Necklaces Guide

We pride ourselves in the wide range of attractive designs, lustrous precious metals, and elegant gemstones in our collection of necklaces. With professionally crafted metalwork and top of the line diamonds or colored gemstones, our necklaces offer styles to match the tastes of any of our female customers.

Types of Necklaces

Solitaire Necklace

The classic solitaire necklace has one gemstone fastened to a chain of precious metal. The chain has a bale, or fastener, that connects the ends of the necklace. A single bale necklace has one fastener and a double bale necklace has two fasteners. You may see the word bail instead of bale and they are different spellings for the same fastener on a necklace. The bale is commonly a metal hoop that hooks through a circle of metal or connects to another hoop.

The most common gem shapes in a solitaire are round, cushion, princess, or oval. The gem itself may be a diamond or sapphire, an emerald, or a ruby, blue topaz, or amethyst. The precious gem and its shape are largely matters of personal taste. However, some shapes sparkle better than others and some shapes show the deep color of a colored gemstone better. The round shape and cut has the most facets and, in a high cut grade, has an elegant sparkle. If you want to see the brilliance and fire of a high-grade diamond, use a round cut gem.

The princess shape is an elegant square with lots of sparkle as well. For a solitaire necklace, the sparkle, brilliance, color, and fire of the gemstone are the main focus. Although a solitaire diamond necklace is a classic, colored gemstones have great appeal for their radiant colors as well as their sparkle.

When we craft a solitaire necklace, we choose the gemstone for the best sparkle, color, color saturation, and overall appearance in order to make a necklace of beauty that will last longer than a lifetime.

Halo Necklace

The halo necklace has a central gemstone in the middle of a circle of smaller gems. Halos can be great for wearing every day or they can be reserved for special times. The first choice in creating a halo necklace is choosing which precious gemstone to use as the centerpiece. The usual choice for a colored gemstone is a round, cushion, oval, or princess shape. The surrounding gems are most often accent diamonds. Alternatively, a central diamond can be used and be surrounded by accent diamonds or a cluster of smaller colored gemstones. The best choices for precious metal for a necklace that will stand the tests of time are 14 karat gold, either white, yellow, or rose. Platinum is also an excellent choice.

Classic Necklace Styles

There are many different necklace pendant styles that have been popular for years and years. Many of these are specific to special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and Valentine’s Day. These include hearts, key shapes, love knots, journey pendants, and clusters of gems. The birthstone of the person to receive the necklace is a typical choice for a birthday gift. These choices allow you to express your love and affection with a gift that has special meaning to the one who receives it. The art of crafting a classic cluster style is such that a group of smaller gems can be made to look like a larger gemstone when viewed from a distance. Classic styles make use of diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and other gemstones.

Contemporary Necklace Styles

An artistic craftsman can create designs such as interlocking circles, spirals, or other unique designs to produce a totally modern look. Quite commonly these designs feature a minimal number of gemstones which accent the metalwork. A well-crafted contemporary style necklace can be an absolute eye-catcher and something to be worn on that special occasion when it is meant to impress. Platinum or 14 karat white, yellow, or rose gold are all good choices for a contemporary style necklace, but they should be chosen to match or complement the choices of gemstone and the total look of the necklace. When choosing a contemporary design work closely with a trusted jeweler.

Precious Metals for Necklaces

The four precious metals that we use for necklaces are 14 karat white gold, 14 karat yellow gold, 14 karat rose gold, and platinum. These are all attractive precious metals, durable, and meant to last for lifetimes. Pure gold is soft, bendable, and does not work well in jewelry. Thus an alloy or other metal is added for strength. Depending on the alloy added, the color of the gold will vary. Pure gold is 24 karats. 14 karat gold contains 58.3% gold plus the other metal alloys. We do not use gold with a lower karat for jewelry as the metals lose their shine over time. And we do not use a higher karat gold as these are more likely to bend or scratch easily.

White Gold: 14 karat

14 karat white gold is 58.3% gold with “white” metals such as nickel, manganese, or palladium added for strength and to give the metal or whiter color. The resulting white to silver shine of this metal goes very well with virtually any diamond or colored gemstone. If you are going to use a high color grade white diamond in a solitaire, this precious metal is a great choice. White gold is plated with the element rhodium to give it extra shine and scratch resistance.

Yellow Gold: 14 karat

This precious metal has a traditional and warm look. 14 karat yellow gold is a good match for any gemstone or diamond. This precious metal contains 58.3% gold plus copper and silver as alloys. When the copper portion of the alloy is larger it results in a darker yellow and a lighter yellow is the result with a higher silver content.

Yellow gold at 14 karats is durable and will retain its luster despite years of wear and tear with normal use. Because yellow gold has such a golden warm color, it goes well with every skin tone. Yellow gold goes well with diamonds as well as colored gemstones.

Rose Gold: 14 karats

Rose gold gets its reddish hue from the copper added as an alloy. 14 karat rose gold is 58.3% gold and mostly copper as an alloy. A few percent of the total content may be silver which serves to keep the metal from being too red.

Rose gold has a warm and romantic look. It is also a trendy choice for today. This precious metal is especially good for pairing with emeralds and rubies as the colors are complementary. A necklace with this precious metal can have a nice antique look and will be a truly unique piece of jewelry to show off with any skin tone.

Platinum

Platinum is harder than gold. It has 5% iridium added as an alloy. This precious metal is the best choice, along with white gold, for showing off a high color grade diamond. Platinum does not need rhodium plating to brighten its finish or improve its durability. Use platinum for diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, or rubies and you will have a look that attracts attention and appreciation. For those who have metal allergies to some of the alloys used for gold, platinum is the right choice.

The Gemstones for Your Necklace

Diamonds

A solitaire diamond necklace is a classic and a standard for beauty. A round cut diamond on a white gold or platinum necklace will have sparkle, brilliance, and fire that make this gem the standard for beauty. Diamonds in simple necklace designs can be worn every day. And the same gemstone can be the final accent that makes an evening dress stunning. Round and oval shapes are the most popular for halo and solitaire necklaces. However, the emerald or princess shapes can also provide an elegant touch. The marquise and pear shapes are generally considered to have romantic appeal. In the long run, diamonds are the most durable gemstone and the best choice.

Emeralds

A deep green emerald makes a great gemstone for a solitaire necklace or the center gem for a halo. When using more than one emerald in the setting it is important to make sure that the gems match for hue, tone, and saturation of color. And, because all emeralds have inclusions, the inclusions in more than one emerald should be such that the emeralds still match each other instead of distracting from the overall look. This is the art of crafting a fine emerald necklace and it is what we do which each and every necklace we create.

Ruby

The romantic red ruby can be an excellent choice for any necklace. Choose rubies with deep color, excellent sparkle, and minimal inclusions. When we buy rubies, we only purchase those with minimal inclusions that do not interfere with the color and sparkle of the gemstone. This gemstone is usually best set in rose gold to show off the fiery red color. The contract provided by platinum or white gold can also offer a striking contrast. Pair this gemstone in a halo with diamonds for an elegant look with fire.

Sapphire

High-quality sapphires have a rich sparkle and deep blue color. The sapphire is the most popular colored gemstone and it is the second hardest gemstone after the diamond. This gorgeous jewel can be worn daily and for many years because of its durability. Use the sapphire as a solitaire or as the center gem in a halo and surrounded by brilliant diamonds. The result will be breathtaking.

Amethyst

The royal purple of the amethyst makes it a striking choice for pendant necklaces or when several are chained together. The amethyst looks good alone but also does well when paired with diamonds. Amethysts do not have inclusions seen by the naked eye. Thus this gemstone has the transparency of a high-quality diamond and impressive sparkle and shine. Deeper purple amethysts are more expensive and typically more attractive. Give this gift for a February birthday.

The Blue Topaz

The blue, icy color of the blue topaz makes it a great choice for a solitaire necklace or as the center stone of a halo. Surround this gem with smaller diamonds for an impressive and elegant look. This gem does not have significant inclusions, so it is transparent with an impressive sparkle. Set this gem in 14 karat white gold or in 14 karat yellow gold.