Diamond and Gold Pendants

Several gold pendants ship with a chain, such as the cross and compass pendants. The lockets come without a chain, so pair them with one from chains.

A pendant should look carried, not dangled. The usual guide: small pendants under an inch sit on 1 to 2 mm chains; medium pieces need 2 to 4 mm; large iced pieces want 4 mm or more, usually a Cuban, Franco or rope, so the chain does not look thin under the weight. The reverse matters too. A tiny charm on a 6 mm Cuban gets lost. Our chain for a pendant guide has a size-by-size chart, and Cuban vs Franco compares the two most common pendant chains.

The bail is the loop at the top of the pendant that the chain passes through. Measure its inside opening before you buy. If the opening is narrower than your chain, or narrower than the clasp, it will not slide on. Big iced pendants usually have wide bails meant for Cuban chains. Small gold pendants have small bails for fine chains. Read how to wear a Cuban link with a pendant before pairing a heavy piece.

On a pendant, setting matters as much as carats. Small diamonds set close together in pavé or a halo read as one bright surface. The iced house pendants are graded E color and VS1 clarity, which GIA's scale puts near the top in color and clean to the naked eye in clarity. The small 14K diamond pendants list their total carat weight, for example the Princess Bow Diamond Pendant ($510) at 0.19 carats. Gem-set pieces like the Gemstone Cross Pendant ($480) use colored crystals, not diamonds, and say so in the description.

The iced house pendants in the case right now are natural diamonds, and each title says so. Lab-grown diamonds are also real diamonds, and US rules require the origin to be disclosed. Lab stones cost less per carat, so a custom lab pendant can be bigger for the same budget. Natural stones carry the rarity some buyers want.

Pendants are the most popular custom piece: a name, a logo, a portrait, a family symbol. The process is simple. You bring the idea. The shop designs it and gives you the exact price before anything is made. Then it is made and delivered, insured. See custom pendants, what a custom pendant costs, custom name chains and custom initial pendants. One note from the listings: engraved items are not eligible for returns, so check the spelling twice.

To wear two pendants, put them on separate chains at least 2 inches apart in length, for example 18 and 20 inches, so they do not tangle. Keep the bigger piece on the longer chain. Mixing metals works when it looks deliberate: a yellow gold initial over a white gold diamond piece reads as a choice, not an accident.

Wash gold and diamond pendants in warm water with a drop of mild soap, brushing the back of the setting with a soft toothbrush, where lotion collects and dulls the stones. Dry with a lint-free cloth. Keep lockets dry inside so the photo lasts. Check the bail and prongs on iced pieces every few months. To see pieces in person, visit the showroom at 7900 NW 27th Ave, Unit 506, Miami FL 33147 after a call to 954-504-5640.