Cushion Cut Micropave Engagement Ring Help

[LARingGuy]

Hello all! Long time lurker, first time posting. I have taken a LOT of information in over the past few weeks, but am drawing very close to pulling the trigger on a purchase. I will the proposing to the love of my life soon, but need to nail down the ring first! Months ago she showed me her "dream ring" - of course it turns out to be the Harry Winston Cushion Cut Micropave! Now, how do I know she is the one? She followed it up by saying she would be happy with a cracker jack ring- and means it. (I am a lucky guy!) Still, I'd like to find a happy middle ground and give her something she truly deserves!!

I have looked at everyone from Leon Mege, to Steven Kirsch, to ERD, to you name it. My problem is I there is a very specific look I am seeking, but I am trying to understand what factor changes the amount of "metal" showing through the setting. By way of example, the first image attached is the stock photo of the HW. Notice how clean the image is, with little to no metal showing between the small diamonds. Yet when a non-stock photo (see image 2) you can certainly see metal.

Compare this so the Simon G 1840 ring. In the stock photo (see image 3) you can see plenty of metal, whereas in a non-stock photo (see image 4) there is little to no metal.

What accounts for the difference here? Am I missing something (like you can get larger or smaller diamonds to cover or expose more metal)?

Ultimately, I am trying to get as clean of a look as possible while balancing cost. In my case, I also happen to have a connection with Simon G to get me a great deal. That said, I am not willing to sacrifice too much just in the name of saving a few dollars.

I really appreciate any help!!

 

[urseberry]

In both pictures where you see more metal, the lighting conditions are such that the metal appears dark, and therefore distinct from the diamonds. When the lighting is brighter, the metal reflects light and shines white, blending in with the diamonds. In short, it's an optical illusion. In reality, the Harry Winston shows slightly less metal than the Simon G. All of the custom ring designers you mentioned are also capable of executing this design with very little metal showing.

What are you planning for the center stone? The folks on this website are excellent at finding well-performing diamonds.

 

[m-2-b]

I would suggest you read this thread which was very helpful to me in the past:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/[/URL]

 

[LARingGuy]

In both pictures where you see more metal, the lighting conditions are such that the metal appears dark, and therefore distinct from the diamonds. When the lighting is brighter, the metal reflects light and shines white, blending in with the diamonds. In short, it's an optical illusion. In reality, the Harry Winston shows slightly less metal than the Simon G. All of the custom ring designers you mentioned are also capable of executing this design with very little metal showing.

What are you planning for the center stone? The folks on this website are excellent at finding well-performing diamonds.

I guess I am going to need to look at them in person then to truly tell what I can expect. Like I said, I want to find a balance here and the less I spend on the setting the larger I can go with the center stone! I don't need it to be completely metal free, but I also don't want obvious spacing. (Honestly, I don't think she will care either way. I think I am FAR more picky than she is!)

As for the center stone: I wanted to choose the setting first. Then I can see how much to spend on the center stone. My budget is a little flexible because while I would like to spend $8-10K total, I also want to get around a 1.5ct center stone (or larger) and would be willing to spend more depending.

 

[LARingGuy]

I would suggest you read this thread which was very helpful to me in the past:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/[/URL]

I have checked this thread out, and it lead me to find all these great designers I mentioned! The only problem is I have no concept of the price difference between each, which is a factor.

 

[chirpy66]

As a jewelry designer, to satisfy your spacing requirements, I would recommend the diamond spacing be between 0.12mm and 0.15mm. The "u-shape cut down" handcrafted micro pave diamond setting like shown in the HW image you referenced is far more superior than the cad render Simon G variant. To maximize the diamond visability your ring should be handcrafted from a dense solid metal piece (this means no pre-existing prongs in the final production model) and the job must be set under a microscope so the diamond spacing is both consistent AND secure with the least amount of metal showing as possible like you mention. All these specifications need to be accounted for in the maquette with your designer before the final build begins. Regards, Michael

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yep, you are wanting a fine quality handforged setting which is just not very realistic with your total budget. Victor Canera and Steven Kirsch make settings equivalent to the HW settings, but you are looking at maybe $4-5k just for the setting. That doesn't leave you enough for the diamond.

Some people here have gotten nice settings from Brilliantly Engaged (formerly known as Engagement Rings Direct...why the heck they changed their name I cannot figure out when all the links to their rings are going to be under the old name on the forum???). Their prices have been said to be in the $3k range.

I have also seen David Klass make some nice pave halo settings and his prices may be less but probably not quite the handforged level.

But I am going to say that if you are wanting a 1.5 ct stone, you'll be adding to your budget. Here are some well cut cushions that are perfect for a HW style setting (well cut cushions are fairly rare, so don't ponder too long!):

http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/1-5ct-i-vs1-signature-modern-cushion.html

http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/1.40-carat-g-vs2-x-factor-cushion-cut-diamond-gid-96073.html

 

[littleweight]

OP, i used the same ring for inspiration. I worked with Chris at BE and i can tell you that it was a pleasure working with him. I definitely see what you are saying in regards to the metal in between the pave. I was also worried about that. One thing that i learned is that all these shots are so close up that it deceives our eyes (imo)

Here is a link to my ring. I purchased by cushion from Chris as well. I could not be any happier with my purchase and bang for buck!

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/brilliantly-engaged-e-ring-done-tell-me-what-you-think.209503/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/brilliantly-engaged-e-ring-done-tell-me-what-you-think.209503/[/URL]

 

[Gypsy]

http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/1.40-carat-g-vs2-x-factor-cushion-cut-diamond-gid-96073.html

Love this stone. A setting from BE will be about 3K. Bringing your total to about 13k. You did say your budget was flexible. Hope you meant it.

 

[LuckyKelleyK]

I also have this style pave from be/ERD- it is not hand forged. Here's a photo

 

[LARingGuy]

Well you have all given me a lot to think about. I greatly appreciate it. I definitely can tell the difference between hand forged vs CAD in up close shots. I think I need to look at them in person to see what they "really" look like.

On a related note: How long can I expect it to take for hand forged vs CAD from time ordered to delivered?

 

[Gypsy]

Depends on each vendor's individual lead time.

 

[Madison2]

i would highly recommend Brilliantly Engaged for the setting in Platinum. Depending upon how large the ring is, you are looking at price between 3,200.00 to 3,600.00 and it will take approximately 4 weeks. The team at Brilliantly Engaged made my ring and i couldn't be happier!
Call Chris and Mark.

 

[LARingGuy]

So it seems like my "perfect" ring would be hand forged, 1.5ct, and run around $15k-ish, while the CAD version would run around $2k less.

I really feel like I may be set on the hand forged option, but if I want to keep cost down I will need to sacrifice on the diamond size. Does anyone know of any good hand shots of a sub-1.5ct hand forged micropave halo ring? I know that the halo adds a lot in terms of size "appearance" and I'd love to compare rings in a 1 to 1.5 ct range on a hand to actually see the difference.

I think I can make my final decision once I have this info! (No one has ever said I am anything but thorough!)

 

[toade]

Here are a couple smaller cushion halos:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/erd-hand-forged-cushion-halo-complete.181272/
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...dral-halo-with-canera-antique-cushion.184622/
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-omb-cushion-halo-by-erd.168278/

My girlfriend and I are also in the market for a halo engagement ring and were fortunate enough to meet with Victor just a couple days ago. His work is excellent as expected, but he really didn't have a lot of demo's for us to look at (as expected). We then made it over to Harry Winston and that really helped a lot. They have the round and the cushion in a number of different sizes. It really helped her to visualize exactly what she liked. So if you happen to be near a Harry Winston, definitely drop by.

Another option for the stone would be a Blue Nile cushion H&A. Pretty sure Gypsy highly approves of them. If you can wait for BN to have a 10% coupon, that would cut off about $1000... Couple that with a cashback site, which would give you another 3% back, and that might help a little. Unfortunately BN currently has no cushions between 1.3 and 1.5CT.