Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself...

[ChrisA222]

Hi!

I've been around here for a little while now, and while I've been around gemstones, learning as I go..I know zero about jewelry...but I know enough to get some opinions from the board members here!

So here is my plan..I'm a guy in my mid-30s if that helps. I had a custom pendant made for myself about a year back...it featured a 5+ct trillion amethyst bezel-set, and above that was a smaller bezel set round Spessartite garnet...done in 18K WG. I had planned on wearing it with a black cord. While it was made very well (JeffDVS101 on Ebay) and the stones were GREAT...I never wore it and ended up selling it. I just felt it was "too much" and had a feeling in the back of my mind that people would laugh at me with that bling. I have a pic...Ill attach it.

But I do want to wear one because I love gems and I think if its done right I'll like it. When I searched google and Ebay for mens pendants...they are usually all metal...with either crosses, or famous charachters, or animals, monsters, etc. Not me. I want to find a way to wear the faceted gems that I love. I do really like the look of "claws". I saw some that had dragon claws...but, I don't necessarily want THAT style of claws.

Anyone have any suggestions? I would like to ideally use two stones from my collection to honor my parents...Dad was born in May and Mom January..and I just got a really nice 7x5 Zambian Emerald and a 6.5x5.5 (I think?) odd-cut Rhodolite garnet. I'll attach pics. I have tons of gemstones if these won't work but they are the "coolest" of their kind at least in my collection. I could add another 7x5 of something (although another Zambian may be too costly...I was lucky enough to win this stone on JTV auction for a very good price, its on their website for $329 right now..I didn't pay half of that).

Anybody have any thoughts, ideas, or pictures? With whatever design I'll wear it with a black cord, and I do believe that I'd go with Jeff again, he did a great job last time (I chose the stones and the layout..not his fault I decided not to wear it)

LASTLY...please IGNORE the "trade" status icon on my threads. I didn't put it there unless by mistake, and I cant get rid of it. I do sell stones to finance other stones, but no more than many of you guys. I am a collector/consumer first and foremost.

Thanks

Chris

 

[innerkitten]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Hooray for guys that wear pendants! I wish more men wore jewelry. I like the idea of a black cord with a gemstone ( or two). Have you looked around the web for ideas?

 

[innerkitten]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

P.S. I love both those stones. I guess the obvious design is to have the smaller gem on top. But it could be part of the bale or something. Like a sliding bale behind the emerald? Then maybe the garnet attached to the bale but not dangling. Sort of an all in one piece with square lines to give it more of a masculine feel.

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Chris - that was an awesome pendant you had initially - really a cool design!

Your rhodolite is really intriguing... think that could be the focus and perhaps the emerald on another item? any chance you have pierced ears and that could be a single stud? What are the sizes of your stones?

Like the black cord - leather or silk?

 

[ChrisA222]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Yeah...I love gems and WANT to wear a pendant but I chickened out the first time around..I did like that pendant but I dunno...it felt a little too big or bling I guess and I couldn't wear it, LOL.

Yeah I think the leather cord or rubber in black would work...I could do just one stone, yes...if you all think these two stones in one pendant will end up being too much, like the first pendant was...

No to pierced ear...not me..I do wear a three stone ring..ill attach...although Im going to experiment with a ring with a larger stone like a blue zircon...I have a really nice 6ct antique cushion Id like to also do something with. My ring in the pic is 14K WG and the stones are 4MM .25ct diamonds..the ones on the side are supposed to be blue but I see green...

That Rhodolite I bought because of that cut! Thats from Osirus gems...his store has amazing cutting if you like different. I think that stone is 6.5X5.5 and the Emerald is 7x5 so these are much smaller stones than the amethyst in the first pendant which was over 5 cts but I cant remember the dimensions.

When I searched the net and Ebay I didnt find much...a lot of feminine ones...the ones "for men" were all mostly just metal..crosses...charachters..animals..that sort of thing...I want to use my gems! hehe. Im fascinated by some kind of claw look around the gem but I dont even know what IM talking about..lol.

The pic is the ring I wear..

Thanks for opinions...its helping me figure out what I want to do.

 

[GemFever]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

This is a cool "challenge"! I imagine one way to make a pendant look more masculine is to use metal to create a geometric-looking design that would incorporate the stones. I'd suggest searching Etsy for some ideas. Here are a couple interesting things I found after a quick search for "geometric pendant stones":

I tried to add the store names and links as descriptions for the pics.

With some modification, I think these could look very cool and masculine. I especially like the second one, but I would make the lines less curvy and perhaps shorter.

Good luck with your project!

 

[chrono]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

It is going to be a challenge to set both stones together in a pendant simply because:
1. Both are about the same size. If one is significantly larger/smaller, it is easier to design.
2. The garnet is quite a bit darker and would not do well in a bezel. Most masculine designs tend to be bezels which might totally black out the rhodolite.

Regardless of design, I think both stones will look excellent in a yellow metal. A white metal might make them appear too "cold" and too contrasting.

ETA
To remove the "Trade" status, go to your account setting (click on your name at the top of the page), go to the Edit Membership page, then scroll down to change your status.

 

[ChrisA222]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

I like some of those concepts...very cool! I agree on the bezel setting not being a good match with the darker garnet..

Chrono....I can't change my status...I never selected trade...and when I login and see what my status is, it shows that im set as a consumer...trade is left as something i can click on...so Ive no idea why it says trade...its very odd. I dont know if it was done for me, because a moderator saw my stones for sale or something? But i am not a vendor! just a guy selling some stones to finance others

IN any case...if Mods read this board, please fix my status...

Ive never seen "etsy" but I hear it mentioned a lot..Ill do a search and see what that comes up with. Ive searched google, ebay, for ideas...

Any other ideas keep them coming! For me..I dont want anything large/super blingy...but i really want to use at least that cool looking garnet!

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Chris:

Why don't you go mess about with your status a bit. At this point, you have nothing to lose by experimenting and marking yourself as a trade member. Then log off, log back on and unmark trade and see if it takes. I think you just need to mess with it a bit. Several of us have had your problem but resolved it with a little experimentation...

 

[Nicki]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Chris,

How formal are you? Other options for male "bling" would be cufflinks (obviously would need a pair of stones for this) or a super cool tie-tack, lapel pin, etc.

 

[ChrisA222]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Hey Nicky....

Im not formal at all...dress casual for work...usually just a button down shirt and cargos or khakis...so cufflinks or lapel pins or anything like that would only be when Im at a wedding or a funeral...lol. But, good ideas nonetheless!

I tried setting my status as a trade member and that also did not work. I have tried it all...cant get it removed. Ill mess around with it some more though!

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Well thanks for trying. Maybe its meant to be - an indication of your future occupation

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Masculine pendants look great, specially on rubber or silk cords (I think leather looks worn too fast). One of my gem dealers wears an amazing emerald set in gold that I drool over. Since I love Osiris as well (in fact, I may have been bidding against you on that stone ), I would go for that stone and, probably, set it alone, since the cut is so fantastic and to tone down the bling, so you are more comfortable. I would go for a bezel, to frame the shape.

You will need a good bench to set that stone, who is used to setting fancy shapes and coloured stones. The cut is too good to risk getting dinged.

 

[Starzin]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

I think GemFever is on to something here.

One suggestion would be to go with a torus type design. Glen Lehrer is the cutter who poularized this and you can see the bling versions here http://www.gem2000.com/lehrer.php This isn't Glen's site but somewhere you can purchase the torus cut gemstones. You can see how they set another stone in the centre hole if you scroll down.


You may, however, have to sell off a few more gems to fund it

Alternatively, you (or your jeweller) could create a less expensive version by using a natural gemstone donut (these are fairly readily available in any gemstone you desire) and then setting the rhodolite in claws in the centre with some imaginative gold/sterling "stringing"


You don't have to have the centre stone drilled - see here http://www.golden-knots.com/ametrine.html for what I meant about imaginative stringing with a claw set centre.

All of these of course can go on a rubber neckband but I do think you can achieve a "masculine bling" with some of the above ideas. Do keep us posted!

 

[Starzin]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

One more for good luck - this one comes from http://www.jewelryexpert.com/catalog/Star-Gazer-Torus-Pendant.htm where you can see several different pictures of it.

 

[Pandora II]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Check out Brian Cook - I attended a lecture he gave on Paraiba Tourmaline here in London last year and he was wearing some of his own pendants set with AMAZING rocks.

Here's one link: http://www.satyacenter.com/store/crystal/jewelry/4373

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Wow, that is beautiful and completely different!

 

[Kismet]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

I don't know if Troels Larsen works with outside stones but I love his pendant designs.

 

[ChrisA222]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

OMG that is the sort of thing I was looking for...I mean...whoa. Thanks these are the types of designs that I get excited about. I never would have thought of the donut route....but darn the concept is really interesting. I will be saving this thread thats for sure! I may now have to do multiple projects, lol.

THanks SO much! I would have never known these types of pendants were doable...amazing. I want.

Osirus gems...very cool cutting and I couldn't believe I only paid like $85 for that Rhodolite...It hasnt arrived yet so I dont know how dark it will be IRL....but I dont really mind dark as long as the facets can be seen...they are so interesting.

OK, so Ive decided I am going to do a simple pendant this time around with only the Rhodolite...and save one of these fancy ones for different stones. Ive heard both pros and cons to bezel set...I guess I have to see how dark the stone is....but, did you all "agree" on the metal type? I am one of those people that love all colors of gold. My onyx ring I wear sometimes (which was my MOms college ring that I had modified and I threw an Onyx in there) is 10k YG (no choice as thats what it was when it was a school ring), my diamond ring is 14K WG, and I LOVE the look of rose gold (copper is amazing) but I was thinking of doing a rose gold ring with my blue zircon as I liked the contrast (but around here you all say rose or yellow with warm colors and white gold with cool colors)..see I pay attention to you ladies! My point was Im not a WG or a YG only person. Why limit yourself? I dont care about "skin tone" LOL not at all...

Once you all agree on a metal, and then a bezel or a prong setting (Claw like would be awesome) can I hire you all for help with my blue zircon ring ideas? lol

NO really thanks so much, Ive learned a lot and continue to do so.

 

[Starzin]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

OMG that is the sort of thing I was looking for...I mean...whoa. Thanks these are the types of designs that I get excited about. I never would have thought of the donut route....but darn the concept is really interesting. I will be saving this thread thats for sure! I may now have to do multiple projects, lol.

THanks SO much! I would have never known these types of pendants were doable...amazing. I want.

That's what is sooo great about PS - you get more ideas than a cat has fleas

Seriously though, I would think a good bench jeweller/designer would be able to do a claw set centre for a donut and not have it cost the earth. I would love to see this executed. The trick would be finding a stone and donut hole size that work together.

I don't really have a preference for WY or YG for this project but would probably lean to 14YG - whichever you choose it should definitely NOT be bezel set, small as it may be why hide that amazing shape in a bezel? Definitely claw set if you can't have it drilled so it can spin

 

[ChrisA222]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

"definately claw set if you can't have it drilled so it can spin"

You lost me there, lol. By claw set I meant like how a normal diamond ring is set into a ring, except maybe the claws being larger or more pronounced? But not a bezel set where the metal is all around the stone. But I don't understand how that would be spinning although I like the concept because if the stone is dark it will move more easily and sparkle more? Or did you mean only if I put it in the center of a donut? Which I wasnt leaning towards doing THIS time...LOL.

Sorry when it comes to jewelry Im just slightly above useless,lol.

I was picturing something more claw than the diamond picture, and less claw than the pink stone picture...lol

 

[Starzin]

Re: Need help from the jewelry experts..pendant for myself..

Apologies Chris, I didn't mean to confuse you.

Claw set if fine for this project and the two pics you have provided are indeed claw set.

in order to do something like the next pic, the gem would have to have a hole drilled though it in order for it to be threaded. Typically this is then known as a "bead" to indicate it has been drilled and is able to be strung on something. It is then free to turn on whatever it's strung on. It doesn't have to be smooth like this example, it can be a faceted gemstone.