Diamond Earrings for everyday discount prices on Overstock.com! $2.95 shipping and product reviews on products.
Update: This article was originally written in December 2009. In January 2011, I added another five vendors’ earrings to the review. This time I hired Depuhl Photography to take the necessary photographs. So you will definitely see a difference in photo quality between the first four vendors and the last five.
Introduction
This article contains two main parts. In Part I, I will present the results of my research I to determine which online diamond vendor offers the highest quality diamond earrings (studs) for the best value. In Part II, I will present general guidelines to be followed when buying diamond earrings in terms of the desired qualities (specific for studs) of diamond color, diamond clarity, and diamond cut.
Bottom Line Recommendation: Quality requirements for diamond stud earrings can be significantly relaxed when compared to diamonds to be set in engagement rings. This is due to the fact that the average distance at which they are viewed is notably farther than the distance at which engagement rings are viewed. Additionally, due to the added viewing distance, many stones for engagement rings that aren’t considered eye-clean can be considered eye-clean for diamond studs.
If you want to “build your own” pair of studs by choosing stones online, you’ll need some help making sure the two stones match, and making sure you’re not spending too much on features that will go to waste. Please don’t hesistate to contact me with any questions. I’ll gladly look through inventory online and send you recommendations of specific stones.
If you want to buy already matched and set diamond earrings at a fixed price, then see below where I compare the diamond stud offerings of the six largest (and in my opinion, best) online diamond vendors: James Allen, Blue Nile, Abazias, Mazal Diamond, B2C Jewels, and DiamondWaveicon.Recently I happened to notice that most of the major online diamond vendors sell their studs blindly – without certification. The reason for this is that generally, studs are a cheaper gift product and adding the cost of two certificates often knocks the product out of affordability. While this benefits the consumer in that it keeps prices down, it also creates some major problems.
1. How can the consumer trust what the vendor claims about the diamonds they are selling?
2. How can the consumer reliably compare prices across different vendors if no objective 3rd party can attest to the fact that they are comparing an equivalent product?
3. Customer reviews are great for giving the consumer confidence in a particular vendor, but how can the consumer compare customer service across different vendors?That’s when I came up with the idea for the Complete Diamond Stud Earrings Review. This report seeks to address the three issues just mentioned. To accomplish this, a pair of studs from each of the six leading diamond vendors online (James Allen, Blue Nile, Abazias, Mazal Diamond, B2C Jewels, and DiamondWave.) were purchased and inspected.
I collaborated on the evaluation with a former colleague of mine from Leo Schachter, Dan P. Dan has extensive experience in the diamond and jewelry industry having worked for some of the industry’s largest and best companies in New York for over 15 years. We worked closely together on a number of projects for Leo Schachter, and so I am familiar with his expertise and professionalism. I have the utmost respect for him and his opinions. (note: Dan reviewed the first three vendors and I reviewed the remaining four)
For our evaluation, we ordered 1/2 carat total weight (1/4 carat diamond in each ear) round diamond stud earrings from each of the above mentioned vendors. Each vendor has at least two different quality levels. To keep things consistent across each vendor, we chose each vendor’s “SI” quality. While on the phone with each vendor, we made sure to ask numerous questions to test the customer service representatives’ knowledge. We evaluated each pair of studs, and then returned them to their respective vendor when finished. We documented every step of the process: customer service, packaging, diamondCustomer Service – When it comes to customer service, DiamondWave really stood out head and shoulders above the competition. I was actually greeted on the phone by Pamela Scott, DiamondWave’s founder. It’s really nice when a company hasn’t yet grown out of its own shoes, and there is a real family feel to the business. Pamela didn’t know it was me on the phone, so she took her time and was very clear and knowledgable in her explanations.
Here is someone who has far more experience than I do in the diamond business. She was a buyer for one of the largest retail companies in America for many years. She was actually a long-time customer of my former employer. So needless to say, she knew exactly what she was talking about, and she knew it well. I practically swooned when she said that paying for VS clarity is a waste of money :) She really seems to run her business with a passion and enthusiasm that is very refreshing.Packaging – DiamondWave’s packaging was also very average. This seems to be the standard procedure – just throw the jewelry box and an envelope into a fedex box. Inside the envelope was the invoice, the certificate for the pre-set engagement ring I also purchased, a laminated appraisal each for the studs and engagement ring, and return instructions. The laminated appraisals were definitely a nice touch that was nicer than what most sites provideDiamond Quality – The diamonds from DiamondWave were a very high quality as well. I would say that they leaned much more towards SI1 than SI2. One of them was very close to a VS2, even. The stones matched perfectly and have very fine cuts.
You can see in the picture that the stone on the left has a black inclusion in the center of the diamond. I tried looking for it for a few minutes, even after I had just louped the diamond and knew exactly where it was located, and I still could not see it. So I am very confident calling this pair completely eye clean.Customer Service – We found that James Allen’s customer service reps were the friendliest, most helpful, and best educated of the four vendors reviewed. One innovation of James Allen’s that we noted was that they would send him numerous very personalized emails from the same service rep. This ensured that if we had any issue, we could address the same person who would always be familiar with our case.
Another positive about James Allen’s customer service is that they have extensive phone hours – they are open until 12 am EST – great for night owls, and great for customers on the West Coast.
Additionally, James Allen is the only vendor to offer moving 3D images of their studs so you can really get a feel for what they look like. They offer this unique 3D view of all their jewelry.Packaging - James Allen’s packaging was really quite exquisite. Upon opening the Fedex package, you are faced with a very handsomely designed grey box with James Allen’s logo embossed on the cover (see below to the left). Inside this grey box is an elegant dark-wood polished jewelry box set squarely in the middle of a perfectly formed block of foam that matches the box perfectly (see below to the right). All in all, this was far and away the best packaging of the four vendors. If you want to impress your wife or girlfriend, giving them a wrapped James Allen box will certainly do the trick.Diamond Quality - James Allen offers platinum mounted diamond studs in a G/H Color VS2 Clarity quality level and they offer 18K White Gold mounted diamond stud earrings in an H/I Color SI1/SI2 Clarity quality level. As mentioned earlier, for purposes of consistency, we ordered the SI quality from each vendor.
James Allen Packaging
James Allen Packaging – Click to Enlarge
We found that James Allen’s claims of quality were right on target. The pair of diamond studs from James Allen were well-matched diamonds with a very high quality cut and a very good SI2 clarity grade. We estimated the color as being a high “I” color (I say “estimated” because it’s very hard to gauge the color of a diamond in its setting).
Also of note is that the quality and workmanship on the gold setting was very high.
Ease of Return – Unlike some of the other vendors, James Allen does not include a pre-prepared return mailing label in their package with their product. James Allen’s customer service was so helpful and the process so simple, however, that supplying a return label wasn’t really necessary. Their customer service rep expressed a polite regret when we returned the product, but he was not at all trying to make us feel guilty or trying to convince us to change our mind.
A diamond (from the ancient Greek ἀδάμας – adámas, meaning "unbreakable," "proper," or "unalterable") is one of the best-known and most sought-after gemstones. Diamonds have been known to mankind and used as decorative items since ancient times; some of the earliest references can be traced to India.
The hardness of diamond and its high dispersion of light – giving the diamond its characteristic "fire" – make it useful for industrial applications and desirable as jewelry. Diamonds are such a highly traded commodity that multiple organizations have been created for grading and certifying them based on the four Cs, which are carat, cut, color, and clarity. Other characteristics, such as presence or lack of fluorescence, also affect the desirability and thus the value of a diamond used for jewelry.
Perhaps the most famous use of the diamond in jewelry is in engagement rings, which became popular in the early to mid 20th century due to an advertising campaign by the De Beers company, though diamond rings have been used to symbolize engagements since at least the 15th century. The diamond's high value has also been the driving force behind dictators and revolutionary entities, especially in Africa, using slave and child labor to mine blood diamonds to fund conflicts.
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the website shows you how to choose the right earrings to diamond earring
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Update: This article was originally written in December 2009. In January 2011, I added another five vendors’ earrings to the review. This time I hired Depuhl Photography to take the necessary photographs. So you will definitely see a difference in photo quality between the first four vendors and the last five.
Introduction
This article contains two main parts. In Part I, I will present the results of my research I to determine which online diamond vendor offers the highest quality diamond earrings (studs) for the best value. In Part II, I will present general guidelines to be followed when buying diamond earrings in terms of the desired qualities (specific for studs) of diamond color, diamond clarity, and diamond cut.
Bottom Line Recommendation: Quality requirements for diamond stud earrings can be significantly relaxed when compared to diamonds to be set in engagement rings. This is due to the fact that the average distance at which they are viewed is notably farther than the distance at which engagement rings are viewed. Additionally, due to the added viewing distance, many stones for engagement rings that aren’t considered eye-clean can be considered eye-clean for diamond studs.
If you want to “build your own” pair of studs by choosing stones online, you’ll need some help making sure the two stones match, and making sure you’re not spending too much on features that will go to waste. Please don’t hesistate to contact me with any questions. I’ll gladly look through inventory online and send you recommendations of specific stones.
If you want to buy already matched and set diamond earrings at a fixed price, then see below where I compare the diamond stud offerings of the six largest (and in my opinion, best) online diamond vendors: James Allen, Blue Nile, Abazias, Mazal Diamond, B2C Jewels, and DiamondWaveicon.Recently I happened to notice that most of the major online diamond vendors sell their studs blindly – without certification. The reason for this is that generally, studs are a cheaper gift product and adding the cost of two certificates often knocks the product out of affordability. While this benefits the consumer in that it keeps prices down, it also creates some major problems.
1. How can the consumer trust what the vendor claims about the diamonds they are selling?
2. How can the consumer reliably compare prices across different vendors if no objective 3rd party can attest to the fact that they are comparing an equivalent product?
3. Customer reviews are great for giving the consumer confidence in a particular vendor, but how can the consumer compare customer service across different vendors?That’s when I came up with the idea for the Complete Diamond Stud Earrings Review. This report seeks to address the three issues just mentioned. To accomplish this, a pair of studs from each of the six leading diamond vendors online (James Allen, Blue Nile, Abazias, Mazal Diamond, B2C Jewels, and DiamondWave.) were purchased and inspected.
I collaborated on the evaluation with a former colleague of mine from Leo Schachter, Dan P. Dan has extensive experience in the diamond and jewelry industry having worked for some of the industry’s largest and best companies in New York for over 15 years. We worked closely together on a number of projects for Leo Schachter, and so I am familiar with his expertise and professionalism. I have the utmost respect for him and his opinions. (note: Dan reviewed the first three vendors and I reviewed the remaining four)
For our evaluation, we ordered 1/2 carat total weight (1/4 carat diamond in each ear) round diamond stud earrings from each of the above mentioned vendors. Each vendor has at least two different quality levels. To keep things consistent across each vendor, we chose each vendor’s “SI” quality. While on the phone with each vendor, we made sure to ask numerous questions to test the customer service representatives’ knowledge. We evaluated each pair of studs, and then returned them to their respective vendor when finished. We documented every step of the process: customer service, packaging, diamondCustomer Service – When it comes to customer service, DiamondWave really stood out head and shoulders above the competition. I was actually greeted on the phone by Pamela Scott, DiamondWave’s founder. It’s really nice when a company hasn’t yet grown out of its own shoes, and there is a real family feel to the business. Pamela didn’t know it was me on the phone, so she took her time and was very clear and knowledgable in her explanations.
Here is someone who has far more experience than I do in the diamond business. She was a buyer for one of the largest retail companies in America for many years. She was actually a long-time customer of my former employer. So needless to say, she knew exactly what she was talking about, and she knew it well. I practically swooned when she said that paying for VS clarity is a waste of money :) She really seems to run her business with a passion and enthusiasm that is very refreshing.Packaging – DiamondWave’s packaging was also very average. This seems to be the standard procedure – just throw the jewelry box and an envelope into a fedex box. Inside the envelope was the invoice, the certificate for the pre-set engagement ring I also purchased, a laminated appraisal each for the studs and engagement ring, and return instructions. The laminated appraisals were definitely a nice touch that was nicer than what most sites provideDiamond Quality – The diamonds from DiamondWave were a very high quality as well. I would say that they leaned much more towards SI1 than SI2. One of them was very close to a VS2, even. The stones matched perfectly and have very fine cuts.
You can see in the picture that the stone on the left has a black inclusion in the center of the diamond. I tried looking for it for a few minutes, even after I had just louped the diamond and knew exactly where it was located, and I still could not see it. So I am very confident calling this pair completely eye clean.Customer Service – We found that James Allen’s customer service reps were the friendliest, most helpful, and best educated of the four vendors reviewed. One innovation of James Allen’s that we noted was that they would send him numerous very personalized emails from the same service rep. This ensured that if we had any issue, we could address the same person who would always be familiar with our case.
Another positive about James Allen’s customer service is that they have extensive phone hours – they are open until 12 am EST – great for night owls, and great for customers on the West Coast.
Additionally, James Allen is the only vendor to offer moving 3D images of their studs so you can really get a feel for what they look like. They offer this unique 3D view of all their jewelry.Packaging - James Allen’s packaging was really quite exquisite. Upon opening the Fedex package, you are faced with a very handsomely designed grey box with James Allen’s logo embossed on the cover (see below to the left). Inside this grey box is an elegant dark-wood polished jewelry box set squarely in the middle of a perfectly formed block of foam that matches the box perfectly (see below to the right). All in all, this was far and away the best packaging of the four vendors. If you want to impress your wife or girlfriend, giving them a wrapped James Allen box will certainly do the trick.Diamond Quality - James Allen offers platinum mounted diamond studs in a G/H Color VS2 Clarity quality level and they offer 18K White Gold mounted diamond stud earrings in an H/I Color SI1/SI2 Clarity quality level. As mentioned earlier, for purposes of consistency, we ordered the SI quality from each vendor.
James Allen Packaging
James Allen Packaging – Click to Enlarge
We found that James Allen’s claims of quality were right on target. The pair of diamond studs from James Allen were well-matched diamonds with a very high quality cut and a very good SI2 clarity grade. We estimated the color as being a high “I” color (I say “estimated” because it’s very hard to gauge the color of a diamond in its setting).
Also of note is that the quality and workmanship on the gold setting was very high.
Ease of Return – Unlike some of the other vendors, James Allen does not include a pre-prepared return mailing label in their package with their product. James Allen’s customer service was so helpful and the process so simple, however, that supplying a return label wasn’t really necessary. Their customer service rep expressed a polite regret when we returned the product, but he was not at all trying to make us feel guilty or trying to convince us to change our mind.
A diamond (from the ancient Greek ἀδάμας – adámas, meaning "unbreakable," "proper," or "unalterable") is one of the best-known and most sought-after gemstones. Diamonds have been known to mankind and used as decorative items since ancient times; some of the earliest references can be traced to India.
The hardness of diamond and its high dispersion of light – giving the diamond its characteristic "fire" – make it useful for industrial applications and desirable as jewelry. Diamonds are such a highly traded commodity that multiple organizations have been created for grading and certifying them based on the four Cs, which are carat, cut, color, and clarity. Other characteristics, such as presence or lack of fluorescence, also affect the desirability and thus the value of a diamond used for jewelry.
Perhaps the most famous use of the diamond in jewelry is in engagement rings, which became popular in the early to mid 20th century due to an advertising campaign by the De Beers company, though diamond rings have been used to symbolize engagements since at least the 15th century. The diamond's high value has also been the driving force behind dictators and revolutionary entities, especially in Africa, using slave and child labor to mine blood diamonds to fund conflicts.
diamond earring
