More ACA’s – Earrings and Eternity Ring

[FancyDiamond]

Last year, thanks to Whiteflash, I was able to have four pieces of jewelries made while I was away from my US home. I must say I am very fortunate to have found Whiteflash from Pricescope. First, their ACA’s are the best. Second, their customer service is unsurpassed. There aren’t many jewelers from whom we customers can trust enough to place order for special design jewelry worry-free while being half a world away. Communication was definitely smooth.

Before I begin sharing my new jewelry pieces, I want to specially thank Chris from Sales for making these purchases possible and Joseph for his artistic and well-thought designs.

Diamond Studs –
Believe or not, I never wore earrings before. I did not get my ears pierced until last September. Before I decided which earrings to get, I asked my friend for advice. "If one can only have one pair of diamond earrings," I asked, "what would you get?" She said, “No doubt, studs.” I then did a search on PS. The entire thread of “Show me your studs” is mostly about studs. I guess I can’t go wrong with studs. Besides, they seem to be versatile enough - for everyday wear or for some days when I want some bling on my ears.

As most earring newbies, my first questions were what carat size and what setting style. I wanted to get 1ct each, but prices had shot up greatly. I searched WF’s inventory and got myself the largest pair of ACA’s available under 1 carat each. These are what I ended up getting.
0.717 E SI1 A CUT ABOVE
0.720 E SI1 A CUT ABOVE

For stud setting, I selected 3-prong Martini, because it seems to be pretty popular. Again, the choice seems safe.

 

[FancyDiamond]

Here is an ear-shot to show you the real life size. The studs are very comfortable.

 

[FancyDiamond]

The size of the studs is good for everyday wear. To give a boost to the size and bling, I decided to get jackets. HooCares posted her pretty hearts jackets with 1.5 pts melees. I want larger melees and I do not like jackets that droop. Yes, I heard about those large plastic discs that one wears in the back of her ears to prevent drooping. I did not get the discs, and wanted to wait and see.

When I first talked (via emails) to Joseph about the jacket design, I gave him my wish list.
2-pt melees
No air-line (or minimal)
No drooping, meaning light in weight and minimal thickness
Central diamonds not protruding too much from jackets
Pretty hearts

Here are the photos that Whiteflash sent me before I received the jackets.

 

[FancyDiamond]

Details about the jackets:

18 K WG jackets, each with 14x2pt ACA (F/VS) melees
Total height is about 5.6mm (from the bottom of the
jacket to the table of the center diamond)

Thickness of the jacket is about 4.30mm (from the
bottom of the jacket to the table of the melee diamonds)

Diameter about 10mm.

 

[FancyDiamond]

My first impression - The jackets are LOVELY and the diamond studs are sparkly. When I opened the boxes and viewed them for the first time, I felt the same thrill and excitement as before when I received all my previous WF diamond jewelry (so I am very happy). The jackets are exquisite, delicate and GORGEOUS in person. The WF photos don't do justice, and the hearts look different (are much better in real life). The jacketed studs are light and comfortable. Too bad that I cannot see the hearts when wearing the jackets, as they are hidden.

Joseph did a great job with the design and Production (whoever the craftsman is) also did an amazing job with all the finishing touches. There is no drooping, and I do not need to wear discs. Joseph put a lot of thoughts into this design in terms of weight, height, and prevention of drooping, and the jackets turned out as intended.

I notice how low the diamonds are set. I can see the cutlet almost touches the base metal of the stud. Normally, I prefer high-set diamonds that appear larger. In this case, it is important to have low-set diamonds, because I want the studs to be as close to my earlobes as possible. Joseph purposely shaved off the metal base of the jackets to reduce a little bit of height. It would be counter-productive if the diamonds were set high such that they stick way out (not helpful in terms of prevention of drooping either).

In terms of the melee size, I am glad that I insisted on 2-pt. I knew 1-pt will just shimmer. Afraid that 1.5-pt will also shimmer. Per my pear halo, I already knew that 2-pt would sparkle and one could see the round shape of the melees. Now that I see the jackets in person, I know I can easily go with 3-pt to 5-pt melees with no problem in proportion and the sparkles will very likely increase to my liking. Wonder if I should have gone with haloed studs (no jackets) with 5-10-pt melees? Well, that may be another earring project. For now, I am content with my combination with the flexibility of having two different looking earrings in one.

One thing I learned from my jackets purchase (maybe obvious to others, but not to me) is that there is no way to avoid having an air-line. One can minimize the air-line, but not completely eliminate it. The reason is that space is needed to accommodate the prongs of the studs. If one does not want air-line, then the only solution is haloed studs (central diamonds attached to halo), but then one loses the flexibility of jackets.

Now, more the real-life photos.

 

[FancyDiamond]

More

 

[Dandi]

OH MY GOODNESS FD!!! You are officially my bling hero Your studs are so beautiful, but those jackets!! Perfection!! I hope to get some jackets this year for my WF studs and yours are just spot on. Beautiful!!! You have the most exquisite taste!

Do you have earshots of the jackets??

 

[FancyDiamond]

Finally, an ear-shot of the jacketed stud. Doesn’t the jacket change the look of the diamond stud completely?

Need to go to sleep. Will be back to continue with the remaining jewelry pieces.

 

[Dandi]

Oops sorry hon, I interrupted the show! They look magnificent!!

 

[FancyDiamond]

OH MY GOODNESS FD!!! You are officially my bling hero Your studs are so beautiful, but those jackets!! Perfection!! I hope to get some jackets this year for my WF studs and yours are just spot on. Beautiful!!! You have the most exquisite taste!

Do you have earshots of the jackets??

DA, Call WF about these jackets. They are thinking about making them available on their website/inventory. I think these jackeets are the best in terms of bling, functionality, and appearance (not to mention quality of melees). Worth every penny! Aren't you glad I was brave enough to try out 2-pt melees and work out all the kinks with WF (no drooping)? As you can see from my ear-shot, the jacketed studs sit very close to my ears.

 

[Dandi]

OH MY GOODNESS FD!!! You are officially my bling hero Your studs are so beautiful, but those jackets!! Perfection!! I hope to get some jackets this year for my WF studs and yours are just spot on. Beautiful!!! You have the most exquisite taste!

Do you have earshots of the jackets??

DA, Call WF about these jackets. They are thinking about making them available on their website/inventory. I think these jackeets are the best in terms of bling, functionality, and appearance (not to mention quality of melees). Worth every penny! Aren't you glad I was brave enough to try out 2-pt melees and work out all the kinks with WF (no drooping)? As you can see from my ear-shot, the jacketed studs sit very close to my ears.

I am indeed! I shared all of your concerns re. jackets and I feel like you've done all the dirty work for me! Do you think 2pt melee would be too big for my studs? They are .54 and .56, and about 5.3mm a piece.

Sorry, threadjack over I'm heading back to admire your pics again

 

[Amys Bling]

Love love love.

 

[lknvrb4]

Very pretty!

 

[yennyfire]

Absolutely lovely! You did good!

 

[Enerchi]

Congratulations on the pierced ears, the studs and the jackets!!! THey look amazing - beautiful detail on the jacket baskets... absolutely beautiful!!!

It doesn't seem to be a stock item for online vendors yet, that would be great if WF offers these from now on! THanks for posting

 

[alene]

Beautiful earrings and jackets! Look perfect on your ears!

 

[m-2-b]

They all look great together!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Can't wait to see your other pieces. Love the studs and the jackets. The jackets look just like the one Brian offers at BGD and I love those.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

They are indeed very beautiful! You picked a perfect combination!

Some of us were wondering whatever happened with your cushion diamond set in the Royal Crown setting??? I hope you loved it when you actually saw it, but if not, did you have it remade or reset altogether?

 

[tyty333]

Your jackets are gorgeous! So dainty but with a really big punch! They show off your ACAs beautifully!

 

[FancyDiamond]

Thanks everyone for your kind words. Now, let me move on to my eternity ring.

Eternity Ring - I needed a diamond band to pair with my 3-stone Ering. My 40-pt 5-stone ring just does not look right (proportion-wise). The 40-pt diamonds are too big and overwhelm the center stone of my 3-stone Ering (see attached photo). Then, I looked into getting an eternity band with 15-pt melees.

Before I decided on the eternity ring, I had the same debate as everyone else regarding full vs ¾ vs ½ eternity. Considerations included cost, comfort, spinning, and potential damage to backside diamonds. To me, spinning is the biggest concern, and I do not want to constantly re-position my ring while wearing it. The additional cost (for the extra diamonds in a full eternity) is relatively minimal compared to the total cost of a platinum setting and 15-pt ACA melees. For these two reasons, I decided on a full eternity, with the understanding that I shall have to be extra careful about the backside diamonds.

When I received my eternity ring, I was very happy. It is perfect, as it goes well with my Ering. One thing worth noting is that, in real life, the eternity ring adds lots and lots of bling. Photos simply cannot capture the extra bling.

The eternity ring is very comfortable, so 15-pt melees are OK (do not cause discomfort).

Details od full eternity ring by Whitefalsh:
20x15pt, F color VS clarity ACA melees,
size 6 platinum setting

 

[FancyDiamond]

My set.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, that is a beautiful band, FD!!! I have never seen that setting before, but it looks like it is very low, which is wonderful! I think 15 points is a lovely size and great to even wear alone.

 

[marcy]

Very pretty. They look very sparkly.

 

[makemepretty]

Beautiful new additions. I tried to find the stats on your three stone ring but couldn't, if you don't mind me asking could you tell me them for comparison? Thanks!

 

[FancyDiamond]

[quote="DandiAndi|1327734960|3113683
Do you think 2pt melee would be too big for my studs? They are .54 and .56, and about 5.3mm a piece.

[/quote]
DA, The decision is based on personal taste and how much more one prefers in terms of added bling and overall jacket diameter. For me, the answer is definitely yes. You see, for my 1.44ctw studs, which are just a little bit larger, I already think that I can go 3-5 pts melees. Therefore, no doubt I would use 2 pt melees for 1.1 ctw studs.

In real life, 2-pt melees are very tiny. 5-pt melees are not that much bigger. Remember, I have 5-pt melees on my Circle of Life pendant, so I know. The bigger melees will provide more diamond coverage and bling. However, I wonder if you would need to go with a smaller diameter jacket, namely 13x0.02ct each, so there is minimal air-line?

Since these jackets are very new to WF (mine is the first pair), you will not see them in their inventory/website yet. I know they are planning to add. Just call to order.

Someone mentioned that these jackets look like BGD's. Indeed, they are very similar. The minor differences that I can think of are:

1. I do not need to wear plastic discs in the back to prevent drooping.
2. The melees are 2-pts and not 1.5 pts.
3. There are 6 hearts instead of 7.
4. The hearts are more 3-dimensional (more apparent in real life). The hearts are mostly separated. Their tips are at the bottom end of the jacket. That is, the circular base ring is hidden inside, rather than an extension of the hearts' tips. The purpose is minimized height of jacket to prevent drooping and allow jacketed studs to sit close to earlobes.

 

[FancyDiamond]

Your jackets are gorgeous! So dainty but with a really big punch! They show off your ACAs beautifully!

tyty333, you are so right about the jackets showing off the center diamond. Before, I wanted no air-line. For a moment, I wonder if instead I should have haloed studs that have no air-line. Now that I have seen my jacketed studs in person, I can see the benefit of a THIN air-line. It heighlights the center diamond and turns the focus on the center diamond. At the same time, it makes the center diamond appear larger (just compare the photos with and without jacket). Whereas in the case of haloed studs, all the diamonds, center one and melees, merge together, so there is no particular focus on the center diamond. My haloed pear diamond is a good example. In the case of a pear diamond, whose optics can never match those of an ideal round brilliant no matter how best cut it has, it is alright to halo the pear to get increased size. As for an ACA RB which has excellent optics, I do not want its beauty to be obscured a bit by the halo. In other words, the halo is best to complement and enhance, but not to over-shadow or overwhelm.

 

[FancyDiamond]

Beautiful new additions. I tried to find the stats on your three stone ring but couldn't, if you don't mind me asking could you tell me them for comparison? Thanks!

Spec -
Center stone: 2.383 ct, H VS2 ACA round brilliant
Pear sides: 0.81 ctw, F/G VS
Setting: platinum, size 6

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/awed-enamored-and-speechless-my-aca-fireball-from-whiteflash.121221/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/awed-enamored-and-speechless-my-aca-fireball-from-whiteflash.121221/[/URL]

 

[makemepretty]

Thanks for posting a link to the thread. It is such a GORGEOUS set. All your pieces are just beautiful and perfect.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Fancydiamond, I don't remember anyone ever mentioning that BGD's earring jackets needed a disc to prevent drooping. Did you read that somewhere? It would be good to know because i would like to get a pair of jackets to fit several pair of studs I own. The other differences you mentioned wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, but the drooping issue would. Please fill me in on what you learned in your research!

I can see now in comparing both photos how much lighter the Whiteflash jackets look compared to BGD's, and that the size of the disc in the bottom is much flatter. I love the 2 pt. melee. I like a bit of an airline with a jacket because it gives a little more ear coverage. I don't like it as much in a ring. They look wonderful.