GOG chunky cushions - design opinions please?

[arjunajane]

Hi all,
I''m sorry I don''t have a proper photo of the diamond to share yet, but it''s just been decided
that I will be taking home one of GOG''s fabulous new chunky cushions - a 1.08 L SI1 to be specific.

I would like to start getting some input on design ideas, as I have sooo many that I like and must narrow it down.
Most likely I will be having JM make the setting, however the below designs are from his son Caleb''s site.

I would like some general input at this stage, do people like this design?

 

[arjunajane]

...slightly smaller "shoulders"..

 

[arjunajane]

and here is where I''m trying to decide what I like better - a similiar design, but with smaller and less
diamonds in the "shoulders"..
(sorry, couldn''t find one with a diamond centre for this style, but you get the idea)..

 

[whitby_2773]

yes. love it. have looked at it many times and have the round version of it from CM''s site permanently on my laptop (sorta keeping it in mind for a stone i have)

this should look wonderful, and it''s just the right style of ring for the size stone you''ve bought.

nice!

 

[arjunajane]

Or,
should I forget the side diamonds and have JM make me a solitaire?
I don''t have a photo of exactly what I would like for the solitaire, but it would be a reasonably thick shank (3-4mm) like the ones above, with a bezel and the side wraps that JM does on the shoulders.

So, kinda like the garnet ring in my av, but no split shank and with a thicker/wider shank.
The pic attached is the closest I could find, but it would need a few changes though..

Whichever design I choose, it will be YG with plat accents (bezel and shoulders/wraps plat, shank YG).

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 6/14/2009 1:59:02 AM
Author: whitby_2773
yes. love it. have looked at it many times and have the round version of it from CM''s site permanently on my laptop (sorta keeping it in mind for a stone i have)


this should look wonderful, and it''s just the right style of ring for the size stone you''ve bought.


nice!

Thanks Whitby! Do you have an opinion on the larger vs the smaller shoulders? Here''s another pic of one with the smaller diamond sides and a square shape like my cushion..If I''m being honest, I likely only have the budget for the smaller ones anyway, lol.. but it''s quite a different look, kwim?


Also, do you think it''s ok to ask Jim to essentially "copy" these design elements from Caleb? I''d like to go with JM because I''ve worked with him before etc, but do folks think I should just be going straight to CM if I like his design?
This is something else that has been bugging me to be honest..

 

[VRBeauty]

Personally I'd go with the designer... I'd be surprised if his father would agree to copy his son's design. You know CM was trained by one of the best, and I trust his workmanship will bear witness to that training. And besides, you have a chance to introduce the rest of us to another great designer... you could be his Coati!

 

[whitby_2773]

Date: 6/14/2009 1:58:44 AM
Author: arjunajane
and here is where I''m trying to decide what I like better - a similiar design, but with smaller and less

diamonds in the ''shoulders''..

(sorry, couldn''t find one with a diamond centre for this style, but you get the idea)..

...and that''s the ring i''m thinking about, but in yellow gold, so you''ll get no argument from me on that one!

personally, i love the smaller shoulders/stones on this one, and i think it''s in slightly better proportion to the center stone. in fact, when i was looking at designs, the overly heavy (in my opinion) shoulder stones are what made me go with the design you attached to the post above. i really think it makes the central stone pop more.

re going with JM for a CM ring, i think you might run into some father/son loyalty issues there. while a lot of jewelers might be happy to copy another design, i doubt he''d be willing to poach his son''s designs. do you have reservations about going with caleb? i''ve bought a milgrain plat band from jim, and he''s also setting an opal for me for my 25th wedding anniversary, so i love his work. but i intend to go with caleb when i set my transitional cut in the style you mentioned above, and i have no qualms about that and intend to tell jim that i''ll be going with his son next time round. frankly, i think he''ll be pleased and probably proud - he seems that kind of a guy.

 

[arjunajane]

If it helps, this is pretty much what my diamond should look like (this one is the same size and also an L)..

thanks in advance for any thoughts,
aj.

 

[arjunajane]

Thanks whitby and VR for your thoughts..
re the CM vs JM thing, I have absolutely no qualms about going with C (as long as his prices are competitive with J - Whitby, perhaps you can provide some insight there? because I am on a *tight* budget)..

Thing is, I have already touched base and been chatting with Jim about this new ring many weeks ago, before I started looking at Caleb's work...so I'd feel pretty bad, yanno? I really like supporting Jim, and he has told me a couple of times the referrals from PS have pretty much kept him going in this economy..


That's the other thing though - because of the r'ship, I guess we don't really know who came up with what, right?
I mean, this could easily be one of Jim's designs - he doesn't tend to upload/show as much of his work as Caleb seems to, yanno?

Yeah, I don't really know what to do tbh..I have just emailed CM for a quote. We'll see how that goes first I guess!

 

[whitby_2773]

aj - firstly, if your new stone looks anything like the one you attached, it''s gonna be a KNOCKOUT!

re who to go with, i think the simple thing is just to ask. jim seems very down to earth and not at all ego driven - i suspect he''d point you in the right direction - either say it was fine for him to do it if he had a lot to do with the design, or direct you to caleb if he didn''t. and i dont know a loving parent on the planet who would take a job at a cost to their child; caleb is probably struggling in this economy every bit as much as his dad, and with half the reputation. so i can easily imagine jim suggesting you go with his son.

i''d just ask.

either way tho, you are going to get an AMAZING ring!

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/14/2009 1:58:44 AM
Author: arjunajane
and here is where I''m trying to decide what I like better - a similiar design, but with smaller and less
diamonds in the ''shoulders''..
(sorry, couldn''t find one with a diamond centre for this style, but you get the idea)..

I like this one.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 6/14/2009 2:53:36 AM
Author: whitby_2773
aj - firstly, if your new stone looks anything like the one you attached, it's gonna be a KNOCKOUT!


re who to go with, i think the simple thing is just to ask. jim seems very down to earth and not at all ego driven - i suspect he'd point you in the right direction - either say it was fine for him to do it if he had a lot to do with the design, or direct you to caleb if he didn't. and i dont know a loving parent on the planet who would take a job at a cost to their child; caleb is probably struggling in this economy every bit as much as his dad, and with half the reputation. so i can easily imagine jim suggesting you go with his son.


i'd just ask.


either way tho, you are going to get an AMAZING ring!

Good points and very good advice Whitby, I think I will follow it, thankyou.


Whitby, I'm hoping it will look just like that one, thankyou!
This is all I have of "my" diamond for now, a still from the video

And thanks Gypsy for the vote - me too, I think that is the one..

another question..do you think that CM design is suitable for an ering?
Yes..I may be changing up my ering *ducks*..

 

[loriken214]

WOW AJ!!! What an AWESOME project you have going.....I love CM''s website and was just looking at it before I saw your post.....

Your new diamond is AMAZING!!!

Lori

 

[softly softly]

Arjunajane congrats on the new cushion, it sounds divine, but I''m just a bit confused - is this for a right hand ring, will it be your engagement ring?

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 6/14/2009 6:33:02 AM
Author: loriken214
WOW AJ!!! What an AWESOME project you have going.....I love CM''s website and was just looking at it before I saw your post.....


Your new diamond is AMAZING!!!

Lori

Thanks Lori, I''m really excited about it!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 6/14/2009 6:34:07 AM
Author: softly softly
Arjunajane congrats on the new cushion, it sounds divine, but I''m just a bit confused - is this for a right hand ring, will it be your engagement ring?

Hey SS - this will be my ering. I am going through a "downgrade" of sorts, and will no longer be having my
H&A.

I don''t want to say too much more atm, as the details are still being worked out -
but one thing I do want to say upfront is that Jon has just been freakin'' amazing, helping me out with this. Honestly, he has gone above and beyond 100%.
If anyone has watched his Vimeo about GOG''s policies, I am a walking testament to everything Jon speaks about in that video, and am thanking my lucky stars that I decided to buy from them in the first place.

SS, I will still be keeping my Legato setting of course and may very possibly have it modified to fit the new cushion - but these ideas are incase that won''t work, or isn''t economical etc..

I hope that clears things up.
Do you have any thoughts on my above questions..?

 

[arjunajane]

here''s another photo of the design with a cushion diamond..

 

[arjunajane]

and in profile..

I''m pretty sure that, if I do get a new setting, this is the style I will go with.

Does anyone have an opinion on the detail of one vs two small diamonds on the sides?

 

[arjunajane]

here is an example with two diamonds on each side..(they will be very small, likely less than 15 points total from what I can tell..).

 

[icekid]

Date: 6/14/2009 8:02:51 AM
Author: arjunajane
here is an example with two diamonds on each side..(they will be very small, likely less than 15 points total from what I can tell..).

arj- I am loving your ideas for this ring. Completely fabulous...

I think my favorite is the taper style with two side diamonds.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 6/14/2009 8:10:01 AM
Author: icekid

Date: 6/14/2009 8:02:51 AM

Author: arjunajane

here is an example with two diamonds on each side..(they will be very small, likely less than 15 points total from what I can tell..).

arj- I am loving your ideas for this ring. Completely fabulous...

I think my favorite is the taper style with two side diamonds.

Cheers Ice!
I think I prefer it that way too - it seems to make the taper..hrmm..softer, if you kwim?
Some of the ones with one diamond are a bit too angular/sharp for my tastes.
Anyway, I''m sure that CM will be wholly capable of creating a perfect ring..

fingers crossed his quote comes back within my range

 

[Ellen]

LOVE this.

I''m in the camp of loving the taper with a few small stones!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 6/14/2009 9:12:35 AM
Author: Ellen
LOVE this.





I'm in the camp of loving the taper with a few small stones!

Thankyou Miss Ellen!
Although I still love my Legato, one thing I have discovered from going around and actually *trying rings on*
is that, surprisingly, thicker shanks look much nicer on my hand (thicker as in say ~3-4mm). I say surprisingly as I have very short fingers and small hands, so you would think it'd be the opposite right..?
So, that's why I'm going with these more substantial styles this time around.

So, I do love this CM setting, and know it would complement the cushion perfectly..but I'm wondering, should I have the cushion set in the Legato for awhile until I "get to know it", incase I change my mind/tastes again?
Or just get the whole new "package" completed while the diamond is in the US, therefore avoiding the problems of international postage/customs/insurance back and forth in the future etc...?

I know this is alot of questions, lol!
But I do have alot to decide..I'd love your input?

 

[D&T]

Date: 6/14/2009 7:55:33 AM
Author: arjunajane
here''s another photo of the design with a cushion diamond..

OH Man,,, This is GORGEOUS!!! this one this one!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 6/14/2009 10:15:32 AM
Author: arjunajane


Thankyou Miss Ellen!
Although I still love my Legato, one thing I have discovered from going around and actually *trying rings on*
is that, surprisingly, thicker shanks look much nicer on my hand (thicker as in say ~3-4mm). I say surprisingly as I have very short fingers and small hands, so you would think it''d be the opposite right..?
So, that''s why I''m going with these more substantial styles this time around.

So, I do love this CM setting, and know it would complement the cushion perfectly..but I''m wondering, should I have the cushion set in the Legato for awhile until I ''get to know it'', incase I change my mind/tastes again?
Or just get the whole new ''package'' completed while the diamond is in the US, therefore avoiding the problems of international postage/customs/insurance back and forth in the future etc...?

I know this is alot of questions, lol!
But I do have alot to decide..I''d love your input?

Actually, that doesn''t really surprise me. My fingers are rather short too, and I''ve always felt a bit of width looks better on my hands, hence the x-prong! (and in looking on here, I think thin rings look better on long, slender fingers, but that''s just mho)That''s great that you went looking, I think your cushion will look fab in one of these styles.


Hmmm, that''s a good question on what to do. I "would" automatically say, put it in your Legato until you''re totally sure, but, there is that whole shipping thing.... I''m just not sure what to tell you sweetie. What''s your "gut" feeling on it? I''m just such a big believer in following my gut. It''s almost never wrong...

 

[ericad]

Beautiful setting choices!

My personal favorite is the 1st one. I love the wide shoulders because it''s so different from your other, more delicate JM.

As for whether to use JM or CM, I would just ask James about it. Tell him you have fallen for this setting style, has he made anything like that before, that you really want to work with him again but don''t want to ask him copy Caleb''s design, etc.

That will be stunning!

 

[SparklyLibra]

Date: 6/14/2009 7:55:33 AM
Author: arjunajane
here''s another photo of the design with a cushion diamond..

I LOVE this design the BESTEST

!

 

[packrat]

Date: 6/14/2009 10:19:37 AM
Author: D&T

Date: 6/14/2009 7:55:33 AM

Author: arjunajane

here''s another photo of the design with a cushion diamond..

OH Man,,, This is GORGEOUS!!! this one this one!

I like this one too! I''ve got my hopes on a CM setting as well, so I can''t wait to see yours!

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 6/14/2009 10:19:37 AM
Author: D&T

Date: 6/14/2009 7:55:33 AM
Author: arjunajane
here''s another photo of the design with a cushion diamond..

OH Man,,, This is GORGEOUS!!! this one this one!

Just in case D&T''s affirmation wans''t loud enough, let me reiterate - THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arjunajane, congrats on getting one of those cushions!!!!!