question abut martini style earrings

[Mili-Lani]

Hi everyone,

I'm mostly a lurker here. I have worked with several of the PS vendors in the past and love love love them. I appreciate all the advice and knowledge gained on this forum. I have a particular question I was hoping to get some advice on. I am working with a vendor for a pair of four prong martini earrings and I finally found the stones and got them set. When I received them I noticed that the prong tips weren't snug with the diamond. If I can manage to attach a pic I will. When I contacted the vendor about this, they told me to send them back, which I did. I then got an email regarding this after I sent my earrings back. The vendor took out her martini set earrings and the prong tips weren't snug on her stones either. Apparently with martini style earrings (versus basket settings), it's difficult to force the prongs down on the stones without compromising the safety of the stone.

The stones are secure and if this were a ring I wouldn't be satisfied because my hair or my clothing would catch on the ring...but these are earrings. I just want other people's opinion. I do have some 3 prong martini earrings but they are in a safe and I haven't had a chance to look at them under a loupe. I just had a baby so things are a bit hectic with everything....TIA everyone.

I promise to post a review of the vendors and pics of my push project soon!!!

 

[Rhea]

I've looked at my 3-prong martini earrings with a 10x loupe. They appear to be touching the stone and pushed down from what I can see.

 

[yssie]

The stone should definitely be cradled by the prongs - which means the prongs need to have notches of the right thickness and angles for girdle and crown/pavilion facets, and the prongs need to be actually touching the stone - anything else is a loose prong and should be tightened..

 

[Mili-Lani]

here is a pic. And this was their reply (an excerpt):

With a martini there is no leverage underneath like there is with a basket to take the pliers and really squeeze that top of the prong down flush to the diamond.

**What matters is that the girdle is locked in to the notches of the prongs more so than the tips of the prongs being flush to the top. I understand that you felt uncomfortable with this and I can assure that the jeweler pressed them down as much as he could without compromising the safety of the diamond.

Their setter is not a newbie. He has been doing this for 30 years.

They are saying the stone is secure - and that's the most important right?

 

[yssie]

here is a pic. And this was their reply (an excerpt):

With a martini there is no leverage underneath like there is with a basket to take the pliers and really squeeze that top of the prong down flush to the diamond.

**What matters is that the girdle is locked in to the notches of the prongs more so than the tips of the prongs being flush to the top. I understand that you felt uncomfortable with this and I can assure that the jeweler pressed them down as much as he could without compromising the safety of the diamond.

Their setter is not a newbie. He has been doing this for 30 years.

They are saying the stone is secure - and that's the most important right?

Whoa.
They're saying that's okay and normal?
You need a new jeweller clearly decades of experience does not a master make. The stone should not be resting in or on the basket crossbars at all - those are to keep the prongs stable, not to support the stone. The stone should be held in place by the notches in the prongs, and only the notches in the prongs.

 

[rubybeth]

Yikes! I would NOT be okay with that. You need a better benchman who can make them secure.

 

[Frenchcut]

This doesn't look secure at all! I agree with the previous posters, you need to find another jeweller to make it right for you.

 

[Mili-Lani]

I sent them another message. The pic that I attached is by far the worst. None of the other prong tips are not like that. The girdle is locked as far as I can tell. If this were a ring, I would be afraid of it catching on things. But since these are earrings that shouldn't be a problem.

the stones are about 1.2ct each so I'm a bit concerned for their safety.

After I received the stones I immediately noticed this and told them about it. They told me to send them back which I did and then I received an email from them. This was a learning experience for them too as they were confused why this had happened as they have been in the business for quite some time and have worked with their setter for a long time too.

The vendor took out her own pair of 3 prong martinis and noticed the same thing. She attached a pic of it and one of a 4 prong basket.

This is very respectable PS vendor. I've done business with them in the past (just buying a stone) and they are very pleasant to work with and highly knowledgeable.

 

[yssie]

I sent them another message. The pic that I attached is by far the worst. None of the other prong tips are not like that. The girdle is locked as far as I can tell. If this were a ring, I would be afraid of it catching on things. But since these are earrings that shouldn't be a problem.

the stones are about 1.2ct each so I'm a bit concerned for their safety.

After I received the stones I immediately noticed this and told them about it. They told me to send them back which I did and then I received an email from them. This was a learning experience for them too as they were confused why this had happened as they have been in the business for quite some time and have worked with their setter for a long time too.

The vendor took out her own pair of 3 prong martinis and noticed the same thing. She attached a pic of it and one of a 4 prong basket.

This is very respectable PS vendor. I've done business with them in the past (just buying a stone) and they are very pleasant to work with and highly knowledgeable.

That it's a well-respected PS vendor just makes it worse IMO, doesn't excuse it. That's just shoddy workmanship and it needs to be fixed. On their dime. Period.

 

[Regular Guy]

before the vendor is named, it might be good if an appraiser got on here.

It does seem, based on naively assessing, incorrect to me.


Ira .

 

[Gypsy]

Okay so the girdle is in the notch. What happens when a strand of hair catches on that and pulls the prong away? I don't know... I wouldn't be happy about it. If her setter set both yours and hers it makes sense they have the same issue, but that doesn't mean it's a good setting job, kwim? Both of yours could be problematic. Two wrongs don't make a right. And 30 years doesn't make you right either.

 

[Mili-Lani]

Arghhh. I keep pressing the wrong button and it keeps erasing my message.

So I wanted to say that yes an appraiser's opinion would be nice. I also have a pair of 3 prong martinis at home and want to see how the prongs were set. I just feel that since these are pretty big stones that the prongs should be touching the stones and that there should be no gaps. What would make a stone loose if it was worn as an earring. It doesn't encounter the same type of stresses as those stones worn on the hand.

Again the vendor is very well respected and never encountered this problem before. I don't know what to do if all of a sudden everyone says this is not the case and the vendor is wrong. or that I find that my 3 prong martinis have prong tips that completely touch the diamond.

And yes you're right if the vendor's 3 prong martinis were set by the same setter then she would have the same issues so I'm really curious to see how my setting looks at home...I just need to find some time to get them out of the safe while the baby is sleeping.

Thanks everyone. The PS community is always very helpful.

 

[Mili-Lani]

So I looked at my 3 prong martini earrings and did not see the same problem. The stones are a lot smaller too. They are 0.62cts versus the 1.2 ct each of the 4 prong martinis. I'm a bit disappointed and a part of me wanted to see the same thing. I wasn't expecting this as I worked with this vendor before (not for a setting but for a stone many years ago).

They have offered a refund on the mounting costs and setting fee (which was $1 per point = $120+) but I'm assuming I will be out the cost of shipping ($100) which is ~25% of the cost of the setting. I'm trying hard to stay within budget here with the diamond prices increasing so much. I would also be out the time spent and with a baby time is very limited. The vendor has assured me the stones are very secure. I don't really know who to trust or what to do at this point. I attached pics of my 3 prong martinis just for reference.

 

[Mili-Lani]

Can I also just say I'm so stressed!!!!

 

[TimMD]

Sorry for your stress and lord knows I am the least smart of all the posters here, but I think if you accept something you aren't comfortable with, you are going to stress every more in the end and you will never be satisfied with the earrings and with stones that big, you should be COMPLETELY ecstatic. I don't know if the vendor is "wrong" but I just looked at my wife's 3 prong martinis with loupe and they definitely don't look like that but look much like the other pair you posted. So I don't think you are crazy for being suspect as I very well would be too and I would do whatever I had to do to ensure I was comfortable. Even if someone else looked and told me "this is ok" I think I would still be unhappy because just doesn't look like I would expect. That is just my two cents, good luck!

 

[Gypsy]

You shouldn't be out shipping. It's not like it's your fault. Just ask for the shipping back, IMO.

 

[Phoenix]

Arrghhh!! I typed out a long reply and lost it!!

I would NOT accept that prong. This is sub-standard work, plain and simple.