People with halos, any regrets?

[Kelli]

Date: 9/13/2008 12:51:22 PM
Author: LostieLovesBling

Back to the first reason for this thread though--- I don''t have a halo, but hope to someday acquire a very beautiful, very WARM colored antique stone and put it in a halo for my right hand, because I do think it''s a lovely timeless look. Even if I''m wrong and it''s not timeless, I don''t care! I may even have to do a rose gold halo!

I bought one of Ericagrace''s Antique Cushion Cuts (2.43,K,VS2) and am going to put a halo around it. The key for me is that the surrounding stones must match the center stone. I expect the look to be fantastic!

And I''m not worried about a halo looking dated in 10 years because it likely will look dated. Our rings capture a magic moment in time. Hopefully we will remember that moment/time when we look down at our rings.

LostieLovesBling I''m jealous! But I look forward to seeing your beautiful ring

 

[chrono]

Date: 9/13/2008 1:35:02 PM
Author: LostieLovesBling

Date: 9/13/2008 12:57:37 PM
Author: goobear78
I like halos. I don''t have one, but I like them. I do wonder if it deters light quality, but I don''t know, that''s why I''m asking.

It might depend on if you do a prong-set or a bezel-set halo. Do bezels deter light?

The only thing Ari (of Singlestone) told me of bezels is that they will make low-grade diamonds look less white, but nothing about the light-return.

This answer applies to both halos and bezels:
In a well cut diamond, all light entering from the top would be 100% reflected back to the viewer. The setting has NO effect on the light performance of the diamond. However, for diamonds that aren''t that well cut (HCA above 2 in RBs), there tends to be some light leakage. Light entering from the top doesn''t all get reflected back to the eye. For these types of diamonds, it helps to have a more open setting so that light can enter from the sides and help it sparkle a little more.

 

[diagem]

Date: 9/13/2008 4:29:24 PM
Author: Chrono

Date: 9/13/2008 1:35:02 PM
Author: LostieLovesBling

Date: 9/13/2008 12:57:37 PM
Author: goobear78
I like halos. I don''t have one, but I like them. I do wonder if it deters light quality, but I don''t know, that''s why I''m asking.

It might depend on if you do a prong-set or a bezel-set halo. Do bezels deter light?

The only thing Ari (of Singlestone) told me of bezels is that they will make low-grade diamonds look less white, but nothing about the light-return.

This answer applies to both halos and bezels:
In a well cut diamond, all light entering from the top would be 100% reflected back to the viewer. The setting has NO effect on the light performance of the diamond. However, for diamonds that aren''t that well cut (HCA above 2 in RBs), there tends to be some light leakage. Light entering from the top doesn''t all get reflected back to the eye. For these types of diamonds, it helps to have a more open setting so that light can enter from the sides and help it sparkle a little more.

Small correction...

All Diamond cuts have some leakage..., even the ''well cut'' ones and especially when moving while being used as a jewelry piece (ring or other)...

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 9/13/2008 4:49:02 PM
Author: DiaGem

Small correction...

All Diamond cuts have some leakage..., even the 'well cut' ones and especially when moving while being used as a jewelry piece (ring or other)...

Very good point!
Leakage is a very important part of diamond design.
There is a huge difference between controlled leakage or leakage that is designed in as a trade off to get the results the designer wants and leakage from bad cutting however.
The first and second are part of what makes a diamond beautiful but leakage from bad cutting almost always detracts from the stones beauty.

Also a diamond cut hasn't been invented yet and never will be that returns 100% of them light hitting it.
It is optically impossible.

Next point: only a small portion of the light a diamond is returning will hit the eye at any given time as the eye is a very small target and the diamond is returning light in many directions.
For example 3 people standing side by side looking at a diamond on the hand of the middle person will have a totally different view of the diamond as they are looking at different virtual facets and the ones to the side will see patterns and light return that the person in the middle does not see.

 

[strmrdr]

The above said a well cut round will retain its beauty regardless of setting more so than a badly cut one.

 

[chrono]

Thank you the correction - I guess I stretched the truth a touch too far but the gist of it is that it doesn''t matter what the setting is in a well cut stone. Yes, even well cut cushions, ECs, rounds, etc do have some light leakage but this only serves to enhance stone. It was cut that way.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 9/13/2008 6:08:36 PM
Author: Chrono
it doesn't matter what the setting is in a well cut stone.

Yes that we agree on.
I think good wording would be:
A well cut diamond doesn't need lighting from the sides and bottom to cover problem areas in the light return.

That is why I design with a black background under the simulated diamond when designing diamonds.
Then I check and see what effect the light under it and around the sides will have.
I have came up with designs that would look best in bezels because it enhances the contrast brilliance from the designed in leakage.

 

[MMT]

Would a warmer colored stone show more color in a bezel setting? I see more color in my stone from the sides. I thought maybe a bezel would help with that.

 

[Beacon]

I don't think halos will look dated in the future. Heck, the Hope Diamond is set in a halo.

What might look a little dated is the mega use of micro pave all over the shank, basket, prongs, etc. But it does not matter. If you love that look, I would go for it.

I am resetting my own ering in a halo right now - I hope I won't regret it! But if it does look dated in the future I'll just change it and use the setting for a colored stone and call it good.

I was shopping for settings and I liked one and the SA said to me, "well, maybe in five years you might get tired of it." Well, maybe. But I cannot think about what I might/might not like in five years. It's hard enough for me to decide what I want right now!

I think the best thing is just to get what you find beautiful, the best quality you can, and enjoy it in the moment.

 

[Eva17]

i like halo''s

i have a halo. i don''t regret it, but i am going to reset it in a simple setting.


i have been happy for the protection that a halo provides. i am very hard on my hands and wear my rings all the time, so i will be a little nervous when the stone doesn''t have a halo.

 

[LostieLovesBling]

Date: 9/14/2008 4:31:59 PM
Author: Eva17
i like halo''s


i have a halo. i don''t regret it, but i am going to reset it in a simple setting.



i have been happy for the protection that a halo provides. i am very hard on my hands and wear my rings all the time, so i will be a little nervous when the stone doesn''t have a halo.

What are you resetting your halo''d stone into?

 

[LGK]

Date: 9/14/2008 4:31:59 PM
Author: Eva17
i have been happy for the protection that a halo provides. i am very hard on my hands and wear my rings all the time, so i will be a little nervous when the stone doesn''t have a halo.

This is my experience with a halo too. I *need* that extra metal between my stone and the world. I''d wanted to reset one of my stones in a non halo setting and eventually realized that it was that or a bezel.

Halos are excellent for the klutzy like me.

 

[tawn]

I have a halo...and love it, and get a ton of compliments!

But, when I got it...it was very uncommon to see one anywhere! I looked in about 30 jewelry stores and found nada...

Now, they are EVERYWHERE! Even Costco had 3 Halo engagement rings, and a bunch more halos in the colored gems and necklaces!

Arrggghhhhh.....

It reminds me a bit of naming our son Ryley....15 years ago, everyone thought it was weird! Now there are a ton of them, girls and boys! We think we''re being unique, unusual, and different, but apparently we''re not as original as we thought!

But, I''m a busy girl, and the halo keeps my diamond protected and it never snags on my clothes or scratches babies! So, I don''t regret it...and still love bezels so much that I just ordered a pendant from WF!

 

[sarah95]

MMT, I wonder the same thing...does anyone have any thoughts on whether a warmer stone shows more color in a bezel setting? If I''m correct, the advanced tutorial mentions that I+ colored stones look whiter in bezel settings. True?

 

[LostieLovesBling]

Date: 9/14/2008 10:42:04 PM
Author: sarah95
does anyone have any thoughts on whether a warmer stone shows more color in a bezel setting?

I was told that a bezel would make my K stone look less white.

 

[MMT]

Lotsie is that because less light can get through? By the way I love your ring in your avatar.

 

[ericad]

I''m not sure, but seems to me a bezel may cause the diamond to look less white from a face up position simply due to the contrast of a platinum bezel around the warmer colored diamond. But conversely, the bezel would disguise some of the warmth visible from the side due to more of the diamond being hidden from view. So I think it''s like the debate over which metal helps a diamond look whiter, white vs. yellow. There will be varying opinions on the matter.

 

[Eva17]

Date: 9/14/2008 6:31:01 PM
Author: LostieLovesBling

Date: 9/14/2008 4:31:59 PM
Author: Eva17
i like halo''s


i have a halo. i don''t regret it, but i am going to reset it in a simple setting.



i have been happy for the protection that a halo provides. i am very hard on my hands and wear my rings all the time, so i will be a little nervous when the stone doesn''t have a halo.

What are you resetting your halo''d stone into?

i''m thinking simple plat w/two side stones


at the moment i switch between left/right hand but once the halo is gone i will have to stick with the left hand since i am righty and bang that one more.

 

[LostieLovesBling]

Date: 9/15/2008 10:27:20 AM
Author: ericad
seems to me a bezel may cause the diamond to look less white from a face up position simply due to the contrast of a platinum bezel around the warmer colored diamond.

Yep, Erica. Ari told me that the platinum bezel would reflect the color within the stone so it will face up with more color.

 

[MMT]

Thanks Erica and Lostie that makes sense.

 

[LostieLovesBling]

i''m thinking simple plat w/two side stones at the moment.

SOUNDS LOVELY. Please post photos once it is moved.
I will have a ring like this someday. A 2ct.+ transitional with baguette sides.

 

[ericad]

Found a good example.

Here is a 2.64ct antique cushion, J color, in its original setting which had platinum scalloping around and under the stone. In this setting the diamond showed no warmth at all - but looked very gray and steely with an almost blueish cast to it, presumably due to reflection of the metal. I later had it reset and the appearance of the diamond completely changed.

In original setting:

 

[ericad]

Same stone, reset into a micropave halo. The diamond is appears much warmer.

 

[ericad]

One more

 

[LostieLovesBling]

I love your halo''d ring

 

[MMT]

I agree it still is gorgeous to me

 

[MMT]

Erica I love to look on your website at all your gorgeous diamonds. How do you control yourself? Or is that why you keep changing diamonds and settings?

 

[ericad]

Lol, no comment - DH is hovering nearby...shhhhhhh...

 

[kcoursolle]

Oh E your set is stunning and so is your picture!!!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Erica that ring is STUNNING! Both the before and after.

I have a halo engagement ring, and 9 times out of 10 the comments I hear are "Is that an antique?" For me, being a history buff and lover of antiques, that''s one of the biggest compliments I could ever get. It tells me that my ring has timeless elegance and will appeal for many years. And like others have said, on the off chance the style becomes dated, I''ll reset my center stone (possibly upgrade

) and have a colored stone set into my ering setting.

My one regret is that this particular ring is designed in such a way that no bands can sit flush with it. In part because of the shape, but also because there are stones on three sides of the band and under the basket. That''s too many stones in my opinion-some of which can''t even be seen when I''m wearing the ring-and if I had my way, I would have left the underside of the basket alone.

But do I regret the halo style? Absolutely not.