S925 Silver Prehnite Earrings

Prehnite's colour is hard to describe. It is not the true green of jadeite; it leans yellow, like a green grape with the skin off, and the resemblance is clearest when light passes through. The stone usually carries white threads that fan out in rays — the trade calls them wisps, and some buyers count them against the stone. I think those wisps are prehnite's signature. Perfectly clean material is expensive, but without that something it looks like glass. When you choose, hold it to a window: real wisps move as the angle changes, dyed ones do not. Prehnite was once called green garnet, because the colour is close, though the composition is another matter entirely; the name was corrected later.

The stones are cut as small cabochons and held by four claws pressed over the edge. The claws are kept very short, almost flat to the stone, so from the front only four tiny points show. Longer claws catch knitwear, and catch hair when you comb it. The silver setting has a small hole in its base so light can pass through and the stone does not go dead and black; in the finished piece the hole is almost invisible — only the wearer knows it is there. The back of the setting is finished, with no burr against the lobe.

The posts are straight and the backs are silver. An S925 post is softer than an alloy one; if it bends, ease it back with your fingers, not pliers — the jaws are serrated and one squeeze leaves a mark. If your ears inflame easily, wipe the post with alcohol first, wear the pair for half a day, and only then settle into them. Do not push the backs on too tight; held against the lobe for hours, the flesh goes red. Post length is standard, so a thick lobe will feel slightly tight; a longer silver post can be swapped in.

Prehnite is not hard. It is softer than jadeite and does not take knocks. When you take the earrings off, hold the setting, not the stone; a fingernail pressed into the edge will chip it. Remove them for housework or for moving boxes — the earrings are small, and one knock leaves a nick that cannot be repaired. Take them off to shower as well: hot water and soap, over time, dull the surface.

The scale is small, unobtrusive on the lobe, made for ordinary days. On a small face a large earring drags; this is the right weight. Worn with hair down they disappear, and show only when it is tied back — people who like their ears visible will like this pair. A white shirt is enough; nothing else needs thinking about. The settings are thin, so there is no drag after hours of wear, which suits a thin lobe in particular.