My wife asked for 1/2 carat diamond earrings for xmas.?

Question

There was an add on TV for 1 carat earrings for $399. should I spend about that much and get a better quality 1/2 carat or go with the 1 carat?

Answer 1

That depends.
She may have asked for the 1/2CT earrings because she doesn't want big earrings. Or she may have asked for the smaller size thinking that you wouldn't be able to afford the 1CT earrings. Just remember that earrings are measured in total weight of both studs. 1CT means 1/2CT per stud, 1/2CT is 1/4Ct per stud, 1/4CT is 1/8 per stud, etc...

Go by the size of her ear lobes to tell which will be the best size for her. The larger her lobes, the larger stone she can wear. When the studs are too large, or too small, on a woman's ears, it can look unbalanced, and one will overpower the other.

But I wouldn't go to a retail store. The mark ups will be so outrageous that you won't be able to afford the best quality at your suggested price range. Try pawn shops or eBay to get the better diamonds at a fraction of the price.

Answer 2

While the 1 carat earrings will be larger, the 1/2 carat ones of better quality will be more noticeable because diamonds of better quality sparkle much more and reflect as much light as possible. If she asked for the smaller size, you should probably get those in the highest quality you can afford. It is much better to have diamonds of a believeable size that are clear and sparkly than big cloudy dull ones. 1 carat t.w. diamond earrings for $399 are almost certainly of bad quality and I'll be surprised if they are certified. Ask for a copy of the grading report from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to be sure of the quality...no sense in buying diamonds and taking some salesperson's word on what they're really worth.

http://www.bluenile.com/design_bridge.asp?catid=14&track=row_mod1&elem=more_button

At bluenile.com, ALL of the diamonds are certified and you can choose your own price for the size based on how high of quality you want. Good luck!! =)

Answer 3

It depends on the quality of the TV products. This time of year there are a lot of TV adds for stuff on TV. If I can't hold it in my hand and examine it I won't buy it, especially jewelry. If you do get either one, the 1/2 or 1 carrot make sure it has a minimum of 4 prongs holding the stones in. This will insure that she doesn't loose the stones later on. Also make sure that the earrings are no less than 14 carrot gold. Anything less may turn her ear green and you don't want that. Personally, I would go with store earrings, unless the add you saw is not a mail order and is a reputable company advertising for a name brand company, like Marties Diamond Mine or Case Jewelry. Good luck.

Answer 4

If she asked for 1/2 carat, she wants 1/2 carat. And you can utilize sales and factory direct places to get exactly what she wants at a price you are comfortable with. This site had some nice earrings.

Answer 5

It depends on whether she specified 1/2carat b/c she was trying not to ask for a gift that is super expensive or if she wants that size b/c she thinks the larger carat is tacky (which I don't think it is). Judge by her other jewelry if she likes to keep it modest, and ask her friends or a family member what they think her taste is. Definately buy her the bigger ones if she was just trying to help out your checking account with the smaller size and she'll think you're amazing!

Answer 6

Maybe she wants the 1/2 carat because they aren't as big on her ears. I would check pawn shops they really have some good deals on jewelry sometimes and HSN.com also has some good deals on their diamond earrings.

Answer 7

Depends on why she wants them. If she wants to impress other people, either the better quality 1/2C in terms of the perfection of the diamond, or the 1C will do in terms of size. Frankly, I say get her what she asked for, and toss in a pedicure or follow the link below for a really great gift idea!

Answer 8

WHY ARE YOU EVEN ASKING STRANGERS THAT QUESTION? Your wife deserves the best and you should want to buy her the diamond without worrying about the cost. Gosh they should make a handbook for guys on how to romance a woman. Get her the diamonds..if money is a problem or your on a budget then I'm sure she wouldn't have asked..even though that's cheap for diamonds..Just go for it and don't forget the cute Lil box..good luck

Answer 9

Why don't you just go out and cut off some little kids hand and giver her that?!!! The diamond business is a very very brutal one and you can never be sure where those diamonds came from. Watch this video. Its from a very reputable organization
http://gnn.tv/videos/2/The_Diamond_Life

Answer 10

before you go with the ones on tv, try looking in pawn shops-they have some awesome deals on jewelery and you can find items that aren't mass produced.