Martini
Three claws in a cone that narrows to the post — the stone sits low and close to the lobe, which is both the most comfortable and the least likely to droop forward. The most popular for good reason.
Guides
Choosing solitaire diamond studs
Studs are the most worn piece of diamond jewellery there is — most people who own a pair wear them more days than not, for years. That changes what matters: security over sparkle, comfort over size, and a pair that actually matches.
Last updated 2026-09-20
Size, and what each one looks like
Stud sizes are quoted as a total for the pair, which is another number that misleads. One carat total is a half-carat on each ear, and a half-carat stud is about five millimetres across — a clear, definite point of light that reads as diamonds from across a room without announcing itself. A quarter-carat each is everyday and understated; three-quarters each is where they become the thing people notice first.
Bigger is not automatically better here. A large stud pulls the lobe and, over years, stretches the piercing. Above about a carat per ear the earring needs a larger back to spread the weight, and it starts to be a piece for evenings rather than every day.
Why a pair costs more than two stones
Two half-carat diamonds are not a pair. A pair is two stones of the same shape, the same colour, the same clarity, the same cut quality and, crucially, the same measured dimensions — because a half-millimetre difference in diameter is invisible on paper and obvious on two ears. Matching means sourcing several stones and keeping two. That work is what you pay for, and a cheap pair of studs is almost always a pair that was not matched.
Lab-grown makes matching easier, because grown stones are more uniform, and it makes a larger matched pair affordable in a way natural stones are not. For studs it is the pragmatic choice.
Martini, basket or bezel
Basket
Four claws on a small square frame, holding the stone higher off the ear. More light in from the sides, a brighter stone, and slightly more prone to tilting forward as the lobe softens with age.
Bezel
A rim around the stone. The most secure and the most comfortable — nothing to catch a towel or a jumper — at the cost of some brightness. Our recommendation for studs that are slept in.
The backs, which decide whether you keep them
Push backs (butterfly)
The friction back everyone knows. Easy on and off, and the reason most lost earrings are lost: they loosen over time and slide off in a scarf. Fine for earrings worn occasionally.
Screw backs
The post is threaded and the back screws on. They do not fall off. They are slower to put on, and the threaded post is slightly thicker, which matters for a tight piercing. For studs worn daily, this is what we fit.
Locking backs
A mechanism that clicks onto a grooved post and releases with a squeeze. As secure as a screw back and as quick as a push back, at a small premium. Worth it for anything above a half-carat per ear.
Questions people ask
What size diamond studs for everyday wear?
A quarter to a half carat per ear. Below that they read as a glint; above, the weight starts to tell on the lobe over years of daily wear. A half-carat each is the size most people settle on.
Screw backs or push backs?
Screw backs, or locking backs, for anything worn daily or worth insuring. Push backs loosen. It is the single most common way a diamond stud is lost.
Do studs need to be certified?
Above about a third of a carat each, yes — we supply a report per stone. Below that the labs generally do not grade individually, and the maker's documentation covers the pair.
Studs, made as a pair
Two stones matched by measurement rather than by carat, the setting that suits how they will be worn, and backs that stay on. Tell us how often they will be worn and we will come back with a quote.