How to Make a Less Expensive Pair of Diamond Earrings

Now pretty well everyone loves diamond earrings but what person would really want to pay top jewelry store price to have them. This article will explain how to make a less expensive pair of diamond earrings for the same sparkle. This how-to article can be applied to any size of diamond, as long as the diamonds will fit the settings. You will only need two tools.

They are:
A pair of pliers
Electrical tape

The first thing that will have to be done is finding a set of settings. It is always better to find the setting first. This is because it is easier to find the diamonds to fit the setting, instead of getting the diamonds first then trying to find the setting to match the diamonds. One of the best places to find settings is on Ebay. I have found that Ebay is one of the least expensive places to find both settings and diamonds.

The kind of setting that you will need are the ones that can be seen in the picture and the link at the bottom of the article (which will take you directly to Ebay). One thing that you will want to make sure of is that they have claws on each side. If the settings do not have claws then you will not be able to set the diamonds in the settings.

The next things that you will want to look for are some diamonds on Ebay. Make sure that the diamonds that you get are the diamonds that you like because either you or your loved one/special some one will be wearing them.

After you have the diamonds and the settings you will need to take the electrical tape and put some on the tips of the pliers so that you do not do any damage to the setting claws such as scratches). Then you will need to put the diamonds in the setting and slowly push the claws down on top of the diamonds. Make sure that you do not go all the way down on the first pass around the diamond clamping the claws. This is because you will want to make sure that the diamond is sitting level all the way around in the setting. When the diamond is sitting level you can finish tightening the claws around the stone.

Once you have tightened the claws you will need to clean the earrings. An easy way of cleaning the earrings is to just put them in some warm water with some dish soap. After soaking for about five to ten minutes give them a quick brush with a soft fingernail brush. Then air-dry them on a tea towel or piece of paper towel. Once they are dry they are ready to be put in your ear(s), or to give away.

For these earrings you do not have to use just diamonds you could use any other gem stone as long as they fit into the settings. I believe diamonds would be the best choice because they hold their equity better than most other gems.

Earring Settings
http://jewelry.shop.ebay.com/items/Settings__W0QQ_catrefZ1QQ_npmvZ3QQ_sacatZ67707
Diamonds
http://jewelry.shop.ebay.com/items/Loose-Diamonds-Gemstones__W0QQ_sacatZ491?_npmv=3

Romance in the stone

This article is written for every guy out there that has wanted to get their wife or girlfriend a pendant but can’t afford the high jewelry store prices. The process of making a nicer pendant out of a cheaper one can take just under an hour. With just a small amount of tools and a little patience one can make the pendant of your loved ones dreams.

Tools needed:
Knife
Electrical Tape
A pair of Pliers

The first step is to go onto Ebay and purchase a cheap pendant like the one below. I picked it up off of Ebay for about $10. Now my girlfriend is not a big fan of Emeralds and more of a fan of Citrine. This is fine because what I was looking for is just the gold setting of the pendant. The other part to step one is to find a loose stone that your wife or girlfriend would like. I know my girlfriend is a fan of Citrine. So I found a Citrine that was the same size as the Emerald in Millimeters which is 6.4mm across. The cost of the stone off of Ebay ended up costing me less then $10. Total cost so far for this pendant is about $20.

Now the second step is the most dangerous because you will have to take the knife and try and lift the claws on each side of the stone. Take your time in trying to lift the claws because if you slip with the knife you could easily cut yourself. This is the longest part of changing out the stones because the claws could lift really easily or they could be stubborn and take a little while and some effort. To lift the claws all you have to do is slowly work the knife under each claw and pry it up. Once all the claws have been lifted up enough to remove the stone proceed to step three.

The third step is where the pliers and the electrical tape are needed. What you will want to do is take the electrical tape and cover both tips of the pliers. This is so that the pliers do not leave any impressions or scratches on the gold. Now after you have covered the pliers with tape, it is time to fit the other stone that you have purchased. Place the stone in the setting similar to the one you removed. Make sure that the stone is somewhat level when you start to pinch the claws down onto the stone. Don’t pinch the claws down all the way because you still have to make sure that the stone is level as you finish off pinching down the claws. After the stone is level with the setting you can pinch down the claws so that they are tight to the stone.

Now the second last thing left to do is to clean the pendant. One way to clean any type of jewelry is to with warm water and a little dish soap. Just let it sit in the soapy water for 5-10 minutes and just rub it with a soft finger nail brush. It can then be air dried on a piece of paper towel, tea towel, or bath towel.

When you have finished you should have a pendant that looks many times better than what the original pendant looked like. This is because some of these Ebay pendants have fake stones in them and they just don’t look as nice as a real stone.

The last and final step is to give the new pendant to your wife or girlfriend. Just after I picked my girlfriend up for a date I gave her the one I changed so that she could wear it all night long. I know she likes it because I have yet to see her change it.

When you are finished following this small and simple guide you will have saved yourself a lot of money. The same pendant, but new, that I have just finish above would have cost me over $80 at most jewelry stores. Doing this quick stone swap I managed to get the same kind of pendant for about $20. That is a saving of about $60, which you can use for any thing else. If you feel creative you would like to make a couple of them, you could hide them in a spot where your wife or girlfriend will not find them. Doing more than one means you always have a back up to any anniversary, birthday or “special date” that you may have forgotten.