My Wedding Necklace: Handed down from Great Grandmother

[Clairitek]

I was given this necklace when I was really young. Probably 10 years old. I really didn''t care for diamonds (well, don''t really think I knew what they were or why people loved them) and I left it with my mother for the last almost 17 years. Finally on my last trip home I had her take it out of the safe. It was so gunked up with who-knows-what. I took it to my e-ring jeweler and they cleaned it up and gave me a rough estimate on value. Unfortunately one of the stones fell out while they were cleaning so I am waiting until I save up some money to pay for the stone to be re-set and have it fully appraised for insurnace.

I have no idea how she got this necklace!

I know this much:
It is platinum.
The pearl is not a farmed/cultured pearl.
The bigger diamonds in the chain are some transitional cut (don''t know enough to know if they are OMC, OEC, or whatever) and the little diamonds in the halo around the pearl are single cut stones.

My favorite parts of the necklace are the transitional cut diamonds with culets and the milgrain work on all the bezels! I also adore the grayish tone of the pearl.

So without further delay here are some pics of the necklace I intend to wear for my walk down the aisle!

***I want to note that all of these pics except one have been adjusted for brightness and contrast. For some reason, even though I took these pics in blazing high noon sunlight, turned out incredibly dark. I don''t know how to adjust the settings on my camera to fix this problem!***

 

[Clairitek]

Holy moly that one was huge! Sorry about that.

On a little plant my mother gave me for Valentine''s Day.

 

[Clairitek]

Just to show the weird darkness with my camera. This pic is the same original file as the one above but with no contrast correction. Any camera people out there know how to fix this?

 

[Clairitek]

You can see the stone that popped out in this one. I love the color of these flowers! Just the color I want in my wedding bouquet.

 

[Clairitek]

In the list of things I love about this pendant I forgot to mention the flower design in the basket holding the pearl in!

 

[Clairitek]

Last one. Close up of the pearl part and the details of the halo.

 

[Definitely. Maybe]

wow!! I

it!! Sooo pretty!

 

[FrekeChild]

NECK SHOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

WOW!!! That''s gorgeous. You''ve been holding out on us!

 

[newbie124]

What a pretty necklace! I love that it was a gift handed down from your great grandmother. Would love to see some pics of it on you!

What kind of camera are you using? Are you shooting on automatic mode?

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 2/20/2009 4:08:19 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
WOW!!! That''s gorgeous. You''ve been holding out on us!

I know. I''m bad. I was too lazy to take pics and my camera just isn''t the greatest. I finally played around with the freebie photo editing software and figured out how to adjust the contrast and brightness to bring out some of the details just now.

I did post some pics elsewhere on the net quite a while ago.

 

[lurkinglurker]

That''s AMAZING!!! Please post more pics!

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 2/20/2009 4:08:38 PM
Author: newbie124
What a pretty necklace! I love that it was a gift handed down from your great grandmother. Would love to see some pics of it on you!

What kind of camera are you using? Are you shooting on automatic mode?

Thanks newbie! Sometimes I wish I knew more about my great grandmother. She was Irish and died when I was about 12. I never knew her that well because she lived in England. She had my grandmother when she was 16 and then had 10+ more kids through the next 20 years. Its weird to think about how there is a 2 decade age gap between my grandmother (the oldest) and her youngest sister. I have no idea how my great grandmother happened upon such a luxurious item because at times she and her husband were so poor that some of the kids were in a local orphanage until they were old enough to work.

I am using a point and shoot camera and I think its on automatic mode. Unfortunately the zoom on my camera is broken and it won''t focus when I try to zoom. I do use macro mode though. I realize it might help if I go find my little tripod and use that with the self timer instead of holding it and the necklace in my hand.

 

[Clairitek]

I forgot to say earlier... Thanks Definitely, Maybe, Freke, and Lurker!

Always nice to share your sparklies to others who can appreciate them!

 

[violet02]

Wow it''s gorgeous! How wonderful for you to have a necklace like that to wear on your wedding day.

 

[elrohwen]

That is a seriously awesome necklace!! You''re so lucky that you get to wear something so special on your wedding day.

 

[Lanie]

WOW!!!! As Freke said, NECK SHOTS POR FAVOR!

 

[FrekeChild]

Need neckshots. I mean it!

I keep coming back to look.

ETA: I don't even like pearls.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I love everything about it!!!!!!!!

The flower basket is just so sweet. I love details like that!

 

[EricaR]

Neckshots!!!!!!!! NOW!!!

I love it!

 

[sunnyd]

That is awesome!!! Lucky you claritek!!

 

[Clairitek]

Ok Ok Ok

I will have FI take some neck shots this weekend when we have some nice light!

I''ve actually only worn it once. As soon as I picked it up from the jeweler after it was cleaned I put it on for my car ride home. I kept looking at myself in the mirror in traffic. The sun was really low and bright so the fire in the mirror was blinding! I love me some transitional cut stone fire!!

I then left it on while I was grocery shopping. I was walking around Trader Joes silently wishing for people to notice my necklace. Of course, that also meant me wishing people to look in my chest area... weird.

 

[EricaR]

As far as taking photos and making sure the photos get enough light, ideally the light should be behind you sort of to the side so it can shine over your shoulder and onto the necklace without your head/camera/hands blocking it.

 

[PearlDahhhling]

Oooh I love it! Can''t wait to see neckshots! And how SPECIAL that you get to wear an heirloom on your wedding day!!!

 

[FrekeChild]

I love that you wanted people to stare at your chest. Lol. And by this weekend you mean tonight right?

 

[AmberGretchen]

Beautiful necklace - and what a special family history, how perfect to wear at your wedding

 

[brandy_z28]

That is gorgeous! I love it!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 2/20/2009 5:12:03 PM
Author: brandy_z28
That is gorgeous! I love it!

Ditto! Lucky girl to have such a lovely heirloom!

 

[modernsparkler]

It is beautiful! How nice to have such a special family heirloom... and how funny that you didn''t care for diamonds as a kid!!! I am not sure how many of us would have been thrilled to receive jewels in grammar school.. but my how things have changed : )

 

[Clairitek]

Date: 2/20/2009 4:57:15 PM
Author: EricaR
As far as taking photos and making sure the photos get enough light, ideally the light should be behind you sort of to the side so it can shine over your shoulder and onto the necklace without your head/camera/hands blocking it.

I did this! I think I cropped out any shadow that my camera or body was casting on my hand (not the necklace, but my palm away from the necklace) when I was holding on to it but I really thought I did my best to block the light... Maybe not.

If its sunny out I am definitely going to drag out my tripod and give this another whirl. I do think that something is totally up with my settings though. Because on the screen its nice and light, just like in real life. But when I snap the picture it comes out incredibly dark.