Should TG go FG or get martinis while preggo?

[TravelingGal]

I have a dilemma and looked for similar threads without much success.

I''m getting a pair of studs. I turn 35 at the end of the month so I''m treating myself to bday, xmas and push present with this.

My issue is this...

After seeing Mara this week, I really liked the way her .38s looked in martini settings. So minimalist and gorgeous. I though, OK, I know they''re cheaper so I''ll go that route. $195 sounds a lot better than $425 for the Firegoddess bezel settings, even though I love those.

However, the martini settings in WG have nickel in them and my ears are sensitive, so they recommended the platinum for me. $375 for those!

With only a $50 difference, what would you do? Bezels or martini? The diamonds are .32 ACAs and are F''s (I know...I would have liked to go lower in color, but that''s what they have right now).

Here are FG''s earrings for reference. Any assistance would be appreciated. Normally I can make up my mind without help, but I''m stumped on this one. Not sure if they .32s will be too small for this bezel.

 

[snlee]

LOL your subject line confused me! I'm glad you aren't thinking about drinking a martini while pregnant!

For a $50 difference, I'd definitely go with the bezel settings! I have a pair of .35ct martini studs and I love them. They are the perfect size. I'm sure your .32ct's would look great in a bezel setting!

 

[decodelighted]

Oooooh!!! Exciting!

Okay .. 1st of all, someone around here ordered stuller?? platinum martini settings for less .. not sure if that''s an option? Send those to WF to be set?

BUT

I vote BEZEL!!! They''ll look "bigger" for longer, smoother - less catching, they were your 1st love, Perrettilicious!

ALSO

If you ever get a LARGER pair, martini would still be on the table! Somehow I like RB''s in martini settings when they are BIG BIG BIG. (Widget''s miligrain bezeled antique stones are fab but ideal cut RB''s start to look HUGE in bezels)

ANYHOO

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks gals...so far 2 votes for bezel....

Deco, if I get these, I should send you my tiffany teardrops (if they weren''t so sentimental). I CANNOT wear them for more than a few hours...they make my ears bleed every time. I have a feeling their wear is coming to an end.

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 11/9/2007 7:29:52 PM
Author: decodelighted
Oooooh!!! Exciting!

Okay .. 1st of all, someone around here ordered stuller?? platinum martini settings for less .. not sure if that''s an option? Send those to WF to be set?

BUT

I vote BEZEL!!! They''ll look ''bigger'' for longer, smoother - less catching, they were your 1st love, Perrettilicious!

ALSO

If you ever get a LARGER pair, martini would still be on the table! Somehow I like RB''s in martini settings when they are BIG BIG BIG. (Widget''s miligrain bezeled antique stones are fab but ideal cut RB''s start to look HUGE in bezels)

ANYHOO

Just to let you know that my platinum Stuller martini''s, set locally, came to $214 earlier this year. Link I was working with a tight budget. But, if you can afford it, I think the bezel settings will look great, particularly with .32s.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I would choose the bezels for that size stone. Then later on, you can get a larger pair to set in martinis!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 11/9/2007 7:50:51 PM
Author: Fly Girl

Date: 11/9/2007 7:29:52 PM
Author: decodelighted
Oooooh!!! Exciting!

Okay .. 1st of all, someone around here ordered stuller?? platinum martini settings for less .. not sure if that''s an option? Send those to WF to be set?

BUT

I vote BEZEL!!! They''ll look ''bigger'' for longer, smoother - less catching, they were your 1st love, Perrettilicious!

ALSO

If you ever get a LARGER pair, martini would still be on the table! Somehow I like RB''s in martini settings when they are BIG BIG BIG. (Widget''s miligrain bezeled antique stones are fab but ideal cut RB''s start to look HUGE in bezels)

ANYHOO

Just to let you know that my platinum Stuller martini''s, set locally, came to $214 earlier this year. Link I was working with a tight budget. But, if you can afford it, I think the bezel settings will look great, particularly with .32s.

Thanks FlyGirl, I had just found your thread before you posted! I think if I do not get the settings with WF, they will charge me to set them. They did that with my e-ring, so I would imagine it would be the same and that cost would be factored in. I think it was $50 to set the ering, so if it''s $50 to set each earring, that would be nasty!

 

[musey]

Bezel bezel bezel!! I love bezeled studs!!!!!

Either would of course be lovely. I''m a little biased toward bezels lately, though

 

[hlmr]

I vote to go for the FG bezel!! What a deal for $50 extra!

 

[Miranda]

You can have martinis after the baby is born

My vote is for the bezels. They are my favorite! .32s will be perrrrrfect!

 

[Kaleigh]

Another vote for the bezel. Any bigger, I''d have to say martini, but think you''ll love the bezel look. Classic, smart and chic!!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 11/9/2007 8:22:05 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Another vote for the bezel. Any bigger, I''d have to say martini, but think you''ll love the bezel look. Classic, smart and chic!!

ditto!!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Sorry, I was lost at martini's

, then minimalist.

Bezels are great!

cheers--Sharon

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 11/9/2007 7:46:53 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Deco, if I get these, I should send you my tiffany teardrops (if they weren''t so sentimental).

What a sweet thought from a pro-Snarker!

Think it''s "posts only" for the newly pierced anyway (at least according to that beeeoootch "Claire"

) I guess I believe her now too after a recent frustrating, red-tinged, painful, ultimately futile wrestling match with some fashion quality lever-backs. OUCHcicles.

**sigh**

I am gonna VICARIOUSLY bling-it-up on your stud hunt though!! YEA!!!!

 

[asscher_girl]

Hi TG, I would go Bezel too. I want some so bad! I wanted the .16 ctw (platinum - I think I''m allergic to WG too) from Tiff''s and I got a WF quote from them and they were the same price pretty much. Once you go past .50 ctw at WF they are more reasonably priced (and I see that you are going for over .50)

Have you tried on the bezels at Tiffany to see different sizes? I was really surprised that the . 16 ctw at Tiffany looked so big.

 

[iheartscience]

As the proud owner of a pair of WF bezeled beauties, that''s what I vote for! The bezels are soooo delicate and perfect, but they make the diamonds look so much bigger. I also love martini settings, but I''m with deco-I like them with big ol'' diamonds (such as Lynn B''s new pair that I''m extremely jealous of!) best.

P.S. Congrats on the upcoming birthday and baby!

 

[Gypsy]

If you have to go plat on the martini, I would DEFINITELY go for the bezels. Hands down.

 

[Mara]

bezel!!! i def thing that for the extra $50 you can bezel those cuties and call it a day. comparing the .32''s to my .38''s...i think that i would go for the extra oomph in visual with the bezel.

then yanno later you can get BIGGER solitaires...hehee.

 

[february2003bride]

Bezel!! I have earrings indentical to FG''s (but from a different vendor) and they look huge compared to their actual carat weight.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 11/10/2007 1:18:03 AM
Author: Mara
bezel!!! i def thing that for the extra $50 you can bezel those cuties and call it a day. comparing the .32''s to my .38''s...i think that i would go for the extra oomph in visual with the bezel.


then yanno later you can get BIGGER solitaires...hehee.

That''s my plan! Keep my little bezeled guys and get some big honkin'' martini studs in the future! Probably the far future...but still, that''s my plan!

 

[Independent Gal]

BEZEL! love love love ''em. $50? So you go out to dinner once less this month. You have your bezels forever.

 

[littlelysser]

I''m firmly in the Bezel camp!

I love a bezel set stud...really makes the stones pop, in my opinion.

 

[FireGoddess]

I have to rain slightly on your parade. Nooooooooooooooo!

The baby bezels I have, in platinum, are $650 for the setting. $450 is for the 18kt white or yellow gold. So sorry!!! I just double checked to make sure. Sooo....that might change your mind, because it certainly would have a hand in changing mine.

I'd firmly be in the bezel camp so that next time you see Mara she could oogle at how much bigger your studs look than hers.

(Love ya M!) BUT. At a little under twice the price for the setting...doubt I'd do that UNLESS I was getting RSG stones that I'd never upgrade, so that over time the cost of the setting would be worth it. But if these were studs that in a few years I'd want to upgrade, $650 is a lot of change to spend.

SO, I'd pick bezels hands down over martini for impact, but only if the $650 for the setting was not a serious crimp on the pocketbook. Which it would be on mine.

ETA: 32 pointers wouldn't be small in this bezel for future ref - mine are 40 pointers.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 11/10/2007 12:15:05 PM
Author: FireGoddess
I have to rain slightly on your parade. Nooooooooooooooo!

The baby bezels I have, in platinum, are $650 for the setting. $450 is for the 18kt white or yellow gold. So sorry!!! I just double checked to make sure. Sooo....that might change your mind, because it certainly would have a hand in changing mine.

I''d firmly be in the bezel camp so that next time you see Mara she could oogle at how much bigger your studs look than hers.

(Love ya M!) BUT. At a little under twice the price for the setting...doubt I''d do that UNLESS I was getting RSG stones that I''d never upgrade, so that over time the cost of the setting would be worth it. But if these were studs that in a few years I''d want to upgrade, $650 is a lot of change to spend.

SO, I''d pick bezels hands down over martini for impact, but only if the $650 for the setting was not a serious crimp on the pocketbook. Which it would be on mine.

ETA: 32 pointers wouldn''t be small in this bezel for future ref - mine are 40 pointers.

Thank you all for your imput. It seems unanimously bezel is the way to go.

FG, why would the 18K white gold change your mind over platinum? Just preference for metal or or does it really look better?

Now, I am not sure if I am going to upgrade these or not...only because TGuy told me last night that he would like to buy them for me as a birthday gift and a thank you for finding his new job for him and being so encouraging. Sort of like a "finders fee". Hehehehe. I am only having him pay for the stones, so with that help, I can pay for the settings myself. When TGuy buys things for me, it just becomes sentimental...so not sure if I would upgrade. But even if I do, it would take awhile for me to do so. However, I am wondering if I should hold out for larger studs...more like .4''s with a lower color for around the same price. Hm.

Also I was wondering if they can do two grooves in the earring back...I read a helpful hint that the butterfly shouldn''t be pushed too close to the ear and just be in the groove, so it''s good to ask for a couple of grooves. I will double check this WF.

Thanks all for your input...any additional based on the questions I ask would be much appreciated, since we are going probably give the final word on Monday if I decide not to look for other stones!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

TG - how big are your earlobes? If they''re tiny and then if you wait for larger stones, say .40s, and have those set martini style, they''ll look amazing and classic standing on their own.

I LOVE the bezel style, but for some reason see that design more as a compliment to a collection where a person already owns prong set diamond earrings. I''m not sure why that is. . . (if I were to purchase bezel ones, I''d buy little diamonds - less than .20 each - to wear for certain occassions.)

 

[risingsun]

I have a pair of .82cttw and a pair of .53 cttw studs and both pairs are set in three prong martinis. I wear the .53 with other earrings and the martini settings go with everything. That being said, if this were for single hole ears, I''d get the bezels. And stay off the sauce, you''re preggers

 

[FireGoddess]

TG, not sure if you understood my post, or if I just didn't understand yours originally...I have no preference in the look of 18 kt wg versus platinum. The diff is the price.

You were talking about the bezels costing about $450. That is the wg price. The platinum price is $650. You need platinum because of your sensitivity, right? So the bezel settings would cost you $650, not $450. That's more than a $50 diff between the bezels in platinum and the martinis in platinum.

Or do the wg bezel settings not have nickel in them like the martini ones do?

 

[TravelingGal]

MC, I think my earlobes are "normal" sized...I hope!

FG, thanks. I understand what you are saying. I knew the bezels were WG for that price...they are doing custom with palladium alloy and so nickel will not be a problem. My choice was between platinum martinis (since WG martinis had nickel in them) or WG custom without nickel for $50 more. I misunderstood and thought you meant I should get platinum for the bezel settings for some reason.

Bob recommended I get the WG with palladium alloy. He said it will look the same as platinum, weight a bit less (although not noticeable in the ears) and that there was really no reason for me to get platinum since there isn''t a lot of metal in the earrings and the special WG mix will take care of the allergy issue.

Diamonds are on hold and will be finalized on Monday, I hope!

Cheers,
Mina

 

[FireGoddess]

Cool! I thought you had to get the bezels in pt too because of the nickel. That''s great to know! And of course I wholeheartedly triple-vote for them!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

FG, I thought there was a reason that I thought yours were WG (because of course I want mine to look like yours, my dream studs, I had gone looking before all this began), and there is...

In your 10K gift post, you did say,

"So, here are my 0.8 ctw, F SI1 A Cut Above, handmade 18K wg fine bezel studs from Whiteflash!! Heavy friction backs."

So I remember thinking I needed to ask you what alloy it was mixed with. I guess I am confused since you did mention yours were WG? I just love your earrings and the pics you posted and thought all this time they were WG?

Sorry if I am confusing you! And thanks for your help my dear!!!