut, making much less of a statement than a 1 carat that has a more prestigious cut and setting.
Conclusion
There are many areas to look at when choosing the best diamond stud earrings. The most important thing to remember is that it’s all about the budget as well as the person. These two areas will guide how you ultimately decide which is the best pair for the occasion.