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Flipping pendants?

ecf8503

ecf8503

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
4,163
So I am planning a pendant project, likely a round center with a 0.4-0.5ct center. I love the Barbara milgrain at BGD, but I have heard it flips a bit. I like it a bit shorter, probably a 16".

In your experience, how does the Barbara behave, especially in shorter lengths? Or are "Mickey Mouse ears" fixed pendants less likely to flip? (My only concern there is the culet poking me and the stone getting dirty quickly.)
 
I just today recieved my BGD Barbara bezel pendant and I am finding that it's flipping. I specifically asked Jamie about this and was assured that it would not. But, I am very dissapointed and will mose likely be calling her soon :errrr:
 
A small thing dangling from a thin chain hanging from a moving neck is going to spin and flip.
It's just physics.

The mickey mouse ear design is slightly more flip-resistant than the design with one point of contact, but still the distance between the mouse ears is still tiny considering it's dangling from a thin chain that is bouncing around on a moving body.

I think flipping is something you have to accept unless you go for a design that is larger, flatter, bulkier and heavier.

This reminds me of women who want extremely thin rings encrusted with diamonds on 3 sides, then complain when they bend.
 
I have a BGD Barbara, 17 & 3/4" long, with a 5mm OEC in it. I don't find it flips a lot at all. It 'travels' but minimally compared to other necklaces. Mine sits just below the "supra sternal notch" - the notch at the base of your throat that feels like a 'scoop' in the bone...(just thought I'd dazzle you with a technical term! tee hee!)

I have the standard size chain that is supplied, which is very light. I think it may be just the nature of the beast - it flips, but it rights itself very quickly.
 
Thanks for the input... I really love the looks of the Barbara, but it sounds like maybe I need to consider other designs as well. Any other opinions?
 
I have the martini pendant from WF and it never flips. The loops are positioned where the prongs are (martini pendant uses 3 prongs). Occasionally I find the stone has scooted to the side of my neck but 99% of the time it stays put. I wear mine 24/7. 16" chain so it's always against my skin.

My culet is not against my skin. There is metal from the prongs that converges to cover the culet. It is smooth and maybe helps to keep the pendant from catching and flipping.
 
I have the fixed bezel pendant from BGD. It's a 0.47c diamond on a 16" chain and I find that it doesn't flip a lot. i'm not bothered by the culet either, the chain and pendant are so light, i barely feel it's on me.
 
I just looked at the design of this pendant. You can make it flip a lot less if the chain was kept restricted to the part where the two wire loops are widely separated. To do this, a jeweler needs to put some sort of added inner wire under both of those wires to keep the chain from moving toward the place where the two wires join at one point. Keeping the chain in contact with two wires will help prevent flipping while wtill allowing the pendant to slide freely along the chain and not go way off-center. Small pendants do tend to flip as they are not heavy enough to resist the motion of the body and the bouncing around that takes place, but you can restict how tightly the pendant hugs the chain and make it stay in contact at two places rather than one. It will have no effect on the visual look of the drop or chain and the wires still will keep the culet of the diamond from poking you.
 
I don't have a barbara, but I do have a 4 pronged U shaped basket with a bead chain attached to the top two prongs, about 1/3 way to the tip of the prongs. It doesn't flip at all, at I suspect it's the position of the attachment, and the fact that it's attached. Had it been attached further back towards the base of the basket, it'd likely flip forward a lot more.
 
swingirl|1345661442|3255450 said:
I have the martini pendant from WF and it never flips. The loops are positioned where the prongs are (martini pendant uses 3 prongs). Occasionally I find the stone has scooted to the side of my neck but 99% of the time it stays put. I wear mine 24/7. 16" chain so it's always against my skin.

My culet is not against my skin. There is metal from the prongs that converges to cover the culet. It is smooth and maybe helps to keep the pendant from catching and flipping.
Click to expand...


ditto... Martini pendant from WF.. .80 ct no flipping..
 
Mayk|1345671601|3255571 said:
swingirl|1345661442|3255450 said:
I have the martini pendant from WF and it never flips. The loops are positioned where the prongs are (martini pendant uses 3 prongs). Occasionally I find the stone has scooted to the side of my neck but 99% of the time it stays put. I wear mine 24/7. 16" chain so it's always against my skin.

My culet is not against my skin. There is metal from the prongs that converges to cover the culet. It is smooth and maybe helps to keep the pendant from catching and flipping.
Click to expand...


ditto... Martini pendant from WF.. .80 ct no flipping..
Click to expand...

Cool! Do you have any pics of the back of it?
 
Hi,
I have two mickey mouse attached and one flips and the other doesnt. The flipper is 16" and the non is 18". The 16" was custom and the one which doesnt flip is a stock setting from BN. Placement matters and also maybe the shape of the wearers neck.
 
It all makes sense. Physics works. I know I'll probably have some flipping no matter what I choose; I was just hoping the Barbara would be "the one".
 
ecf8503|1345660562|3255432 said:
Thanks for the input... I really love the looks of the Barbara, but it sounds like maybe I need to consider other designs as well. Any other opinions?
Click to expand...

Leslie tells me to send her a photo so she can see where it sits on my neck. She thinks my chain is going to have to be just a bit longer. So, I have sent them to her and I will let you know how it works out. I think it may be a bit too short but I don't want it hanging too low because of necklines on my clothes.
 
ecf8503|1345671819|3255575 said:
Mayk|1345671601|3255571 said:
swingirl|1345661442|3255450 said:
I have the martini pendant from WF and it never flips. The loops are positioned where the prongs are (martini pendant uses 3 prongs). Occasionally I find the stone has scooted to the side of my neck but 99% of the time it stays put. I wear mine 24/7. 16" chain so it's always against my skin.

My culet is not against my skin. There is metal from the prongs that converges to cover the culet. It is smooth and maybe helps to keep the pendant from catching and flipping.
Click to expand...


ditto... Martini pendant from WF.. .80 ct no flipping..
Click to expand...

Cool! Do you have any pics of the back of it?
Click to expand...


Not of the back... But here's te thread when I got it...

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whiteflash-plat-martini-pendant-804-j-vs1-expert-selection.172835/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whiteflash-plat-martini-pendant-804-j-vs1-expert-selection.172835/[/URL]
 
I have the Barbara on a 16" chain with a 0.4 ct diamond, and it does flip some, as others have stated. I'd say it sits fine on me 75% of the time, flips 25% of the time. I love it nonetheless.
 
lktx|1345679389|3255658 said:
I have the Barbara on a 16" chain with a 0.4 ct diamond, and it does flip some, as others have stated. I'd say it sits fine on me 75% of the time, flips 25% of the time. I love it nonetheless.
Click to expand...

Shoot. More to think about!
 
I have a .83 Barbara pendant with a 17" chain...it never flips at all.
 
Another factor is chain length.
Longer = more flipping.
A pendant closer to the neck will flip less than one that hangs down close to the cleavage.

The thickness of human necks varies a great deal.
This means the same 18" chain that will put the pendant low on the chest of a woman with a tiny neck, won't even fit around the neck of some women.

Another factor is activity.
Jogging results in more flipping than reading a book.
 
I'm pretty petite, so I think the 16" will hit me at the '"supra sternal notch' - the notch at the base of your throat that feels like a 'scoop' in the bone" (to quote from above), which is where I want it. I'm a SAH mom right now, and I don't wear jewelry to exercise, so hopefully any pendant wouldn't flip too much.
 
Barbara owners w/ pendants that don't flip, do you have really delicate chains?

The Barbara has 3 rounded, half circles (curved bars, whatever it's called) in the back, right? And the chain hangs through two of them, with one free one on the bottom? Well, unless the chain is very delicate, it wont fit in the very inner points of the part that looks like this: >, where those bars are attached. If the chains don't fit, it'll start sliding twards the bigger part, which ends up with the diamond hanging off the middle of the half circles, or flipping inward completely so it's facing your chest. Most of our chests are sloped, so I have a hard time believing that the length has everything to do with it. I blame it on the thickness of the chain. :bigsmile:
 
I am thinking of having a pendant made in the near future so this issue is on my mind. When you all say "flipping" what do you mean?? The stone's face towards your chest? Side to side? What?
 
Probably flipped in so the diamond is facing the chest? That makes sense because a curved back will always want to roll around, while the relatively flat table+bezel will sit comfortably when facing the chest.
 
kenny|1345730906|3255885 said:
Another factor is chain length.
Longer = more flipping.
A pendant closer to the neck will flip less than one that hangs down close to the cleavage..
Click to expand...

In my case, it is the opposite. My shorter pendant flips, my longer doesn't!
 
IME, most pendants flip. I wear this http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond-pendants/halo-bezel-pendant-18k-white-gold-5677w18 , and it flips vertically. It has a really pretty back, though, so at least it's interesting to look at when it's flipped. But I don't think there's such a thing as a non-flipping pendant, not for every wearer and all circumstances of wear. Also, I rarely notice when my pendant is flipped, so it might be flipping and people not realize.
 
I say get the pendant that you like the forward-facing look of and don't worry about the occasional flip.

FLIP HAPPENS!
 
Re the BGD Barbara: I just thought that as well as looking very architecturally interesting to have that 3rd wire 'loop' at the bottom, I thought it was there to help stabilize the pendant from always tipping forward in that design. The loop at the bottom, keeps the entire pendant flush with the skin and facing forward. At least that's how I think of it...
 
ecf8503|1345750024|3256064 said:
Hey is diamondseeker2006 around? I found this thread which shows a custom back for the milgrain bezel style, and I was wondering how it behaves in the real world. :)

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...endant-redesign.160887/#post-2925078#p2925078
Click to expand...

Hers shouldn't flip at all because the chain only goes thru one point, and there are 3 more points to weigh it down. If it looped thru two points, then it will likely flip because the weight distribution would be completely different. Hopefully she'll chime in!
 
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