Men’s diamond earrings – guide to buying and wearing
Looking to buy men’s diamond earrings for yourself or as a gift? There’s a lot of choice on the market when it comes to design, size, price and diamond quality. This article will help you differentiate one diamond stud earring from another and make the smartest buying decision.
What is a ‘solitaire diamond’ earring?
A ‘diamond solitaire’ means a single diamond. Diamond solitaires can be found on earrings, necklaces, rings and other jewellery. A solitaire diamond is usually displayed on its own because of its impeccable beauty and quality. It needs no other adornment to catch the eye. Generally speaking, the bigger the size and the better the solitaire’s quality, the higher its price.
Men’s diamond earrings – singles or pairs?
Some men wear a single stud earring, others like to show off two diamonds. Although two earrings have become more and more usual in men’s fashion, many guys prefer just the one piercing. What you choose is entirely down to your personal taste.
Cristiano Ronaldo
David Beckham
Diamond shapes – known as the ‘cut’
We call the shape of a diamond its ‘cut’. Single diamond are most often available in two cuts: round diamonds or square diamonds (the latter is referred to as ‘princess cut diamond’ by jewellers). Round diamonds offer exceptional sparkle and are the classic choice. Square diamonds look contemporary and also offer a high level of radiance.
Round brilliant cut diamond
Square princess cut diamond
The precious metal – gold or platinum?
You’ll usually find solitaire diamonds set in gold or platinum. Platinum is the toughest precious metal of them all, with a silvery-white colour. However, it’s also the most expensive. Gold is a great option, with 18K white gold or 18K yellow gold representing the highest quality.9K gold is also a good choice, more affordable that 18K gold – although its gold content isn’t as high.
Silver is not a great choice for items requiring daily wear, because it is the softest of all precious metals and gets bent out of shape quickly.
The setting
For solitaire earrings, the most popular setting is the claw setting. Sometimes also called a prong setting, it looks like tiny claws holding the diamond in place. Its benefit is that it lets the maximum amount of light into the diamond, making it sparkle more.
Diamond studs with a claw setting
A rubover setting is the most secure setting because it
‘wraps’ around the diamond and protects it. It also makes the diamond
appear larger than it actually is, although it lets less light in from
the sides of the diamond, so this means only the top of the diamond will
sparkle.
Diamond studs with a rubover setting
Size – carats
A diamond’s size is determined by its carat weight, usually shown as a number followed by the letters CT. For example, one carat is shown as 1.00CT and half a carat as 0.50CT. More carats, the bigger the diamond’s size.Men’s diamond solitaire earrings come in a several sizes. To give you an idea of real size:
- A small round diamond, 0.05CT in carat weight, measures about around 2.5mm across.
- An 0.25CT square princess cut diamond is about 3.4mm across.
- An 0.50CT round diamond measures about 5.1mm across.
Cost – Depends diamond quality and size
The bigger the solitaire, the better its quality needs to be. That’s because diamonds are natural gemstones, and all of them come with tiny little markings or flaws, called ‘inclusions’. The larger the diamond, the less inclusions it should contain, so that it looks beautiful and sparkly to the naked eye.As diamond quality AND size together increase a diamond’s price, you need to be aware of both when you’re considering your budget.
- For small diamonds, you should consider minimum ‘premium quality’. You can buy a single diamond stud at premium quality, size 0.05CT, starting from £129.00.
- When you go above 0.15 – 0.25CT, you should consider H/Si quality or above. H/Si is a great diamond quality for any diamond solitaire size up to around 1.00CT, because it looks very white, sparkly and clean to the naked eye. You can buy a single diamond stud at H/Si quality, size 0.50CT starting from £1505.00 (or from £22.08 per month).
- Anything above that quality will definitely add to the value of your diamond, but also increase the price.
- For example, a pair of diamonds at 0.10CT total (so 0.05CT each) start from around £159.00.
- At the higher end of the price range, a pair of studs at 1.00CT total (so 0.50CT each) and G/Vs quality you’re looking at around £4,300 (or from around £63.00 per month).
Budgeting tips – ‘diamond cluster’ setting
A cluster setting is where several small diamonds are set very close together to create the illusion of one large diamond, like in these Galileo earrings below. This is a fantastic option if you’re looking for ‘big 1-carat look’ but have a smaller budget. The only drawback is that you may need to buy a pair as single clusters may be harder to find.A pair of diamond cluster earrings with a 1-carat look from £685.00 (or £10.05 per month):
Pay monthly with 0% finance
If you’ve decided to buy diamond jewellery, it can be viewed as both a personal fashion accessory, as well as an investment with lasting resale value. In this case, 0% finance can be a viable option that allows you to pay the earrings off monthly, at no interest, and without having to spend all your savings at once.Conclusion – What to buy?
If you’re a guy with pierced ears, you might be looking to treat yourself to a single solitaire or a pair of diamond earrings. Alternatively, you might be searching for a diamond gift for your partner, son or friend.Whatever the case, diamond solitaire studs are timeless fashion items. They will always stay in style and are perfect for combining with any outfit, whether formal or casual.
A man who really enjoys his diamonds might go for a pair of big, sparkling studs in square or round shape. If you’re trying diamond earrings for the first time, you might want to start with a small, single stud. It’s up to you.
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