Diamond stud earrings, matched as a perfect pair in South Africa.

The matched pair is the whole point of a stud

With studs the eye sees both stones at once, one on each ear, often only a hand-span apart in a mirror. Any difference between the two shows immediately: a shade of colour, a touch of cloudiness in one stone, a slightly different outline, one face-up size larger than the other. A ring carries a single diamond and a pendant carries one too, so they forgive a stone that is merely good. A pair of studs does not, because you are always comparing left against right.

This is the one piece of diamond jewellery where buying from the people who cut the stones matters most. Because we cut and grade the diamonds ourselves at Procut DCW, we select and match the pair within one colour grade and one clarity grade, and to the same carat weight, shape and cut, then sit them side by side on the daylight tray under loupe before either is set. A shop buying in finished studs takes whatever pairing the supplier shipped; two stones bought separately almost never agree this closely. Matching the pair is exactly the thing a cutting house can control that a retailer downstream cannot.

Total carat weight: read it as the pair, not each stone

The single most misread number on diamond studs is the carat weight. Studs are very often advertised by their total carat weight, the two stones added together, not the weight of each diamond. A pair sold as 1.00ct total carat weight is two stones of roughly 0.50ct each, so it sits half the size per ear that the headline figure first suggests. It is an honest convention, but it is easy to compare a total-weight pair against a per-stone price and think you are seeing the same thing when you are not.

We quote both figures plainly, the weight per stone and the total for the pair, so you know exactly what will sit on each ear. The table below reads in total carat weight, the way studs are usually shopped in South Africa, with the rough per-stone figure alongside.

You set the total carat weight against your budget and the look you want; round brilliants are polished to GIA Excellent cut grade on our own bench. Pricing is on application, the two stones drive the figure, and you receive a firm ZAR quote, excl. VAT, for the finished pair before any work begins.

Settings: four-prong, martini and bezel

The setting decides how much light reaches each diamond and how securely it sits. Every pair is made to order, so the choice follows how the studs will be worn:

• Four-prong basket, each diamond held in a four-claw basket that lifts the stone and lets the most light in from the sides. The brightest, most classic diamond stud, and the face-up size reads slightly larger because little metal surrounds the stone.
• Four-prong martini, the same four claws built into a cone, the martini cup, that sits lower and closer to the ear. A clean, secure profile that hugs the lobe, popular for everyday studs.
• Three-prong, three claws instead of four, a lighter, more open look that shows a touch more of the stone, well suited to round and to triangular-feeling cuts.
• Bezel, a full rub-over of metal around the girdle of each stone. The most secure and snag-free setting, which many clients prefer for daily wear, for active lives and for children, at a small cost in brightness.

Screw-backs, push-backs and the post

A stud is only as safe as the back that holds it on, and on a valuable diamond that matters. A screw-back threads onto the post and locks the earring in place so it cannot work loose on its own, which is why we fit screw-backs by default on diamond studs and recommend them for anything worn every day. A push-back, the friction butterfly, goes on and off faster but can loosen with wear and is easier to lose. For a heavier centre we fit a larger or alpha-style disc back so the stud sits up and faces forward rather than tipping. The post and the back are your choice against how the pair will be worn, and we will talk you through the trade-offs in the brief.

Single studs for men

A diamond stud for men is usually a single stone rather than a pair, and it is held to the same standard as everything else we make: a natural, GIA or EGL certified diamond, cut and finished on our own bench, not a simulant or a mass-set import. White gold or platinum suits a men’s stud, on a secure screw-back post, and a round brilliant or a crisp princess cut both read well in a single ear. Because it is one stone you are not matching a pair, so the brief is simpler: the carat weight, the cut, the metal and the back. Tell us those in the enquiry and we will quote a firm ZAR figure before any work begins.

How a pair of diamond studs is made to order

1. 01

   Brief

   Total carat weight (or weight per stone), colour and clarity range, setting (four-prong basket or martini, three-prong or bezel), metal, back type, budget and deadline. A single stud for men is the same brief, one stone. We respond within 24 hours.

2. 02

   Match the pair

   Two stones matched within one colour and one clarity grade, and to the same carat, shape and cut, at Procut DCW. Checked side by side under loupe and on the daylight tray so the pair reads identical.

3. 03

   Build & cast

   Settings built and cast in 18k white, yellow or rose gold, or platinum, with the posts and your chosen screw-backs or push-backs prepared to match.

4. 04

   Set & finish

   Each diamond set at the bench, secure posts and backs fitted, then hand-polished to a mirror finish. Quality control under loupe and microscope, and a last side-by-side check of the matched pair.

5. 05

   Hand-over

   Presentation at Bedfordview by appointment, or insured overnight courier nationwide. GIA / EGL certification per stone and a written insurance valuation included.

Diamond studs sit within our wider made-to-order range of diamond earrings, alongside halo studs, hoops and drops, and they come from the same bench as our diamond rings. If you are still settling on the look, the diamond shapes guide shows how a round, princess or other cut will read in a stud, and the diamond jewellery overview sets out the full collection. When you are ready, brief us on the pair and Darren will come back within 24 hours.

Diamond stud earrings: common questions

Last reviewed: June 2026.