The most popular diamond shapes used in diamond stud earrings are Round Brilliant (perfect circle) and Princess cut (square). Of course, the quality and weight of the diamonds are your most important considerations. The better quality diamonds in terms of carat weight, cut, clarity, and color will be more expensive. The best quality diamonds are more brilliant, produce the most sparkle, and they will be more costly. However, if you’re on a limited budget, you should focus more on carat weight and cut, which will make the diamonds look bigger and more brilliant.
To get the best value, you should consider well-cut diamonds with a color of G-H or H-I. When mounted they look almost colorless which is what you’re looking for in stud earrings. A diamond with a VS clarity is very slightly included and flaws are not visible to the naked eye. A diamond with SI clarity is slightly included with the possibility to see inclusions if you have a trained eye and know what to look for. These stones will definitely cost much less than the diamonds of higher clarity.