OEC Brain Teaser ... anyone in?

Date: 9/15/2009 12:02:24 AM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 9/14/2009 11:57:56 PM
Author: D&T
Those settings are beautiful! the flowery like petals on the profile- yummy! and really nice touch with the milgrain too. where is it from?

I''d probably only be taking inspiration from the tops for ones this small ... but I agree - the sides are amazing! These earrings belong to a (former) Pscoper named Widget. She found them at an antique store I believe, long before her PS days. She never knew much about them, other than they''re FABOOOOOOOO.

I miss her and her fabu pieces.  #1 and 3 for me too.  And for putting #2 in a pendant.  I think the milgrain on the bezels will be sooooo pretty.  I love fun proijects like these!!!    If you talk to Widget please give her my very best....

Date: 9/15/2009 12:29:23 AM
Author: Kaleigh

Date: 9/15/2009 12:02:24 AM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 9/14/2009 11:57:56 PM
Author: D&T
Those settings are beautiful! the flowery like petals on the profile- yummy! and really nice touch with the milgrain too. where is it from?

I''d probably only be taking inspiration from the tops for ones this small ... but I agree - the sides are amazing! These earrings belong to a (former) Pscoper named Widget. She found them at an antique store I believe, long before her PS days. She never knew much about them, other than they''re FABOOOOOOOO.

I miss her and her fabu pieces. #1 and 3 for me too. And for putting #2 in a pendant. I think the milgrain on the bezels will be sooooo pretty. I love fun proijects like these!!! If you talk to Widget please give her my very best....

Meeee tooo! I wish I was in touch with her outside the forum but sadly never had the pleasure to meet her in person.

Thanks for your A-OK, Kaleigh/Lisa .. I hope you are hanging in with your rib injury & finding some relief as they start healing up again.

ps- My husband was egging me on to make an offer on the be-boo-boo''d one. I think I''d probably rather wait til next year & get up to at least a .50-.70 size pendant stone. But I am tempted ... hee!

Okkkkay. Well that was weird. Since I'm set on sending one stone back, my husband wanted me to make SURE I was sending the chipped one, even though I had a pretty good idea which one I thought that was .. he insisted I go to a professional jeweler & get them checked out. His words: "If you weren't so emotionally involved you'd see its the right thing to do with a purchase of this magnitude". Hmmmm. Meeebee. So yesterday I head over to my fave local jeweler who is closed for vacation. Strike one. Have to go to work after that so couldn't try again 'til today. So I go to the closest jeweler - big family owned biz - very nice things ... carry Hearts on Fire & Rolex & such. They very nicely agree to look over the stones for me. According to the vendor one should have a obvious chip, right? Well - not so much through the loupe. So she takes them to a microscope and checks 'em out one by one. Declares they ALL have chips but wants her boss to look at them too. So he comes out and says: "Well at least we know they're *diamonds* ... that's good right!". LOL! Okay so he looks over them and says ... this one's good ... this one's good ... and this one, well maybe that's a little chip but its good too. You'd be fine with any two of these. AND MIXES THEM UP so I can't tell anymore which one he said HAD THE CHIP. AIGIIGGGHHHHH. He's quickly put them all back in their container and telling me I should make a pendant out of the third. So I calmly open the container again and say "WHICH one had the chip again?" And he's like ... they're all okay really. You're going to bezel set them anyway, right? Just pick the two you like. GAHHHH!!!! A lot of good this trip is doing me! What's DH gonna say to THIS? Oh, I forgot one part -- he also, very kindly, measures all three & shows me which one is smallest (which I know is a "good" one) but then mixes them up AGAIN! I mean the takeaway is okay ... he thinks all of them are in good shape for antique stones, and they're all real DIAMONDS! (heh) ... but I'm thinking this isn't going to fly at home. Sooooo. Jewelry Store #3! A smaller place right around the corner, that I've never been in before actually. So I explain my predicament and ask if *I* can borrow one of the loupes to try to crack this mystery myself, Nancy Drew Style. Well -- I'm a spazz. She let me borrow a velvet tray & tweezers and a loupe ... but didn't offer to check them out herself at all (that's fine ... I understand) ... but I felt like a total numskull trying & failing to figure out where the "chip" was. FINALLY, after about twenty minutes of fumbling and sweating & maybe some swearing -- I *think* I see a tiny little wee girdle chip. VICTORY. Now how to avoid mixing them up again. She suggests putting the unwanted one UPSIDE DOWN. Genius! Man. I guess I really need to get a loupe, huh? I don't want to encourage my OCD though. It would be best NOT to have one. If I can't see it with my, um, EYES then who cares, right? Except when you're smack in the middle of The Case of the Chipped OEC.

Hey deco, those look like gorgeous OEC''s and I think bezeling them is a great idea! I''m all about the bezel (I actually want to bezel my asscher) hehe.

So the question is, are you going to bezel in white gold/plat or rose gold?

Oh and I can''t believe he mixed them up on you! I say go ahead and pick yourself up a loupe   I used one the other day at my fav local jeweler and it had a built in light, loved that one!  

The jeweler did have a good idea though, take the 3rd stone and make a pendant!

Date: 9/16/2009 7:36:44 PM
Author: asscher_girl
Hey deco, those look like gorgeous OEC's and I think bezeling them is a great idea! I'm all about the bezel (I actually want to bezel my asscher) hehe. So the question is, are you going to bezel in white gold/plat or rose gold?

I'm thinking platinum but might opt for white gold to stay in budget. Did consider rose gold but since this is a more "classic" standard piece I figured it would be prudent to stick with the color of metal I wear 94.5% of the time & have generally, over time preferred.

That switch-eroo mix up was crazy! I felt like I was on candid camera or something. Wanted to shout NOOOOOO!!!!! and dive in slo-motion toward the stones. DH thinks the guy was hinting for a "tip" for his help but I can't see that. He was saying it didn't matter -- as opposed to, say, offering a full appraisal for $, yanno? Blerg.

And thanks, Asscher_girl! Your stone is so pretty as it is -- but bezeling asschers is so tempting because it highlights the shape so well. Dilemma!

****** FUN UPDATE *****

Or "fun" to me at least . I sent the stones off today to Brian Gavin Diamonds to get snuggly platinum bezels with inside-rim-only milgrain, which will hopefully end up looking a bit like teensy, mini-Widget studs & a bit like the other gorgeous BGD handmade bezel babies floating around here on Pscope lately.



Thanks again to the folks who weighed in on this decision & who''ve seen me through the seemingly endless Cartier-inspired/now abandoned original project. I hope its a classic, timeless choice with a bit of quirkiness thrown in for good measure. We''ll see! SQUEE!

just seeing this thread now. they are going to be GORGEOUS! i can''t wait to see them when they are finished!

Ooh, can't wait to see the finished product! Are they gonna have the neat basket detail on the bottom that they example pic has?

I would totally have been irritated at having them mixed up- how weird of that jeweler. Loupes are a dangerous toy... heh. I have several. And yes, they do lead to OCD I think.  The scratch on the bottom of my OEC is totally invisible to the naked eye, but I spot it instantly through the loupe. I just try not to loupe it!

Inside only millgrain sounds neat- sounds like it will look very delicate; I don't think I've seen that before.

Thanks JCrow & LittleGreyKitten!

LGK -- The backs will be open like the other BGD handmade bezel studs -- though the detail on Widget''s are fantastic - I don''t think its necessary on wee widdle ones like mine. Easier to clean the pavilion with a more open back too. That''s a feature that would be *really* hard to scale down to a .31/.34 ct size. My eyes are crossing just thinking about it! LOL!

I do have a bit of a confession: Be-Boo-Boo''d one = also mine. No current plans for it but it was a steal I couldn''t pass up - especially since its such a good match to the other two. DH called it "insurance" & who was I to argue?

Haha, that is funny how sometimes you just end up adopting some stones. I had to "adopt" a .45 ct OEC that came in to our antique mall recently. Poor thing was in an ucky 4 prong yg setting and all covered with grime. I have NO idea what I''ll do with it, but for $200 I had to give it a home! Currently it''s languishing in my jewery box though.

If the "extra" one''s chip was only loupe-visible, that''s great; I''m sure some use will present itself

**** THEY ARE HERE THEY ARE HERE THEY ARE HERE ****

I was too excited to do a full-on in the box photo shoot, or "family poses" with my e-ring etc. None of that yet. Also: the pictures are taken in an extremely yellow bathroom so please keep that in mind.

But: YAY!!!! The studs I''ve dreamed about ... pierced my ears for (TWO years ago mind you) ... ARE ON ME CURRENTLY.

Its late. More of a story & such tomorrow but I''ll say that BGD did a wonderful job with the inside-only milgrain. They look JUST LIKE the mini Widget studs of my WILDEST FANTASIES.

STATS:
.68 tcw H/I color antique OECs from Old World Diamonds set in handmade platinum bezels by BGD that I technically shouldn''t be wearing ''til Xmas time. And, yes, its the best week ever around Deco-Ville.

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Next vendor shot.

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All smiles.

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Bah-ling.

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Bah-lang.

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Bah-boom.

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Bah-dum-dum-dum.

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Here''s a picture the inspiration earrings next to the finished product ... AMAZING, right?? It''s difficult to appreciate the delicacy of this milgrain in the blown up pictures but in person you can BARELY even see it its so fine. Its as fine as the SUPER FINE double milgrain on my e-ring and I never expected that! What a wonderful surprise!

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LOVE.

(Frig. Just when I thought I was done jewelry-lusting.)

Deco, these are gorgeous! Contrats.

I love the settings and they look fantastic in the ear shots.

Absolutely beautiful- you have a great eye for diamonds!

Jen

Those look... perfect. Really. How totally gorgeous!

Date: 10/24/2009 1:25:21 AM
Author: EBree
LOVE.
(Frig. Just when I thought I was done jewelry-lusting.)

LOL!! That happens to me all the time! THANKS EBree!

Date: 10/24/2009 5:02:59 AM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Deco, these are gorgeous! Contrats. I love the settings and they look fantastic in the ear shots. Absolutely beautiful- you have a great eye for diamonds! Jen

THANKS Mrs Mitchell/Jen! Am so excited to wear them that I still can''t do a proper flower or diamond family or in box photo shoot. Maybe next year.

Date: 10/24/2009 5:27:56 AM
Author: LittleGreyKitten
Those look... perfect. Really. How totally gorgeous!

Glad you like them LittleGreyKitten ... you''ve got the antique stone jones too! THANKS!

They turned out gorgeous! 

Hey, isnt that a little chip I see at 6:30!  (just kidding)

Date: 10/24/2009 12:02:16 PM
Author: tyty333
Hey, isnt that a little chip I see at 6:30! (just kidding)

-- you might be right actually. When I sent the stones to BGD, I''d intended to set the .34 & the .31 ... but I sent along Ol'' Chippy also -- mostly because I didn''t have anywhere to put it except the jewel case I was sending the other stones in. And after Brian examined all the stones he thought I should set the two .34s -- INCLUDING Ol'' Chippy! The "chip" may be a natural. He thinks it is. And that it would be *fine* in a bezel setting. So after some nail-noshing I opted to go with his & Leslie''s advice & set the original two stones I''d chosen, including Ol'' Natural-ly. And now find myself w/ a tiny .31 un-chipped little beauty to play with. Ideas?

Hiya Deco!

Im sorry to have missed the original post!  The earrings turned out to be STUNNING! 

I have to say, seeing many, many of Brian's handiwork has been droolworthy - the man's execution is flawless.

Wear them in good health, much love and happiness always!

ps: I think the 3rd stone is begging to be bezeled as a pendant (I hear it all the way from Cali....)

eta: forgetting my English...

Date: 10/24/2009 12:19:39 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 10/24/2009 12:02:16 PM
Author: tyty333
Hey, isnt that a little chip I see at 6:30! (just kidding)

-- you might be right actually. When I sent the stones to BGD, I''d intended to set the .34 & the .31 ... but I sent along Ol'' Chippy also -- mostly because I didn''t have anywhere to put it except the jewel case I was sending the other stones in. And after Brian examined all the stones he thought I should set the two .34s -- INCLUDING Ol'' Chippy! The ''chip'' may be a natural. He thinks it is. And that it would be *fine* in a bezel setting. So after some nail-noshing I opted to go with his & Leslie''s advice & set the original two stones I''d chosen, including Ol'' Natural-ly. And now find myself w/ a tiny .31 un-chipped little beauty to play with. Ideas?

A bezeled pendant, of course

Date: 10/24/2009 12:46:02 AM
Author: decodelighted
Here''s a picture the inspiration earrings next to the finished product ... AMAZING, right?? It''s difficult to appreciate the delicacy of this milgrain in the blown up pictures but in person you can BARELY even see it its so fine. Its as fine as the SUPER FINE double milgrain on my e-ring and I never expected that! What a wonderful surprise!

Sorry I missed the big reveal!!  (I''ve been vacationing.) These are beautiful; love, love, love the setting! 

They''re scrumptious; enjoy!

Date: 10/25/2009 8:34:49 PM
Author: HollyS
Sorry I missed the big reveal!! (I''ve been vacationing.) These are beautiful; love, love, love the setting! They''re scrumptious; enjoy!

Thanks HollyS ... speaking of *reveals* ... have you seen the finished PURPLE product?