Marcia Lanyon Talks Briolettes

These dangling treasures show off the cutter’s skill with the same cut or polished finished on all sides while being drilled to one side of the stone in order for it to be suspended from wire or thread or mounted with a cap.

Cuts

Delicate marquise-shaped or flattened drops cut with either an oval section, round-section chubby ‘onions’, or long delicate top-drilled pippins are just a few of the options for exciting designs. 

Most commonly seen as drop-shapes of varying lengths and depths, the cuts can vary enormously so if you have a favourite that you might like replicated in the future, take a photograph and careful measurements to supply as a guide for later orders. 

Drilled Stones

Using these drilled stones provides alternatives to the stone setter’s usual bezel, grain, claw or spectacle sets. The drill holes available vary widely in style and having the right type of drill hole is vital to hang correctly in your design.

Top drilled stones have small holes running vertically into the top of the stone, a few millimetres deep, for fixing metal or stone-set caps or for mounting onto pegs, which can be glued into the stone.

Side-drilled briolettes have a tube drilled through them slightly below the top of the stone to allow a wire to be passed through it for wiring onto simple or more elaborate designs.  

Finally there are drop-shaped stones with the drill hole running vertically through the whole length of the stone, which can be easily threaded onto strung or wired jewellery designs.

Pairs or Singles?

Pairs of briolettes do make wonderful earrings but when a piece of rough material varies in colour, making up pairs can be hard. 

A single briolette is often more suitable for a pendant or, as some of our customers have found, a striking single earring in the style of portraits from as early as the 1600s – often depicting a nobleman wearing a single drop pearl earring. 

When bought in short rows, they are a cost effective way to buy gems for droplet-style necklaces, tightly-packed bracelets or anything else that your imagination can invent for them.

About the Contributor

With over 30 years of experience supplying beautiful, high quality gemstones to world renowned designers and jewellers, Marcia Lanyon Ltd is the premier wholesaler of coloured stones to the UK Jewellery Trade.

Based in London, we regularly ship goods all around the world to a diverse list of customers ranging from top goldsmiths and fashion houses to jewellery students.

www.marcialanyon.com

To explore the options available in this interesting and varied cut, just call Marcia Lanyon Ltd on 0207 602 2446, look at www.marcialanyon.com, Facebook or Instagram.