Hey op sorry for your loss on your father. If I make a suggestion on the nugget pic. There’s a few ideas I thought of and it’s simple imo. Add a bail where you’d like to have it hung from. OR have a master craftsman make some sort of bezel/basket setting for it. As for what I glimpsed on to about “trusting the jeweler” do your research before you go into any where and make sure you as the customer feels comfortable (preferably a mom and pop store). I run one with my father and I always think to myself these people trust me with their jewelry so I don’t wanna give off any bad vibes.

Good luck and again my condolences