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Peg size

concun

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
201
Hi,
I am attempting to set my loose pearls (9.8mm with 0.7mm drilled hole) into simple studs. Ideally I think I would need 0.6mm post thickness with 6mm cúp. My search is unsuccessful as the available peg is 0.7mm and 4mm cúp. I guess I can dơ 4mm cúp but 0.7mm peg will not do. Can you please share the vendor who may have this? Or would you recommend to drill a bigger hole? If drilling is required, I think I would rather send to jeweler as I am a beginner.
TIA
 
I drilled a bigger hole myself with a tiny hand drill. Was it a great idea to do that with Takahashi Akoyas when I had never done it before? Probably not! But it did work. Here's the drill I used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098CF3VMM

I think you would want a much bigger cup for almost 10mm pearls. Tagging @katbran who said that 6mm cups are for 8mm pearls and you typically want a cup ~2-3mm less than the pearl size.

@yssie has some specific heavyweight findings she likes from Bella Findings, if I recall correctly. I think these are the ones but I could be wrong:

6mm, only in yellow gold: https://www.bellafindings.com/48197/14ky-6mm-cup-heavy-weight-pearl-stud-earring.html

7mm or 8mm in white or yellow: https://www.bellafindings.com/3721/c-14k-heavy-weight-pearl-earrings-26302-14k.html

You would want some kind of jumbo back to keep them supported. I'm hoping the people I tagged can help you out more! Bella Findings has also been helpful when I called them.
 
Ditto @newtojewels ❤️

0.6mm post diameter is extremely thin. Much thinner than a standard stud that you buy from any jeweller would have. I wouldn't recommend this as it'll be commensurately delicate (read: High risk of breaking). I personally target 0.8-0.9mm - this is Mikimoto's standard post diameter.

Expanding the hole a little is easy and a hand drill is exactly what I use as well. Do it under water (like in a bowl, or run your kitchen faucet). For future reference - a 0.8mm drill hole is "standard" for mounting or stringing sub-10mm pearls. You could certainly have someone do it for you if that's your preference, but it's really not a big/risky operation - it sounds scarier than it is!

My only deviation from newtojewels' preferences - I like a 6mm cup on a 10mm pearl. For two reasons:
1. A larger cup tends to be more visible face-forward
2. If you're buying stock findings, 6mm and under tend to be manufactured properly round, but 8mm+ cups tend to be out of round and you end up having to hammer them into shape. Custom findings wouldn't have this problem of course.
 
Ditto @newtojewels ❤️

0.6mm post diameter is extremely thin. Much thinner than a standard stud that you buy from any jeweller would have. I wouldn't recommend this as it'll be commensurately delicate (read: High risk of breaking). I personally target 0.8-0.9mm - this is Mikimoto's standard post diameter.

Expanding the hole a little is easy and a hand drill is exactly what I use as well. Do it under water (like in a bowl, or run your kitchen faucet). For future reference - a 0.8mm drill hole is "standard" for mounting or stringing sub-10mm pearls. You could certainly have someone do it for you if that's your preference, but it's really not a big/risky operation - it sounds scarier than it is!

My only deviation from newtojewels' preferences - I like a 6mm cup on a 10mm pearl. For two reasons:
1. A larger cup tends to be more visible face-forward
2. If you're buying stock findings, 6mm and under tend to be manufactured properly round, but 8mm+ cups tend to be out of round and you end up having to hammer them into shape. Custom findings wouldn't have this problem of course.

Thank you so much for weighing in!

And to be clear, I just saw those size suggestions quoted in a previous thread. I don't have any pearl studs so I don't have any stud findings preferences :) Your thoughts make so much sense!
 
The 6mm cup size is fine ( 4mm is too small imo) and the .7 peg is pretty standard when you get to the larger cup sizes as ofter the drill hole is at least .7 or .8 . I drill all my larger pearls at .8 or .9 which gives me a nice substantial peg .

You can always just get them drilled out a bit bigger or even do it yourself by just holding a drill bit in your fingers. I've had to do this many times when you just need the tiniest bit more room. You can also take the larger size peg , like a .8 , and gently file it down to fit.

If you think you might be interested in setting more than this pair it would be good to invest in a set of small jewellery files - or even just a couple of them - make sure you have excellent glue , and some jewellery pliers, smooth flat and small. Big help in holding the cup firmly while setting the pearl. And be sure to test the fit several times .. you don't want it super tight and hard to push on as the glue will add extra thickness and you may find the pearl stuck half way on . It should go on smoothly before the glue ... just not wobbly loose.

Suppliers - Rio Grande Bella findings should have a good selection.
 
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