Looking for vintage style pendant setting for cabochon

[kindofclueless]

Hi,

A few months ago I purchased some loose Chatham opal cabochons (lab created). One is a 10mm x 8mm oval white opal, and the other is a 10mm x 7mm pear shaped black opal.

My fiancees birthday is coming up and I'd like to have one of them set into a pendant for her.

Though these are lab created, I'd really like to create a quality piece for her. For her engagemrnt ring i went the route of a 7mm cushion cut Chatham created ruby in a 14k white gold Gabriel Co setting with .65ct in the halo and graduated-band pave. There is lots of milgrain detail which gives it a nice vintage feel.

With that said I'd like to find an elegant pendant setting and chain for this piece. I don't have a go-to local jeweler, so I'm looking into the online route. So far, i havent seen much, and some of the settings that i have seen are extremely cheap and seemingly low quality.

I'm not set on any particular metals, but I'd like to keep the budget under $200ish if possible.

Can anyone recommend a good website to check out? Thanks!

 

[Michael_E]

It's really hard to find settings like you're describing for specific sized stones, especially ones as large as you have. It may be possible however. Stuller has a category of goods they call , "charms", which are settings for gemstones that have a small ring on the top. This ring can be easily fitted with a bail to make the charm into a pendant. The problem is the size of your stones. I haven't looked closely but have skimmed that section and they may have something that fits and looks good to you. If not, you might find something that you like that could be modified to fit one of your stones, or bite the bullet and buy a different stone to fit. Here's a link to their site listing these settings:
http://www.stuller.com/search/resul...ues[0].Second=&query=dangle+mounting+for+oval

Any jeweler in the US can and probably does buy from Stuller, so you can have this done close to home or online, as your preference dictates.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Considering your budget and the size of the stones, you will probably be able to get either a simpler, lighter gold setting or a more ornate, heavier silver setting or gold fill.