CADs are in - Alexandrite halo w/twist band

[the_mother_thing]

Just got the CaD from the jeweler, and right off the bat I notice it lacks the fluid look/continuity of the picture I provided of the Adwar setting which was the inspiration and same ring the etsy jeweler was to make, in that the twists of the original flow into the halo. The Rendering shows the halo moreso just sitting on top of the twist band. The diamonds are to be 1.5pt-ers.

Note the halo is to be rose gold and the band twists are to be white gold. They indicated this would have to be cast in two pieces and assembled. In speaking briefly with him just now, he said it is do able. I told him I wanted to digest the cad for a day or two, and come back with one set of comments/changes to provide vs multiple changes/tweaks. But thought I would solicit feedback from this knowledgeable body as well in case there is something I may not have thought of or considered.

With that ...

 

[JewelFreak]

I love the rose gold w/the alex -- it's super.

You're right, it lacks the grace of the Adwar example. But if it is 2 colors of gold, is it possible to make the shank flow into the bezel? I can see why he says it would need to be 2 pieces. What about having the whole thing in rose gold? If I had to make a choice between less flow with a wg shank, and the more graceful line w/all rose gold, I'd choose the latter.

--- Laurie

 

[chrono]

I cannot quite tell from the CAD and Adwar but it looks like the melees for the CAD are all the same mm size whilst the melees for the Adwar shows some graduation.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Thank you both for responding!

I cannot quite tell from the CAD and Adwar but it looks like the melees for the CAD are all the same mm size whilst the melees for the Adwar shows some graduation.

You (and your keen eyes ) are correct. In talking to the jeweler a few weeks ago, we considered using one size in halo and a smaller size on the sides, but I opted instead to just use 1.5s all around. The price difference was negligible and I wanted the band to be a bit thicker/wider that his sample. Do you think it will make a big/negative difference? I didn't think so since we're talking about little tiny diamonds, but your eyes are FAR better than mine for these things. This will be the "flashiest" piece of jewelry I own. My tastes tend to be more simple/conservative (e.g. solitaires). But the Alex just looks so much prettier in the middle of the white sparkles.

I love the rose gold w/the alex -- it's super.

You're right, it lacks the grace of the Adwar example. But if it is 2 colors of gold, is it possible to make the shank flow into the bezel? I can see why he says it would need to be 2 pieces. What about having the whole thing in rose gold? If I had to make a choice between less flow with a wg shank, and the more graceful line w/all rose gold, I'd choose the latter.

--- Laurie

I am not sure how they can do it either. And thought about the very if/then scenario you pose with going all rose gold. Hoping someone who is handy with jewelry/gold work chimes in here. I looked at it from multiple angles trying to figure out the "joints" for the two metal to come together. It's a tough one for sure! If put in the predicament of having to go with one metal, I will need to see the Alex in a full rose gold setting in person to decide. I don't want it to be too much, but maybe with the diamonds it won't be overpowering.

ETA- I am 100% with you on the grace/flow. I would rather go all one metal than have it as it looks in the CAD now. But which metal ... I do love the rose gold with the Alex! It's even more beautiful in person.

 

[the_mother_thing]

The adwar halo is also somewhat curved down on the sides (again, the fluidness) whereas the cad halo is more flat, and looks like an afterthought vs part of the design.

I almost wonder - if I have to go solid color metal - if it wouldn't make sense from a cost perspective to just have them order the adwar setting in RG. It comes with the right sized head (10x7) and I believe they cast in RG also. But I know jewelers make money in custom work, so ... I wish I knew what the adwar ring cost compared to the ballpark we are looking at for the custom setting. If it was a huge difference in price, it would be a no brainer for me to just go solid metal color, I think.

 

[chrono]

Yes, there is slightly more curvature in the Adwar as well. I think the graduation in melee size will be noticeable but not glaringly obvious. It's one of those things where you go, "this one looks nicer but I cannot put my finger on why" kind of thing. You can always ask a different jeweller what it's going to cost you if you have him order the Adwar setting in RG to compare pricing.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Yes, there is slightly more curvature in the Adwar as well. I think the graduation in melee size will be noticeable but not glaringly obvious. It's one of those things where you go, "this one looks nicer but I cannot put my finger on why" kind of thing. You can always ask a different jeweller what it's going to cost you if you have him order the Adwar setting in RG to compare pricing.

Pardon my ignorance in this, but is graduated melee typically preferred/more pleasing to the eye?

One of the other reasons I really liked the idea of two tone gold is that 99% of the other jewelry I wear is white metal, either white gold or silver. I thought the two tone would blend better with my other jewelry while still allowing this ring to stand out/be special a bit.

 

[chrono]

It depends on the design. Where there is typically some sort of curvature or "hugging" with a twist or angle, I think a slight graduation gives it that extra bit of polished finish. For the halo part, I would leave the melees the same size.

 

[the_mother_thing]

It depends on the design. Where there is typically some sort of curvature or "hugging" with a twist or angle, I think a slight graduation gives it that extra bit of polished finish. For the halo part, I would leave the melees the same size.

Gotcha. Thanks much, will look at/consider that also. You don't by chance have a picture of something along the lines you're describing with comparable sized melee you could share, do you?

 

[the_mother_thing]

Looking at this setting, there must be a way to merge the two metals cleanly.

 

[chrono]

Looking at this setting, there must be a way to merge the two metals cleanly.

It looks like it was possibly cast in 3 or more pieces, then joined together.

 

[minousbijoux]

As a first CAD, this one looks totally workable withable, if that makes any sense. I agree that it would be nice to have the shoulder swoop design be more integrated into the head/basket design as in your inspiration piece. I also like the idea of graduated melee. That said, I would be careful that adding another color of metal does not end up somehow visually truncating the design, causing it to lose the continuity and flow from the shoulder design to the basket, if that makes sense. The good news is that its really showcases your stone, which I honestly did not remember being that beautiful and saturated in color.

 

[Michael_E]

Looking at this setting, there must be a way to merge the two metals cleanly.

There is. The reason that your attached image looks smooth is that the rose gold scroll is tapered along the white gold. This is also the case with the Adwar example in that the upper ends of the split band parts meet at the upper edge of the halo. It's hard to tell from the Adwar image, but I think that the halo has more tilt to it than the CAD. Having the ends of the band and halo meet AND having more tilt to the halo merges the halo into the band smoothly and makes the end result more organic looking.

The only thing that might concern you is in the merging of the rose and white gold either one of the gold colors will taper to a point at the ends of the halo. I think that I'd taper the white gold sides into the full thickness rose gold and then hand carve the area where the diamonds come up and around the sides of the halo. A plus side to this is the connection between the rose and white gold is longer and the rose gold halo is supported over more of it's length making the halo strong and less prone to bending should it get leaned on or hit against something inadvertently, (rose gold is softer than white and so the stronger the design the better the durability). I'd print this thread out and show it to your designer...lots of good idea from people here and they may come up with some good changes to add to these.

 

[the_mother_thing]

There is. The reason that your attached image looks smooth is that the rose gold scroll is tapered along the white gold. This is also the case with the Adwar example in that the upper ends of the split band parts meet at the upper edge of the halo. It's hard to tell from the Adwar image, but I think that the halo has more tilt to it than the CAD. Having the ends of the band and halo meet AND having more tilt to the halo merges the halo into the band smoothly and makes the end result more organic looking.

The only thing that might concern you is in the merging of the rose and white gold either one of the gold colors will taper to a point at the ends of the halo. I think that I'd taper the white gold sides into the full thickness rose gold and then hand carve the area where the diamonds come up and around the sides of the halo. A plus side to this is the connection between the rose and white gold is longer and the rose gold halo is supported over more of it's length making the halo strong and less prone to bending should it get leaned on or hit against something inadvertently, (rose gold is softer than white and so the stronger the design the better the durability). I'd print this thread out and show it to your designer...lots of good idea from people here and they may come up with some good changes to add to these.

I noticed the same tilt you did and made a note of that also. I like the tilted edge of the Adwar halo vs the rendering's "flat" looking halo. I am not understanding what you're suggesting though about tapering the white gold into the thickness of the rose gold, and the connection being longer ... do you mean have it continue into the bottom of the halo/under where the Alex sits and across to the other side? I AM interested in anything that will improve the overall structural integrity.

As a first CAD, this one looks totally workable withable, if that makes any sense. I agree that it would be nice to have the shoulder swoop design be more integrated into the head/basket design as in your inspiration piece. I also like the idea of graduated melee. That said, I would be careful that adding another color of metal does not end up somehow visually truncating the design, causing it to lose the continuity and flow from the shoulder design to the basket, if that makes sense. The good news is that its really showcases your stone, which I honestly did not remember being that beautiful and saturated in color.

Thanks, I have been in love with the idea of it being surrounded in small diamonds since I saw it set in that east-west Gabriel setting. It really made the Alex color stand out like crazy! It is however a little more blue/green in person than the green color in that picture, but it's hard to photo the color correctly with my mobile phone. I will try and find some ring examples with the graduated melee to get a visual of how that would look. My only issue is I wanted the twists to be a bit thicker than his sample ring's band. I don't personally care for rings with a big head/halo and a little tiny dainty band. That's why I opted for the 1.5s all around ... to kind of give "purpose" to the wider ribbons. If the ribbons stay the same width, but with smaller melee, I would think that would look odd and not consistent. But I may be wrong ... Just have to see some pictures (if you have one, please share it!)


I spent a good bit of time last night looking very closely at the lines of the adwar ring and trying to figure out where the transition points would be, and made some notes to review with the jeweler Saturday. The more I thought about it last night, I realized that this won't be the first piece of two-toned jewelry in existence, and I am sure there is a way to do it so the transitions or attachment points appear "clean". The biggest area I am having a problem with is the ribbons on the front and back, and whether they should be white (as they would continue from the band) or rose, and if rose, where that transition should occur so it doesn't look awkward.

I didn't look at the jeweler's rose & white sample transition points or ask about how that was "constructed" when I was up there a few weeks ago, but will do so and see what he recommends tomorrow.

As always, I so appreciate everyone's input and feedback! There is so much more to creating such a beautiful piece of jewelry than I ever imagined/knew until this process began!

 

[the_mother_thing]

Met with the jeweler today, and they are going to send the pictures of the Adwar setting with my notes to the designer to have them rework the CAD to be more like the Adwar piece, as well as offer up options for where the rose/white gold transitions will be based on new drawing. So, just gotta sit tight again for a bit.

ETA- I did look at the sample they had MUCH closer today for the transitions between W/R gold, and they said that one was also done in two or more pieces, and it's very cleanly executed, so I am not as worried about that as I was.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Stop the press!

I just had a thought/idea this morning ... Adding horizontal set marquise diamonds inside the shank loop/twist - one on each side bezel set like the original ring the jeweler made. I am talking small marquise diamonds ... Maybe a 1/4 - 1/3 ct max. Attaching a picture of the ring he made with my Alex setting on it (took this pic to see it against the rose gold). I would like the marquise stones to sit a bit more flush with the shank though, and obviously the Alex set n/s.

And, if I do this, in your opinions, would it be best to go solid rose gold, keep the shank white and just make the bezel and halo in rose gold, or keep the shank & bezels in white gold and the halo in rose?

Or am I just plain nuts?

 

[chrono]

Re: Stop the press!

I'm not sure if the marquise diamonds can be flush with the shank in the current design. In addition, it is likely that that the loop will look different from what you have now, depending on the shape of the marquise diamonds. If the marquise is fat, the loop will be large. If the marquise is skinny, the loop will extend down between the fingers on both sides. I also think the marquise diamond needs to be much smaller than 0.25 ct since that already measures approximately 5 x 3 mm x 2 mm thereabouts. Add 2 marquise and the center alexandrite and that's a lot of side to side coverage.

Depending on the depth of the marquise, you also don't want the culet to poke your skin. Supposing the depth is 2 mm, the setting needs to be at least 3 mm deep to accommodate the diamonds, which means that either the stones have to be set up higher (no longer flush) or the metal part of the ring needs to be thicker in an upward fashion. One way around this is to redesign the setting a little. It will look like a split shank from the side view.

Diamonds look whitest when bezeled in white. Depending on the quality of the cut and colour of the diamond, a rose gold setting can make a low coloured diamond look whiter or it can tint a high coloured diamond.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Thanks much for the input Chrono. I wasn't sure what measurements on a 1/4 ct would be so perhaps even smaller would work. I am going to have to look for some small marquise stones and see what measurements they might be. I don't want them too fat or too skinny; just a nice accent on the sides.

 

[chrono]

This is something that is best addressed by the jeweller who did the CAD for you. He/She will know what size marquise is best, how that might affect the overall look and its feasibility.