While most diamond stud earrings appear white many of them display hints of colour barely discernable to the naked eye. The closer a diamond stud approaches colourless, the rarer and more valuable the stone. A diamond stud with a strong blue colour is extremely rare and are called 'fancies'. When looking at a diamond stud you can also find a whole range of other colours which you can find to be blue, yellow, green and orange.
Diamond stud clarity is determined by the degree to which it is free from naturally occurring inclusions, often called "nature's fingerprints".
With regard to a diamond stud, the number, type, colour, size and position of the internal birthmarks can affect a diamond's value. However many of these in a diamond stud are undetectable to the naked eye and therfore will require magnification under a standard 10x magnification loupe before they become apparent. The fewer the inclusions that are found by the professionals in the diamond stud, the rarer the stone. You can easily find descriptions of the differences between the grades of diamond stud.
Cut is the only characteristic in a diamond stud that is directly influenced by man – the other three are dictated by nature. A good round brilliant cut in diamond stud earrings releases the life, fire and sparkle of a diamond stud through the arrangement and proportions of its fifty seven to fifty eight facets (tiny planes that create angles to reflect light). When a diamond stud is cut, the light will reflect from one facet to another and disperse through the top of the stone, resulting in a display of brilliance and fire. A Diamond stud that is cut too deep or shallow lose light that spills through the side or bottom. The shape of diamond stud is a matter of personal taste, with the round brilliant ones being the most popular of the shapes. Other shapes of diamond stud include the emerald cut, pear shape, marquise, princess cut, oval and heart shape.
Here are some useful tips to look after your diamond stud earrings:
Keep each of the diamond stud earrings separate – this is because diamond studs can scratch each other, and other jewellery.
Keep diamond stud earrings in a fabric-lined jewellery case or in a box with compartments or dividers.
Never wear diamond studs when doing rough work. Even though a diamond stud is durable it can be chipped by a hard blow.
Clean diamond studs regularly using either commercial jewellery cleaner or a solution of one part ammonia and six parts water. Dip the diamond stud into the solution and use a soft brush to loosen any dirt that has accumulated under the setting. This will greatly increase the brilliance of your diamond stud.
Never let diamond studs some into contact with bleach or other chemicals as they can pit or discolour the setting.
All diamond stud earrings should be checked at least once a year for signs of accidental damage, to claws for example.
