Diamond Quality for PP Jewelry?

[BWise]

I just read a post here that reports really sparkly diamond in her PP purchase. Prompted me to think - what quality diamonds do PP use - and consistency?

I've bought several items from PP starting last year, only one contains diamonds. My 12-13 mm WSS pearl earrings in the Eternal setting. I got them with 12% discount. The pair has been one of my most favorite earrings and the pearls are very pretty. However, I have never been thrilled with the diamonds in that setting.

According to PP's site description, this pair contains 22 melee diamonds totaling 0.22ct that are VS1-GH grade. I cannot tell if those diamonds are full cut, but they are quite dull in life and quite a few appear to have visible inclusions (even at their melee size).

A quick math:
Price I paid for the earrings after 12% discount = $1,839
Price of 2 loose pearls same size (w 12% discount) = $1,108

That means I paid $731 for the settings (and the process to set them of course).

Can I say that I expect better diamond quality at that price tag? I have always had great experience with PP, but this realization just set me back a little.

 

[cmd2014]

I think accent diamonds in settings are tricky. Often the setting design isn't designed to show the diamond off to full advantage, as the start of the show is whatever it is that the diamonds are accenting (so enough light may not get through the setting to let them really shine). Plus, sparkle is determined more by cut than by anything else, and I have to be honest that I suspect that top quality stones are unlikely to be ever used in a stock setting. The other issue would be cleaning...with my non-pearl jewelry, the accent diamonds tend to get dirty fast which also really diminishes sparkle (and can look much like an inclusion). Steam cleaning and/or an ammonia based jewelry cleaner usually takes care of that, but neither are appropriate for pearl jewelry, so in my own case, I have to admit that I rarely actually clean the diamond settings which are attached to pearls. I guess you could clean them with a gentle soap and water, or with a pearl cleaning cloth, but they may not become as bright as ones that are more thoroughly cleaned.

I think the only way to ensure top quality accent diamonds would be to do a custom piece? Either that or to buy some diamond huggie earrings in the quality that you are comfortable with and then have some custom drops made to fit. That way the earrings could be cleaned for maximum sparkle without risk of damaging the pearls.

Edit: I've never bought a diamond accent piece from PP though, so maybe others can speak to their experiences specifically.

 

[marymm]

Keep in mind that specs of "G/H-VSI1" have nothing to do with how well the diamond is cut, i.e., its performance. That said, at VS1 clarity, there should be no inclusions visible to your naked eye.

It is unclear to me from your post, but it sounds like you purchased these earrings sometime ago... if you are still within the 90-return period, you should return them or exchange them with a specific request for VS1 quality melee.

If the return period has passed, then I guess the lesson here is to inspect new jewelry/pearls/gemstones/diamonds within a vendor's return period... in PP's case (and several other pearl vendors), a 90-day return period is exceedingly generous; most return periods are 30-days or less.

 

[BWise]

cmd204 and marymm, thanks for your comments, well said!

I agree that cut, and in case of melees, probably cut only, determines the light performance for diamonds. Cleaning too will affect it, but I am meticulous about cleaning my jewelry. I have enough jewelry pieces that use melee diamonds that I can quickly tell the difference between low and high quality melees. I just do not expect to see inclusions at that price tag.

The earrings were purchased last December so they are way past the return window. I never thought about returning them because I love the pearls so much. Honestly, I had low expectation on those diamonds since this is about pearls. Till today when I read the other post and realize how much I had paid for the setting, the lower quality of the diamonds started bothering me a little.

I guess that is a lesson well learned for me.

 

[pearlsngems]

The Eternal settings can be seen on its own in the Clasps and Findings section and are priced at $490.
This page with the finding doesn't have technical information about color or clarity: http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-1951-eternal-diamond-dangle-earrings-14k-gold.aspx

I don't think it's the same if you take the price of a loose pearl and double it, because in an already- set pair, there is also the matching involved.

Just in case others are dealing with the need to clean diamonds in a pearl setting, there are pearl-safe jewelry cleaners. I use The Pearl Doctor, but I know there are others. (Of course this will not brighten a diamond that is dull for reasons other than grime.)

 

[pinkjewel]

Well, that was me in the other post commenting on the "sparkly" diamonds, and one of the reasons I commented on it was I wasn't expecting them to be that nice-lol. I don't know which settings PP create as opposed to which settings they purchase already made, but I normally find most "stock" settings don't have very nice melee. I suspect my pendant setting is from Stuller (but I didn't look to check), and if so PP can specify the quality of diamonds or they can buy the setting without the diamonds and do it themselves which would give them a lot better control over the melee. I know mine said G color, VS1 quality. I'll scope them and see about any inclusions. But yours should not have visible inclusions with VS quality diamonds.

 

[pearlsngems]

.... But yours should not have visible inclusions with VS quality diamonds.

I agree with this and recommend cleaning them and reexamining them. If there are still inclusions eye-visible, call PP and discuss it with them, warranty or no. If there was a defective finding they could (I assume) swap it out.

 

[ennui]

I guess we aren't supposed to worry about the diamonds when it's the pearls that are the focus?

My PP diamond items look okay to the naked eye. I just got out my loupe, though, and one of the stones is chipped. Moral of the story, don't look too closely?

 

[BWise]

I don't think it's the same if you take the price of a loose pearl and double it, because in an already- set pair, there is also the matching involved.

Completely agree - my math overlooked that factor. Yet still, price I paid for the setting is probably higher than buying them separately?

 

[BWise]

.... But yours should not have visible inclusions with VS quality diamonds.

I agree with this and recommend cleaning them and reexamining them. If there are still inclusions eye-visible, call PP and discuss it with them, warranty or no. If there was a defective finding they could (I assume) swap it out.

Thanks! That's what I plan to do.

 

[dk168]

I could be wrong, however, the majority of PP's findings are bought from the likes of Bella Findings and KGH Jewellery.

I cannot remember the small prints on Bella Findings website, and cannot remember the diamond grade being mentioned in the KGH Jewellery's catalogue.

My hunch is that they are likely to be G/H, and SI quality, and not full cut especially if they are very small.

DK

 

[NacreLover]

I have purchased the settings below some with melle`. All are white and sparkly.

http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-333-flame-pendant-18kt-gold.aspx

http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-212-orion-collection-tahitian-pearl-amp-diamond-pendant.aspx

http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-1820-romantic-diamond-dangle-earring-14k-gold.aspx

http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-1862-allure-diamond-earrings.aspx

http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-1951-eternal-diamond-dangle-earrings-14k-gold.aspx

The average person viewing your pearl pendant and earrings are going to be at least 3-6 feet from you. They can't tell the quality your clarity of your diamonds or would even care. I was given an option when making custom pieces to place high quality diamonds in the pieces but went with good quality to match the pieces I already own.

By the way, Pearl Paradise does set pearls in your setting you already own also. If you can buy the setting cheaper somewhere else, buy them and send them and have your pearl set into it.

 

[bsomlo]

Nacrelover -- how do you like the Allure finding? I have been wanting to use it for a while now. I've used the Eternal but find the lines of the Allure, well, alluring.

 

[Tucs]

Nacrelover, I'm curious about your answer to bsomlo, too. Also how do the Romantic setting compares to those two, in terms of swing and sparkle?

 

[NacreLover]

Nacrelover -- how do you like the Allure finding? I have been wanting to use it for a while now. I've used the Eternal but find the lines of the Allure, well, alluring.

The diamonds in the Eternal semi mounts are larger than the Allure. The pearl seems more well ballanced in the Eternal settings since it hangs direclty from the bottom. The Allure are well built and are very secure and sparly and you know they are closed when you feel the snap. I purchased one pair of the Allure and two of the eternal. I like the illusion the pearl is hanging from a diamond hoop.

 

[NacreLover]

Nacrelover, I'm curious about your answer to bsomlo, too. Also how do the Romantic setting compares to those two, in terms of swing and sparkle?

The diamonds are more noticeable in the Eternal settings since they are larger and their are more of them. All the findings swing and dangle the same with the exception of the blossom settings which only swing not dangle and move independantly.

 

[Tucs]

Thanks for your explanations, Nacrelover!