Where to buy diamond studs?

[Anonymous]

Can anyone recommend a place to buy diamond studs? I'd like something nice and of good quality but I don't want to overpay.

[Anonymous]

why buy real when you can buy fake?

can anyone honestly tell the difference?

sorry if you're a purist but just had to put that out there.

[Anonymous]

skip a jewelry store and find a diamond dealer

[Anonymous]

costco

[Anonymous]

blue nile

[Anonymous]

The key is knowing what you want and then bargaining for the best price. Never pay retail, ever. If you can't find a dealer, go to a smaller jewelry store that will be willing to negotiate on price with you. I've purchased diamond jewelry from both Princess Jewelers on Rockville Pike and from the little jewelry shop on the pike next to the Big Screen Store.

Diamond studs are the perfect thing to negotiate because they are very clear cut (no pun intended). If you know the size and quality you want, there is only so much room for price variance. It's not like you would be paying for the design or craftmanship of the earings.

Be patient, informed, and strong. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

This is a good thread. My DH bought my tiny little ones at Tiffanys, and of course I thanked him profusely and I love them, and love that he did it on his own (which is HUGE for him). But he knows nothing about jewelry, and part of me wanted to yell "You overpaid"!!

To 23:53- how do you find a diamond dealer?

[Anonymous]

my parents bought mine from a gems dealer in Chicago. No street-level store front, but an office in the jewelers building. Not sure how they found him, but they've been doing business with him for years now. You can also buy the stones from a dealer and have the earrings made by a jeweler.

When I had my engagement ring rebuilt (due to shoddy craftsmanship of the original setting), the jeweler who did it told be a little bit about prong settings and the difference between what you get at WalMart or Costco and what you get from a reputable jeweler. Assuming you get certified diamonds, they are a commodity and the pricing should be pretty standard. Where the big box stores make money is by using hollow posts and prongs. It isn't a big difference in the overall weight of a pair of earrings, but when you multiply that difference over the thousands of pairs of earrings they sell in a season, they make money. And the consumer ends up with earrings that are not as strong.

My original engagement ring setting was not from a discount store, but from a company that worked with insurance companies to provide replacements to lost jewelry. The setting was so crummy that I lost a baguette, cracked another, and bent prongs several times before I had the ring remade.

For artistry and quality of work, I wholeheartedly recommend Adeler's in Great Falls. It is a hike from DC, but worth it. They have a big sale every fall, so that is when you'd find the best deals.