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Are all HALO custom built around center stone or not?

baearea

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Hello Pricescope!

I'm a long time Boggle head reader getting ready to pop the big question. My GF is in LOVE with Halo rings:

1) http://www.brilliantearth.com/Waverly-Diamond-Ring-(1/2-ct.-tw..)-White-Gold-BE1M64-1152690/
2) http://www.brilliantearth.com/Gala-Diamond-Ring-Platinum-BE1M6766-1153515/

I noticed while visiting the SF store of Brilliant earth that the HALO was VERY tight around the center diamond and my GF LOVED that. My question is, if I ordered from Bluenile, would it be built around the center diamond as well? Is this standard?

The reason I ask, I stopped by Shane and company and they looked at me like I was crazy.

Thanks,
Rick
 

VRBeauty

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No, all not all haloes are custom built for a specific center stone. Many settings are pre-made to fit range (generally a fairly small and finite range) or diamond sizes. Most mall stores will have halo settings that are built to accept specific sizes of calibrate stones, for example, if you buy a .9 ct loose diamond, the store will probably set it in a pre-made setting designed to accommodate a diamond ranging from .85 to 1.0 cts. (I'm pulling numbers out of thin air to illustrate my point, BTW.)

However there are also many jewelry designers, and many PS vendors, who can custom-build a halo to fit just your diamond.
 

baearea

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VRBeauty,

Thanks for the quick reply. One more question on the "Pre-made" settings. Will these type of settings have a "gap" between the center diamond and halo? Also, any clue if Bluenile or Brilliant Earth will be Pre-made or custom around the center?
 

tyty333

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baearea|1445234870|3939763 said:
VRBeauty,

Thanks for the quick reply. One more question on the "Pre-made" settings. Will these type of settings have a "gap" between the center diamond and halo? Also, any clue if Bluenile or Brilliant Earth will be Pre-made or custom around the center?

Not VRBeauty but I think her point is that a lot of settings are made for a range of sizes. If you buy a stone that is on the low
end of that size range then you may have a gap. If you buy a stone on the high end of that range then you may not have a gap.

Some halos were designed to have a gap (we call these gaps, an airline).

Settings that were meant to have an airline...
http://www.brilliantearth.com/Aura-Diamond-Ring-White-Gold-BE1D2213-1489635/

Setting that were not meant to have an airline but you could end up with one if you pick a diamond on the low end of the range
(look at the .4 and .41 stone and you'll see a small airline ...not bad though)
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/14k-white-gold-pave-halo-and-twisted-shank-solitaire-item-17466

Depends how you define custom...but I would not think they BN or BE custom make a halo for each stone. If you want that
you will need to go with a custom jewelry maker.

If you define "custom" as best size picked to fit your stone then you are getting what you call "custom". This is what I think
BN and BE and most vendors do.

So, pick a setting that does not have a natural airline in it and tell them that you want no gap or no airline (you want the
main stone and the halo to flow seamlessly). Let them tell you what the best mm size of a stone would be for you if
that would help to get the right size for the setting you want.

Edit - BN has a section of previously purchased stones so that you can see how most of them are fitting in their halo.
http://www.bluenile.com/engagement-rings/recently-purchased-engagement-rings?track=NavEngRecent
 

thebigjdoe

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I just want to chime in as a fellow halo purchaser. This is a great thread if you want to go the custom route:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/comparison-photos-of-my-victor-canera-sk-leon-ring-setting.166496/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/comparison-photos-of-my-victor-canera-sk-leon-ring-setting.166496/[/URL]

You don't mention budget so I'll just throw this out there, although the price difference is quite large. When I was researching halos I would see anywhere from $1500-$2500 for "pre-made" halo settings with pave along the band. Custom, hand crafted halo settings will be much more, along the lines of 2-3 times that price. In my opinion, it was worth it :)

I went with a Victor Canera halo, and my now wife still loves looking at it. I have a friend who got a shane co halo, and she flat out said she was hoping for something more like what we got. We just couldn't find a pre-made halo setting that fit all of our requirements. Mostly, they seem to use much more metal, adding a slightly bulky look to it. There is nothing wrong with that and some people may like it, but we were looking for a more delicate look.
 

baearea

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Hi JDoe and Tyty,

Thanks so much with helping me along this journey. The budget is $10k for the stone and setting. Is there anyway to tell online the diamond settings available at BlueNile, James Allen or Brilliant Earth? If I know that, then I can buy a stone which fits exact to avoid the AIRLINE. I really want NO Airline with the halo. Any tips?
 

thebigjdoe

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I'm not sure maybe the experts around here will know, but what I would do is contact the dealer you want the setting from and ask the exact dimensions for the halo setting, mainly, how big a "hole" there is for the center stone, and maybe what exact (or close to exact) size stone they would recommend (size in mm, not in ctw) for a perfect fit.

A 1 ct diamond could be 6.2mm or 6.6 mm, but only they would know how big the hole is on their "1ct" halo setting. if they say it is 6.5mm, then maybe try to find a diamond that is slightly larger than 6.5mm diameter. Lookin at the halo I got, it seems VC made the centerstone opening slightly smaller than the centerstone itself since the center stone is kind of wedged between the halo and the prongs, if that makes sense. I would imagine a 6.5mm diamond in a 6.5mm hole may not work since the diamond could "fall through", so something more like 6.55mm or 6.6mm seems like it would be what you are looking for. Then again there could be some sort of lip under the halo opening that I don't see that is stopping the stone from falling through, meaning a 6.5 in a 6.5 could be perfect lol.

Let the experts confirm this before making decisions on what i said :)
 

LLJsmom

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baearea|1445275832|3939875 said:
Hi JDoe and Tyty,

Thanks so much with helping me along this journey. The budget is $10k for the stone and setting. Is there anyway to tell online the diamond settings available at BlueNile, James Allen or Brilliant Earth? If I know that, then I can buy a stone which fits exact to avoid the AIRLINE. I really want NO Airline with the halo. Any tips?

The other question is how much do you want the center stone to cover the halo. And can you see a side view of the halo? Is here a gap height wise? Ther may not be an airline gap visually from the top view but what about from the side? If this does matter to you I would not go with bluenile. Not saying that they can't but they are not known for their custom settings and it would not be worth the risk to me. Getting them to even do sharp claw prongs would be custom work. I have had standard settings from bluenile and compared to the type of top quality settings of vendors here, there is no comparison. But it does all depend on your expectations you are starting with.
 

baearea

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Is it possible to NOT have a gap on the side view? If so, I'd opt for that. My only fair is that I have 3 weeks to get this done and no diamond yet. If anyone has free time to help with a diamond then let me know.
 

LLJsmom

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Specify how much you have to spend and the specs of your stone, and the PSers will help. Specify your priority. Cut? Color? Clarity? Most PSers prioritize cut above all else as that is what makes a diamond beautiful (sparkly). Then they can recommend a vendor that might be able to supply both, which will save you a ton on time. Custom halos in platinum will run you at least $3k, based on the quality, detail and exactness of execution that you seem to want. Not a big deal for Canera, Kirsch, Mege. They do these day in and out. You can save money by not having page on the shank.
 

baearea

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LL Cool J,

Thanks for the quick reply. My budget for the diamond and setting is $12.5K MAX. Here's what I'm looking for 1.5 - 1.75 Carat, VS2, Round, Very good or Ideal cut, I-G on color (Not a big deal). I'd like pave on the band.
 

LLJsmom

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Lol! Although I am of that generation that is not why I chose that name.

May I suggest that you start a whole new thread on asking for help on choosing a stone? The current thread won't bring the most knowledgeable PSers as the topic is is about the setting. Just provide all the info about your stone requirements in the new thread and make sure you ask for help in the topic. For example, your topic line should be:

Help me find 1.5-1.75 for $15K in tight halo setting.

Given that you are in a time crunch, you will probably get the fastest service if you get both stone and setting from one vendor, and if you speak with the vendor directly to explain your time crunch. They are usually pretty sympathetic to guys needing to propose in a time crunch.
 

solgen

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baearea|1445297653|3940027 said:
LL Cool J,

Thanks for the quick reply. My budget for the diamond and setting is $12.5K MAX. Here's what I'm looking for 1.5 - 1.75 Carat, VS2, Round, Very good or Ideal cut, I-G on color (Not a big deal). I'd like pave on the band.

That's a tight budget with those specs. And the fact that you list very good cut isn't something I would recommend. Yes those stones are quite a bit cheaper but their performance is also sub par. Let's asume you can find a platinum halo with pave for around $2500 so you have $10k for the diamond. for a 1.5ct min you might need to drop down to J color which should be fine. An ideal cut will face up white and you won't see much of the color through the pavilion since the halo will help hide it. OR you could look for those rare I1 that appear mostly eye clean. Someone posted a 1.52 CARAT H-I1 that could work and is $9k. http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.52-carat-h-color-i1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-515816
 

diamondseeker2006

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I would never recommend I1 clarity for an engagement ring, and that one has a feather (crack) as the inclusion, so I would have to rule that one out.

The GIA excellent cut range is broad. Honestly, with your time constraints, I might look at Ritani since they make some very nice halo settings. You do need to stay near common size points such as 1 ct or 1.5 cts, but you could ask if they have a size halo in between those sizes.

Here are the beautiful halo settings in platinum:

https://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/round-cut/halo?sortField=style_rank&sortOrder=asc&page=2&search%5Btags%5D=Halo&search%5Bshape%5D=RD%7CEM&search%5Bmetal%5D=Platinum&search%5Bstone_types%5D=&from_minimum_total_carat_weight_as_float=0.0&to_minimum_total_carat_weight_as_float=0.75&from_price=235&to_price=8240&from_days_to_build=0&to_days_to_build=&sorting=Best+sellers&showAll=1

These two will be most cost effective...either round or cushion shaped halo..hope you know which she wants!

https://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-band-engagement-ring-in-platinum/4975

https://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-band-engagement-ring-in-platinum/4973

Diamond they have in-house...

https://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-1-56-Carat-I-color-GIA-certified/D-3HS6H1
 

VRBeauty

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VRBeauty

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The second is slightly heftier - more metal weight/ more carat weight/ slightly wider band. Between the two, I'd recommend the second. The shank on the first is a bit thin for a pave-set band.
 

thebigjdoe

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Quite a bit of difference between those two, although of course it is all preference. Look how the band connects to the head, i forget what they call that but in one it is straight up, and one it is slanted. Also, the pave has a different look. Take a look at the rings from the side view. the center stone sits up higher on one of them as well. Also the prices are different
 

baearea

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Big Jdoe,

Thanks for your feedback! Which one has the diamond sit hire? I can't tell. Which one would you go for?
 

VRBeauty

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baearea: Honestly, I am not a halo sort of person at all and I'm just not the best person to answer your questions when it comes to halo-ish preferences. :oops:

I'd suggest you start a new thread along the lines of "please help me build the best halo e-ring for $10,000"... or something along those lines. If you do your homework, i.e., if you've done some research and you have realistic parameters for the center stone, and a realistic budget for the quality of halo you're looking for, then I think some of PSers who are more knowledgable about halos would be willing to help you put it all together.

BTW it would be helpful to know a little bit about your GF, or more specifically, what kind of treatment her ring is likely to get. If she's in the medical field for example, and putting gloves on and off all day, she might want a lower setting.
 

baearea

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