What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides rings

[gregchang35]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Greg, I love your OEC in square outline setting. Very unique look

Kenny, you have such a professional setup to take photos. No wonder my hp camera photos can never capture the fire from my diamonds but your photos show colors so well.

Thanx, the cat.

i am wearign that one this week.

 

[kenny]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Awesome, thanks Kenny! I'm learning photography. I have a pretty good setup so far, but no macro lens. Though there is one I have my eyes on.

I haven't learned about the bellows, but don't people also put an extension tube between their lens and the image sensor to get the same or a similar effect? I have seen some homemade setups where they had some tube taped in there.

Lastly, what did you do for you avatar?m something similar? Very creative ideas I must say, and very inspirational. I can't wait to explore macro photography.m it will be fun as I start my jewelry and gem collection. In addition to the nature photos I originally wanted it for, like flowers and small sea creatures, bugs etc....

I will have to play around once I get a diamond and see what kind of cool color pictures I can take.

Until I get that macro lens, I have a 24 mp camera and a 70-210mm lens with a minimum distance of three feet I think, which may get some get close ups, with cropping though.

I know what you are saying about this site and many others reducing the photos, I guess they just would bog down the speed at which the web pages load otherwise.

My avatar pic was also taken in the throat of one of those flowers.



Yes, extension tubes do the same thing as a bellows but they don't extend as far, and you really don't want to stack together enough of them to reach the length of the bellows, around 11".
Tubes are much less flexible than bellows (besides the lens stage and the body stage being separately movable to get any length) most bellows have another geared stage on the bottom that moves the whole system together for focusing.

I've geeked out on macro lenses; I now have four Nikkor-micros three new and one very old, 60mm f2.8D, 105mm f2.8G VR2, a 30-yr old 105mm f2.8, and I just got the holy grail of macro lensdom, the 200mm f4D.

Since you said you're considering buying one too which will be used for diamonds get the longest focal length you can because it gives you the most working distance at max enlargement.
The 60mm is almost kissing the diamond so it's hard to get light into the front of the diamond.
Also, since it's so close the diamond will reflect back more of the black of the camera and lens.

105mm gives much more working distance.
My new 200mm is even better since IIRC there's over 10" between the lens and the diamond.
Also that extra distance is better for NOT scaring away bugs.

Unfortunately the 200mm is very large, heavy and costly.

With the bellows it really belongs on a tripod.

Since a bellows may be of interest to you I gotta mention Nikon's newest lenses, G-series, have no aperture ring so they do not work on an affordable bellows which do not have the necessary connections to operate the apertures of these new lenses.
Nikon and Canon stopped making bellows long ago so I bought mine used for around $250 from www.keh.com.. I recommend a PB-6 or a PB-4.
I recommend an old used Nikkor-micro 105mm f2.8 that has an aperture ring for use on the bellows.
It doesn't have auto-focus but so what ... you want to manually focus at this magnification anyway.
This lens is around $250 at KEH, and they check them out and offer bit of a money back return period.

If you have way over $1000 to blow on a bellows the German company Novoflex currently makes very fine bellows systems which I think can be used with the newest G-series lenses.

BTW, here's an example of the tarnish on titanium.
On the left is a 5 year old titanium letting, and the right is a new cobalt chrome ring ... a very white metal.



My apologies to the regulars here who've seen/read this all before ... the OP is new.
I love macro gem photography and wanna see more of it so I share the love any chance I get.

 

[Area57]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Awesome, truly awesome. Your avatar is my favorite.

I don't have Nikon or canon, have you heard about the Sony A7 series? It is the first full frame mirrorless. They just release some Zeiss makro lenses. I don't think hey sell an extension tube. That's part of the problem with this setup. It's amazing, but being so new it doesn't have the history of lenses and adapters like Nikon or Canon.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Thanks for asking.
I like yacking about diamond macrophotography and sharing my not-secrets.

If you are talking about this one the diamond was placed in the throat of a flower.
The blue is reflections of the sky.


The above pic was shot with the set up below.
Notice the bellows (the accordion thing) between the macro lens and the body.

The bellows has no optics, it just holds the lens further from the body for greater enlargement.
This fills up the frame, or sensor, with the diamond before you take the pic!

This uses all of your camera's pixels for surprisingly-high resolution of tiny things like diamonds.
Many people have macro settings on their cameras, a few have real macro lenses on a DSLR, but almost nobody knows about or bothers getting a bellows.

I've been talking about bellows for 10 years on PS and AFAIK only one member here has bought one, though I suspect several vendors, who stay hush hush on their photo setups, have.
Using all of the sensor before taking the pic gives vastly superior clarity, focus and resolution; Without a bellows you have no choice but to crop in later because diamonds are so tiny.
Unfortunately without a bellows you use only a small portion of your camera's sensor.
If the diamond only takes up 10% of your 16-MP sensor the results can only be as sharp as a 1.6 MP camera.

A true macro lens can produce a magnification ratio of 1:1.
That just means the size of the image of a penny on the sensor will be the size of the penny itself.
To fill up the frame using a true macro lens a diamond would have to be 36mm in diameter (the width of a full-frame sensor), but a 1 ct is only around 6 mm.
Hence the need for more magnification than any macro lens can deliver.

BTW PS software lowers the resolution of uploaded pics to save bandwidth.
When viewed live, not on PS, these pics are razor sharp, even when they fill up the 27" monitor, and even if you crop in a great deal.



If you are talking about the other very colorful one of two diamonds those colors are not fire from the diamond dispersing light.
The colors are just reflections of an unusual environment.

I painted watercolor on white paper and cut a hole in the center.
You can't see it but the camera is behind the paper and looking through the hole.
Diamonds (which behave like little boxes of mirrors) reflect the colors in front of them.
No fancy lighting, just an ordinary CFL bulb in a cheapo aluminum reflector ... all from Home Depot.



Here's another pic from that set up.
I sold this diamond to get my Octavia.

Kenny - Great Post! Thank you.

 

[kenny]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Awesome, truly awesome. Your avatar is my favorite.

I don't have Nikon or canon, have you heard about the Sony A7 series? It is the first full frame mirrorless. They just release some Zeiss makro lenses. I don't think hey sell an extension tube. That's part of the problem with this setup. It's amazing, but being so new it doesn't have the history of lenses and adapters like Nikon or Canon.

Thanks.
I hear Sony's A7s are wonderful and Zeiss lenses are also top drawer.
The mirror-less design is better for many reasons and I think it's only a matter time before Canon and Nikon stop making DSLRs with mirrors ... at least in all but their flagship models.
I think some pros prefer looking into a real mirror/pentaprism viewfinder rather than an LCD screen.

I doubt Sony makes bellows, but I suspect two adaptors on a Nikon bellows would work fine if you pursue that.

 

[kenny]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Kenny - Great Post! Thank you.

Thanks Brian.

 

[decisively_unsure]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Diamond jewellery for men, hmm, rings only for me, unless you are a rapper then you can wear a diamond stud in each ear.

I hate diamond watches & prefer a classic minimal look.

 

[Area57]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Eventually the Sony a7 system will have bellow and all the goodies canikon have. It's going to take a while. You are right. Now in order to use the mirror less system, you have to use adapters to use the canikon stuff. There are a lot of those though.

Anyone have any necklaces? I haven't seen a single necklace posted. Cmon with the necklaces!

 

[gregchang35]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Eventually the Sony a7 system will have bellow and all the goodies canikon have. It's going to take a while. You are right. Now in order to use the mirror less system, you have to use adapters to use the canikon stuff. There are a lot of those though.

Anyone have any necklaces? I haven't seen a single necklace posted. Cmon with the necklaces!

Have you seen my post of my necklace= FVOY pendant on leather cord?

 

[Area57]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

[quote="gregchang35|


Have you seen my post of my necklace= FVOY pendant on leather cord?[/quote]

Yes! Of course, I think I was paying too much attention to your earrings. That is a cool design. So it is leather and not silk? The pendent part itself, is that a yellow diamond in white gold or what is that made out of?

 

[gregchang35]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Fancy Vivid Orange Yellow in Platinum. I wear it all the time and am really fortunate that there is minimal care.
it is on a Leather cord, just for ease of maintenance.... ie none..


I must admit, I have not seen a lot of guys on PS that have a diamond necklace...

 

[tonysgeko]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Here are a couple of ideas area, was doing a google image search.

 

[Area57]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men?

Haha, that's what google images thinks that men like! Big eighties Versace lions, and earth Vader tie fighters! The second one is cool though.

Greg, thats cool, that's what you want out of the ideal men's necklace. Minimal care and something that pretty much stays around your neck 24/7. I like it. It's really cool. The platinum makes it more cool.

I'm just getting a feel for the forum, but I think you are right. There aren't many men who have a diamond necklace. I think the majority of men on here are people that join to learn how to buy the best engagement ring possible, and then maybe post a little down the road if they are getting an anniversary or birthday present for their significant other.

Then there is the small minority who are frequent posters and lovers of diamonds for their own sake. I am going to be in the latter group.

 

[gregchang35]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

of course the platinum setting is $$$.

Area 57- if you are after mens diamond necklace- google search it; but also google mens pendant. find something that you like or that you modify here and there so that a diamond can sit in the design. Then ask the vendor selling you the diamond that you like if the design is something that they can do for you. A pendant can sit on a chain of any kind. it is all about the design that grabs you.

I searched from months and did keep an inspiration folder (but now i cant find it). I came upon a site that had a similar design with a gold ball in it. So, i thought of a yellow diamond would look right for me. When i found my diamond, i asked if the vendor's bench could do something like the picture of the design i had. they said yes and then the rest is as you see it.

Good luck...

and post pic of course!

 

[tonysgeko]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Found these, think modern.

 

[Area57]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Oh yeah, those modern designs are much better!

Platinum is expensive. But so are chains! My goodness, do you guys know how much a real gold chain costs? I like the look of a silver chain a lot though, I also like silk, but I had a silk Tiffanys necklace once and I ended up returning it because it fell apart, they said it was defective, I guess fell apart is an overstatement, it unwound.

Leather is an option. Geez, what to get first. Necklace or an earring. Decisions. I guess either way I should be focused on the diamond, because a half carat diamond will go with either. The necklace I could always add a second or third smaller diamond or colored stone depending.

 

[thecat]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Fancy Vivid Orange Yellow in Platinum. I wear it all the time and am really fortunate that there is minimal care.
it is on a Leather cord, just for ease of maintenance.... ie none..


I must admit, I have not seen a lot of guys on PS that have a diamond necklace...

Greg, you mentioned minimal care for your pendant. I'm curious if yellow diamonds still sparkle even when not cleaned often? How often do you clean your yellow diamond? If yellow attracts less body oil than white, maybe I should try out yellows.

 

[gregchang35]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Fancy Vivid Orange Yellow in Platinum. I wear it all the time and am really fortunate that there is minimal care.
it is on a Leather cord, just for ease of maintenance.... ie none..


I must admit, I have not seen a lot of guys on PS that have a diamond necklace...

Greg, you mentioned minimal care for your pendant. I'm curious if yellow diamonds still sparkle even when not cleaned often? How often do you clean your yellow diamond? If yellow attracts less body oil than white, maybe I should try out yellows.

Hi thecat,

I have not written it well.

To clarify: in my opinion, jewelry that is worn on the body will always get dirty- the body oils/ perfume/ moisturiser etc will get trapped on/ in the jewelry somewhere.

When I was writing minimal care for the pendant: I was referring to the platinum setting. Most precious white metal settings for diamonds that I have seen for necklaces are white gold (WG). WG needs to be rhodium plated every so often, depending on the look that one is after. Granted, for some ppl platinum settings may need to be polished regularly. I have found that for my pendant (that i wear 24/7), I have been really lucky. It still looks white to me. I have cleaned the diamond pendant maybe 3 times in the past 3 yrs. Yes, I am a bad diamond lover, in that respect. However, my earrings and rings get cleaned more often; fortnightly, in an ultrasonic bath at work. I guess: my pendant is under my shirt and i am lazy to unbutton shirt to take the pendant off to clean. For me, the rings and earrings are easier to take off to clean.

I cannot comment on whether a yellow diamond attracts less body oil than a white diamond. I am guessing the only way to find out is to have 2 pieces of jewellry that are exactly the same in design where one would hold a white diamond and the other with a yellow diamond of the same dimensions of the white diamond. Both pieces are to be worn on the same part of the body. That way both jewellry pieces will undergo the same/ similar stresses of the day. At the end of the testing period, remove the jewelry pieces and assess the cleanliness of the white diamond v yellow diamond. I think that is the only way to really assess whether one diamond colour attracts more body oil than another for that person.


I hope that clears up my post...

 

[thecat]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Fancy Vivid Orange Yellow in Platinum. I wear it all the time and am really fortunate that there is minimal care.
it is on a Leather cord, just for ease of maintenance.... ie none..


I must admit, I have not seen a lot of guys on PS that have a diamond necklace...

Greg, you mentioned minimal care for your pendant. I'm curious if yellow diamonds still sparkle even when not cleaned often? How often do you clean your yellow diamond? If yellow attracts less body oil than white, maybe I should try out yellows.

Hi thecat,

I have not written it well.

To clarify: in my opinion, jewelry that is worn on the body will always get dirty- the body oils/ perfume/ moisturiser etc will get trapped on/ in the jewelry somewhere.

When I was writing minimal care for the pendant: I was referring to the platinum setting. Most precious white metal settings for diamonds that I have seen for necklaces are white gold (WG). WG needs to be rhodium plated every so often, depending on the look that one is after. Granted, for some ppl platinum settings may need to be polished regularly. I have found that for my pendant (that i wear 24/7), I have been really lucky. It still looks white to me. I have cleaned the diamond pendant maybe 3 times in the past 3 yrs. Yes, I am a bad diamond lover, in that respect. However, my earrings and rings get cleaned more often; fortnightly, in an ultrasonic bath at work. I guess: my pendant is under my shirt and i am lazy to unbutton shirt to take the pendant off to clean. For me, the rings and earrings are easier to take off to clean.

I cannot comment on whether a yellow diamond attracts less body oil than a white diamond. I am guessing the only way to find out is to have 2 pieces of jewellry that are exactly the same in design where one would hold a white diamond and the other with a yellow diamond of the same dimensions of the white diamond. Both pieces are to be worn on the same part of the body. That way both jewellry pieces will undergo the same/ similar stresses of the day. At the end of the testing period, remove the jewelry pieces and assess the cleanliness of the white diamond v yellow diamond. I think that is the only way to really assess whether one diamond colour attracts more body oil than another for that person.


I hope that clears up my post...

Thanks for the clarification, Greg. Your post has been most helpful.

 

[kenny]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

I'm curious if yellow diamonds still sparkle even when not cleaned often?

As with white diamonds the sparkle of an FCD comes from its cut.
Poor cut = less sparkle
Good cut = more sparkle

Of course, the darker the tone the more the body color will attenuate the light.
Less light will get out of a Fancy Deep than an identically-cut Fancy Light FCD.
But the amount of sparkle is not affected by color itself.

That said, FCDs are not cut for light performance.
The material is too valuable, and too few buyers even know about light performance.
Color is king!
They are cut to make the color as strong as possible because that makes them more valuable ... and of course they are also cut to end up as heavy as possible.
As they say, follow the money.

Oh, and I have met Gregchang35 and I can testify his necklace and its FCD are wonderful!
Very classy.

If I was going to wear a necklace Greg's would be an important influence.
I especially love the leather element.
An FCD (with both color and material of natural origin) in a custom-designed platinum tension setting is about as high-class as you can get.
But choosing leather, when the 'finest' materials could have been chosen gives the piece an understated vibe.
It sort of brings it down to earth and speaks of confidence.

 

[gregchang35]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Thanx Kenny!!!



An what Kenny says about cut and sparkle is right on for FCD v White/colourless diamonds.

 

[thecat]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Kenny, Greg, thank you

 

[southLA504]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

A good friend of mine's father has an incredible white gold bracelet with diamonds in it and it looks incredible and i've always wanted one.

 

[southLA504]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Here are a couple of ideas area, was doing a google image search.

is that freaking darth vader's Tie fighter with a black diamond? That is awesome.

 

[OoohShiny]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Here are a couple of ideas area, was doing a google image search.

is that freaking darth vader's Tie fighter with a black diamond? That is awesome.

Agreed!

I need a link to that because it would be an awesome present for my (geek! lol) good lady

 

[tonysgeko]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Agreed!

I need a link to that because it would be an awesome present for my (geek! lol) good lady

Here is the link http://t.jcpenney.com/tablet/jsp/br...entDim=&dimCombo=&currentDimVal=&dimComboVal=

And couple more finds.

 

[Area57]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Ha! Han Solo in carbonite is pretty cool!

 

[OoohShiny]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Agreed!

I need a link to that because it would be an awesome present for my (geek! lol) good lady

Here is the link http://t.jcpenney.com/tablet/jsp/br...entDim=&dimCombo=&currentDimVal=&dimComboVal=

And couple more finds.

Thank you for the link to the Tie Fighter necklace! I don't think they'll ship to the UK, though. Booooo.


That R2D2 ring is AWESOME, though

Can I be awkward and ask for the link for that one as well? lol


EDIT: Found it!
http://www.wired.com/2013/02/star-wars-fashion/

Not quite the bargain I was hoping, at $1250... lol
http://www.custommade.com/this-droid-is-for-sale/by/paulmichaeldesign/

And not quite as 'sharp' once made, sadly, but not bad!
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e2/39/d9/e239d9b0d6fdee0e01e017a31ff014c9.jpg

 

[momhappy]

Re: What are good diamond jewelry pieces for men? Besides r

Studs are probably a good way to go, I wouldn't mind that. Not growing up wishing for them or wearing them, do they stay in pretty well? Can you put them in and leave them in?

I wear my studs 24/7 (showering, sleeping, working out, etc.) - I almost never take them out.
I have no suggestions for diamond jewelry pieces for men. I am aware that some men like diamonds too (and that's great), but to be honest, I'm not really a fan of flashy jewelry on men. The exception for me would be watches. I love a nice watch on a man (and by nice, it could include some diamonds).