Your feelings on going from solitaire to halo

[McGinnis]

Hello,
I'm currently thinking about putting a stone from a solitaire into a halo setting.
I've wanted to do this for a while but wonder if i'll lose a lot of its life in a halo. I've gotten used to how the current stone looks and am worried that i'll be compromising sparkle for finger coverage.
Have any of you ladies honestly seen a noticeable change in light performance enough to make you second guess your decision?
Pictures would be nice too if anyone wants to share :}
Thanks!

 

[unsettled]

Last October, I had my diamond put in a gorgeous halo! I actually thought it made my diamond look nicer. But I decided the halo just wasn't for me. I think a nicely done halo can really enhance a stone.

 

[McGinnis]

Last October, I had my diamond put in a gorgeous halo! I actually thought it made my diamond look nicer. But I decided the halo just wasn't for me. I think a nicely done halo can really enhance a stone.

Interesting!
Do you have any before and after...and after pics?

 

[mystiqkal]

this is my journey from going from a solitaire to a halo back to a solitaire. [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-redo-of-my-old-setting-halo-cushion-to-solitaire.215296/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-redo-of-my-old-setting-halo-cushion-to-solitaire.215296/[/URL]

I love halos, it just wasnt for me when I finally got one with my upgrade though and decided to have a replica made of my original setting for my new stone.

 

[unsettled]

I don't know that this is the best comparison, but this is all I have.

 

[Lookinagain]

I think it is just personal preference. Why not buy a CZ ring with a halo and wear it a bit and see what you think of it before going to the expense of resetting your stone without knowing you will love it? I have had a solitaire then a halo and then went back to solitaire. I think many halos are beautiful, but they just weren't for me. I think having a "test" ring would have saved me some expense in going back and forth.

 

[McGinnis]

I don't know that this is the best comparison, but this is all I have.

Hey Unsettled, thanks for the pics.
Do you notice a difference in how the stone sparkles? is there less or more of it, is the color more/less prominent. or does the stone seem darker at all being inside of the metal?

 

[McGinnis]

I think it is just personal preference. Why not buy a CZ ring with a halo and wear it a bit and see what you think of it before going to the expense of resetting your stone without knowing you will love it? I have had a solitaire then a halo and then went back to solitaire. I think many halos are beautiful, but they just weren't for me. I think having a "test" ring would have saved me some expense in going back and forth.

Its mostly being worried about how much light my stone will lose if I set the stone in something that may prevent light from entering.
Right now, the stone is set in a 4 prong and it's a fireball but I would like more finger coverage (without the price of a larger stone) and I'm worried that putting my stone, which I love, in a halo will diminish it's brilliance.

 

[mystiqkal]

this was my diamond in a halo:


and the same diamond in a solitaire setting:




definitely not as much finger coverage (and the halo on my first setting was very small ~1mm) but I think in the solitaire setting the diamond looks so much prettier. the halo took away from all the big chunky facets and made it look super sparkly but it didnt look like the diamond I fell in love with. I love 8-main cushion with big facets. I missed that look when it was in the halo, it took away the look of the diamond and even though it was super bling, and made it look like a cushion modified brilliant (the crushed ice look) which I'm not a big fan of.

 

[arkieb1]

Maybe it depends on the type of halo. This doesn't impact on the fire and sparkle of the centre stone at all. If anything the whole thing is just a ring of bling...

 

[artdecolover71]

Hi- I had a partial halo done and it actually makes my EC stand out even more beautifully I think.

 

[mns12]

Hi,
From what I have read as long as the center stone cut is idea/excellent a halo should not diminish the sparkle, fire, brilliance. I debated the same thing for my most recent replacement ring. I do love both looks so it really is a personal preference and trying different rings on to get a better idea of what suits you. And I think it is totally dependent on the quality and style of the halo as well!! I have seen some pretty bad halos in B&M stores and that is what always kept me away form considering a halo for my original ER.

Not the best pics of my original ER but here is a comparison
Top left: Original ER, 1.5 ct "very good" cut H SI2
Top right: Same center stone but with the Victor Canera Round Emilya

Bottom left: Replacement 2.07 ct. A Cut Above I, VS2 in one of those ring holders
Bottom right: 2.07 ct ACA in modified VC 2-Row Cushion Emilya

 

[unsettled]

I don't know that this is the best comparison, but this is all I have.

Hey Unsettled, thanks for the pics.
Do you notice a difference in how the stone sparkles? is there less or more of it, is the color more/less prominent. or does the stone seem darker at all being inside of the metal?

I actually felt like my stone looked whiter in the halo (it's an H) and sparkled so much more (it is an excellent cut, I think. My GIA report doesn't have a cut grade on it because my diamond was purchased in 2002). It actually felt too flashy and fancy for my personality and lifestyle so I put it back in a setting very similar to my original. I absolutely love big bling and halos on other people's hands. But I was just too self conscious for it.

 

[junebug17]

I had a pretty bad bout of diamond shrinkage syndrome and decided to try a halo for my 1.96 OEC instead of getting a larger stone, which would have meant spending thousands which I really didn't want to do. I'm very happy with my choice and I feel my stone has been enhanced by the halo - it seems to sparkle more, the faceting is more apparent, and I think it looks a bit bigger. I know halos aren't everyone's cup of tea, and I love the look of solitaires too, but in my case a halo made me happier with my diamond. And no more DSS lol!

This is a fun thread to look through
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/solitaire-to-halo-before-and-afters.130309/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/solitaire-to-halo-before-and-afters.130309/[/URL]

My own personal feeling is that a halo doesn't really affect a diamond's performance, just going by the pics I've seen here on PS.

Good luck with your decision!

I'm not thrilled with the halo pic I posted, I couldn't get a decent shot of how much it sparkles.

 

[Mayk]

I went the other way... not sure of all the reasons why but one was I didn't like the way the profile looked.. for some reason it bothered me.. I also went up in diamond size so my change was probably about coverage neutral or maybe smaller.

I went from a 1.30 ct. MRB in a Cushion Halo to a 2.0 Ct. in a solitare. Attaching pictures.

 

[dk168]

My EC before and after pics, and I definitely prefer halo to solitaire:





DK

 

[McGinnis]

Hi,
From what I have read as long as the center stone cut is idea/excellent a halo should not diminish the sparkle, fire, brilliance. I debated the same thing for my most recent replacement ring. I do love both looks so it really is a personal preference and trying different rings on to get a better idea of what suits you. And I think it is totally dependent on the quality and style of the halo as well!! I have seen some pretty bad halos in B&M stores and that is what always kept me away form considering a halo for my original ER.

Not the best pics of my original ER but here is a comparison
Top left: Original ER, 1.5 ct "very good" cut H SI2
Top right: Same center stone but with the Victor Canera Round Emilya

Bottom left: Replacement 2.07 ct. A Cut Above I, VS2 in one of those ring holders
Bottom right: 2.07 ct ACA in modified VC 2-Row Cushion Emilya

WOW that is so stunning. I love love love that you put it in a halo with a plain shank! It makes the stone pop so much and it looks HUGE (Not that you needed any helpp ) but seriously, its pictures like these that make me want a halo so much. Something happens to the stone...it almost looks sort of bulbous? As in 3d ish. Hard to explain but it looks like the stone sort of comes out at the eye.
Anyway ugh this is hard.

 

[McGinnis]

Hi- I had a partial halo done and it actually makes my EC stand out even more beautifully I think.

maybe its the angle of the picture but your stone looks so much brighter! Your ring looks like it's straight out of first class 1900's. Stunning makeover from modern to vintage.

 

[McGinnis]

this was my diamond in a halo:


and the same diamond in a solitaire setting:




definitely not as much finger coverage (and the halo on my first setting was very small ~1mm) but I think in the solitaire setting the diamond looks so much prettier. the halo took away from all the big chunky facets and made it look super sparkly but it didnt look like the diamond I fell in love with. I love 8-main cushion with big facets. I missed that look when it was in the halo, it took away the look of the diamond and even though it was super bling, and made it look like a cushion modified brilliant (the crushed ice look) which I'm not a big fan of.

Aaaand this is why I started this thread. Your stone looks so darn good by itself. You can see all the symmetry and blocks of light. I can see what you meant by the crushed ice look with the halo. Im guessing the halo really makes a stone brighter/whiter? by adding additional spectrums of light coming in from the smaller stones which in this case didn't help your stone. Your diamond is a beauty.

 

[McGinnis]

Maybe it depends on the type of halo. This doesn't impact on the fire and sparkle of the centre stone at all. If anything the whole thing is just a ring of bling...

My dream paring- a HUGE perfect old cut with a halo. *Drool. Oh what i'd do with 5 grand more lol

 

[LLJsmom]

Depends on what you love about your solitaire vs. halo. And the type of halo makes all the difference. I think. I really wanted a VC halo but realize that I would miss the roundness of a solitaire. But maybe that doesn't matter to you. I am giving up the finger coverage of a halo. Btw. I would have gone with a cushion halo around an MRB. Also? I prefer old cuts in a halo, like arkie's. The chunky facets are highlighted by the tiny sparkles of the melee so they don't compete. Also, if you get a bezel around the center stone, like one poster's you don't loose the round outline of the center stone. But the halo does have huge presence and lots of coverage. It's a statement piece as well. It is all a matter of figuring out your priorities.

 

[artdecolover71]

Thank you! That is exactly the feeling I was going for! Yes, It completely changed my stone in a way that I fell in love all over again. Sometimes you fall in love with a loose stone and then when it is set, it just doesn't capture your heart in the same way. Looking forward to what you decide!

 

[mns12]

Maybe post a hand shot of your current ring? Is it a plain shank solitaire? Maybe that particular solitaire setting isn't doing it for you?
You could also consider a solitaire with pave on the band for added sparkle, or split shank, if you are hesitant on the halo??

 

[unsettled]

Hi- I had a partial halo done and it actually makes my EC stand out even more beautifully I think.

I just had to say, this is AMAZING! I am a huge fan of art deco style jewelry. And this is perfection!

 

[AdaBeta27]

...
Have any of you ladies honestly seen a noticeable change in light performance enough to make you second guess your decision?
...

Put your fingers around the bottom of the head that your diamond's in now. Try to block out all of the light coming in there, so light just goes in/out the top only. Look at your diamond under a table or desk. Is it still bright? Look at it under various lighting conditions with the pavilion blocked. If there's no decrease in performance or fire, then I don't think you have to worry about what kind of setting.

If it is a leaker, there are halos with prong heads. This OEC on the right is very shallow and spready. It also windows. I wore it in a 6 prong Tiffany type setting because it needs to get light in through the pavilion. I later had it remounted in the 18kt wg halo halo, shown. That's where it lives now. It's a setting that I bought from Shenoa in 2004. It's not the greatest but neither is the center diamond in it. Although, the photos don't nearly do it justice. It's a pretty stone in a pretty setting. Sorry for the bad photos, but they were taken with a 2mp camera, almost 10 years ago. I keep my better rings in a safe deposit box due to having no social life in a small town, lol.

I bought my first halo settings in 2004, soon after I found Pricescope and just as halos started taking off on PS. I haven't tired of them yet. If I had to settle for just one ring to be worn everyday, I think I'd still go for a halo. Solitaires are beautiful, but I like them for about a 2ct & up, on my hand.

 

[AdaBeta27]

Better pictures.

 

[McGinnis]

Maybe post a hand shot of your current ring? Is it a plain shank solitaire? Maybe that particular solitaire setting isn't doing it for you?
You could also consider a solitaire with pave on the band for added sparkle, or split shank, if you are hesitant on the halo??

The solitair makes the stone look so pretty-like it's still unset pretty much but I really do dislike it. As AdaBeta said, I think i'll have no regrets going solitaire if it were around 2cts but that's just a dream. I thought about the pave band but I didn't want the ring to look like a double shank e-ring next to a pave (probably) wedding band. First world problems

 

[McGinnis]

AdaBeta, you saying that you haven't tired of your halo since 04' brings so much comfort haha
I really love what you did to that stone. You breathed new life to it!

I stick my hand under the restaurant table to oogle my diamond every time I go out to eat. I can't be the only one (I feel shame staring at my ring in public)
It's still pretty blingy under there so I guess i'll be good with it in a halo. It's definitely not a perfectly cut stone but as long as I don't compare it to another side by side, i'm perfectly happy.

 

[McGinnis]

My obsession over this is solely for my magpie ish tendencies.
I live in a small town with the nearest mall being about an hour away. It's so small that people think my 6.8mm stone is fake. They just assume it's costume jewelry that's stands for the symbol of engagement. Oh, but I did get "so it's the money that gotcha eh? once.
Yep. Good ol' North East, MD. The place I moved for love

 

[McGinnis]

[/quote]

Holy crap! That finger coverage...

Dont know if its the picture but your stones seems so much bright around the edges after the remount!
Either was you're one lucky lady