Moissanite Stud Earrings, 0.1ct to 3ct, 925 Silver 18k

Round brilliant studs in a classic four prong mount, offered across an unusually wide weight range. The round brilliant is the cut with the most tested facet pattern, 57 or 58 facets arranged to send light back out of the top of the stone, which is why it stays bright in poor lighting where fancier cuts go dull. On a stud that matters, because an ear is often lit from above or behind rather than straight on.

The stones are moissanite on 925 sterling silver plated in 18k gold. Plated is the honest description: a gold layer over a sterling silver core, not solid gold, and the silver is why the posts will not irritate most ears the way plated brass can. Moissanite reads like diamond because of physics rather than marketing, with a refractive index of about 2.65 against diamond's 2.42 and a hardness of 9.25 on the Mohs scale against 10.

Pairs run from 0.1ct each up to 3ct each, which covers almost every use. The 0.1ct and 0.2ct pairs are for a second or third piercing where a larger stone would crowd the lobe. The 0.8ct and 1ct pairs are the standard everyday choice. The 1.5ct and larger pairs are statement sizes and want a locking back. Three finishes are offered, silver, gold and rose gold, all over the same sterling silver base.

• Stone: round brilliant moissanite
• Pair weights: 0.1ct, 0.2ct, 0.8ct, 1ct, 1.5ct, 2ct up to 3ct each
• Metal: 925 sterling silver, 18K plated
• Finish: silver, gold or rose gold colour
• Setting: four prong classic stud
• Fastening: post and butterfly back