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Detachable Gem Drops with Diamond Hoops

J

Jambalaya

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 2, 2014
Messages
4,790
I've been very taken with the jewelry choices of the Duchess of Cambridge, thanks to the royal style blogs and the royal jewelry thread on here. I particularly like the Duchess' collection of detachable cushion-cut drops on diamond hoops from Kiki McDonough, However, just to get one pair of drops with the hoops is about $2k equivalent, and the stones are only semi-precious, plus the diamond hoop weight is only 0.14. I think that's too much money for the item. In addition, each pair of subsequent detachable drops cost approx $1.3k - for semi-precious!

Luckily there's a company which does these drops in sterling silver for a fraction of the amount - like, $100 equivalent. "Heavenly Necklaces" is a company used by many celebrities who wear fake diamonds - but they also sell real semi-precious gems, and they have the same style as the Duchess's earrings. The hoops they sell are fake but I wanted real hoops. Everywhere I looked the hoops were approx $700 for under 0.20 ctw, and the $400-approx Whiteflash and Brian Gavin styles weren't quite what I wanted.

In the end I got a beautiful small, delicate pair of hoops from A. Link, 18k white gold, 0.12 ctw, very sparkly diamonds. Here's the thread on that: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/anybody-have-these-whiteflash-hoops.211723/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/anybody-have-these-whiteflash-hoops.211723/[/URL]

So, upshot: Real hoops for $170 and real semi-precious drops set in sterling silver for approx $100 each. I took the drops to the jeweler so I could see how they looked together, and I think they're perfect for each other. The delicacy of the hoops seems to really set off the drops.

Also, the HN drops are 1mm larger, and the ring at the top is finer than the Kiki drops, which have a thicker ring and I think it's distracting.

Here are Kate's drops, and the Kiki ones. Kiki hoops are 500 pounds (around $750) and the drops are 800 pounds (around 1.3k).

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Ear shots. The middle shot is a bit blurry but I've included it for perspective. By the way, this middle shot is green amethyst, not citrine. Posted them in slightly the wrong order.

I love the soft golden-lemon color of the citrine. The Kiki citrine is a violent orange, which I'm not so keen on - and the Duchess has also only worn her citrine ones once!

The drops are really nicely-cut, very sparkly, with a great cushion pattern. I don't think the photos show that. They are incredibly good value and look like much more than I paid for them.

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Some more. Last photo with face blanked out to try to show perspective. Blue topaz. and the last three shots are the green amethyst. I think the green is my favorite because it's very tasteful, IMHO.

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I seriously adore these earrings. I wear them all the time, and because of the thinness of the diamond hoop, I think they are wearable for daytime, and I feel so elegant in them. Dressed up, but not over the top.

I asked if they will have more colors, and they said to let them know what I want, so I asked for pale pink, a deeper blue, a deeper green, and transparent. Blue quartz may be used for the deeper blue. Anyway, lots of people have been clamoring for them - I'd quite like the amethyst ones too - and it will be very interesting to see what the company come up with. The new colors are supposed to be here next month. I can't wait - I could wear these earrings forever!
 
They turned out so pretty!!! I am so glad you found a more affordable alternative! I have also admired Kate's earrings!
 
Thanks Diamondseeker! I am so pleased with them - they really look so nice in person and I really didn't want to pay those Kiki prices! As you know, I have some other Kiki pieces but I they weren't as expensive as this style. Glad you like them!

P.S. The middle shot on the message above with a time stamp of 14.05 is a little blurred but it's more of a distance shot and you can see there how similar they look to Kate's.
 
I love Kate's earrings too!!! What a cool way to achieve the same look!!!!
 
Very pretty! They look great on you. Are they lightweight?
 
oh I love those!!! the hoops look so delicate (far nicer than the expensive options) and thats a great size CS. I like the proportions :appl:

I wear only my martini studs, but your pics have really got me motivated to find a nice pair of hoops and set some of my loose CS pairs into baskets to wear as drops!

You are very motivating, Jambalaya!
 
Arkie - Thanks! I'm glad I could get a similar look. Sometimes the similar look and not the real deal is a step down, but I really feel great in these and don't feel that they are a poorer substitute in any way. They are actually bigger than the Kiki ones! Can you believe Kiki charges 800 pounds for a semi-precious stone?? - Oh - plus 40 pounds for shipping!! Heavenly Necklaces charges 15 pounds.

Missy - thanks for your kind comments! The drops are reassuringly weighty. The hoops are light, of course - however they are not featherlight relative to their size, being 18k WG. The drops and hoops together are not so heavy that they pull on your ears, but they feel nice and solid, and a reasonable weight for their size. They are 11mm square, so not small, and the stones are quite thick. They're great value, in my opinion.

Enerchi - Glad I'm motivating! Maybe I'm your evil twin? You need these drops. The next set of colors will be here at the beginning of June. You just pay online with your US card and shipping is 15 pounds and takes about a week. Just saying. :naughty:

The whole cushion-detachable-gems-on-hoops thing might take off over here in the US, I believe. I've asked for them in various stores but no one here has them yet. Obviously stores in the UK are starting to carry them since HN came out with its own version of the Kiki ones. They are such a good idea and I hope they become popular here. Their popularity is all because the Duchess wears her Kiki ones so much - I'd never seen this style before she wore them. But semi-precious stones are not rare and are only, you know, semi-precious. So in my opinion, they should never cost as much as Kiki charges. And for peridot drops, Kiki charges 1,900 pounds! That's three thousand dollars! For peridot!
 
Just want to say - I know some people don't like when others get the same as them, but I want to make clear that I don't feel that way and would think it was a lot of fun if someone bought the same HN drops (and/or hoops) as me and posted them here. It's a giggle to compare and contrast. We could be drop buddies!
 
What a great idea you had!!! Good going, love that you got such a luxe look for a fraction of the cost! Very creative. They great on you! Congrats!! :appl: :love: :appl:
 
Thanks Azstonie!

I worked out that three sets of Kiki drops plus the Kiki hoops would have cost me $4700, and my three sets of drops from HN plus my A.Link hoops cost me $470. It's amazing to reflect that I could have paid ten times as much for the same look. After all, the 0.12 diamond weight of my hoops is about the same as the Kiki ones which are only 0.14, and both my hoops and theirs are 18k. Also my stones are every bit as real, plus well-cut, sparkly, and 1mm larger! The only real difference is that the Kiki drops are set in 18k while mine are set in sterling silver. But I prefer the thin top-ring on my drops.

Sometimes I don't mind paying a premium for a brand name, but this isn't one of those times!

Of course, the Duchess doesn't have to worry about cost, I'm sure!
 
Jambalaya, They look beautiful on you. The seem like the perfect earring that can be worn with anything. So, so pretty!
 
You're a great shopper Jambalaya! Great way to get multiple looks without the expensive price tag! :appl:
 
Thank you so much, Calliecake and Lovinggems!
 
I really love these Jambalaya! I think it's so cool to be able to change the earrings to match what you're wearing. these are really pretty and look so good on you :love: Have fun mixing and matching! I'd be like you, I'd be tempted to get more colors lol!
 
thank you Jambalaya, I've been away for a little bit because of family and I am so glad I just checked on pricescope. Seeing the pictures really helped, especially the real life wearing on ear. Looks very pretty altogether! :love:
 
Junebug - thanks! I'm definitely going to get more colors when they come out. They're only about $100!

Victoria - thanks, too! I was all set to spent approx $700 on the Kiki hoops after being unable to find anything suitable online, and am so glad I went to my local jeweler. The drops are quite large so I'm surprised they go so well with the delicate hoops, but they do. I bought one pair of drops first and then took them along to the jeweler. I think that's the best way to get the proportions right, unless you want to go with the Kiki hoops. :wavey:
 
Great choice Jambalaya!! They look great on you. Very elegant look.
 
I love these! :appl: What a great option. You find the best looks for less. :clap: The different colors are so pretty and look great on you! Keep the fun threads coming. Can't wait to see what you find next! :naughty:
 
I love those so much! They look fantastic on you!
 
Ooooh, thanks for the lovely comments, everyone! Very kind of you. :oops:
 
Thank you for helpful info and your beautiful pictures. They were sold out when I checked for the drops so I will just keep checking back. I am going to buy the drops first because that is a very good suggest. I read about a. Link brand and I really love the bright sparkle of your earrings so I am on hunt for someone near me in DC area to carry them.
 
Hi Victoria! I just emailed HN to find out when the drops will be back in stock, because I'm getting impatient myself! I will let you know what they say. They do still have the blue topaz in silver, but I'm not sure if that's the color you want.

Regarding the hoops, I tried to find my A. Link hoops on their website, but it's a bit useless. If you want the same as mine you could always ask a jeweler about ordering them. I think A. Link sells only through the trade, so only a jeweler will probably have access to the full collection. Mine are 0.12 ctw with 13 diamonds on each hoop. Be warned - they are wafer-thin and the diamonds are very small. However, they do sparkle, and I also think that somehow the very thin hoop looks good with the large drops, which I wouldn't have thought. The A. Link hoops also come in YG. I paid $170 for mine. I'll try and get a side photo of the hoops for you if you like. They're kind of flattish at the top.
 
OK, here's some further pictures of the hoops for your interest, followed by more pics of the drops since I had them on my camera and you seem to like them! These pics were mainly taken with a flash, so the drops aren't as see-through in real life.

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Drops. All taken with the flash except the last shot. The colors are more representative of how they look in the last shot, as the flash washes colors out. Victoria, in real life I'd say these drops are the perfect color saturation - not too dark and not too light.

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Thanks jambalaya, I love the earrings even more. I will definitely try to see if someone in area could order. They look perfect even by themselves if I don't want much in ear but still a little sparkle. The diamonds are so well cut for such little ctw.

I do want the blue topaz but holding off because if I place order I want to make sure I get two for shipping. Thank you for emailing in hopes for more information. I also sent my email for notification. Hopefully, they will get back soon with more. Maybe more colors!
 
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