Advice on setting a baguette in a gent's ring

[SeekingClarity]

Hello PS!

I'm currently working with Alistair on designing my wedding ring. After learning so much about diamonds here, I am planning to have a small diamond on my ring. The plan is to have a rectangular baguette across the width of the band in a channel setting, similar to this ring by BGD (http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/w...c-bands/mens-flat-brushed-band-platinum-5427p).

However, instead of having a flat surface all the way around, I am planning on doing a slightly domed band (similar to the gent's ring by Alistair here (https://www.instagram.com/p/BKooNHGDIsA/). In fact, it would be nearly identical, only with the addition of the baguette.

As a result of the baguette being flat and the surface of the metal being slightly domed, there will be a slight gap between the crown/table of the diamond and the rounded surface of the outer edge of the band. I don't have a reference to see or CAD to visualize, so I'm trying to decide if that will interrupt the flow or look strange.

We have talked about just doing a flat band all the way around, like the BGD ring, but I'm afraid that will look too "sharp" or angular. Any advice or feedback would be much appreciated!

Cheers,
SK

 

[rockysalamander]

kenny has a ring with a more curved face. Hopefully, Kenny will chime in as he has (had) 5 tension set rings!

See pics here. https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/all-four-tension-settings.139063/

 

[OoohShiny]

Check out the stone settings on the Boone Rings website for some images of rounded rings with stones in - I think it would look fine

I think a tension setting, as mentioned by @rockysalamander, would be a cooler way to set a stone, though, and mean it's easier to keep it clean and sparkling properly! IIRC Kenny's rings are from Boone and he is very happy with them

 

[rockysalamander]

I don't mind the solid band under the stone, just for comfort, but it needs to provide some clearance for cleaning, including holes along the bottom. Baguettes look terrible when dirty. Really, they seem to suffer more than other cuts. I have a ring with a whole line of them and they die if the ring is dirty.

Have you thought about using french-cut diamonds. They are much more lively when dirty.

(picture from Erika Winters)

 

[SeekingClarity]

Thank you for all the input, everyone!

I've looked at the Boone settings and Kenny's rings (beautiful!). While I appreciate tension set rings, I think I prefer the look of a channel set with some metal underneath and having metal all the way around the inside for comfort. Very curious to hear Kenny's thoughts on the slight discrepancy in height between the baguette and band though.

Having a hole for cleaning/draining is a good recommendation and I'll certainly mention that to Alistair!

@rockysalamander, a French cut diamond was my first thought (partly thanks to Erika Winters' work)! My reservation is that while they have larger and fewer facets than a MRB, they would be a much more feminine/sparkly look than a baguette and it's more rectangular facets. I saw a ring with two rows of 3 small MRBs in a rectangular formation and it was a bit over the top for me. Since I'm not able to compare a 5mm x 2.5mm to a baguette in person, it's very difficult to decide and I opted for perhaps the safer choice. Knowing that a baguette does very poorly with dirt/smudges may make me reconsider though! The other aspect is Alistair would have to get the Frenchie custom cut, which is both incredibly neat and also a bit daunting (what if it doesn't come out perfectly?).

On the alignment with the rounded band, would the higher/more rounded crown of a Frenchie more closely align with the slight curvature of the metal?

Will also search for a comparison of French cut to baguette...

Cheers,
SC

 

[rockysalamander]

My granddad had a ring with french-cuts and it looks really cool on him. It was like the first ring below, but had a green sapphire flanked by two diamonds (all frencies; new york jets inspired). He was former NFL linebacker, so maybe nothing really could look feminine on him! He has a few rings of various designs. LOL

In any case, I was thinking a few little frenchies in a row to fill the gap...so as to avoid the custom route. Like this (I love how the made the stone matches the full width of the lighter metal strips...great attention to detail). That said, I have never worked with titanium, so I would defer to your maker about the cut that will work better.

Whichever shape you go with for the stones, they'll just have to angle the metal as it approaches them to blend it...but the more the band has a crown, the more 3-d challenge the work presents. Here's a pretty domed band with a round in it. I'm not a fan of the big gap (I like the one above where the stone fully fill the widtch of the band), but just thought it might help visualize.

This is just plain cool. Imagine the gap a bit narrower like #1 and then the line of square stones. Too cool.

 

[OoohShiny]

They ^^ are awesome

It's not a baguette, but check out @Dancing Fire's octavia in a Gelin Abaci (spelling?) tension setting - there are various GA setting styles so might be worth a look

I don't believe they are uncomfortable - the culet should be set above where one's finger skin is, so it should scratch or irritate and should also stay clean

 

[tonysgeko]

seekingclarity check out the shape of this convex barrel cut amethyst.

 

[SeekingClarity]

Thanks @rockysalamander! In the second ring, it seems like the Frenchies are quite flat or more rounded than the ones from the EW photo. Is this just a function of their 1:1/square dimensions? As I'm in Australia, to get any French cut diamond, it has to be a custom cut and/or sourced from overseas. They just don't seem to be available here.

There also seems to be more of a lip or edge on the second ring compared to the first. I much prefer the smoother transition of the first ring, but also realize that large, magnified images can be a bit misleading for me. I wonder if anyone has a French cut eternity band or similar to highlight how they look on the finger?

I'm hoping to have the ring done in white gold or platinum, so there shouldn't be an issue with working the metal as there might be with titanium, considering all the complex metalwork I've seen on the forum.

Also, current and former NFL linebackers can generally wear whatever they want!

My granddad had a ring with french-cuts and it looks really cool on him. It was like the first ring below, but had a green sapphire flanked by two diamonds (all frencies; new york jets inspired). He was former NFL linebacker, so maybe nothing really could look feminine on him! He has a few rings of various designs. LOL

In any case, I was thinking a few little frenchies in a row to fill the gap...so as to avoid the custom route. Like this (I love how the made the stone matches the full width of the lighter metal strips...great attention to detail). That said, I have never worked with titanium, so I would defer to your maker about the cut that will work better.

Whichever shape you go with for the stones, they'll just have to angle the metal as it approaches them to blend it...but the more the band has a crown, the more 3-d challenge the work presents. Here's a pretty domed band with a round in it. I'm not a fan of the big gap (I like the one above where the stone fully fill the widtch of the band), but just thought it might help visualize.

This is just plain cool. Imagine the gap a bit narrower like #1 and then the line of square stones. Too cool.

 

[SeekingClarity]

They ^^ are awesome

It's not a baguette, but check out @Dancing Fire's octavia in a Gelin Abaci (spelling?) tension setting - there are various GA setting styles so might be worth a look

I don't believe they are uncomfortable - the culet should be set above where one's finger skin is, so it should scratch or irritate and should also stay clean

Wow! I just found @DancingFire's ring on SMTB. Beautiful! These tension settings seem to highlight significantly larger stones, while I was only planning on incorporating a smaller ~5-10 point rectangular stone.

@tonysgeko And that convex stone is something I've never seen. I wonder what the light performance is like on something like that and how it would look set in a ring.

 

[Acinom]

All ladies rings, but this thread might be helpful to see what frenchies look like in a band or in the shank: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-2011-trend-the-french-sides-collection.161358/

 

[SeekingClarity]

All ladies rings, but this thread might be helpful to see what frenchies look like in a band or in the shank: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-2011-trend-the-french-sides-collection.161358/

That is a dangerous thread! Thanks for sharing, it does give a better idea of what they may look like on the hand.

 

[Acinom]

Dangerous indeed!!
I love the design you choose for your wedding band. What will your bride to be wear as a wedding band? Is she still thrilled with her beautiful ring.

 

[SeekingClarity]

Dangerous indeed!!
I love the design you choose for your wedding band. What will your bride to be wear as a wedding band? Is she still thrilled with her beautiful ring.

Thanks for that, Acinom! She still loves the ER . Her wedding band will have 2.2mm stones set 3/4 of the way around with a scallop style setting in WG to match her ER.

One point that Alistair made when we met with him is that the crown on a Frenchie may be slightly higher than a baguette, which may actually help to mitigate the height discrepancy at the center of the band where the dome is most pronounced. Perhaps it is it wishful thinking on my part to think it would all work out like that...

 

[rockysalamander]

Also, current and former NFL linebackers can generally wear whatever they want!
LOL. He certainly did. He was such a rule-breaker in even playing football. He was supposed to join the family law firm. he got a law degree and then chucked it all to play football. I think when he played the incident of injury was so much lower. He was sharp up until the end when prosate cancer took him.

Thanks @rockysalamander! In the second ring, it seems like the Frenchies are quite flat or more rounded than the ones from the EW photo.
The stones in that picture were shared by Erika Winters and are from Yoram F., he says "French cuts must be cut to correct proportions of high crown heights coupled with correctly-applied pavilion angles and depth. That is what history intended and for good reasons I must add! Each shape (elongated, square, trapezoid etc.) requires different sets of criteria. The high crowns present in each of our cuts further displays what we call the “sculptor effect,” a 3D visual which makes each and every French cut pop while allowing additional play of light caused by its surface reflections. French cut diamonds commonly possess 18 to 24 facets. I have seen some cut to only 12 facets. If the proportions on such a low count facet design are not correctly applied (e.g. mimicking flatter crown/deep pavilion generic cut proportions like baguettes) they will appear dull and watery and will worsen as dirt starts accumulating on the pavilion." He goes on to describe that he offers two different styles and then there is a third on his website (http://gemconcepts.net/french-cut-diamond/). If you like his stones, I wonder if your maker can get them from him.

Yoram’s split-corner and single-corner French cut diamonds – left to right • Image courtesy of GemConcepts Ltd.

 

[SeekingClarity]

@rockysalamander, glad to hear he wasn't troubled by excessive concussions during his career that are so common in today's game.

I've discovered @Acinom 's description of three types of French cuts on page three of the following thread (https://www.pricescope.com/communit...et-by-victor-canera-for-5-3-oec.193349/page-3). I think what I am after is either the "high crown" or "high dome" French cut. Based on the descriptions, I think this would resolve the issue of the height of the height differences.

I mentioned to Alistair that I was looking at Yoram's work and will follow-up to see if he can source from him. Not sure if Yoram sells to the public. Fingers crossed!

In the image above, I'm guessing the single-corner Frenchie is equivalent to a VC "high crown" Frenchie?

 

[OoohShiny]

Thanks for all the info on the French cuts in this thread, it's piqued my interest!

 

[SeekingClarity]

It seems Alistair may not be able to get a French cut from Yoram. As I know cut is king (and Yoram's are a very well regarded and known quantity), is it worth going with an Australian cutter that may not have the experience with French cuts (it would be a custom cut), or push to try and get a (small, 2.5mm x 5mm) stone from Yoram?

Cheers,
SC

 

[OoohShiny]

Yoram posts on here as @diagem IIRC, so he might be able to advise re: availability

I'm not sure I would trust A.N.Other cutter unless they had a large portfolio and allowed inspection of past work...

 

[marymm]

While I like french-cuts, I much prefer a classic baguette for the diamond band design you're having created... I think the clean lines of the baguette are more complementary to the more modern setting. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Acinom]

Does Alistair have any other possibilities to source French cuts? I would personally not buy from a cutter who is not experienced in french cuts...

And it's a good idea to contact Yoram, but you need to speak with Alistair first about the right dimensions that fit your future ring.

 

[SeekingClarity]

While I like french-cuts, I much prefer a classic baguette for the diamond band design you're having created... I think the clean lines of the baguette are more complementary to the more modern setting. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for the input, I hadn't really thought about the style of the ring I'm selecting aligning with the type of cut, given that the stone itself will be so small. I'm still partly tempted to go with a flat edge and baguette for a smooth overall look. Decisions, decisions...

Does Alistair have any other possibilities to source French cuts? I would personally not buy from a cutter who is not experienced in french cuts...

And it's a good idea to contact Yoram, but you need to speak with Alistair first about the right dimensions that fit your future ring.

I believe there was only the one option from Alistair for French cut. I've read wonderful things about the melee he uses on these boards, so I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt, but at the same time I'm wary of the dimensions being even slightly off in a new type of cut for this cutter. I was too late to ring today, but will send a note to Yoram through his website, as I have a good idea of the length and width.

To be fair, Alistair said the "price of shipping doesn't make it an efficient way to source these diamonds," not that it's impossible. Perhaps it is just a matter of absorbing a higher cost if I want a stone from Yoram for my ring.

 

[SeekingClarity]

Not sure if anyone is curious, but I opted to go with the baguette after all. @diagem and his team were very helpful when I reached out to them, but ultimately the modern style of the ring and incremental cost were a factor, so I ended up going with a baguette that Alistair will provide. Hopefully there is another project in my future that will involve some of Yoram's French cuts...

I did have a couple design questions though. I'm tentatively going to have a lightly brushed finish (diagonally across the ring, as in Alistair's other gent's rings); however, I'm considering a satin finish instead. Will a satin finish or 45 degree brushed finish better complement a baguette that goes straight across the band?

I also asked Alistair about adding hole(s) beneath the diamond as well and his comment was that it will further weaken the ring and he recommended against it. The channel will go the full width of the ring and the diamond will be channel set rather than tension set, with a strip of metal underneath. Are the cleaning holes really an issue for a 5mm wide band? Would I want one or two? Should I ask for the ring to be made slightly thicker to compensate? Or is Alistair just being cautious?

Cheers,
SC

 

[OoohShiny]

re: the finish, what made my decision was the fact that brushed finishes look lovely - until you start to get wear-scratches at all sorts of random angles on them... (I think I have slight OCD lol)

I haven't got my spreadsheet to hand, but I was considering a sort of 'randomised scratches' finish, so that any I added didn't stand out!


Personally speaking, I would want to be able to clean both the front and the back of the diamond - I know that the back should stay clean as it would be 'sealed in', but the seal wouldn't be airtight and the rear is bound to collect dirt over time, through soap-and-water seepage from handwashing, general dust from working outdoors, etc etc.

That's the reason why I think the tension settings are great!

Perhaps the jeweller could just connect the two sides of the ring with a narrow strip of metal in the centre of the width of ring, so you can still clean the pavilion and it looks like a tension setting from the side?