help with bezel pendant

[toopicky]

Since I just purchased an SI Ultrasonic Cleaner I thought the best way to make the most of my purchase was to buy something else to clean in it.

As a result I spent the afternoon shopping both online and in local stores for a bezel pendant. At a family owned local store I arranged to have 2 pendant settings ordered and I''d like some feedback on how the pendant will look.

I should probably tell you that I will be putting a .33 carat (round) diamond in the setting. The jeweler quoted the total cost to be around $650 for the diamond, setting, and chain. I really like this jeweler and use this store to have my rings polished. They are very friendly and have a great reputation in the area. In the many times I have been in the store "just looking" I have never been pressured to buy anything which I really appreciate.

I''m happy with the price and I''m not worried about the quality of the diamond (I trust this jeweler not to sell me a piece of crap... as I said he has a great reputation.. I will also be able to approve the diamond before it''s set and the purchase finalized) however I am worried about the overall size of the pendant. The settings he will be ordering are slightly different but both are 8.5 mm. They are both "slider" types of settings (meaning that the chain will pass through the pendant... this will allow me to switch between a 16" and an 18" chain depending on what I''m wearing. I know (from that very handy chart I found on this forum) that a .33 diamond should be 4.4 mm.... how will this look in that setting? My engagement ring is 1 carat (so 6.5mm) and I''m trying to use that as a guide... which makes me think that 8.5 mm might be too big....

Ok so I''m rambling now.... to get to the point.... what is your HONEST opinion about this combination (.33 diamond in 8.5mm setting)? Should I go back to the jeweler and ask him to order a setting with a smaller diameter? I know that if I don''t like what he is ordering he can send it back and order something else but I"m so excited about getting it that I don''t want to slow down the process.

I want a pendant that looks somewhat substantial but I want to find a good balance between that and the best presentation for the diamond. I don''t want to look like I''m compensating for a small diamond.The jeweler is the one that suggested these settings but I want to be 100% sure it''s the best option.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.... thanks

 

[lisaC]

http://www.stuller.com/products/listing.aspx?cid=d3926913-538f-41ac-9eac-d4e54debcc60

Well do you like the donut type of bezel as pictured at the bottom of the stuller page? Or do you like thin delicate bezels as posted in Mara''a Kristmas bling thread?

I don''t think a 2mm bezel is going to look like you''re trying hard to beef up the carat weight- .33 is a nice size.
Really it boils down to which you really prefer.
$650 is an amazing price. Whiteflash offers a ready set to go bezel pendant HSI .4carat for $890 in 14k WG

Hope you come back once you''ve made your choice with pics!

 

[toopicky]

Thanks for that link... I tried to find examples that match the 2 options that are being ordered but I don''t see any.

They are both smooth looking (they don''t really have that donut look them...picture the thin bezel only thicker) One of them goes smoothly around the diamond while the other one is similar but has 2 prongs on either side of the diamond (I think the diamond sits out more with this option but I''m not sure). I probably should have mentioned in my original post that they are white gold settings.

To be honest I love the thin delicate bezel but would want a larger diamond in that case. I''d really like to keep this under $700 so going up in size isn''t really an option (we''re saving for a house... gotta have priorities

) . I don''t mind the look of metal.... my engagement ring is 1carat in a 3mm platinum trellis setting with a 3mm platinum wedding band (which is substantial on my size 4 finger)... I love the look of the metal as much as I love the diamond and I think that may be the case with this pendant as well... I just wish I could picture it. My biggest concern is that the metal will overshadow the diamond... I want to make sure I get the porportions right.

On second thought, I''m not sure the price he gave me includes the chain... but that''s not a huge deal.

I hope this sheds some light on what is being ordered as well as my jewelery tastes. I don''t wear alot of jewelry... just my wedding rings and earrings... I never wear necklaces but I''m hoping this purchase will change that.

I''d love to hear any and all opinions on the porportions... I want something I''ll be happy with for a long time.... Thanks

 

[toopicky]

OK... after sleeping on it I have called the jeweler and told him to hold off on ordering those settings. I am going back down there this afternoon to look at other options. I''ve also asked him for quotes for a .4 carat pendant and a .5 carat pendant. I''ve decided that I would rather get exactly what I want now rather than buy something I may want to replace in a few years. The quote does include the price of a 16" chain and he will alter the setting to allow me to switch between chains. I think that this versatility will ensure that I wear the pendant often which could justify paying more for something a little larger. I can afford the extra... my orignial budget was based on $ I received for Christmas but I''m fine with kicking in money from my savings account (let''s be honest... a few hundred dollars isn''t going to make or break a house purchase and I''ve really done a great job saving in the past year so I probably deserve to treat myself). My husband may also contribute to the project as an early Valentines day present.

So now my question is... what size do you think I should go for and what price would be reasonable. I''ve looked at the prices Whiteflash lists for their .4 and .5 carats ($840 and $1200ish I believe... Blue Nile was about the same I believe) and I expect the quotes I receive to be similar (based on the price he quoted me for a .25 and .33). To be honest I''d rather get the .4 from a money perspective BUT if the .5 will be a huge differance apperance wise I may be willing to splurge.

Please help me I want to get this right. What would you do? I''m a value conscious shopper and if I could really be just as happy with a .33 as a .5 I''d rather get the .33 but I''m just not sure if that would be the case. Does anyone happen to have any pictures of bezels in the range I''m looking at or personal experience with these sizes?

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

What qualities/preferences are you looking for in a diamond? Color? Clarity? Cut?

cheers--Sharon

 

[toopicky]

The jeweler and I agreed to go with an economical balance given that it''s a pendant. I believe the way he put it was "it''s gotta be nice but it doesn''t have to be engagment ring quality".... after all it''s going to be a bezel pendant so that should give me some leniency.... right? I am going to ask him for more specifics today. My engagement ring is an H SI2 (but no one has ever been able to see anything in it... I get compliments on the clarity all the time... I think of it as my little secret ) but it has an excellent cut....I''d like a similar balance for this pendant.

He had an amazing AMAZING set of .33 carat each earrings (as well as a .25 each set). that looked huge for their size so I trust that he knows how to pick diamonds. One of my favorite things about his shop is the lack of "jewelry store" lighting.... he gets a lot of natural light in there which I love... makes me feel I''m getting a true idea of how things look.

 

[toopicky]

OK... so I''m back from the jewelers.... I went with the .5 (which will run $1200-$1350 depending on the price of gold and the cost of the diamond I go with). Ultimately I decided to get something I''m going to be happy with for a long time. Ironically... the total mm for the setting will be 9mm (which is even bigger than the setting that had me worried originally) but after looking at the picture of it again I think I''m going to be Ok with it. I chose the setting with the 2 prongs because it will allow the diamond to sit out a little and won''t hide any of it the way a true bezel would. The very back of the setting sticks out slightly more than the main part which I think adds to the overall mm but isn''t really noticable. If I hate it we can always order something else.

I asked about the diamond quality and he said it would probably be slightly included but a good color and he''s promised me an excellent cut....will this be ok in a pendant?

What do you think of this price? Is it reasonable? I''ve really blown my original budget of $300-$400 but I think I''ll be happier with this in the long run (which will save me the expense of buying something else in a year or two).

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Here is a link to my thread of my recent pendant purchase, bezel setting, halo, and .55 center stone. I don''t feel the bezel "hides" much at all. (Others have this pendant design with larger stones in it on PS...you can search if you like...)

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/so-far-so-good.72524/

Congrats on your purchase! You''ll have to post pictures when you receive it!

cheers--Sharon

 

[toopicky]

Love your pendant... it''s beautiful... I considered doing something like that but thought it would really blow my budget. That could be a great way to upgrade my pendant in a few years since the setting I''m ordering is pretty inexpensive (wouldn''t feel guilty getting rid of it).

I understand what you mean about it not hiding any of the diamond.... what I meant was that instead of the edge of the diamond sitting just under the bezel to hold it in place the diamond will sit just on top of it with the 2 prongs to hold it in place...from what I have seen it looks exactly like the traditional bezel except for those 2 little prongs (which I''ve been told won''t be very noticable in white gold... the picture I saw was yellow gold). By using this one the full diameter of the diamond will be visable and he assures me the diamond will be very secure.

I''m very excited... he should have everything in by early next week. We''ve nixed the idea of switching between chains... instead he will cut down an 18" to make a 16" and will use the rest to make an extender... much cheaper than buying 2 chains and will still allow me the versatility I want.