suggestion for earrings

[sumi]

Hi all! this is my first posting here, but I''ve been lurking for quite a while.


I''d like your advice on what would be the best type of setting for some earrings that I inherited from my grandmother. These are not the best diamonds and I want to know what setting would best bring out the beauty of the diamonds. I want to say first that these diamonds are priceless to me because of their sentimental value. My grandmother became a widow at a young age and raised four children all by herself. She was able to save some money and she bought these earrings as a gift to herself. So I hope you can see why they are so important to me.

The stones are a little less than a quarter carat each. One stone has a black inclusion that is visible to the naked eye. If I''m just looking at the earrings only, the color looks fairly white. However, if I compare it to my G color/ideal cut e-ring, the earrings look pretty gray. I''ve never gotten them appraised, so I don''t know all the specs. They don''t sparkle as much as my e-ring, but when they catch the right light they give off a good amount of sparkle. They are round brilliants, but I don''t have any information on the quality of the cut.


They were set in white gold, but the nickel in the white gold makes my ears get infected. Also, I think they were only white gold plated because there is a darker metal that is beginning to show in parts of the post that are a little worn down. For now, I use plastic post covers to protect my ears from the metal. If I don''t use the plastic covers, then my ears get pretty infected. I really need to reset them.


So, what kind of setting do you think would be best for stones that are not of the highest quality? I want to keep them as earrings because of the inclusion. I figure people don''t get close enough to my ears to be able to see the inclusion. also, since my grandmother wore the stones are earrings, I would like to keep them that way. Any suggestions?? Thanks!

 

[valeria101]

Welcome to PS

Just my 0.2...

There seems to be some benefit for these less-than-best-cut stones if they do not get alot of metal around, so that there is some light entering through exposed sides. I had to deal with the reverse situation: my mother loves bezel settings (and so do I) and old cut diamonds look like glistering water drops in them unless under a flashlight... So a 3-prong setting would probably do your stone best service.

As for the black regions on the settings: this does not prove the metal in not 14k WG (diamonds mounted in anything else are not a common encounter), but rather that you have a strong reaction to the metal. I would not wear them until reset: the continued alergic reaction may enlarge your ear piercing or prevent you from wearing earrings altogether.

 

[pqcollectibles]

It will cost more, but you might want to check into platinum mounts for the earrings. Platinum is hypoallergenic and should not react with your skin.

 

[sumi]

Thanks for your suggestions! I will get them set in platinum, I just don't want any problems with infections. I was thinking about yellow gold, but the color is so low already that putting them with gold might make them look worse.


How safe is a 3 prong setting? Like I said, the stones themselves aren't the greatest quality, but I would feel so terrible if I lost one!

 

[pqcollectibles]

I just went 3 prong in my new earrings and I love the look. 3 prong sits lower and is almost invisible. I can hardly see the baskets and it appears as if the diamonds are just sitting on my ears by magic!

I sure hope they are safe 'cause I wouldn't wanna loose a stone either!

 

[niceice]

The only thing that concerns us about the three prong settings is the number of times that people have brought their diamond earrings into the store for an adjustment after they have stepped on them after dropping them on the bathroom floor... They look great, just try not to step on them because you've got one less prong to bend over to keep the diamond from popping out... You have to wonder how many pairs of contacts people might go through in a week at this rate

Don't give the quality of the diamonds a second thought, that's not what they represent... Love them for what they are and for who they come from...

 

[sumi]

Oh yes! I do love the stones. I just wanted to give a realistic account of the quality of the stones. Thank you all for the suggestions. I think I'll go with the three prong in platinum.