What is the Best Metal Option for Your Diamond Studs?

What’s the best precious metal for your diamond stud earrings? The answer to this question depends on what you’re looking for in terms of style and practicality. Each precious metal has a unique look and distinct care needs, so you may prefer one over the rest based on your personal style and lifestyle. 

To help you pick out the perfect precious metal for your diamond studs, we’re going over everything you need to know about your options: yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, platinum, and sterling silver. We’ll cover the style and care needs of each metal, then we’ll answer frequently asked questions about metal durability, popularity, and more. 

Yellow Gold 

Lab-grown round brilliant cut diamonds sparkle within bezel settings crafted from gorgeous yellow gold in these solitaire studs. 

Yellow gold is a beautiful precious metal with a stunning golden shine. Yellow gold has a traditional look and is a wonderful choice for anyone with a classic sense of style. Yellow gold is timelessly beautiful and quite low maintenance, making it a great choice for daily wear. 

Yellow gold looks very similar to pure gold, but it is a mixture of pure gold and stronger metals. Pure gold, 24 karat gold, is too soft for use in jewelry, so jewelers mix it with stronger base metals to create alloys like yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold. You can tell how much pure gold is in a gold alloy by looking at its karat. Two common karats are 18 karat gold, which is 75% pure gold, and 14 karat gold, which is 58.3% pure gold. Higher karat gold is luxurious but isn’t as strong as lower karat gold. 

14k Yellow Gold vs. 18k Yellow Gold: Due to their metal content, 14k and 18k yellow gold look slightly different. 18k yellow gold contains more pure gold, so it has a richer golden color than the slightly lighter 14k yellow gold. Because 14k yellow gold contains more base metals, however, it is stronger than 18k yellow gold and is more affordable. 

Rose Gold 

These halo brown diamond stud earrings show off the beautiful warmth of rose gold. 

Rose gold is a pink gold precious metal with a romantic look. This metal is a mixture of pure gold and copper, which gives the metal its rosy hue. Rose gold is a favorite of those who love the vintage look. Rose gold develops a patina over time, causing the metal to look antique. 

An advantage of rose gold is that it looks gorgeous with warmer toned gemstones, including slightly yellow diamonds. The rich warmth of rose gold can mask a bit of yellow color in diamonds, making it appear less noticeable. If you’re shopping for diamond studs on a budget, choosing rose gold can help you save money on diamond color grade while still allowing you to get studs that look quite white. 

14k Rose Gold vs. 18k Rose Gold: Rose gold can be more or less pink depending on its karat. Lower karat rose gold, like 14k rose gold, contains more copper and has a stronger pink color. Higher karat rose gold, like 18k rose gold, has a more subtle pinkish-gold hue. 14k rose gold is a bit stronger than 18k rose gold, but both options are durable due to the impressive hardness of copper. 

White Gold 

Ultra shiny and chic, white gold is always a good choice for halo diamond studs. 

White gold is a bright white precious metal option with a very high shine. White gold is an elegant choice for diamond stud earrings and it can create an especially glamorous look due to its high reflectivity. 

White gold gets its color and shine from a thin coating of rhodium, a bright white precious metal. White gold is an alloy of pure gold and strong white base metals, so it will always have a slight hint of yellow color. Rhodium plating will eventually rub off with wear, at which point the slightly yellow white gold below will be revealed. However, rhodium plating can easily be redone by a jeweler. 

White gold is a particularly stunning choice for halo stud earring settings and other settings that have smaller diamond accents. White gold looks seamless with white diamonds and enhances their shine due to its high reflectivity. White gold is not an ideal choice for center diamonds with a noticeable yellow tint. The pure white color of rhodium can make a hint of yellow color more noticeable. 

14k White Gold vs. 18k White Gold: Because white gold is almost always plated in rhodium, 14k white gold and 18k white gold generally look the same. The higher pure gold content of 18k white gold gives it a stronger white golden color, but that’s not noticeable with rhodium plating. Since there is usually no visual difference between 18k white gold and 14k white gold, many people prefer 14k white gold, which is stronger and more affordable. Our 18KT contains no nickel alloys.

Platinum 

Platinum is an icy and elegant choice for a pair of certified diamond stud earrings. 

Platinum is a luxe white metal with exceptional durability, making it an excellent choice for diamond jewelry you’ll wear every day. This highly pure precious metal has a sophisticated, icy beauty. Platinum looks very similar to white gold, but it isn’t plated in rhodium, so it never requires replating. 

Like white gold, platinum is a fantastic choice for halo earring settings but is not the best choice for diamonds with a noticeable yellow tint. The pure white color of platinum tends to make yellow tones more noticeable, so it’s best to pair platinum with near-colorless or colorless diamonds. 

Sterling Silver 

Sterling silver is a white metal alloy that is often used for fashion earring styles, like diamond simulant earrings. It’s less commonly used for diamond earring settings because it’s soft compared to other metal options. This makes securely setting diamonds in sterling silver more challenging, so jewelers rarely choose it when they create diamond jewelry.  

Sterling silver has a minimalist look and a high shine. It does not contain nickel, so it is a hypoallergenic metal option. It’s an affordable metal that’s widely used for fashion jewelry, so you’ll find a wide range of designs in sterling silver within that category. 

While sterling silver has many good qualities, it also has cons that make it less than ideal for diamond jewelry. It’s soft for metal, so it bends easily and is prone to scratching. Sterling silver also tarnishes over time, so it needs to be polished regularly to maintain its shine. 

Precious Metal FAQs

Asscher cut diamonds stun in four-prong settings crafted from 14k yellow gold. 

Which precious metal is the most durable? 

The most durable metal choice for diamond stud settings is platinum, a dense metal that holds its shape exceptionally well. 

Which precious metal is hypoallergenic? 

The most hypoallergenic metal choice is platinum, a highly pure metal that does not contain nickel. 

Which metals require the most maintenance over time? 

White gold requires a bit more upkeep than other precious metals due to its rhodium coating. This coating will wear off over time, causing white gold to look a bit yellow. To keep its bright white shine, white gold will need to be occasionally replated by a jeweler.  Rhodium wear occurs more quickly on frequently worn rings, like diamond engagement rings and wedding bands, and is less of a concern for stud earrings. 

Why is platinum more expensive than gold? 

Platinum is more expensive than gold due to its rarity and density. The density of platinum makes it heavier, which impacts price because precious metals are priced by weight. 

Which precious metal is more popular for diamond stud earring settings? 

White gold and yellow gold are the most popular precious metals for diamond jewelry, including diamond studs. These metals are enduringly popular due to their classic beauty and relative affordability compared to platinum. 

Buy Diamond Stud Earrings in Your Perfect Metal 

We hope this guide has been helpful as you decide on the best details for your diamond stud earrings. If you’re ready to create your perfect pair of diamond stud earrings, be sure to try out our diamond stud creator tool. 

Our easy-to-use diamond stud creator tool allows you to customize every detail of your earrings. You can choose natural or lab-grown diamonds for your studs and can select from an array of diamond shapes. Choose from round, cushion cut, Asscher cut, emerald cut, marquise cut, oval-shaped, pear-shaped, and princess cut diamonds. You can also customize your diamond stud earring settings, selecting the best setting for you from your choice of bezel, 4-prong basket, 3-prong martini glass, or halo settings. Then, you can select your ideal diamond quality and carat weight from our curated collection of high-quality diamonds, which range from good to excellent in quality. Lastly, you can finalize your custom earrings by picking your preferred precious metal and earring back style, choosing from pushbacks, screw backs, or lock backs. 
If you have any questions about creating your diamond studs or finding the right precious metal for you, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at DiamondStuds.com. You can send us a message through our online contact form or speak with one of our diamond experts on the phone by calling 855-WOW-STUDS (855-969-7883).