#JOTW Finally - yaaaay! My cluster set is complete. :)

[diamondseeker2006]

Lovely backs, too!!!

 

[caf]

Love your cluster collection! Just beautiful!

 

[AprilBaby]

Gorgeous! Let’s see some ear shots!

 

[JDDN]

Beautiful. All of it. I always fall over when I see your sapphire cluster ring . I would love, love, love to see a picture of the earrings and necklace on. Not sure exactly how that would work....it'd be like an ear, nose, mouth, chin, neck shot . Yeah, maybe that's not gonna work . Nevertheless the pendant is stunning and your collection continues to get even better which is almost impossible, LOL.

 

[mrs-b]

@JDDN - I gave this some thought - I don't think it's actually logistically possible! To be honest, my ear shots suck, tho I DID take a few on the original thread about the earrings (@AprilBaby - they're out there somewhere - worst ear shots you've ever seen, too!).

I'm actually going to remake the earrings with slightly larger stones. They're currently 3.12ctw - a .68ct stone surrounded by 8 x 11pt stones for each earring. I've been thinking about doing the traditional diamond studs (I don't actually have any, believe it or not!) - but I'm actually not fond of studs on me. I like a design, rather than just a single plain diamond. I also LOVE my cluster earrings, and wear them when most other people would wear studs. So I've decided to amp them up a little, switching them out to a .95ct center, with 9 x 15pt stones in the surrounding setting. This means they'll come in at 4.6ctw - almost half again what they currently are, and that will give me some nice oomph! The center stones of the current earrings will probably become the side stones in a new 3 stone ring which will happen some time down the track (definitely no rush on this, and if it doesn't happen, I wouldn't care too much - and I might just sell them anyway), and in the meantime my 3.4ct ACA is being set by DKJ. So the collection is looking healthy at the moment!

Next up is a re-set of my pearl and diamond earrings - so I'm currently saving hard for that.

 

[liaerfbv]

@mrs-b This is obviously TDF. I'm so happy it's your "setting year" -- I'm loving all your projects! I second the request for a family shot of everything!!

 

[mrs-b]

Ugh. Well, I am doing this ONCE - and then never again! it's actually a lot of work!

This doesn't include a couple of pieces - including my largest diamond ring - which DKj is currently working on - but here goes....

My Collection.



Pendants

 

[mrs-b]

Bangles and bracelets





Hoops - white gold, silver, platinum, yellow gold, rose gold. Ranging in size from 1.25" to 2.5" Some custom made, some from Tiffany, 2 pairs from Blue Nile.

 

[mrs-b]

Studs and drop earrings. NB All single diamond studs except my cushion cut studs are for outer holes in my ears; I have 3 holes in one ear, one hole in the other.

The pearl studs (as opposed to the drops, which are South Sea) *not* in the jackets are Hanadama natural white, and absolutely beautiful. Hugely expensive for what they are, but worth every penny! I would recommend them to anyone wanting high quality pearl studs.

 

[mrs-b]

Pins

 

[mrs-b]

And lastly -

Rings - minus 2 currently being set.

 

[mrs-b]

From now on anyone who wants to see ANYthing I own can refer to this thread!! Phew!!

I hope that hits the spot for you, @liaerfbv

I do apologize for the quality of these photos; they in no way do my jewelry justice and were taken in poor indoor lighting. But I figured quantity rather than quality was the ticket for these photos, so I didn't go for artistic presentation or even particularly accurate representation; I have spent all my adult life upgrading and tweaking my jewelry and I can ASSURE you, at this point, there is nothing dull in my collection!

 

[ac117]

Wow @mrs-b your new cluster came out AMAZING!!! I agree it's a lot more cohesive with your other pieces in this 'set' compared to its original form. Love!!!

And omgggg bigger cluster earrings?!?!?!? Your jewelry collection is truly spectacular all around!!!

 

[liaerfbv]

I just sighed so loudly with envy, my work neighbor asked me if I was okay! Thank you!! Everything you own is so amazing. My particular faves I think are the VC three stone and the YG cushion bezel studs.

 

[GearGirly]

Very pretty. I have a soft spot for the same style! I also agree that the sapphire is perfection!!!

 

[SimoneDi]

I just went to heaven!! @mrs-b your collection is truly stunning! All of your pieces are so beautiful and meaningful! Amazing! Cannot wait to see the final completed pieces for this year

 

[azstonie]

Fab.U.LOUS!!!!!!

I have several stones from Andrew Gulig/Gemfix, he's a good guy, a jeweler screwed up setting one of his stones, and I got the stone back and the parts of the setting, and Andrew personally delivered stone and parts to one of the jeweler he collaborates with. This was a few years after I bought the stone.

Love the sapphire especially!

 

[msop04]

Sure can, @Sparkles88

My apologies for the hairspray which is dulling up the back of the earrings!

Oh wow! What a blingtastic set, @mrs-b! This shot is so cool!

 

[Sparkles88]

Sure can, @Sparkles88

My apologies for the hairspray which is dulling up the back of the earrings!

Thanks for sharing, the backs of the collection are just as beautiful, pretty and feminine, you've got a great eye for detail.

 

[mrs-b]

Thanks, @ac117 @liaerfbv @GearGirly @SimoneDi @azstonie @msop04 and @Sparkles88 -

I'm so glad you like them! I bought the first part of my cluster set over 2 decades ago, so you'd never say that I rush things!!

The earrings get worn as my every-day diamonds, instead of solitaire studs; they have a lot more coverage and, to my eye, hold more visual interest. All the diamonds are very white and super-ideal cut, except for the surrounding diamonds in the pendant, which are just GIA excellent cut stones. So the sparkle is huge and really scratches an itch for me.

There's a good chance I'll pump the size of the earrings by roughly 50% in the next year or two, but for now, I'm enjoying my set as-is.

Thanks for letting me share with you!

 

[Stone Hunter]

LOVE your newly updated set (I found this thread from your updated thread). Is there a thread on the ring? I am very interested in the process and who did the benchwork.

This is the photo that started it all... I took this photo to attach to the thread @missy started about sharing our cluster pieces. When I saw the photo, I realized how out of synch my pendant was with my other pieces. It was also made with a motley crew of diamonds left over from all sorts of projects and I had to bezel the center stone to make it large enough to accommodate the surrounding diamonds.
The stones it's made of now are a far higher quality and the center stone is much larger, negating the need for the bezel.

I will probably get it filed down slightly in the V's between the stones to ever-so-slightly emphasize the rounded shape of the outer stones, without making it look too 'daisy-like' - but to all intents and purposes, it's done.

Here's the old photo, followed by one of its new iteration; I think i was able to retain 3 side stones from the original pendant - the other 5, and the center, are all new. A much better match for my set, don't you think?

ETA tcw went from 2.31 to 2.71 - a nice little jump!

 

[mrs-b]

Hi @Stone Hunter

No, I don't think so. It was made by Steven Kirsch and has a 2+ct sapphire from Gemfix, surrounded by 2.1ctw of E VS diamonds. This ring really POPS!

I need to update it, tho, with my new cluster earrings. I decided I wanted just a tad more oomph, so went from 3.12ctw to roughly 4.5ctw. They're 15mm across and a LOT of diamond!

And that group shot?? Oh what a difference 6 months makes! A bunch of things are gone, a bunch have or are being remade, and a few new pieces have been added.

I'm paring down, down, down....

 

[Stone Hunter]

Hi @Stone Hunter

No, I don't think so. It was made by Steven Kirsch and has a 2+ct sapphire from Gemfix, surrounded by 2.1ctw of E VS diamonds. This ring really POPS!

I need to update it, tho, with my new cluster earrings. I decided I wanted just a tad more oomph, so went from 3.12ctw to roughly 4.5ctw. They're 15mm across and a LOT of diamond!

And that group shot?? Oh what a difference 6 months makes! A bunch of things are gone, a bunch have or are being remade, and a few new pieces have been added.

I'm paring down, down, down....

Thanks I love how you are tweaking your entire collection!

 

[apacherose]

Incredible suite! Love these pieces!

 

[apacherose]

Sure can, @Sparkles88

My apologies for the hairspray which is dulling up the back of the earrings!

Beautifully made jewelry!

 

[mrs-b]

Thanks @apacherose!

 

[crystalinmke]

do you have anymore information/specs/threads/pictures on those three sets of cushion shaped studs? what color gold are they set in? they're gorgeous! i'm considering some bezeled cushion studs as well.

 

[mrs-b]

Hi @crystalinmke -

The two larger cushions are .61 and .62ct respectively, both E color, one VS1 and one SI2. They both came from Blue Nile and were set, I think, by Brian Gavin Diamonds. The small stud was picked to mach, and then set, by David Klass Jewelry. They're set in platinum. If you look at me "Not cheaper by the dozen" thread, you'll see I had jackets made for them and there are photos with the jackets there. There's also some in this thread:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-tiny-project.225412/

 

[petite_singe]

Oh it's so gorgeous, will go fantastic with your cluster earrings!!

 

[sarahb]

Amazing mrs-b, your cluster set is beautiful! You've been busy as a bee! Great choices & everything turned out perfect!