Best size for an everyday pendant?

[Circe]

The Season of Presents is approaching, and I'm starting to go idly back and forth in my head ... get a new piece, or get an upgrade? I haven't any diamond earrings, so I'm deeply tempted to get studs, but at the same time, I keep looking at my pendant with a speculative eye, and wondering when a pendant gets too big. "Too big" is blasphemy on PS, I know! But, still - in terms of dominating an outfit, looking fake, or overwhelming other accessories, it's at least hypothetically possible, right?

So, what do you think is too much in a solitaire pendant. Half a carat? A carat? Two? Twenty-two?

 

[starryeyed]

Hi Circe!

It's all relative. For example, with a 1-carat e-ring, you may want to stay under 1-carat for a pendant. Or you may want to stay relative to your studs, when you get them. If you get 1-carat in each ear for example, I would think you'd want more than 1-carat around your neck. Other than that, no such thing as too big!

Actually, as you know, I just got a 2-carat pendant for everyday. In my small world, I think it's a little too big, but with the trade-in, it made the most sense.

 

[kenny]

If your household income is $11 million that diamond may be too small.
If it is $11 thousand it may be too large.

Overall I say buy and wear whatever you are comfortable with.
Ignore what others think.

 

[clgwli]

Honestly I think it is so relative to the size of the person. I'm short and petite. I tried on a bunch of pendants lately since I am about to have one made for me (if I can ever decide on what cut/type of center stone) and I was shocked with what size I liked. I had on a 64 point RB and it looked way too big for daily wear for me. I also tried on about 20-25 points and that seemed to be perfect. Again this is for daily wear for me. I even tried on the DBTY at Tiffany in sterling and found that the 5 pointer was adorable little perfection resting right at the collar bone.

So for me I am looking at about 1/4 carat and I know that sounds tiny but on me it works. So try them on, don't ask for the size until after the fact (like I did) and see what you like first. I personally tried at Tiffany's even though I didn't plan on buying there due to cost, because they have a large selection of pendants to try on. So if I were you I'd do the same. Try things on w/o knowing the size and see what you like.

 

[starryeyed]

Hi cigwli.

Just a thought - have you seen this? http://www.diamondbistro.com/catego...h-414-Four-Corners-Diamond-Pendant-E-VS2.html

It's a WF Expert Selection 0.414 E VS2 pendant for $825. May be a good buy for you, especially when DDS starts to set in!

 

[starryeyed]

Overall I say buy and wear whatever you are comfortable with.
Ignore what others think.

I love the way you think Kenny!

 

[SparklyOEC]

Ditto Kenny! Wear what you're comfortable with.

Starry - love the pendant you posted...very nice.

 

[clgwli]

Hi cigwli.

Just a thought - have you seen this? http://www.diamondbistro.com/catego...h-414-Four-Corners-Diamond-Pendant-E-VS2.html

It's a WF Expert Selection 0.414 E VS2 pendant for $825. May be a good buy for you, especially when DDS starts to set in!

Thanks for the link. That is a nice pendant for sure. I haven't decided if I am going with a RB or something less traditional yet. I am so bad and I really need to put more thought into this soon. It's going to be a gift from my grandmother so to speak.

I did mean to say that after trying things on you should always buy what you like, not what you think others will like. I know I definitely go by that rule when I pick things for me. Large or small if you are happy, then who cares what others say?

 

[Fly Girl]

Circe - My diamond solitaire pendant is a 0.7 ct round Crafted by Infinity. It is a great size because the light return on that thing is outstanding, so it attracts a lot of attention...attention I might not want if it were 2 cts. Ditto Kenny's point above.

Now, I do like to wear larger pendants at times, so I buy various sizes and colors of colored gemstones to fill this need. I just purchased a goshenite beryl (colorless aquamarine material) that has a diameter of 11 mm, which I think will look amazing. It will be my personal substitute for a diamond honker, because I would never, ever wear a diamond that size. Unless, of course, I suddenly transform into a Hollywood starlet.

Mastercut Gems currently has a huge colorless zircon (over 10 ct) that I think would make an amazing pendant with lots of dispersion, if you want to go big on a budget.

http://www.mastercutgems.com/index.php? ... em&id=5627
http://www.mastercutgems.com/index.php? ... em&id=5627

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think the perfect size solitaire pendant would be about 2ct in a bezel Or bigger if you can afford it! Around the neck, anything goes.

 

[usnwife]

I just reset my original ering stone into a solstice setting. I think that at 1.8 cts, it is too big for me.

 

[Circe]

The funny thing is, when I got my pendant last year, I was over-the-moon overjoyed with it. It's a 1.3 pear in a bezel, and I figured that would keep me satisfied for life. But I guess this is what people mean when they talk about DSS. It's not that the pendant looks measly or anything all of a sudden: it's just that when I think about the allocation of future funds, I'm sort of surprised to find that, priority-wise, the pendant is still up there. Hence the question ....

Starry - I have heard that before, the theory of e-ring proportionality! In fact, before I started this thread I tried Googling some random phrase like "best size for a pendant." It gave me a link to a Yahoo thread where an increasingly frustrated guy kept caveating his question to finally say, "Look, what I'm trying to say is, nothing she owns is ever going to be bigger than her 1-carat e-ring: now give me suggestions." It never made much sense to me, though - since the e-ring is one of the first pieces of jewelry one acquires, why wouldn't the rest be bigger? It just seems predicated on this notion of a permanent financial class .... BTW, I am looking forward to seeing neckshots of your beauty eventually! I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Kenny - Couldn't agree more! If somebody abstractly looked at my throat and said, "Ewwwwwww, that is so tacky!" I doubt I'd much care. (Well, maybe I'd giggle a little.) But for fun on PS to talk about our own individual metrics and standards and desires, about the "politics" of e-rings vs. other pieces of jewelry? C'mon, Kenny. Play with me!

Clgwli - such a good point. The proportions of the individual figure totally influence the types of jewelry we like, and so do the looks we're trying to achieve. For years, one of my best friends and I both insisted on big jewelry, using the rational that we were amply proportioned ladies. Then we both sort of sheepishly started creeping towards the occasional delicate piece as we mellowed with age ... I actually have a little .25 that I wear at the hollow of my throat once in a while. It's such a pretty look! I hope you'll come back and show us what you get ....

SparkleyOEC - I know, I know! And I do. I just really like the threads full of anecdotes and rambling theories!

Fly Girl - Oooo, that sounds purty. Since PS is still giving me agita whenever I try do searches, any chance of a link or pics? The gem thing makes perfect sense to me: some of my favorite pendants are in the neighborhood of 20 carats. I have one gorgeous bottle-green tourmaline that I set myself - [kisses fingers to the air]! It is a joy and a delight. But, sadly ... since getting the pear, I barely wear any of the others. Once in a while, I try to layer, and but that strikes me as a bit much ... methinks I either need a shorter chain for the smaller stone, or to get over the separation anxiety ....

Dreamer - hubba, hubba! Seriously, though, I know I remember seeing you talk about how you tend to funnel all your energy into perfecting one piece before moving on to a new project. Would you lean towards a new piece, or just ... keep making your hypothetical pendant bigger and bigger and bigger? Some of the same issues that apply to a ring apply here, too, but in different ways (for one thing, I don't think pendants get the same automatic once-over; for another, I think it's tougher to gauge them accurately). So ... thoughts?

USNWife - that is a gorgeous stone! Why do you think it's too big? Do you have any neckshots, maybe? If you do feel like it's big, and want to minimize it, one thing that works for me is a very long chain ....

 

[blueiris]

I wear a 1.37 bezel-set pendant every day. It's a great size for me. I wanted a size that was "there" but not, for me, "over the top". I think I could have gone a little bigger but at the time I wanted to be absolutely sure that I would feel comfortable wearing this every day, with anything, and not feel like it was "too much" (which I'm sure everyone defines differently). While I admire very small and delicate pieces of jewelry on others, I find they don't look quite right on me because I am tall.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Dreamer - hubba, hubba! Seriously, though, I know I remember seeing you talk about how you tend to funnel all your energy into perfecting one piece before moving on to a new project. Would you lean towards a new piece, or just ... keep making your hypothetical pendant bigger and bigger and bigger? Some of the same issues that apply to a ring apply here, too, but in different ways (for one thing, I don't think pendants get the same automatic once-over; for another, I think it's tougher to gauge them accurately). So ... thoughts?

I most definitely prefer to see a project through to completion before moving on to something else. That is why I currently own a sum total of one diamond (plus two half eternity bands, original e-ring and baby ring, but those were one off projects so to speak). My diamond is not yet in its "forever home" so future funds will still be spent on that one piece of jewelry. If YOU have a dream size for the pendant and think it is achievable and it would make you happy, then in your shoes I would put money to that particular project until I got there. No question.

The only way I would deviate is if I was satisfied enough with the current size and had another project that I could get a really really good start on with the budget at the moment. For example, I would like a tiffany etoile style ring with a .50ct diamond for casual wear and sometimes feel tempted to make *that* my next priority over making my ring into a three stone. The cost would be similar. But then I remind myself to keep the eye on the prize, which is one dream ring. Soooo... What is your "prize"? Your dream pendant?

I think if you upgraded to a bigger pear in a bezel it would be KILLER on a long pendant swinging and visible to you all day to play with as you read a book, for example . Heavenly. Earings, you never see them. Seems a waste to me!

 

[clgwli]

Circe I will definitely come back and show what I get when I get it. I'm still in the decision stage. I know what setting I want, but I don't know what stone I want LOL. I love the look of traditional rounds but I am not sure it is me. So if I can swing another shape in my budget I will. I am also seeing if I can do an adjustable length chain so I can change it up if I want it in the hallow of my throat or on my chest. If not, I just want a teeny bit of bling at my chest so we'll see what I get. I am lucky in that I am small and very short so small works well on me.

I was really glad to try things on w/o knowing the size though. That was the best thing I did to know what is really right for me! There were no expectations when you have no idea of what you are wearing.

Dreamer I didn't realize you worked that way with projects. I probably ought to do that, but my issue is that I never can decide what I want in the first place. It takes me years sometimes to decide.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Dreamer I didn't realize you worked that way with projects. I probably ought to do that, but my issue is that I never can decide what I want in the first place. It takes me years sometimes to decide.

It is what I do now, not really what I started doing. I had a couple false starts before I knew what I wanted and then I sold the false starts and put that towards this diamond and any other funds too. Unfortunately for me, my wants far exceed my funds so by necessity I have been working at my ring incrementally and focusing on it solely. If I liked smaller diamonds, or gemstones, I would have a lot more jewelry for sure! I am indecisive as well, in case you have not noticed but I have decided not to ever buy something unless I am *sure* it is what I want, and if I am not sure, I do not buy! I think resetting my ring could take me years too... I waffle on whether to do three stone or solitaire, and as long as I am waffling, I won't do anything!

 

[motownmama]

I wear a .85 in a tension setting 24/7.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

My mom put her old 1 ct. ering diamond into a pendant setting and I got to wear it for a few months. I LOVED the size. It was definitely substantial enough to be dressy, but small enough that it looked great with a T-shirt and pair of jeans. Very versatile.

As someone else said though, part depends on your income/style of living, and part on body size/height. I'm small and short and until recently a student, so more than 1 ct. would have been too much. If I were 6 inches taller, I would be totally fine rocking a 1.5 ct.

 

[clgwli]

Dreamer I didn't realize you worked that way with projects. I probably ought to do that, but my issue is that I never can decide what I want in the first place. It takes me years sometimes to decide.

It is what I do now, not really what I started doing. I had a couple false starts before I knew what I wanted and then I sold the false starts and put that towards this diamond and any other funds too. Unfortunately for me, my wants far exceed my funds so by necessity I have been working at my ring incrementally and focusing on it solely. If I liked smaller diamonds, or gemstones, I would have a lot more jewelry for sure! I am indecisive as well, in case you have not noticed but I have decided not to ever buy something unless I am *sure* it is what I want, and if I am not sure, I do not buy! I think resetting my ring could take me years too... I waffle on whether to do three stone or solitaire, and as long as I am waffling, I won't do anything!

I admit I love hearing how people think and act when it comes to jewelry. I admit I have quite a few loose gemstones that I am not sure what to do with. Many came from damaged settings I just didn't care to fix (cost of labor very high vs buying a new setting). So I always feel like I have quite a lot of unused stuff here.

I guess I am happy that the reset of my Sunny will be done when my husband wants to do it because it does allow me to buy more for myself w/o feeling like she's being left in the dirt.

And I am amazed at myself that I decided on the pendant. The setting is decided on and the stone just needs to be found (being looked for now for me). Decided to go with a little kite set princess somewhere around 1/4 to 1/3 carat in size. And just going with standard 16" chain for me which will be mid chest. I don't like anything but rounds in the hallow of the neck and since I am not a fan of rounds, princess it is. I can't believe I actually decided so quickly