18K White Gold Solitaire Pendant Setting

This solitaire pendant setting is engineered to present a single, striking gemstone with maximum optical performance and restrained elegance, it is designed as a low profile marquise-oriented basket that reads as both classic and technically optimized. The open marquise-shaped seat is defined by a six-prong crown with two tapered V-style prongs at the pointed termini and four evenly spaced short claws along the curved sides, the arrangement secures a variety of cuts while minimizing metal obstruction to the table and crown facets. The gallery is pierced and laddered to create discrete light wells beneath the pavilion, the under-gallery geometry is angled to encourage upward light return and to reduce shadowing, and the articulated split-bale allows the pendant to hang flat against the collarbone while accommodating most standard chain gauges. Available in 14K rose gold, 14K white gold with rhodium finish, 18K white gold, 14K yellow gold, 18K yellow gold, and Platinum 950, the setting’s metal thickness and prong profiles are calibrated to each alloy’s mechanical properties, for example 18K options favor slightly fuller prongs to balance malleability with long term wear, while Platinum 950 receives narrower, heat-worked claws that resist fatigue and maintain a secure seat.

When selecting a center stone for this solitaire, technical attributes of faceting and color grading become decisive for the visual result, sapphires and rubies perform exceptionally in mixed or modified brilliant cuts because the crown facet arrangement promotes scintillation that complements the pendant’s open gallery, emeralds are most successful in step-cut or emerald-cut forms which emphasize color and depth rather than brilliance, and calibrated brilliant-cut gemstones maximize return through the pierced basket. For color gemstones we reference hue, tone, and saturation as primary grading parameters, a sapphire in a pure cornflower to royal blue range with medium to medium-dark tone and strong to vivid saturation delivers the most lively contrast against yellow and rose gold, while rubies graded pigeon blood to vivid red with medium tone produce maximum visual warmth in rose or yellow gold settings. Emeralds tolerate more inclusions and require careful seat shaping and prong placement to protect fragile corners, choose a stone with even chroma and a medium to medium-dark tone, avoid stones with extreme pale tone that will appear washed out in solitaire presentation. Clarity considerations differ by species, for rubies and sapphires a moderately included stone with good transparency can outshine a higher clarity but poorly cut stone, whereas emeralds typically demand bezel protection at the corners if step-cut inclusions are extensive, this setting’s V-prongs and micro-knife seats can be adjusted to cradle pointed ends or cushion shoulders without compromising symmetry.

Craftsmanship techniques applied to each custom piece follow strict finishing and setting protocols, the setting is CNC-machined to datum surfaces and then finished by hand, prongs are formed and burnished with micro tools to establish tight seats that minimize lift, solder joints in the bale and gallery are refined by sequential filing and 1 micron polishing to remove hot spots that trap dirt. For white gold pieces a precision rhodium plating cycle is applied after final polishing to ensure a consistent white hue and to add a hard surface layer, rose and yellow gold receive hand-applied rouge polishing to accentuate warm reflections. When a stone is set, the setter uses controlled torque and a sequence of microsupport punches to avoid stress propagation into facet junctions, and the final inspection includes magnified verification of prong alignment, girdle clearance, and pavilion symmetry to ensure the gem sits perpendicular to the plane of the bale. Wearing the finished solitaire yields a refined but immediate pleasure, the unobstructed crown and pierced under-gallery allow the gemstone to communicate its color and cut from every angle, the balanced prong architecture gives confidence in security without sacrificing the intimate connection a solitaire creates between wearer and stone. We offer full customization of metal, prong profile, and fit for specific cuts, along with professional guidance on color grading and cut selection to match the optical priorities you prefer, contact us to specify your stone and alloy preferences and we will produce a technical drawing and atelier timeline to bring your solitaire pendant to life.