Lab Diamond Studs
Do you want to treat your sweetheart to something special? Marking an important milestone in your life, a big birthday, celebrating a promotion? There are many reasons why we might want to treat ourselves or someone we love to a piece of jewelry. Here at With Clarity, we have a team of specialists just to help people celebrate their love and milestones with jewelry. That can be an engagement ring or a diamond pendant.
However, we noticed, one of the more common gifts is diamond stud earrings. These classic jewels are often considered a “must-have” for a wardrobe. Unfortunately, it can be hard to pick the right ones. Here, we’ll talk about lab diamond stud earrings, and how to get a pair of earrings that match your preferences and budget. After all, the more you know, the easier it is to choose the perfect pair at the right price.
Why Pick Stud Earrings?
Of all the earring styles out there, studs are currently the most popular. This really isn’t surprising, because stud earrings are easy to wear and go with just about everything. Ease of wear is a result of being worn stationery on the ear, although some stud styles might hang down a little bit.
Practically speaking, the fact that studs are close to the ear makes it harder for them to catch on clothing or hair. So, they can be worn with anything from high turtlenecks and heavy coats to lightweight cotton tees. Plus, they’re appropriate for people of every age group. While you wouldn’t give stud earrings made with a 2-carat lab grown diamond to five-year-old, smaller versions/carat weights would look darling.
Lab Diamonds vs. Mined Diamonds: What’s the Difference?
One of the questions we get a lot at With Clarity is the difference between lab created diamonds and mined ones. Perhaps because of the popularity of diamond simulants like cubic zirconia, some people think that “lab diamond” is just a fancy term for fake diamonds. However, this is not the case.
Lab diamonds are real diamonds. Made of pure carbon and put under a lot of heat and pressure. Moreover, they are chemically the same as mined diamonds. In addition, they can have flaws and discoloration, just like their natural counterparts. Unless you have access to gemological equipment, you generally can’t tell the difference.
The Price Difference between Lab Diamond vs Mined Diamonds
This is true for a few different reasons. First and foremost, the costs of producing lab diamonds are less than the costs of mining them. At the same time, there’s really nothing rare about a diamond that is made in the lab: within the limitations of lab space, there’s an unlimited supply available. Therefore, a 2 carat lab grown diamond in a commonly-chosen quality cut round will run around $18,800. Buy lab grown diamonds that are similar for just $6,250. We’ll talk about finished jewelry later.
Pricing Differentials for all Diamonds
Whether you choose to buy lab grown diamond earrings or a pair made with natural diamonds, the pricing is determined in the same way. These factors are known as the 4Cs: carat, color, clarity, and cut.
Lab Diamond Carat
Carat weight is the most visible C, because it tells you how “big” the diamond is. As a rule, you’ll pay more for a larger diamond than a smaller one. Therefore, cheap diamond stud earrings tend to be smaller than their more expensive counterparts.
Lab Diamond Color
In addition to carat, the color of a diamond affects the price. When considering lab grown diamonds for sale, be sure to pick one that is rated as colorless. Like their natural counterparts, they’re priced less if they have a yellow or brown tint. Usually, lab diamond colors are almost always graded higher due to controlled laboratory settings.
Lab Diamond Clarity
Likewise, clarity is an issue for both types of diamonds. This is because flaws in the diamond affect how well light moves in and out of the faceted stone. The higher the clarity, the greater the price.
Lab Diamond Cut
Finally, cut describes the quality of the faceting job on a diamond. It doesn’t mean shape, in this case. Think about it this way: no matter what shape you cut a diamond into, it can be done better or worse. And if the cutter does a poor job, the stone won’t look as nice. You pay less for nonsymmetrical cutting, which affects diamond sparkle quality. Beyond this, as we’ve seen above lab created diamonds are less expensive than mined ones.
Choosing the Right Pair
One of the biggest factors to consider when buying diamond solitaire stud earrings is the price because it will help guide you on some of the other decisions you make. Here are examples of stud earrings on our website:If you want 0.5 carat diamond earrings in this style, expect to pay $650 for natural diamonds and $470 for lab-created diamonds. Increase that to 1 carat earrings and the prices are $2150 for natural and $1050 for lab. Two carat white gold diamond earrings cost $8,900 for natural stones and $4,150 for a lab created stone. Finally, at three carats the prices are $14,500 for natural and $7,200 for lab.
What’s the takeaway? If you want to save money on the same carat weight of white gold diamond stud earrings, buy lab created stones. This is especially true of diamond solitaire earrings because the individual stones tend to be larger: in our examples above, the largest sizes were half the price in lab created versions.
Other With Clarity Earring Options
Keep in mind, at With Clarity we have more options available than just studs in white gold. Many of our designs are available in 14k yellow, white, and rose gold. Generally speaking, the choice is an aesthetic one as the prices for each gold color is the same, so long as you stick with 14 karats. Mostly, the difference is that yellow gold is very warm, while white gold is a cool-tone color and rose tends towards being more romantic. Finally, platinum is similar to white gold but more expensive.
At With Clarity we also stock other styles of earrings. For instance, we do have some alternative diamond earrings, which can include lovely details like milgraining or diamond clusters. In addition, halo earrings are popular. With this design, a large diamond or other stone is circled by smaller ones. Hoop earrings wrap around the ear, sometimes going right through them and in other designs being open in the back. Finally, are the ones that “dangle” from the ear. No matter your sense of style, there’s a good chance we carry something you’ll love.
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