So I was taking more photos this morning and they were better than yesterday's, but....

Apparently, the pins on these 24k gold vermeil posts have not been soldered evenly, and one of them is positioned about 2mm higher than the other. This is driving me nuts because it makes the whole set unbalanced and not symmetrical! Of course, I can mask this using photo angles and you can't tell at all once they are worn, but when put side by side, it can't be missed and I'd feel like a complete charlatan if I let them go.

At first I thought it might've been my long cluster (I've never done it so compactly before) and briolette wrap, but I did make them step by step together and they do line up properly. It's the posts portion that looks weird.

I am extremely upset, if you can't tell. I've tried straightening the pins but it doesn't work because the soldered bases are off. Looks like I'll have to change them - and these are the only ones of this design I've currently got. I've also discovered some slight imperfections on the surface of these citrine brios, not very visible when worn but showing up through a macro. So they will also have to be discounted for. Ugh... nothing is going right!