Silver Diamond Stud Earrings

Carat and size: 1 ctw to 4 ctw silver diamond studs, carats per ear and millimeters

Halve the ctw to find the stone in each ear, then read the width. Each listing here says its ctw is both earrings together.

• 1 ctw: half a carat a side, 5 mm across. Eight in ten pieces sold here were this pair.
• 1.50 ctw: three quarters of a carat a side, 6 mm.
• 2 ctw: one carat a side, 6.5 mm. It drew the biggest share of the sales.
• 3.0 ctw: a carat and a half a side, 7.4 mm.
• 4.0 ctw: two carats a side, 8 mm.

Width grows slower than carat. Doubling the stone adds only about 1.5 mm, so the biggest pair looks larger, not twice as large. A 5 mm stud sits small and neat, and 8 mm reads from across a room.

Silver: what .925 sterling silver means, tarnish and care

The .925 means 92.5 percent silver, which is what sterling means, and every pair here says sterling. The rest is a harder metal that helps it grip a prong. Silver darkens with time, faster with sweat, perfume and pool water. A soft polishing cloth brings the shine back. Keep each pair in a closed bag, and take the studs out before a shower. Silver is softer than 14K gold, so look at the prongs every few months.

The stones: lab-grown diamond studs, color, clarity and the certificate

Each stone is diamond all the way through, grown in a lab rather than dug up, and just as hard. Four pairs list E color and the 2 ctw pair lists F, both in the colorless range, so the stones face up white. All five list VS1 clarity, which means a grader needs magnification to find what is inside. No listing says a grading report comes with the pair, so ask the live chat first if you want paper.

The back: screw back or push back on silver diamond studs

Find out which back a pair wears before you order, since no listing here names it. A screw back winds onto a threaded post and cannot be knocked off. A push back grips a smooth post with a small spring that relaxes with wear. Each stone sits in four prongs, and a prong can catch on a sweater, so have it checked if one lifts. A post cut shorter or a back changed makes the pair altered, and an altered pair is final.

Silver or gold: silver diamond studs, 14K studs, and men's or women's

Choose silver for a bright white stone in a light pair you take on and off. Choose gold for a pair you never take out, since 14K keeps its color and holds a prong harder. No listing here prints more than 2 grams. Every pair is offered to men and to women, so choose by the lobe, not the label. All five stones are round. Portuguese-cut studs come only in gold, and the men's diamond stud earrings guide walks through them.