Briolettes for earring project

kalomeli · Jan 2, 2018

Hi all,

It’s been forever since my last visit here, but as I’m currently obsessed with the idea of having briolette earrings - I just had to post.

I may be doing a fairly inexpensive thread earring project so I’m looking for a pair of small diamonds for that.

But where to start? They don’t seem to be a stock item anywhere...? Maybe contact one of the old cut stone experts (Erica/Grace, etc) for what they have available that’s not visible on their websites?

yssie · Jan 2, 2018

@kalomeli I'm currently in the middle of exactly this project!

I have sixteen quarter-carat babies - gifted to me, so I can't help you source I'm afraid

but talking to a few old cut vendors sounds like a great idea!! As soon as I saw them I knew they were destined for earrings... well, and I do have an Earrings Thing

Briolettes aren't popular on PS. I can see why, objectively - they hide weight, their light return is very unorthodox compared to normal faceted stones, they're challenging to set... I think they're lovely though

Mine are side-drilled (horizontal drill hole near the tip) but I think top-drilling is more common in larger sizes. I like side-drilled briolettes because you can attach them without glue, but actually attaching them is difficult: the area around the hole is delicate, the hole requires a very thin wire which can tolerate only very light pressure or deformation, and you're left with a more "wire-heavy" casual look - jump rings, attachment loops, etc. Top-drilled stones must be glued but I think the attachment can look cleaner and more sophisticated (a simple peg or a very light cap). Undrilled stones must also be glued and to my eyes the larger caps required are unwieldy on smaller stones - this is probably my least favourite look.

I can't believe I don't have photos of the stones!

I'm going to have them asymmetrically attached to a pair of DBTY dangles that WF just made for me; the missing stone is deliberate - I'll clump some of the briolettes there