Studs: To bezel or not to bezel?

[orbaya]

I currently have 1ctw RB diamond studs that are set in a yellow gold 4-prong mounting. I want to reset them into a white metal...preferably platinum, but WG is okay.

I''ve seen soooo many beautiful studs and I can''t decide what I want to do. Do I go with a 3 prong martini, or a thin full bezel? One concern that I have regarding bezels is how difficult are they to clean since you can''t get at the whole diamond? Bezels do make diamonds look larger, don''t they?

Hmmmmm...... thoughts?

 

[gailrmv]

It''s a tough call. I really like both. How big are the studs? In my opinion small studs are nicely enhanced by the bezel. Larger diamonds I prefer in a martini. Also, in my opinion the bezel is slightly more casual. I have .34s in martinis and they have nice presence. I was really on the fence though about which style to get. I think I would have been happy with either. Another thing to consider, how well cut are your stones? If well cut, you''re golden either way. If they are not that well cut though, you may lose performance in the bezel because of light leakage.

An inexpensive solution is to have the current setting rhodium plated to look like white gold. I haven''t ever done this but when I inquired about it, I was told that the rhodium plating should last a long time on earrings.

 

[IrishBreakfast]

I would go with the martini settings - I love that look! I''ve also heard from several people that they thought it made the stones look bigger. I will have some someday!

 

[Miranda]

I love bezels on stones around .5 ea. It will really beef them up. I''m not sure how hard they are to keep clean, though. If you want to keep them in a setting similar to the one you have now you could always rhodium plate them. It lasts a long long time on earrings.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I have about 1.02 tcw studs that are cut a bit deep. They were in bezel settings, but the bezel broke off of the stud portion, so I had them reset in 3 prong martinis. About the 4.5 mm and on up diamonds look pretty sizeable on most earlobes, IMO.

If they''re a decent cut, I''d go with the martinis.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

If you like the current settings, I''d add my vote to just having them rhodium plated. Otherwise, I''d go with the martini''s. I like bezels on stones under .5 each, personally.

 

[orbaya]

Thanks for the opinions gals! I think I like the look of bezels on smaller studs, so I think I''ll end up with martinis. I never thought about rhodium plating my current mountings, so that''s definitely an option as a temporary thing.

I really like the bezel look, so maybe I''ll reserve that for when I set my original E-ring stone into a necklace. I do love the look of all those bezel pendants out there!

I wonder what platinum martinis are going for nowadays with the prices all crazy!

 

[honey22]

I''m the odd one out it looks like, cause I think bezels make the stone look smaller, but everyone I hear from says the opposite. I think a really thin bezel would look lovely, but my vote is for the martinis.

 

[Rhea]

I like them both. I do think that bezels are more casual. Are these your forever earrings or will you be upgrading at some point?

 

[arjunajane]

I haven''t tried any on IRL but my vote is for the bezels - I love the look of those that I''ve seen.

 

[orbaya]

I''m not sure if I''ll upgrade in the future. If I do it''ll be several years because it''s not a priority and I''d rather have other jewelry pieces right now.

Plus, I really like the size I have now. I would like to try on bezel earring in a size similar to mine, but I''ve never really seen them in the store but I''ve never looked either. I do love the look bezels on small diamonds, like the Tiffany baby ones, but I don''t know about how it would on a .5ct stone. I do love the look of martini settings too. Hopefully I can try those on too.

 

[Rhea]

Personally, for me, for forever earrings I think* I''d like a bezel. I really like the look of them. But the cost is too much since I plan to working up to larger stones at some point. I went with martini set for this reason. And actually, I like them a lot more than I thought I would. They sparkle a lot, the prongs are so tiny, and they get noticed.

* I reserve the right to change my mind on a daily basis and finally leave the decision up to DH (like I did the first time).

 

[marcy]

I like both but if I had to choose I''d get the martini set ones first. Just a personal preference.

 

[orbaya]

For you guys that have martini settings...especially those who went from a 4 prong to the 3 prong did the martinis change the appearance of your diamonds? Did it make them look bigger, smaller, or no change?

Also, do you find that they sit lower on your ears than the 4 prong?

 

[kcoursolle]

For .50 carats each you don''t really need bezels since they are already a great size. Martinis in my opinion make the diamonds look a little more round than four prong settings. I think they make the diamonds look great!

 

[Rhea]

My martinis do sit lower on my ears than my 4 prongs did.

 

[orbaya]

I just had another thought! What about the WF 8 prong setting? I love that look! Are my diamonds too small for that though? The only pics I could find that come close to the size diamonds I have were magnified so I don''t think it was a great representation of what they look like in "real life." They do seem to sit lower on the ear than the 3 and 4 prong settings do, which I like.

Opinions on the 8 prong settings for .50ct stones?