A letter in 14 karat gold with a small diamond
A necklace with a letter at Longvé is a pendant shaped as a single letter from A to Z, cast in solid 14 karat gold and set with a single diamond of 0.04 carat. You choose the letter yourself, so the necklace carries an initial: your own initial, another person's, or the letter that means something to you. The diamond sits discreetly as a detail within the letter itself and catches the light without making the piece large or showy.
The collection comes in two metal colours and with two kinds of diamonds. You can choose gold or white gold, and you can choose between a natural diamond and a lab-grown diamond. The carat weight and the gold quality are the same across the variants, so the difference lies in the metal colour and in the diamond's origin, not in the size of the stone.
Natural or lab-grown diamond
The four variants in the collection divide into two pairs: two with a natural diamond and two with a lab-grown diamond. Both types are genuine diamonds with the same physical and optical properties. The difference is where they came into being. A natural diamond is formed in the earth over a very long time, while a lab-grown diamond is grown in a laboratory under conditions that imitate the natural process. You can read more about how they are made in the article what are lab-grown diamonds
With the naked eye you cannot tell a lab-grown and a natural diamond apart. A lab-grown diamond typically costs less for the same carat and quality, while for some people a natural diamond holds a value in the very fact that the stone was formed in nature. The diamond here is 0.04 carat, that is a small accent stone, regardless of which of the two you choose. If you want to delve into what diamonds are, you can read what are diamonds made of
Gold or white gold for skin tone and the rest of your jewellery
The metal colour determines how the letter plays together with the skin and with the jewellery already being worn. Gold has a warm tone that often suits warm and olive skin tones, and that goes with those who already wear gold on their fingers and wrists. White gold has a cooler, silvery surface that falls more neutrally alongside most things and sits close to platinum jewellery and silver.
A practical consideration is that the metal should ideally match the other necklaces worn together with the letter, if they are to be layered. White gold also needs to be re-rhodium plated over time to preserve the cool, white surface, because the rhodium plating is a thin layer that slowly wears down. If you are in doubt about what white gold actually is, the article what is white gold covers it in more detail.
A personal gift that does not require a size
A letter necklace is a gift you can get right without knowing either ring size or measurements. The letter makes the piece personal, and the choice of initial makes it something specific: the recipient's own initial, the initial of a child, a partner, or someone who is missed. That is precisely why it is popular for birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day and as a more personal gesture than a neutral pendant.
Because the letter is small and worn close to the neck, it is a discreet piece that can be worn alone day to day and layered with longer chains on special occasions. If it is to be given as a gift, and you are unsure of metal colour or letter, a gift card is a way to let the recipient choose for themselves.
How to find the right chain length
The length determines where the letter lands on the chest, and how it looks together with the neckline of the clothing. A shorter chain places the letter high, close to the collarbone, while a longer one lets it fall further down and makes it easier to combine with other chains in layers. Which length suits the neck best depends both on height and on how the piece is to be used.
A review of the common measurements and what they correspond to in practice can be found in the article how long should a necklace be If you want to see the other chains in the range, you can browse the plain plain necklaces without a pendant.
Care of gold and diamond in daily use
Gold withstands daily use well, but a letter pendant in 14 karat is still a piece worth looking after. Avoid getting cream, perfume and hair products directly on the piece, and ideally take it off before bathing and exercise, where soap and sweat over time settle as a film on both gold and diamond and make the surface dull. The diamond attracts grease, so it loses a little of its sparkle when skin oil gathers behind the stone.
A soft brush, a little lukewarm water and mild soap are enough to keep both letter and stone clean. The method is described step by step in how to clean jewellery If you wear white gold, it is also worth knowing that the white surface is a rhodium plating that can be polished up again at a goldsmith when, over the years, it begins to shine through more warmly.