9ct Yellow Gold 2.9ct Lab-Grown Diamond Pear Bezel-Set Stud Earrings

A stud earring is the simplest structure in jewellery and the least forgiving: a setting, a post and a back, with nothing to hide behind.

This one is 9ct yellow gold, carrying 2.9 ct of lab-grown diamonds in total, cut pear. As a shape, a pear is directional — it has a point and a shoulder — so the setting has to hold the point without shading it.

Will this suit me?

• Size: Sold as a pair. Each earring carries about 1.45 ct; a pear of that weight typically measures about 9.5 × 6 mm face-up (for scale, an Australian 5c coin is 19.4 mm across).
• On the ear: A very large stud and a true statement. Pear stones look a little larger than a round stone of the same weight.
• Comfort and security: The smooth bezel collar has nothing to catch on clothing or hair. At this weight, a larger disc back helps the earrings sit upright on softer lobes.
• Everyday wear: Earrings take very little wear, and 9ct is the harder alloy, so these will stand up to being worn every day.
• Other options: Metals: 18ct white gold, 18ct yellow gold, 9ct white gold.

A bezel setting wraps a continuous collar of gold around the girdle of the stone. It is the most protective setting there is: nothing catches, nothing snags, and the stone cannot be knocked loose from the side. The trade-off is that the collar covers a little of the stone's edge, so a bezel-set stone reads marginally smaller than a claw-set one of the same weight.

What matters is that the setting sits flat to the lobe and the post is centred in it. An off-centre post is the reason studs tilt forward as the day goes on.

Specification

• Metal: 9ct yellow gold (375)
• Total stone weight: 2.9 ct
• Stone: Lab-grown diamond
• Cut: Pear
• Setting: Bezel-set
• Type: Stud Earrings
• Sold as: Pair

9ct yellow gold is 375 parts per thousand fine gold. The higher alloy content makes it hard and more scratch-resistant than 18ct, which is why it's always been the popular choice for everyday wear.

Care. Sold as a pair. Butterfly backs loosen with wear and are worth replacing before they are lost.