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Recreating the iconic Angelina Jolie earrings (with lab emeralds)

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
The year was 2009. Angelina Jolie wore stunning 115 carat emerald earrings to the 2009 Academy awards. Instantly iconic, the earrings were crafted by Lorraine Schwartz and cost an estimated $2.5M. I've remembered them ever since as being completely stunning, but alas, since I don't have $2.5M million lying around (plus, as we'll get into, there are other considerations with these beauties), I'm finally taking the plunge at having them recreated.

Screen Shot 2021-08-07 at 3.43.43 PM.png

First up, materials. I think lab emeralds are the way to go, although one could consider green onyx, CZ, or paste. Or, whatever composite these Ross-Simmons earrings are. I'm also going to spring for real gold settings given the (relatively) high cost of lab emeralds at this size.

Second, design. Angelina's earrings were a whopping 115ct. That's 23 grams! (Or, 11.5 grams per earring). You can tell in the photo that poor Angelina's ears are holding on for dear life! I think that would be incredibly uncomfortable, even for a gala event (that's also excluding any of the gold weight). So let's think about scaling them down.

The costume pair I linked earlier is much more reasonable, at 19.20 ctw of "emerald" whatever. From the product shots (which admittedly are computer generated, but look roughly to scale to me); going down to an 8mm top emerald and 20x13 mm pear will still give some good presence. The model has very similarly sized earlobes to mine (attached), so I think as generated it might even be slightly under-sized.
Screen Shot 2021-08-07 at 3.53.52 PM.png

Now, here's where it gets interesting. I spotted these lab emerald beauties on eBay, and love the look of them. 7mm round earring studs, with a 4.5mm diamond and a 16x12mm pear, totaling 14.4ctw of emeralds. (And a much more reasonable 2.9 grams per earring). (Note that the model has a detached earlobe, so it's making the 7mm top emeralds look quite petite).

Screen Shot 2021-08-07 at 3.58.06 PM.png

It also brings up an interesting question-- should I change the top emerald to a round stone? Or keep it as a cushion? The possibilities are endless. For now, I'm contacting some instagram sellers to see if I can get some custom emeralds done in 8mm, and then working to see if I can find a good sized set of bottom pears. Then we'll have to approach setting, and I'm hopeful I might be able to get the pears set with an enhancer top so they would be removable. Any thoughts/ideas/well wishes appreciated as I think through the best way to go about recreating Angie's iconic earrings!
 

vintageinjune

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 4, 2012
Messages
1,089
Ooooo, how very exciting! What a great project.

Personally, I'd keep the cushion cut top. It feels a little more unique, and for whatever reason, is more visually appealing (to my eyes and preferences at least).

I had a good experience purchasing a blue moissanite from Jelly LabGemJewelry on instagram (and seems their prices are consistent, $45/ct for emeralds, plus paypal fees and $30 shipping), and it appears you might not be the only one trying to re-create those gorgeous earrings:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSQz1UDh8VC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
 

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
@vintageinjune thank you for your kind words and vote for a cushion top! Yes, the jellylab thread and the successful purchases are what started this whole project!

Apparently they don't regularly make lab emeralds as small as 7mm or 8mm so they would have to special order them for me. They do have some absolutely lovely earrings they've done in the past, but I don't think the sizing/proportion is right for my ears. I can only handle earrings that are about 4 grams each, so if I go wild with 30+ carat emeralds like they've done, I worry it wouldn't be wearable.
 

rosethorn

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 4, 2020
Messages
143
@vintageinjune thank you for your kind words and vote for a cushion top! Yes, the jellylab thread and the successful purchases are what started this whole project!

Apparently they don't regularly make lab emeralds as small as 7mm or 8mm so they would have to special order them for me. They do have some absolutely lovely earrings they've done in the past, but I don't think the sizing/proportion is right for my ears. I can only handle earrings that are about 4 grams each, so if I go wild with 30+ carat emeralds like they've done, I worry it wouldn't be wearable.

I’ve bought two ~7mm asschers from jellylab in just the last month. But maybe they are out of small ones right now or something? I will say, they told me they had to special order 10k gold for a ring I ordered and it didn’t take them long to get it in at all. Less than a week.
 

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
I’ve bought two ~7mm asschers from jellylab in just the last month. But maybe they are out of small ones right now or something? I will say, they told me they had to special order 10k gold for a ring I ordered and it didn’t take them long to get it in at all. Less than a week.

Your ring is stunning! Inspiration for sure! And you're right, I looked back through our messages and I think they meant they don't have them now and I'd have to special order.
 

emeraldhummingbird

Shiny_Rock
Joined
May 25, 2020
Messages
315
The year was 2009. Angelina Jolie wore stunning 115 carat emerald earrings to the 2009 Academy awards. Instantly iconic, the earrings were crafted by Lorraine Schwartz and cost an estimated $2.5M. I've remembered them ever since as being completely stunning, but alas, since I don't have $2.5M million lying around (plus, as we'll get into, there are other considerations with these beauties), I'm finally taking the plunge at having them recreated.

Screen Shot 2021-08-07 at 3.43.43 PM.png

First up, materials. I think lab emeralds are the way to go, although one could consider green onyx, CZ, or paste. Or, whatever composite these Ross-Simmons earrings are. I'm also going to spring for real gold settings given the (relatively) high cost of lab emeralds at this size.

Second, design. Angelina's earrings were a whopping 115ct. That's 23 grams! (Or, 11.5 grams per earring). You can tell in the photo that poor Angelina's ears are holding on for dear life! I think that would be incredibly uncomfortable, even for a gala event (that's also excluding any of the gold weight). So let's think about scaling them down.

The costume pair I linked earlier is much more reasonable, at 19.20 ctw of "emerald" whatever. From the product shots (which admittedly are computer generated, but look roughly to scale to me); going down to an 8mm top emerald and 20x13 mm pear will still give some good presence. The model has very similarly sized earlobes to mine (attached), so I think as generated it might even be slightly under-sized.
Screen Shot 2021-08-07 at 3.53.52 PM.png

Now, here's where it gets interesting. I spotted these lab emerald beauties on eBay, and love the look of them. 7mm round earring studs, with a 4.5mm diamond and a 16x12mm pear, totaling 14.4ctw of emeralds. (And a much more reasonable 2.9 grams per earring). (Note that the model has a detached earlobe, so it's making the 7mm top emeralds look quite petite).

Screen Shot 2021-08-07 at 3.58.06 PM.png

It also brings up an interesting question-- should I change the top emerald to a round stone? Or keep it as a cushion? The possibilities are endless. For now, I'm contacting some instagram sellers to see if I can get some custom emeralds done in 8mm, and then working to see if I can find a good sized set of bottom pears. Then we'll have to approach setting, and I'm hopeful I might be able to get the pears set with an enhancer top so they would be removable. Any thoughts/ideas/well wishes appreciated as I think through the best way to go about recreating Angie's iconic earrings!

Emeralds!! My fave!! =)2

Personally I think stick with the cushions. I like them much better than the round.

I get what you are saying about them not being wearable if too large. Maybe look at buying similar cheapie ones, even if in a different colour, just to get a sense of scale and whether it suits your face.

Lab stones in the larger sizes are still a pretty hefty commitment so you will want to make sure you are going to love them on.

Can't wait to see your project unfold!
 

rosethorn

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 4, 2020
Messages
143
Your ring is stunning! Inspiration for sure! And you're right, I looked back through our messages and I think they meant they don't have them now and I'd have to special order.

I think you might be talking about @RockFox ’s ring - I haven’t gotten mine yet, though I sure hope it turns out well!
 

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
@rosethorn Whoops! Yes, I thought you had that adorable bezel ring! Oops! :lol:

@ProfessorBling excellent idea! I've tried to order some doublet earrings before and USPS actually lost them and then I never tried again.

I may also just buy the top emeralds for the studs, try them for a while, and then get the pears (since that's the most expensive part). I definitely want to have them set where the pears are removable so we'll see! I wonder if matching would be an issue since they're all lab...
 

Ionysis

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 1, 2015
Messages
1,908
Saw this IG post and thought of you! Real emerald for less than USD 6k!!!


4541ABCB-4FAD-4B6B-882C-3D17526A8EC7.jpeg
 

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
Saw this IG post and thought of you! Real emerald for less than USD 6k!!!


4541ABCB-4FAD-4B6B-882C-3D17526A8EC7.jpeg

Ooooooh. Thank you. I’m looking at them.
 

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
@Ionysis You are an enabler! :lol-2: I've decided that real emeralds are the way to go. I ordered some 7mm emeralds from gemfacet and I posted some comparison pics between my real earrings and them. I don't think I'll do a full on Angelina suite, although JR Emeralds does have several options in their Etsy store too. I don't know if I'd be comfortable wearing such expensive emeralds around to the office, and out and about. I'm thinking of just some enormous studs, like 7-8mm. We'll see! I may start a thread on the colored gems forum and ask for some help, or I could just go straight to Yvonne and see if she can source them.
 

PastryGirl

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 29, 2012
Messages
408
Any updates? I wanna see pics!
 

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
Any updates? I wanna see pics!

I'm now convinced that only the real thing will do :lol: and am working on getting some real studs. I just bought some 6.5mm studs from Japan which are gorgeous but too small for the look I'm going for. So unfortunately, no updates from me until I source the perfect pair.
 

PastryGirl

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 29, 2012
Messages
408
I'm now convinced that only the real thing will do :lol: and am working on getting some real studs. I just bought some 6.5mm studs from Japan which are gorgeous but too small for the look I'm going for. So unfortunately, no updates from me until I source the perfect pair.

I am now wondering what these studs look like... :kiss2: :P2
 

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
s-l500.jpg


s-l1600.jpg



Absolutely gorgeous, they're the perfect grass green. But these are only 6.5mm and while it does give some good ear coverage, I really want 8mm+ for that oversized look. So back to Japan they go! They were $534, if anyone is interested. So, so pretty. JR Colombian Emeralds was charging like 2k for a similar sized pair.
 

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
I have these 14 ctw whoppers on hold right now (natural and moderate oil- for my budget minor oil would make the price skyrocket). Any thoughts before I take the plunge, emerald experts? 8B756F80-C8C2-4D83-87A4-7A0F977070C2.jpeg 1844155E-CB6A-4D1D-A65E-EC9588DC56C5.jpeg
 

ANiceKaren

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 25, 2019
Messages
3
How is it going with your earring project?
 

Grymera

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
380
Oh yes! I'm done with the first stage of the project. I ended up buying the top emeralds from JR Colombian Emeralds (6.84tcw, 11x8.5mm, moderate oil) but passed on the bottom pears for a couple reasons: 1) it would be non returnable once set and I was nervous about not liking them in person since emeralds are so hard to photograph; 2) The setting fee for both seemed a little on the higher side and 3) I wasn't as wowed by the pears. They seemed a little more greyish and "dead" than the emeralds to my eyes.

My plan is to send in the studs back to JR when I'm ready to proceed with the dangles to find a match.

307987452_2884748861834398_3762643687089488466_n.jpeg

308484336_419683086945044_4267029117067171388_n.jpeg

Here were my approved CADS. I was also a little nervous as I'd seen some of JR's pre-made earrings that didn't have the neatest of bezels (I'm sure they're fine but to eagle eyes I wanted them as even as neat as possible).

They took about 2 weeks to work on the earrings and they came in perfect! Once they were set and delivered, the color looks like a true grass green in person. With the bezel setting (and the fact that they were very included) they definitely glow vs sparkle, but I think they're the perfect pop of color.

I will say for anyone else going on this re-creation journey, I think 6-7ctw is about the upper limit for studs. I am using a Chrysmela clasp with extra disc support and that keeps them sitting nicely on the lobe. More pics incoming.
 
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