Round Moissanite Stud Earrings, 3mm and Up in 925 Silver

A stud has one job, which is to sit still and throw light. These are round brilliant cut stones in a simple basket setting on 925 sterling silver, and the stones range from 3mm up to 6mm and beyond. Round is the cut with the most symmetrical facet pattern, so the stone looks the same from every angle and never needs to be turned the right way. That is why it is the default choice for an earring you put in once and forget.

The stones are D colour, VVS1 clarity moissanite. D is the top of the colourless range, so there is no warm tint to fight the metal, and VVS1 means any inclusion is invisible without magnification. Moissanite has a refractive index of about 2.65 against a diamond's 2.42, which is why it returns more fire, and it measures 9.25 on the Mohs scale, hard enough that studs worn every day for years keep their polished edges.

Read the stone sizes as a decision about presence. The 3mm and 4mm pairs sit quietly and work in an office. The 4.5mm and 5mm are the everyday middle ground, big enough to catch light across a room. The 5.5mm and 6mm are statement studs for evenings. Each size comes with a gold or silver coloured setting, and you can choose a white stone for brightness or a black stone for contrast.

• Stone: round brilliant moissanite, D colour, VVS1 clarity
• Sizes: 3mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm and larger
• Stone colour: white or black
• Metal: 925 sterling silver
• Finish: gold or silver setting
• Setting: basket setting on a post