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Help Me Design Custom Stud Settings Please!

@RunningwithScissors - saw these CVB settings and thought of you, I know you would want to modify to a six-prong version and have the base be open and not solid:

www.etsy.com

Victorian Inspired Abby Earrings by CvB | Etsy

Gorgeously custom designed and meticulously crafted eight claw prong Abby style post earrings by CvB, setting only as these earrings are sold. Shown with 2ctw antique cushion diamonds, which Im happy to either source for you, or set your existing stones. Im happy to source &/or set moissanite or
www.etsy.com www.etsy.com


1617373705351.png
 
I had a thought about this and you’re probably way beyond this now, but would you consider trying regular jumbo backs instead of the la pousette backs? I ask because I had .90c stones each in a 4 prong martini setting with the la pousette backs and one stone always tilted upwards and I could see the prong from the front at the bottom of my lobe. When I upgraded to stones that were over a carat each, I went with WF’s jumbo backs and the three prong martinis and they sit nicely. I realize that yours are bigger at 1.9 each, but maybe the jumbo backs would be just enough larger and flatter than the la pousettes to hold your stones in place? And congratulations on your beautiful new earrings!
 
Patty said:
. I realize that yours are bigger at 1.9 each, but maybe the jumbo backs would be just enough larger and flatter than the la pousettes to hold your stones in place?
Click to expand...
I think that's what my wife need.
 
Thank you all so much for all the inspirational images and tips/advice! I'm really overwhelmed by the knowledge and enthusiasm shown! I'm really touched.

The past two days were super busy for me, so I'm just now sitting down to go through all your thoughtful responses.
 
donnabrsd said:
I contacted Vera. I sent her my copy of the CADs and the date ordered to look them up for the both of you if needed. I've also attached my CADs here and glamour shots from WF.Screen Shot 2021-03-20 at 8.37.52 AM.pngScreen Shot 2021-03-20 at 8.38.15 AM.png
Click to expand...

You are an angel! Thank you so much for showing your images and even contacting Vera/WF for us! Your ear shot looks superb too.

Are you sure you wouldn't mind if I were to do something similar? I'm not sure what tweaks I'd make, I'd have to really think about it. But I'd love to contact WF for an estimate for something similar if you are okay with that.

And @yssie, since Donnabrsd's design is based on a design of yours, are you okay if your design, which evolved into Donna's, evolves again into mine?
 
yssie said:
Mine are just like @donnabrsd ’s - open at the back except for a strip of metal in the middle, and the post attaches to the strip. I asked for an open back for easier cleaning, knocking a bit off the weight is a nice extra :))

No marks on the earlobe! You’d have to put the backs on really tight to create an indent, and the larger doughnut allows you to not have to do that. But also no light return benefits - skin + hair eats any extra empty space.
Click to expand...

Thank you for answering, your experience and insight is appreciated!
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
What is interesting to me is that mine are a little different than @donnabrsd ’s! I almost like hers better. My bases are solid!!!

Here’s the open base of the Sasha Primak basket and the closed base of the crown.

49F8B95A-4445-4E1C-BD63-7B2E837F8501.jpeg
Click to expand...

Thank you Diamondseeker! Did you prefer having open or closed backs on your studs?

You had such a great idea asking Donna to contact Vera about her CADs. Thank you.

I love your WF stud design too. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do yet. Would you be okay if I ended up with a hybrid between yours and Donna's? I'm trying to decide if I prefer the straight sides or the more curved ones, and am thinking maybe something in between with just a tiny bit of curve.
 
SandyK said:
@RunningwithScissors - saw these CVB settings and thought of you, I know you would want to modify to a six-prong version and have the base be open and not solid:

www.etsy.com

Victorian Inspired Abby Earrings by CvB | Etsy

Gorgeously custom designed and meticulously crafted eight claw prong Abby style post earrings by CvB, setting only as these earrings are sold. Shown with 2ctw antique cushion diamonds, which Im happy to either source for you, or set your existing stones. Im happy to source &/or set moissanite or
www.etsy.com www.etsy.com


1617373705351.png
Click to expand...

Very pretty, thank you!
 
Patty said:
I had a thought about this and you’re probably way beyond this now, but would you consider trying regular jumbo backs instead of the la pousette backs? I ask because I had .90c stones each in a 4 prong martini setting with the la pousette backs and one stone always tilted upwards and I could see the prong from the front at the bottom of my lobe. When I upgraded to stones that were over a carat each, I went with WF’s jumbo backs and the three prong martinis and they sit nicely. I realize that yours are bigger at 1.9 each, but maybe the jumbo backs would be just enough larger and flatter than the la pousettes to hold your stones in place? And congratulations on your beautiful new earrings!
Click to expand...

Hi Patty!

Thank you! Yes, I think I may get the jumbo backs for my new settinsg.

I'm not sure push backs will fit on my current posts. I tried a few that I in my jewelry box and I wasn't able to slide them on the current posts.
 
RunningwithScissors said:
You are an angel! Thank you so much for showing your images and even contacting Vera/WF for us! Your ear shot looks superb too.

Are you sure you wouldn't mind if I were to do something similar? I'm not sure what tweaks I'd make, I'd have to really think about it. But I'd love to contact WF for an estimate for something similar if you are okay with that.

And @yssie, since Donnabrsd's design is based on a design of yours, are you okay if your design, which evolved into Donna's, evolves again into mine?
Click to expand...

I've already told Vera that I am fine with anyone making exactly or any similar version to mine. Hopefully they make it a stock item in the near future so more can enjoy them!
 
RunningwithScissors said:
Thank you Diamondseeker! Did you prefer having open or closed backs on your studs?

You had such a great idea asking Donna to contact Vera about her CADs. Thank you.

I love your WF stud design too. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do yet. Would you be okay if I ended up with a hybrid between yours and Donna's? I'm trying to decide if I prefer the straight sides or the more curved ones, and am thinking maybe something in between with just a tiny bit of curve.
Click to expand...

I didn't even note the bases until you asked! I was kind of glad you did! I can say that it didn't matter in the least, because I was able to clean both styles, but I kind of like the look of Donna's open base better. Not that anyone on earth sees that on studs other than me when cleaning them! lol!

In looking at both styles, I think a cross between the two would be very nice. My stones are so much smaller, so the curve of the prongs appear a little too pronounced. Just be sure to tell them to set the stones as low as possible without touching the base. I'd send pictures especially if you want a cross between the two. It's always a little scary when asking for something different and hoping they understand!

At the moment, I think I am just going to go with the Tiffany style 4 prong ones from Sasha Primak if they still have them. She hasn't gotten a quote yet because I was wavering on which stones I wanted! I will finalize that part Monday morning! I hope SP has the settings and we don't have to wait on them to be made.
 
Two more thoughts :))

1. WF’s custom pieces tend to be solid. Sturdy. “Chunky” - not in an unattractive or unpleasant way!! But their casts (of any metal) aren’t light. My old 2.5ctw studs weighed more than my current 5.4ctw studs from Erika Winters, both cast in platinum (Erika’s casts are on the delicate side). So if you go with WF I would recommend keeping the design simple, just the minimum of whatever elements are needed to fulfill your desired aesthetic, to eke out a little extra weight loss. Caysie’s casts are between Erika and WF in terms of lightness and delicacy.

2. Highly recommend jumbo backs! But you want both larger pad and thicker metal, not just larger pad. Jumbo often just means pad size - you’ll want to ask for jumbo heavyweight. The “swirl” style jumbo pads that many vendors include by default, those are dreadful - the metal is paper thin and can’t grip the post tightly at all. WF can provide heavyweight jumbo backs if you ask. In the photo below the left pic shows the jumbo “swirl” style earnut at the top, compared to a jumbo heavyweight earnut.

66A152EA-9B14-433C-A9A9-7190415DAC31.png
 
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I think if ordering studs from WF, I agree with @yssie that you need to specifically ask which backs you want. In this past couple months, I got to try their default friction backs and Jumbo backs. And sadly to say, I’m extremely unhappy about the quality of them both. Not just unhappy, but very disappointed. I didn’t get to take a picture of their 2021 jumbo backs but it looks super flimsy and thin. I do have comparison picture of their 2017 Vs 2021 friction back. The 2021 one changes color only after 1-2 months use. And their 2021 Jumbo backs also have similar quality of this 2021 friction backs.

@yssie can you please advise me how much did you paid for those heavyweight earnut? I lost my 1of my friction back so I bought this friction back as a replacement and paid $100.
 

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My 18K earrings are super light. I only have a postage scale (that has a grams option), but when I put both earrings including backs on it, nothing registers. I know I specifically asked for as little gold as possible and I believe I asked for the base to be small so they could be set as low as possible.

In regard to backs, I think there is jumbo and an "XL" jumbo size. Below is a photo of regular backs, the jumbo ones from my previous studs, and the ones from WF. I don't know what I asked for back in 2012/2013, but WF must have had some super strong 18K ones back then. I put them on and take them off every day and they have never stretched. They are not flimsy. The jumbo back in the center belonging to my previous studs, stretched all the time.IMG_8866.jpeg

The "XL" jumbo backs are larger than my 7.5mm earring..
IMG_8868.jpeg
 
I also have a pair of jumbo backs in platinum that are heavyweight. I will say that I believe some of the jewelers here said white gold is better than platinum for backs because they are less flexible than platinum, or something like that!

I know WF must want to strangle people like me who want everything that they don't normally stock!

Here are my platinum jumbo backs. The pad is about 9mm. To the right are just standard 4-5mm backs. I'd ideally like to try a size in between these.

earringbacks.jpg
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
I also have a pair of jumbo backs in platinum that are heavyweight. I will say that I believe some of the jewelers here said white gold is better than platinum for backs because they are less flexible than platinum, or something like that!

I know WF must want to strangle people like me who want everything that they don't normally stock!

Here are my platinum jumbo backs. The pad is about 9mm. To the right are just standard 4-5mm backs. I'd ideally like to try a size in between these.

earringbacks.jpg
Click to expand...

These jumbo heavyweight backs are the same as mine. They’re from Stuller. This is what I request from all my vendors.

@munchee I asked up front so WF probably just built the extra cost into the price of the custom mounts - I don’t have a separate price I’m afraid! You can get them on eBay too, or a local jeweller can source them. Erika and Leon have also provided them with earring purchases at no extra charge.

https://www.stuller.com/products/20...yId=18906&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse
Compare the above link to these, which Stuller calls “heavyweight” as well unfortunately - 0.99g vs 0.7g. Same pad size. That difference is metal thickness.
https://www.stuller.com/products/22...yId=18906&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse
 
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I think you just have to be careful of the size of the backs depending on the size of your lobes and where your piercings are. My piercings are pretty much dead center of my lobes, which are fairly small, and the extra large jumbo backs were just too big, so I had to go down to regular jumbo size.
 
yssie said:
Two more thoughts :))

1. WF’s custom pieces tend to be solid. Sturdy. “Chunky” - not in an unattractive or unpleasant way!! But their casts (of any metal) aren’t light. My old 2.5ctw studs weighed more than my current 5.4ctw studs from Erika Winters, both cast in platinum (Erika’s casts are on the delicate side). So if you go with WF I would recommend keeping the design simple, just the minimum of whatever elements are needed to fulfill your desired aesthetic, to eke out a little extra weight loss. Caysie’s casts are between Erika and WF in terms of lightness and delicacy.

2. Highly recommend jumbo backs! But you want both larger pad and thicker metal, not just larger pad. Jumbo often just means pad size - you’ll want to ask for jumbo heavyweight. The “swirl” style jumbo pads that many vendors include by default, those are dreadful - the metal is paper thin and can’t grip the post tightly at all. WF can provide heavyweight jumbo backs if you ask. In the photo below the left pic shows the jumbo “swirl” style earnut at the top, compared to a jumbo heavyweight earnut.

66A152EA-9B14-433C-A9A9-7190415DAC31.png
Click to expand...

Thank you, this is really helpful information!
 
@donnabrsd @diamondseeker2006 @munchee
For gold (18k or 14k) I LOVE these!!
www.stuller.com

18K White 10 mm pad Heavyweight Friction Earring Back

24203 / 18K White / 10 mm / Each / Semi-Polished / Heavyweight Friction Earring Back
www.stuller.com www.stuller.com

They come in white and yellow gold (no pink unfortunately), with 8mm or 10mm pads. They’re light for what they are (jumbo heavyweight backs), they grip posts like vices, and the *best* part - the pad is a touch concave, so you don’t have to shove the stud on nearly as tight to get the lift effect!!

I use these for all my non-platinum and non-RG studs. I LOVE them. Have I mentioned?
 
donnabrsd said:
My 18K earrings are super light. I only have a postage scale (that has a grams option), but when I put both earrings including backs on it, nothing registers. I know I specifically asked for as little gold as possible and I believe I asked for the base to be small so they could be set as low as possible.

In regard to backs, I think there is jumbo and an "XL" jumbo size. Below is a photo of regular backs, the jumbo ones from my previous studs, and the ones from WF. I don't know what I asked for back in 2012/2013, but WF must have had some super strong 18K ones back then. I put them on and take them off every day and they have never stretched. They are not flimsy. The jumbo back in the center belonging to my previous studs, stretched all the time.IMG_8866.jpeg

The "XL" jumbo backs are larger than my 7.5mm earring..
IMG_8868.jpeg
Click to expand...

Thank you!
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
I also have a pair of jumbo backs in platinum that are heavyweight. I will say that I believe some of the jewelers here said white gold is better than platinum for backs because they are less flexible than platinum, or something like that!

I know WF must want to strangle people like me who want everything that they don't normally stock!

Here are my platinum jumbo backs. The pad is about 9mm. To the right are just standard 4-5mm backs. I'd ideally like to try a size in between these.

earringbacks.jpg
Click to expand...

Good to know, thank you! Seeing the mm diameter is very helpful.
 
munchee said:
I think if ordering studs from WF, I agree with @yssie that you need to specifically ask which backs you want. In this past couple months, I got to try their default friction backs and Jumbo backs. And sadly to say, I’m extremely unhappy about the quality of them both. Not just unhappy, but very disappointed. I didn’t get to take a picture of their 2021 jumbo backs but it looks super flimsy and thin. I do have comparison picture of their 2017 Vs 2021 friction back. The 2021 one changes color only after 1-2 months use. And their 2021 Jumbo backs also have similar quality of this 2021 friction backs.

@yssie can you please advise me how much did you paid for those heavyweight earnut? I lost my 1of my friction back so I bought this friction back as a replacement and paid $100.
Click to expand...

Oh no! I wonder if their supplier has changed? Or do they make these in-house?
 
donnabrsd said:
I've already told Vera that I am fine with anyone making exactly or any similar version to mine. Hopefully they make it a stock item in the near future so more can enjoy them!
Click to expand...

You are awesome!
 
Lookinagain said:
I think you just have to be careful of the size of the backs depending on the size of your lobes and where your piercings are. My piercings are pretty much dead center of my lobes, which are fairly small, and the extra large jumbo backs were just too big, so I had to go down to regular jumbo size.
Click to expand...

Good point!
 
Eek! I feel comfortable designing the setting's front, but now I'm feeling overwhelmed with finding a back!

Perhaps I can have the front made, and then try on different backs before placing an order for the back? I'm fortunate that I can drive to both Whiteflash and an HPD showroom, so if they are willing, perhaps I could try on several backs before purchasing?
 
yssie said:
@donnabrsd @diamondseeker2006 @munchee
For gold (18k or 14k) I LOVE these!!
www.stuller.com

18K White 10 mm pad Heavyweight Friction Earring Back

24203 / 18K White / 10 mm / Each / Semi-Polished / Heavyweight Friction Earring Back
www.stuller.com www.stuller.com

They come in white and yellow gold (no pink unfortunately), with 8mm or 10mm pads. They’re light for what they are (jumbo heavyweight backs), they grip posts like vices, and the *best* part - the pad is a touch concave, so you don’t have to shove the stud on nearly as tight to get the lift effect!!

I use these for all my non-platinum and non-RG studs. I LOVE them. Have I mentioned?
Click to expand...

This is one type I haven't tried, and I'd love to try the 8mm! Thanks!

@RunningwithScissors I seriously doubt they stock multiple kinds of backs. My earrings have always come in standard size except for the time I asked for the heavy jumbo backs. I think you'll just have to choose a pair to try and then order a different pair if you don't like them. I think I may request the ones above that Yssie just posted but in 8mm. However, I don't think I am ordering Stuller settings, so I don't know if they'd just want to order backs!

You could try something like this, though:

Amazon.com: Extra-Large Surgical Steel Earring Backs (Package of 10) : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry

Buy Extra-Large Surgical Steel Earring Backs (Package of 10): Earring Jackets - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com

I'm going to look and see if there are other backs we could order.
 
@yssie Thank you for giving so much infos!! I’ll think if I want to get all the trouble contacting WF to get these backs or just take whatever backs they give me eventho I don’t like them lol.

@diamondseeker2006 we got the same 4-5mm backs, sadly they don’t have it anymore.

@RunningwithScissors Vera said: “ A couple of years ago our supplier stopped offering the previous style, so we had to switch to the current ones.”

And for the change of color she said:
“ it seems that the back may need rhodium plating. Rhodium plating has a variance in wear-ability. Some people can wear white gold pieces for years and have no issue with the rhodium while others it may be affected within weeks or months. Sometime one’s own skin acidity can affect it or perfumes and cleansing products.”

Which I’m still confused why only this new back change color while all my other White gold pieces are not, but I decided to let go this whole studs upgrade fiasco and move on. So while you still have time to choose, I think its better if you get one of those that @yssie suggested and not their original friction back/jumbo friction back like what I got this year.
 
I was in Short hills mall in NJ today trying on 3 TCW plus today and they all had basket settings .They all drooped of My ears. my curren 1.24 each are in 3 prono martinis . I don't know I really don't want to see any metal when I show My studs. I prefer simple as again i only want the diamonds to show in my ears. Everytime i try other settings i go back to simple 3 prong martini. I used regular push backs with a tiny plastic "plus" from a $1.00 store and I've never had any issues for the 5 years Ive had these and they sit flush in my ears.
I will tell you that when i get my 3 carat I will go with platinum as so many people have allergy issues with white gold.
My two cents on settings. So envious your stones sound incredible. I am grateful to afford G color eye clean si1..
Happy for you .
 
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