ADVICE NEEDED FOR MY LEON MEGE MEETING !

[frankiextah]

hi all,

i have posted 3 threads in regards to helping my mom setting her 2.62ct E IF RB diamond in a delicate halo ring, but have not been able to get much response, and i am still seeking more advice. hopefully this time more people can help chime in ?

after a week of wait LM had finally given me a quote of $4050 on the 811 adrianna setting, with an indication of an 1.8mm shank and 1.5mm halo. right now i'm unsure of the pave style (v-cut / cutdown / mushroom?), and unsure if i would like to add a cathedral shoulder to the shank.

i'm about to schedule a meeting with him this coming week and would love to know what i should prepare / take with me / discuss about / what to expect, etc ?

honestly i'm a little nervous and am unsure if he is willing to set the stone higher than he normally would, my mom would like it if it's at least 7.25mm from the top of the diamond to the bottom of the donut. this is really the only factor that would deter me from my decision. everything he makes is so gorgeous so once i get over this obstacle i think i'm pretty much 100% going with LM ...

thanks so much in advance and any advice from anyone, especially those who own LM rings would be much appreciated !

 

[luv2sparkle]

Hi Frankiextah, I don't have that much advice. I would just say what you would like and see what he says. You have a bit of an
advantage because you are doing it for your mom. Hence, you can say 'this is what my mom would like'. Since she is not saying it, there
is no reason for him to be offended by her wishes. I am not sure that would be an issue anyway, but I am thinking that is your fear.
If he doesn't think it is a good idea he will tell you why.

I wanted to wear my ring with a wedding band, so I just didn't mention it. I asked for a spacer band to be made so I am sure he
probably knew why. I have found Leon is pretty okay with whatever you want, just his persona seems intimidating by everything you
have read about it. I really didn't have any problems. I have heard he is most gracious in person. I wish I could have met
with him, I think it is an awesome opportunity. His work is beautiful and I have not regretted for one minute having him
make my ring. Can't wait to hear how it goes for you!

 

[luv2sparkle]

How does your mom feel about the size of the shank? I wanted mine a little bigger and Leon told me he would only go up to
2.2 mm. I went with his recommendation. He told me it wouldn't look right if it was wider. I think you could go a little bigger
on the shank if you wanted.

 

[CharmyPoo]

The lack of response has nothing to do with you but rather the state of the regulars appetite to post.

Make sure you tell Leon you want to set it higher and show him pictures of roughly how high it is. Make sure he includes this in the work order. He will be open to it as long as it is not extremly high.

 

[frankiextah]

thanks so much charmypoo ! i might just have to bring the profile photo of your gorgeous halo ring to him ... i honestly think your stone is perfectly set in every each way !

i just really wish Maytal replied my email

i understand that your halo is just under 1mm (0.95mm as you told me correct?), do you feel in any way that your halo might look a little too metal-ly at all (sorry if it may sound offensive)? anyway, i was wondering if that would make halo somewhat "prongy" since the stones are SUPER TINY ?

i wonder if 1.5mm would be a good ratio for this RB diamond at 2.62ct, measuring 8.83mm x 8.87mm x 5.46mm ...

thankyou and more help from LM owners would be much appreciated !

 

[frankiextah]

luv2sparkle, thankyou so much for putting this into perspective - you've definitely boosted my confidence by assuring me that the ring is for my mom so i don't have to feel "embarrassed" when speaking with LM !

i shall inquire his view on the ring shank width ... right now i'm considering 1.8mm or 2mm , hopefully he might have a few rings at his studio so that i can see them? or is he super adamant about not showing anything to the client ?

 

[frankiextah]

to consolidate my picture inspirations :

this is the pave band i love (can someone tell me if this is a MUSHROOM or CUTDOWN pave) ?



this is the back view i love :



this is the top down view i love:



love the halo vs center stone ratio :



will have to decide if i would do a cathedral shoulder like this one :

 

[JGator]

frankiextah,

Leon was very nice and patient. He appreciates fans of his work so if you bring in photos - particularly of his own work that will be the easiest way to show him what you want. He drew a sketch of what I wanted on the work order form and made some notes (width of ring, profile, etc) on the work order so I think as long as you have what you want specified in writing, you will get exactly what you want. Don't be intimidated. You are paying him. And, he may give you some good feedback as well to incorporate what he thinks would compliment your stone. But, you don't have to agree with him.

He didn't show me any other work he was working on though when I was there - I believe I did ask but he said he doesn't keep any inventory around. You will likely meet in his small office and not see the work room - which I think is in the back of the reception area.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Maytal is usually responsive - if she doesn't reply, I just email her again. We managed to make the whole ring and another one without ever once speaking on the phone.

For my ring, there really is almost next to no visible metal anywhere. It really doesn't matter what the size of the melee is because the metal is made around it to hold it. Not sure if I am explaining myself properly.

This is my other Leon ring (it is being remade it into a single shank right now) which has mushroom pave. That`s what your photos look like to me. My Maytal ring uses v-cut pave which shows less metal on the side.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, do email Maytal again. She is making my daughter's wedding band and I am certain she did not overlook your email on purpose. Either Leon or Maytal would do a beautiful job, I am certain! As to Leon, I'd just ask him to set the diamond medium-low instead of low. I'd probably make my Leon solitaire a mm higher if I had it to do over again.

 

[bebe]

I had to smile a bit when I read advice needed! Ok, first, don't be late to your appt. ! We were but it wasn't our fault. Leon wasn't happy, but he more than made up for his "behavior" the next day with a very lengthy meeting. That said, yes do take pictures, many of them. And I agree with making sure you get your desires known. I do wish I had asked for an even higher setting for my center stone. And I gave Leon free rein to do his thing, but within my likes. Leon is a master and I hope I get the opportunity to work with him again. But also I admire Maytal's work. She worked with/for Michael Beaudry whose settings I loved. I love that halo ring, oh my stars, it's so incredible!

 

[hellokitty6782]

I had to smile a bit when I read advice needed! Ok, first, don't be late to your appt. ! We were but it wasn't our fault. Leon wasn't happy, but he more than made up for his "behavior" the next day with a very lengthy meeting. That said, yes do take pictures, many of them. And I agree with making sure you get your desires known. I do wish I had asked for an even higher setting for my center stone. And I gave Leon free rein to do his thing, but within my likes. Leon is a master and I hope I get the opportunity to work with him again. But also I admire Maytal's work. She worked with/for Michael Beaudry whose settings I loved. I love that halo ring, oh my stars, it's so incredible!

Hi, can you tell me how high your center stone is currently set? Can I see a picture? I want to tell him to do mine a little higher than he normally does, but I don't know exactly how high to tell him.

 

[frankiextah]

i'm in the process of figuring this out myself so i don't have any photos to show you other than to suggest you to search on pricescope for LM rings. it also really depends on what the shape, size, and depth your diamond is. Pears, ovals and marquis tend to cut shallower than rounds and emeralds, cushions, princesses tend to cut thicker than rounds.

this thread is really for my mom's 2.62ct stone... but here's my info: mine is a 2.32ct round diamond with a 5.22mm depth, and currently set in the Michael B Paris Ring, an unusually tall 8.25mm height, due to the basket being pushed up above the shank (rather than being part of the shank, hence adding those extra few mm's in height) :



as you can see, my stone is 2.32ct so it cannot be set as low as a 1ct or so stone and vice versa - the larger and thicker the diamond the higher it would have to set. it just has to be proportionally and visually make sense. the height of the setting also depends on the style of the setting - will your ring be a 3-stone , solitaire, or halo ? cathedral shoulders or not? all these things factor into the setting height as well... not sure if this is helping, but i read your other thread that you are liking one of the JBEG rings so best is to email or give them a call to find out. i'm sure they will reply soon since it's still technically thanksgiving time...

ok let's get back on topic shall we

 

[frankiextah]

charmypoo, i'm obsessed with the pave band on your ring ! good to know that it is mushroom pave, i just love the fluidity on the profile!

 

[frankiextah]

diamondseeker , i just sent Maytal another email ...crossing fingers !!

one more point is that i might be feeling slightly more comfortable to personally hand in the diamond locally (to LM) than to ship it, but who knows, i might change my mind when i receive a response ...

 

[frankiextah]

bebe, thanks for the advice ! may i ask if he has a strict rule as to how long his meetings are ? also, do you need to have a work order and pay a deposit before meeting with him? sorry if my questions sound a little crazy, just need to make sure i have enough time to discuss everything needed ...

hello kitty, sorry for misreading your previous post, i thought the question was directed at me! anyway hope my input helped a bit !

 

[CharmyPoo]

I was late for several of my appointments with Leon (my fault for not estimating NYC traffic well). He was fine and didn't get upset at all. He is not strict with how long the meetings are unless he has another appointment. He has spent 1 hour + with me for the in person meeting.

You do not need to have a work order and deposit before meeting. You only need the estimates. On that day, you bring your diamond and leave a deposit if you decide to proceed. The work order is either written there or sent to you after.

 

[hellokitty6782]

bebe, thanks for the advice ! may i ask if he has a strict rule as to how long his meetings are ? also, do you need to have a work order and pay a deposit before meeting with him? sorry if my questions sound a little crazy, just need to make sure i have enough time to discuss everything needed ...

hello kitty, sorry for misreading your previous post, i thought the question was directed at me! anyway hope my input helped a bit !

Thanks frankieextah, I do have another thread asking about this, but I appreciate your reply. You don't need a signed work order or deposit to meet with him. I didn't spend that much time with him, it was about 40-45 minutes, and he was very nice and explained his thought process about everything. This was last week. Good luck with Leon!

 

[frankiextah]

hello kitty, that's cool ! if we both end up deciding on him we'd be project twin did he tell you how soon your ring can be done if you were to go ahead with him ?

thanks for the advice ! i sent him an email with images attached and also a list of my requirements. I will follow up with a call this afternoon to schedule a meeting yay !

thanks charmypoo, though there is no excuse for me to be late as i literally live 10 blocks away from the diamond district in NYC !

 

[hellokitty6782]

I actually already decided to go with him. My meeting with him last week was to fill out and sign the work order. I'm not sure when the ring will be ready- he said he will really try to gt it done before Christmas, but no guarantee. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I would love it before Christmas.

 

[frankiextah]

ok yay ! i just chatted with Perry on the phone and i am seeing Leon on wednesday afternoon ! i will report back on my meeting and status for sure ! thankyou everyone for your encouragement and advice ! it really helped out a lot !

 

[frankiextah]

hellokitty i spoke briefly on the phone with leon and he said definitely after xmas for me

he said sometime between the 1st two weeks of January ...

i plan to persuade him for before xmas, let's see !

 

[calibali]

Good luck at your meeting frankiextah! Please do report back about his attitude - I'm meeting with him next Tuesday so I'd like to get an idea of what to expect from him in person.

 

[bebe]

I had to smile a bit when I read advice needed! Ok, first, don't be late to your appt. ! We were but it wasn't our fault. Leon wasn't happy, but he more than made up for his "behavior" the next day with a very lengthy meeting. That said, yes do take pictures, many of them. And I agree with making sure you get your desires known. I do wish I had asked for an even higher setting for my center stone. And I gave Leon free rein to do his thing, but within my likes. Leon is a master and I hope I get the opportunity to work with him again. But also I admire Maytal's work. She worked with/for Michael Beaudry whose settings I loved. I love that halo ring, oh my stars, it's so incredible!

Hi, can you tell me how high your center stone is currently set? Can I see a picture? I want to tell him to do mine a little higher than he normally does, but I don't know exactly how high to tell him.

I honestly don't know how high my center stone was set, but I recall asking him to go a wee bit higher than he suggested. I'd like it higher than it is, in a way the side traps just flow into the center stone and I'd like the center stone to sit up more, KWIM ? Ring is my avatar pic, but it might be hard to see in that pic. Good luck!! He is a master.

 

[hellokitty6782]

Thanks Bebe, I'm so nervous! I want to tell him to set my stone 7mm high, but that goes against his recommendation and I'm afraid if it looks awful, I will only have myself to blame. Not sure what to do, but thanks for responding!

 

[frankiextah]

i was bored last night and made a prototype of the 811 adrianna ring with the exact measurements of the center diamond, with 1.5mm halo and 1.8mm shank !

 

[hellokitty6782]

Wow, you are hardcore! I don't even have a real ruler to be able to do that, but you have inspired me. I might have to go home and make my own prototype

 

[frankiextah]

i know i am ! i don't want the ring to be messed up and totally do not want to have to blame myself if the ring turned out not what i'm looking for !

seriously try it ! it's really calmed me down for the meeting tomorrow knowing exactly what i want now and what to expect ... i didn't know if i wanted a 1mm halo or a 1.5mm halo, now i know i want a 1.5mm one ! also, i definitely know that i don't want a 1.5mm shank, it's a little too thin... 1.8mm would be perfect!

 

[Love Street]

I've been following this with interest since my diamond is currently with LM waiting to be set, and I keep debating whether or not to ask him to set it higher than "low as possible". How did your meeting go? I'm very curious to hear your updates - and thanks for sharing!

 

[hellokitty6782]

Hi Lovestreet, welcome! When did Leon say your ring wil be ready??

By the way, I did hear back from JBEG- she said that they generally like to set "medium-low" and that would mean 2 mm from the culet to finger. But they'll do any height that the client requests of course.

In my case, that would mean a total height of 6.39mm. I told Leon 6.5-6.8 mm, which I'm fine with, the difference between the highest height and JBEG's recommendation is less than .5 mm, which is so thin I can't visualize it, so I'm happy I went with that.

To see an example of the JBEG ring height, see this:
http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/JbEG-Signature-Settings-and/Halos/The-Kylie-Halo-213/13939776_e3E6i#1023719418_V79De

I think that looks perfect, I LOVE that ring. It belongs to a PSer, I wonder if she's gotten it yet?

That's the same design Leon is working on for me, I hope it looks that pretty when I get mine!