This has been the toughest year of my life. I grew up as a gay kid in rural Mississippi, so I do not say this lightly. In 2015, I experienced major, personal devastation. I won't go into the details, but as I'm recovering I have felt a desire to create something symbolic. Now I need your help.
As a kid, I always loved shiny things. I loved my mom's few, small diamonds. I was taught to be very ashamed of my affinity for gems/unicorns/the little mermaid - "as I was supposed" to like GI Joe/Football/etc. I'm now 30 years old and in this difficult period I am doing a lot of self-examination. I want to indulge the kid in me who loves shiny things. As an act of self-compassion and acceptance, I want to make a diamond pendant! I am a senior administrator in my organization, so I tend towards conservative dress. A pendant will work nicely, as I intend on wearing it under my shirt. I considered a ring with a center diamond, but I haven't found any that suit my taste.
Thanks to all of your advice in this forum, I have already bought the stone and ended up choosing a 62 point A Cut Above diamond. Obviously, I wish I could go all out on a bigger, clearer, whiter stone, but I am happy with this choice and I am on a tight budget. I had a fabulous experience with Whiteflash and the stone is phenomenal.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3597952.htm
I have begun working with a local (Portland, OR) jeweler and intend on casting the pendant in palladium. I was originally quoted $500-600 for the design. Now, the jeweler says she will be unable to make the original pendant for less $900-1,000. This is out of my budget, unfortunately. The compromise is to remove the solid window panes and reduce the overall size of the pendant.
I am not particularly concerned with the pendant looking "masculine," as it is a diamond pendant and that is not the point, but I would like for it to look/feel substantial. But I worry that the open version will look more "dainty." I'm looking for feedback on A) the overall design and B) whether or not the price is appropriate for such a small pendant.
I do prefer palladium, as I like the characteristics of platinum group metals and I personally think palladium is under-valued in the jewelry market. Platinum is clearly out of my budget.
I apologize for the long intro, but I wanted it to be clear that this is a pendant for a male and context is always helpful.
Thanks
![schematic_with_measurement_.png schematic_with_measurement_.png](https://www.pricescope.com/community/data/attachments/414/414860-7c7575c33fcf72e77f374c567a8f15b3.jpg)
As a kid, I always loved shiny things. I loved my mom's few, small diamonds. I was taught to be very ashamed of my affinity for gems/unicorns/the little mermaid - "as I was supposed" to like GI Joe/Football/etc. I'm now 30 years old and in this difficult period I am doing a lot of self-examination. I want to indulge the kid in me who loves shiny things. As an act of self-compassion and acceptance, I want to make a diamond pendant! I am a senior administrator in my organization, so I tend towards conservative dress. A pendant will work nicely, as I intend on wearing it under my shirt. I considered a ring with a center diamond, but I haven't found any that suit my taste.
Thanks to all of your advice in this forum, I have already bought the stone and ended up choosing a 62 point A Cut Above diamond. Obviously, I wish I could go all out on a bigger, clearer, whiter stone, but I am happy with this choice and I am on a tight budget. I had a fabulous experience with Whiteflash and the stone is phenomenal.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3597952.htm
I have begun working with a local (Portland, OR) jeweler and intend on casting the pendant in palladium. I was originally quoted $500-600 for the design. Now, the jeweler says she will be unable to make the original pendant for less $900-1,000. This is out of my budget, unfortunately. The compromise is to remove the solid window panes and reduce the overall size of the pendant.
I am not particularly concerned with the pendant looking "masculine," as it is a diamond pendant and that is not the point, but I would like for it to look/feel substantial. But I worry that the open version will look more "dainty." I'm looking for feedback on A) the overall design and B) whether or not the price is appropriate for such a small pendant.
I do prefer palladium, as I like the characteristics of platinum group metals and I personally think palladium is under-valued in the jewelry market. Platinum is clearly out of my budget.
I apologize for the long intro, but I wanted it to be clear that this is a pendant for a male and context is always helpful.
Thanks
![original_design__1_.png original_design__1_.png](https://www.pricescope.com/community/data/attachments/414/414858-2dc331bf5e0bffd8af4c052f14fb2b79.jpg)
![new_smaller_design_with_open_panes.jpg new_smaller_design_with_open_panes.jpg](https://www.pricescope.com/community/data/attachments/414/414859-15d83a6b50add8973771a2dc6e7728e7.jpg)
![schematic_with_measurement_.png schematic_with_measurement_.png](https://www.pricescope.com/community/data/attachments/414/414860-7c7575c33fcf72e77f374c567a8f15b3.jpg)