Need Advice on Making Necklace w/ Heirloom Diamond

[Zeppelin]

My girlfriend has a 0.5 ct. diamond that her grandmother gave her. She currently wears it in a really dinky setting on her right hand. She hates the setting and has always talked about wanting to use the stone for a necklace.

I need some advice on how to go about this? Is this the type of thing I should go to a B&M for or could I do this through someone like WF (I'm in Houston).

Also, any recommendations on settings or places I can look for ideas? I will probably use white gold.

I am thinking I want to use as few prongs as possible (maybe something like a three-prong martini look) to make the smaller stone appear as big as possible. Maybe a bezel would be better and also lay better on the chest. I'm worried a bezel makes the stone look smaller, though.

I really haven't thought about this much yet and just wondered if some people could point me in the right direction.

Thanks ahead of time.

Zep

 

[SoonIHope]

Although I haven''t used Whiteflash myself, they get rave reviews from PS people and could definitely make you whatever you want!

I have a bezel set pendant (not from them) which I absolutely adore! Personally, I prefer the bezel setting for a pendant than prongs...and I like how mine is set so that the chain goes through the back of the bezel, so even if the chain spins, the bezel stays front and center.

Good luck!!!

 

[blueroses]

If I were in Houston, I would go to WF, NO QUESTION!!!!!! That''s my vote!!!

They''ve made gorgeous pendants for aljdewey, fatafelice, matatora, among others. I think some sort of a bezel setting could do the trick....have you seen Hest88''s sister''s engagement ring? It''s an asscher, but it''s this really ingenious DOUBLE BEZEL that''s gorgeous and really makes the stone look bigger. I wonder if something like that could be done for a pendant for your honey?

Good luck and keep us posted!!

 

[mrssalvo]

Whiteflash, no question. Here''s al''s pendant with a .75 center and a halo..i would do this with a .5 carat in a heartbeat..

 

[coda72]

The 3 prong setting from Whiteflash is very nice. I just got my necklace back yesterday, so I haven''t had much of a chance to wear it yet, but I really like how it looks. I had their bezel setting which is shown on their website and wasn''t in love with it. It was so heavy and thick that I just didn''t like it, so I traded it for the 3 prong setting. Also, the prongs are so small on this setting that I can barely see them. All I can see is diamond. I would definitely go for this setting.

As far as a halo type setting, I think on stones smaller than 0.5 carats that the halo can be overwhelming to the center stone. Since this stone is right around 0.5 carats, maybe it will be fine. And everyone else seems to think it will look good. Whiteflash will be able to tell you which setting will look best for the diamond, especially since you can visit them in person.

 

[bstraszheim]

I must say, I adore Whiteflash, but I do not adore their bezel setting. Perhaps it works well in a larger stone, but I have a .30 stone in their bezel setting and I never wear it because it rolls. I realise that a .5 will be larger than a .3, but it''s fractions of a millimeter, not enough to make a difference with regards to the rolling, in my opinion. If you do a zoom on the picture on their website, you will see that the bezel setting is almost like a little "barrell" and it rolls, it rolls horribly and most of the time the diamond landed face down on my chest. I bought a larger stone and Whiteflash set it into a four prong basket on a fixed chain and it''s fabulous. The pro of the bezel setting is that it does make the stone look larger, the .30 in the bezel looks almost as large as the .60 in the 4 prong basket.

If you wanted to do a halo, you could do it with the tiniest of melee, that would be stunning!

Let us know what you decide, and you know pictures are mandatory! : )

I wish you well,

Bridget

 

[Hest88]

Date: 1/26/2006 5:00:30 PM
Author: blueroses
If I were in Houston, I would go to WF, NO QUESTION!!!!!! That''s my vote!!!

They''ve made gorgeous pendants for aljdewey, fatafelice, matatora, among others. I think some sort of a bezel setting could do the trick....have you seen Hest88''s sister''s engagement ring? It''s an asscher, but it''s this really ingenious DOUBLE BEZEL that''s gorgeous and really makes the stone look bigger. I wonder if something like that could be done for a pendant for your honey?

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Blueroses, I can''t believe you remember my sister''s setting!!!

I do think that with a smaller stone in a pendant a bezel is the way to go. The neck and chest are such large areas that even larger stones look smaller. A bezel, such as the one posted above, gives the piece a more substantial look. The stone blends into the metal and the entire *package* is more impressive. Here''s a hand shot of my sister''s ring; the stone is only a .87 (and, as an asscher, looks much smaller than a comparable RB) but the double bezel makes it look huge:

Link to more picts of Hest''s sister''s ring

 

[Zeppelin]

Date: 1/27/2006 7:09:22 AM
Author: coda72
The 3 prong setting from Whiteflash is very nice. I just got my necklace back yesterday, so I haven''t had much of a chance to wear it yet, but I really like how it looks. I had their bezel setting which is shown on their website and wasn''t in love with it. It was so heavy and thick that I just didn''t like it, so I traded it for the 3 prong setting. Also, the prongs are so small on this setting that I can barely see them. All I can see is diamond. I would definitely go for this setting.

As far as a halo type setting, I think on stones smaller than 0.5 carats that the halo can be overwhelming to the center stone. Since this stone is right around 0.5 carats, maybe it will be fine. And everyone else seems to think it will look good. Whiteflash will be able to tell you which setting will look best for the diamond, especially since you can visit them in person.

I am thinking much along the same lines as you. I kinda want the focus to just be on the solitaire and not on the metal around it. I want the necklace and setting to be minimal and to not take away from the stone. I''m also not a fan of putting halos around stones to make them look better. I guess that just isn''t my style. I like the symplicity of one stone, but I do like to do things like minimize prong coverage, etc. to make that single stone look bigger or draw more attention.

I will definitely look into this three prong setting you are talking about, b/c I am also considering getting her a small pair of three-prong martini-setting diamond earrings sometime soon. Those would match the necklace you speak of nicely. Do you have any pictures?

 

[coda72]

I haven''t gotten a chance to take pictures of my jewelry yet, but I will really try to take pictures this week and post them here.