JUST GATHERING INFORMATION!!! Let''s talk about 3-prong martini studs...

[Jennifer5973]

My experience with WF was perfect. Their martini setting is perfect IMO--not too bulky yet prongs are secure...sit beautifully on the ear. I chose 14K WG--not worth it for me personally in platinum for an earring.

I think the Expert Selection pre-fab studs in the 1ct or 1.5 ct tdw range would be just incredible for you. Their pricing is great and the stones are SI, I, Ideal cut... I was going to go this route until I pigged out and just got the 1 ct ea ones...but the 1.5 ct pre-fab WF studs area fabulous deal.

I also chose heavy pushbacks-I cannot deal with screw backs AT ALL.

 

[Mara]

Oh my god I''m addicted now.

From WF: "Expertly Selected pairs of apprx 0.70ct TW (4.45mm) ideal cut diamonds I SI set in 14K white gold : $935.00"

They are in 4 prong baskets but you could probably have them switch over to martinis for a small extra fee.

They''d look basically like mine!

 

[Jennifer5973]

Date: 8/10/2005 10:16:49 PM
Author: Mara
Oh my god I''m addicted now.

From WF: ''Expertly Selected pairs of apprx 0.70ct TW (4.45mm) ideal cut diamonds I SI set in 14K white gold : $935.00''

They are in 4 prong baskets but you could probably have them switch over to martinis for a small extra fee.

They''d look basically like mine!

Yes.

 

[drk]

OK Lynn, you gave me the perfect excuse to pull out my newish Martini earrings (14k white gold with 0.64 tcw I SI1 H&As) and have a play with my new Canon S2 IS camera. This thing is amazing, and the swivel screen and super macro setting let me actually get those ear shots you wanted all by myself!
So first the earrings themselves:

 

[drk]

And the ear shots... One front on (I think my earlobes are normal-sized, defintely not large, and I don''t know that I''d really want to go much bigger for diamond studs than the 0.32ct each), one sort of shot from the the curve of my ear, and one shot upwards from below my earlobe. Hope these are what you wanted. They are very comfortable to wear, and I don''t notice them sinking into my ears at all. I''m really happy with my choice to go for the heavy pushbacks. The only thing that I might want changed would be to have the posts made a little shorter - I find these uncomfortable to have on when sleeping. Then again, I haven''t slept with any other studs in for years as I''m really attached to my little gold hoops.
Hope these shots help!
Kate

 

[Mara]

drk I think yours look lovely! I love all martinis...especially the ones with liquor in them.

 

[Demelza]

Hi Lynn,

I like these the best. Something about the setting that's really beautiful and delicate. Also like the size of the diamonds! Don't you wish you could have kept your 1.53 and found a matching stone for earrings?! Actually, our old stones would have made a great pair. Maybe too big. What size are you thinking?

https://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/files/finmartinin.JPG

ETA: Oh, darn. I thought the image would post in the thread. Anyway, I like the second from the right in Josh's collage.

 

[moremoremore]

wahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, i WANT SOME NEW STUDS TOO!!!

I had a pair of .60 each studs...they were poorly cut but still, they were studs. I sold them back a long time ago b/c of the cut...I should have just upgraded.....wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

 

[mrssalvo]

i''ve been thinking about resetting my 4 prong studs for a while. this thread is NOT helping. I want some too

 

[Lynn B]

Thank you all for your comments, photos, LINKS...

You guys are BAAAAAD to the bone!

Logan Sapphire, your studs are gorgeous! Thank you for sharing! And quite a bit different than the other martini settings. Do you notice any "drooping" at all? I am a little phobic about the droopage thing!

That's why diamond studs have never tempted me till now (these 3 prong martini's.) How long did it take Quest to make those?

Drk, your studs are gorgeous, too! And THANK YOU for the ear shots... that is exactly what I was looking for!!!! They are simply beautiful. And they look like they are just floating on your ears -- from ALL ANGLES!

OH MAN, this is TOUGH. And I KNOW I will no sooner have these studs in my ears till I'll be jonesing for a NECKLACE!!!!

Lynn

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Lynn, here''s the other pic I tried to attach last night. It shows the setting a bit better. I asked Quest to make them more like the Leons that Josh posted. I don''t notice any drooping at all- I think they do a fantastic job of staying flush. I forget how long it took Quest to make them- maybe a week? A little longer?

 

[Lynn B]

LS,
Another gorgeous photo - thanks! Are the top right ones in Josh''s collage the Leon''s? Those are some HONKIN'' diamonds there!

And Demelza - I keep forgetting to comment on your post. Yeah, our 1.53''s woulda made a killer pair of earrings, no?!! Well... actually, though... I am a girl who thinks that a diamond can ALMOST NEVER be TOO BIG... but I have to almost think that maybe... just maaaaaaaaaaybe... that they''d have been a little too BIG for stud earrings! *gasp!*

Now a necklace... yowsa! That''s a different matter altogether!!!

Lynn

 

[Lynn B]

OK... STILL "gathering information"

I am thinking about the actual martini setting a little more. Obviously, I''m seeing that there are "variations". So WHICH ONE to choose?!!! What are your opinions -- and why?

This is Jennifer''s set from WF (Jennifer, girlfriend, I hope you don''t mind my posting it here!

)

 

[Lynn B]

And one last thought... WG vs. platinum.

I have never had good success w/ WG - it turns yellowish on me really fast, and I HATE that! Therefore, I am leaning towards platinum, even though it's a whole LOT more $$$. I also like the thought of the stones being held in place by platinum prongs, rather than WG.

Soooo -- what do you all think?!

THANK YOU!

Lynn

 

[Mara]

Oh and don''t waste your $$ on Platinum for earrings.

Way back when Greg thought that was a must and a bunch of jewelers told him no way, that it was a waste of $$. Basically they were like, they are on your EARS. Unless you are knocking your head on the wall, then no need to have earrings in platinum prongs.

At the time I was like..hmm well I don''t know but after having 2 sets of WG earrings, I totally agree. I also have not had to do anything to the WG settings, they hold up remarkably well but then again I only wear my earrings a handful of times per month.

 

[Bagpuss]

I hope you don''t mind me joining in little late. Here are my martini studs from WF 0.47cts each, ideal cut, I/VS2, screw backs, set in 18ct yellow gold.

I do get on with screw backs unlike many of the other girls here and they feel very safe when they''re in my ears. They don''t droop and they sparkle like crazy. I thought originally that I wouldn''t bother with ideal cuts for earrings but they were such a reasonable price that I did go with them in the end. Boy, am I glad I did!

 

[Kaleigh]

I agree I wouldn''t spend the money on platinum for earrings. I have many WG earrings and they are bright white.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Too ironic that this thread comes up now - I called WF on Friday. I have 2 ctw diamond studs although each stone measures 6 mm instead of 6.5 for a really well cut stone. I called them to see about having mine reset in martini settings. After talking, we decided that the easiest thing to do would be for me to buy the mountings outright and have them reset locally - saves shipping etc. and I''m sure there are insurance issues in dealing with stones not their own.

I had even thought of contacting the original jeweler about trading them to get more in line with 6.5 mm but can it really be worth the extra $$? These stones aren''t the best but far from the worst either. They are pretty and sparkly and white and they are earrings after all sooooo wouldn''t that really be a waste of money for one half mm????

My main question about the martini settings is drooping as well. When I put on my four prong earrings, no problem. After a day on and off the phone, the droop really sets in. I am probably positioning the phone is such a way as to be comfortable so therefore the droop. I was thinking that maybe the martini would be more comfortable so I wouldn''t be trying to position the phone on my ear. Any thoughts folks?

Lynn good luck! When the fever for a new diamond anything hits WATCH OUT!

Just like when the new car bug hits hubby, you know no matter what he says, you''re going to get a new car! I''ll be waiting to hear what you come up with

!

 

[Kaleigh]

MGR,
My jeweler sells what they call monster backs, they are just bigger than normal backs and prevent the droop so to speak. I have 2 pairs in WG. They are really great.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Thanks Kaleigh - never heard of such a thing but makes since - probably balances the weight out - something to think about!

 

[longtimelurker]

Date: 8/13/2005 4:45:51 PM
Author: Lynn B
And one last thought... WG vs. platinum.

I have never had good success w/ WG - it turns yellowish on me really fast, and I HATE that! Therefore, I am leaning towards platinum, even though it''s a whole LOT more $$$. I also like the thought of the stones being held in place by platinum prongs, rather than WG.

Soooo -- what do you all think?!

THANK YOU!

Lynn

I have studs in both plat & WG -- two holes in my ear. The yelowing of the WG just annoys me (my body chemistry?). So, I JUST used that as part of my excuse to reset them in plat. No pictures yet.

So, the question is, how much does it annoy you?

And will it bug you until you change it later?

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 8/13/2005 7:46:32 PM
Author: ltl

I have studs in both plat & WG -- two holes in my ear. The yelowing of the WG just annoys me (my body chemistry?). So, I JUST used that as part of my excuse to reset them in plat. No pictures yet.

So, the question is, how much does it annoy you?

And will it bug you until you change it later?

Good questions. I plan to wear them A LOT... likely most everyday. (I mean, why have killer studs then keep them in the jewelry box, right?!!!)

And I'm trying to get ones big enough so that (hopefully) I won't feel the need to *upgrade* (ohdearheavens, does that never end??!!!

) - so (again, HOPEFULLY!) I won't have "wasted" settings sometime down the line. (But who can ever know for sure?!)

I think it will annoy me tremendously if/when they yellow... I'm almost a little phobic about that. My first ring setting was 18K WG and I was always asking DH or DD, "does this look yellowish to you?! Is this turning yellow already??!! Do you see any yellow?!" I was a little bit of a whack job about that!!!

But the plat is just SOOOO darn much more $$$$.

DANG! I still need to think about it some more, apparently!

Lynn

 

[longtimelurker]

Lynn,

FWIW, I have a pair of .95ctw set in Plat & I re-set my .44ctw from WG to Plat. I wear both every day and have pretty much since each set came into my life

, approx 2 years for the .95 & 10+ for the .44

The price for martini settings with la pousette backs was OOF! So I did the push backs which made the price more reasonable. Otherwise the settings were practically more than the diamond value (well, not exactly, but you get the idea). I figued, it may not be *quite* as secure, but at less than a quarter carat, if I lost one, I could buy another one (and the odds aren''t I won''t ever lose one).

ETA If you need to *upgrade* the size of your stud earrings, you''ll just have to double pierce your ears if they aren''t already & wear the smaller pair in the 2nd hole. Problem solved

 

[Kaleigh]

Lynn,
What exactly is the price difference between WG martini setting and platinum????

 

[Jennifer5973]

Date: 8/13/2005 4:40:49 PM
Author: Lynn B
OK... STILL ''gathering information''

I am thinking about the actual martini setting a little more. Obviously, I''m seeing that there are ''variations''. So WHICH ONE to choose?!!! What are your opinions -- and why?

This is Jennifer''s set from WF (Jennifer, girlfriend, I hope you don''t mind my posting it here!

)

You''ll be hearing from my attorney.

ROTF...can''t wait to see these studs..you know they are sooooooooooo coming.

 

[sevens one]

I can't wait either.
I have three prong baskets in yg.
I can't do wg and I didn't want to spend the $$ for platinum because Lord only
knows I'm going to upgrade these too.

 

[Mara]

hmm hmm hmm. i can''t wait to hear the updates!!!

if you are going to wear them THAT MUCH and WG bothers you that much then get the platinum! it will pay off over time.

however, i''ll say one more time then shut up about it....these are earrings...you won''t really see the backings or the prongs, it''s not like a ring or bracelet where you are checking it out all the time yanno! i don''t know what your budget is but i''d get bigger stones and WG but YOU KNOW ME!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 8/13/2005 10:50:24 PM
Author: kaleigh
Lynn,
What exactly is the price difference between WG martini setting and platinum????

Lisa,
The price diff is approx $200 total (for the pair).
... or $100 per earring...
... or approx 27 cents a day per ear if worn for one year...
... 14 cents a day per ear after two years wear...
... 9 cents a day after 3 years...
... My math isn't the greatest (as you all know), but I think after 80 or 90 years of daily wear, they'll start to pay ME....

Mara,
THANK YOU for your input. xoxox! Believe me, YOUR opinion on the WG is what is causing me to struggle most with the plat issue, because your opinions RULE, girlfriend -- and I want to ALWAYS DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU RECOMMEND!!!!!

Seriously, though! We are usually on SUCH the same wavelength. And I totally see what you are saying about the WG - and I totally agree!!!! The one vendor has encouraged WG, too, even though it costs less! But it's just that I think... oh, ick! That potential yellowing.

I HATE to mess with that! But $200 does buy... BIGGER STONES...

But then I also think -- at $100 per stone, (and we're talking about ~.50s each) -- how MUCH bigger are we really talking?!! A noticeable difference??!!

Or not? And if not, I may as well get the blasted plat! OH DANG! I hate these types of decisions!!!!! Logic vs... ILLOGIC!

Lynn

 

[icekid]

Lynn- it sounds to me like you really want the platinum! So I think you should get it. Honestly, $200 extra isn''t much when you''re talking studs, a piece you''re likely to wear so frequently (well, I''ll probably wear mine nearly everyday- when I get them which is not likely to be soon). And $200 isn''t going to buy significantly larger stones either, I don''t think! Go for it

 

[Jennifer5973]

Date: 8/14/2005 8:59:06 AM
Author: icekid
Lynn- it sounds to me like you really want the platinum! So I think you should get it. Honestly, $200 extra isn''t much when you''re talking studs, a piece you''re likely to wear so frequently (well, I''ll probably wear mine nearly everyday- when I get them which is not likely to be soon). And $200 isn''t going to buy significantly larger stones either, I don''t think! Go for it

$200 more...hmmmmmm...then you should have the platinum!

Of course, I am the official queen of p*ssing away money, BUT sometimes, you just have something in your mind''s eye and have to have it.... I could have saved some serious $$$ by waiting and finding 2 .90+ J, SI2s but that emntal notion of 1 ct was so delicious-the heck with it and those two perfectly matched I stones were just sitting there....if you need further convincing, call me--I am also the queen of that too--talking oneself into just about anything...Just keep repeating to yourself "But I NEED platinum....But I NEED platinum..."

Go with your heart.