The Ultimate Guide to Diamond Pendants

A breathtaking 4 prong round diamond pendant design from White Flash.

Diamond pendants and necklaces are popular fashion accessories amongst women. They can exist in the form of exquisite, understated elegance to eye-blinding fashion statements grand enough for a Hollywood style red carpet entrance.

Diamond necklaces have the ability to enhance outfits and help draw attention towards the wearer’s face. Needless to say, choosing the right design to match your style would require careful consideration.

For people with higher disposable income, diamond pendants can also be used as a status symbol and a sign of prestige and wealth.

Whatever your purpose for buying a diamond pendant, we’ve created a comprehensive guide that reveals all the important things you need to take note of. Let’s dive right in…

What Are the Differences Between a Pendant And a Necklace?

Visual comparison of pendant (left) vs necklace (right).

Many people have the impression that pendants and necklaces are the same and use the terms interchangeably. However, there are differences between them and shouldn’t be confused to be the same.

A pendant is a small piece of jewelry (e.g. a round diamond mounted in a 6 prong solitaire setting) that can be attached to a chain and worn on different parts of your body like an anklet, necklace or bracelet.

A necklace is a type of jewelry that is worn only around the neck and generally consists of a precious metal jewelry chain. Necklaces can consist of a series of gemstones that are linked together on a chain or be completely plain without any gemstones.

Make Sure You Understand the Basics of the 4Cs

While you don’t need to have expert gemological knowledge to select a diamond, a solid understanding of the 4Cs  (color, cut, clarity and carat) will make the shopping process much easier. So, make sure you follow the links above and do some reading up on the relevant sections of Beyond4cs.com.

Here’s how I would recommend when prioritizing the 4Cs. First of all, make sure Cut is your number 1 priority. A well-cut diamond displays a high level of brilliance and scintillation that will catch people’s attention and make the stone look lively.

The second priority would be the diamond’s size. Since a pendant is usually worn around the neck, it means that the average person will have a further viewing distance of the jewelry. Size matters in such scenarios!

For clarity and color size, it is OK to go down to an SI clarity range and a lower color grade like I or J. This is done for practical reasons and to help you save money while getting a larger sized diamond.

That’s because most people will not be able to tell the difference between a well-cut J, SI2 diamond and a D, IF diamond once they are mounted on a pendant.

In the video above, the D color diamond has a VVS1 clarity while the K color diamond has a VS2 clarity. For most casual viewers, it would be almost impossible to discern clarity differences and even color hues when diamonds are mounted in the face up view!

What Diamond Shape Should You Choose For Your Pendant?

When it comes to pendants, the princess and round brilliant cut diamonds are two of the most popular choices. If you are feeling a little adventurous, a fancy-shaped diamond (e.g. heart or pear shape) in a solitaire setting can also be made into a timeless piece of jewelry.

You can also refer to this guide on the various shapes of diamonds and their meanings. If you still aren’t sure, go for a well-cut round brilliant diamond as it is an evergreen shape that complements different styles nicely.

Do You Need a Grading Report for a Pendant Purchase?

A GIA report which depicts the quality of the diamond using a 4Cs system.

In essence, a grading report is an assessment of the diamond’s characteristics. This is usually carried out with special gemological tools via neutral 3rd party labs where there is no conflict of interests.

Now, when I say neutral, I am referring to establishments like GIA or AGS where they have strict and consistent grading standards. Many times, jewelers try to pass off their own in-house assessment of the diamond as an unbiased grading report.

If you are ever sold or marketed a non-GIA certified diamond, you can be sure that the diamond is graded loosely and that the jeweler is trying to take advantage of you. It’s as simple as that.

On this note, I also want to bring to your attention that not every diamond might come with a grading report due to economical reasons. For example, if the size of the diamond is less than 0.30 carats. these smaller sized diamonds typically don’t come with a report as the cost of the lab examination far outweighs the value of the stone.

Also, for clustered styles of necklaces with lots of melee (small) diamonds, it is fine to purchase the necklace without the need of having a report for each individual stone. As long as you are buying from a reliable vendor and have sales policies to protect your purchase (i.e. refund policy), it shouldn’t be a problem.

James Allen, White Flash and Brian Gavin are reputable vendors that offer a superb selection of GIA and AGS certified diamonds. If you want to buy a high quality piece of jewelry, make sure you check them out first!

What Are The Design Considerations to Take Into Account?

Consider the Style And Fashion Sense of the Recipient

A beautiful solitaire diamond pendant from Brian Gavin

If you’re buying a piece of jewelry for someone else and not yourself, it may be tricky to know their style preference unless the person is very close to you.

In that case, you may want to look at their social media profiles to get an idea of what they like or better still, look through their jewelry collection for a particular style that they do not already own.

Getting one that doesn’t overlap with jewelry she already has is a good idea. Why? It’s simple. Most women like to have something to wear and match for different types of occasions. So, that’s a pretty handy factor to keep in mind if you have no idea where to start.

Age of the Wearer is an Important Factor

What appeals to your mother may not be to your teenage friend’s liking. As the saying goes, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Elegance and sophistication in a piece of jewelry are usually what older women look for.

On the other hand, younger recipients tend to like designs that are fun and trendy. The bottom line is; make sure you find out what your recipient prefers before you actually buy jewelry for them.

Type And Length of Chain Designs

Most vendors offer standard chain lengths that range from 16 to 24 inches and the most popular length is 18 inches. Ultimately, the location at which a pendant rests on the chest is determined by the chain’s length and this brings us to the next point.

The type of clothing worn with a necklace determines how long the chain should ideally be. But bear in mind that personal preferences should take precedence when choosing the length of the chain.

For instance, if you’re going to wear clothing that covers the neck (e.g. turtle neck sweaters), you should choose a longer chain. If you are someone who loves wearing short sun dresses, shorter chains would be preferred.

Also, you would need to decide on the type of chain you want to use for the pendant. The more popular choices in today’s market are the rope, rolo, box, cable, and figaro chains.

Diamond Pendant Setting And Necklace Designs

When it comes to choosing a design for your diamond pendant, there are plenty of choices for you to choose from. Most vendors will offer different colored metals like platinum, white gold, yellow gold and rose gold for their chains and settings.

If you want to find out what the differences between these metals are, click here to read this article I’ve written.

In terms of setting designs, prong settings with 4 or 6 prongs are the most popular types of mounting used for securing the diamond in place. The advantage of prong settings is that there is minimal metal coverage on the diamond and this allows more light into the diamond for better brilliance and sparkle.

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Bezel settings are also very popular choices among shoppers and feature a rim of metal that surrounds the entire diamond. This enhances the outline of the diamond shape and provides added protection to the center stone. However, the brilliance of the diamond would be reduced as the metal rims prevent more light from entering the diamond.

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The halo setting is my favorite type of design as diamond melees surround the center stone to enhance its sparkle factor and provide an appearance of having a larger looking diamond.

It’s one of the most cost-efficient ways of buying a piece of big looking diamond jewelry. Here’s an example of a beautiful halo diamond pendant from James Allen.

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The lovely designs above are some of White Flash’s finest solitaire pendant creations. If you are interested to see more designs or create your own customized pendant, I highly recommend that you check out Whiteflash.com for details…

Where Are the Best Places to Buy a Diamond Pendant?

Just like buying a diamond engagement ring, choosing a reputable and reliable vendor is key to buying a high quality diamond pendant. Based on our personal experience, the following vendors are the best in the industry when it comes to superior craftsmanship and stunning diamond jewelry.

James Allen: They have revolutionalized the industry with their intuitive 360° video listings and enable shoppers to see exactly what they are buying in full details.

Besides a large selection of GIA/AGS certified diamonds, James Allen also has a superb range of jewelry settings to choose from at super competitive prices. Click here to browse their selections of diamond pendants and necklaces.

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White Flash: A reputable vendor that is well known for their super ideal cut round and princess diamonds, White Flash has built a strong reputation for delivering diamond jewelry of the finest quality.

White Flash has one of the most transparent business practices in the industry and they readily provide tangible data like videos, ASET, idealscope and hearts & arrows images in their listings. With an integrated manufacturing facility, White Flash is a one-stop solution to buy beautiful jewelry and is an authorized distributor for designer brands such as Tacori and Verragio.

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Brian Gavin Diamonds: A fourth-generation diamond cutter, Brian Gavin has a stellar reputation for the finest cut diamonds in the market. Their diamonds offer unparalleled brilliance and masterpieces for people who want the best of the best.

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With that, I hope this article has been helpful in providing you with practical shopping tips and advice. If you have any questions about buying a diamond pendant, feel free to get in touch by leaving a comment below. Good luck!

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