David Klass CAD help

[headlight]

How do I even tell what the angle is on the CAD? Seriously, I have no clue what I’m doing . I see the difference in the size of the melee, but I’m having trouble figuring out which size gives me the look I want. I want the center diamond to look larger overall - I don’t necessarily want a flowery look if that makes sense. I want the center diamond and the halo to be very tight together to give the illusion of a larger diamond, not really just to see a bunch of additional diamonds around the center diamond. Does that make sense?

Have you stated these exact words to DK? Also, does he have any photos of completed rings that you can work off of? The CAD images are so hard for me, as well.

 

[Honeybasil]

Have you stated these exact words to DK? Also, does he have any photos of completed rings that you can work off of? The CAD images are so hard for me, as well.

I have not said this to DK. I will definitely do that. I felt like I was sending him way too many emails saying a bunch of different stuff, so he just went ahead and got started somewhere based on the million things I was trying to tell him. I appreciate the guidance and help!

 

[msop04]

If you're worried about your wedding band sitting flush, then you should probably send it to DK - or if you know the EXACT dimensions, you can just tell him.

 

[sledge]

Depending where the design goes and limitations faced, it may just be easier to let him melt the existing ring and build a new wedding band with old metal and diamonds but designed to fit the new e-ring.

 

[msop04]

Depending where the design goes and limitations faced, it may just be easier to let him melt the existing ring and build a new wedding band with old metal and diamonds but designed to fit the new e-ring.

This is what I'd do... but I wouldn't go to the trouble of melting the old one. I'd just keep it and have DK make a band that better suits your new setting and fits it perfectly.

 

[Honeybasil]

This is what I'd do... but I wouldn't go to the trouble of melting the old one. I'd just keep it and have DK make a band that better suits your new setting and fits it perfectly.

My husband gave me the band for an anniversary, so I couldn’t get rid of it. I’m going to ask DK if I can send it to him so he can make something that sits right with it.

 

[sledge]

My husband gave me the band for an anniversary, so I couldn’t get rid of it. I’m going to ask DK if I can send it to him so he can make something that sits right with it.

Totally get it. I figured it might have some sentimental value, which is why I suggested the melt and re-purpose method. But even that might be too much for some folks.

Just know that some of the design may be limited by the constraints of the wedding band and/or your desire to have them sit flush.

 

[Honeybasil]

DK posted this ring on his insta today. I think this halo is a little chunky looking for me, but my drawing has more diamonds than this one, so it should look a little more subtle, right?

 

[rockysalamander]

Relative to the head height, I would not assume you need the 8 mm (which is really really high, even with a chunky wedding band). I would tell DK that you want to use your existing ring and to avoid rubbing the gallery. When he cast my new ring, I mailed him my wedding band to be 100% sure it did not rub. You can take your wedding band to an independent jeweler and request that they measure it (top to bottom) with calipers if you don't have access to them. Ask DK to use that for the model.

I'm still not clear on what you are looking for in terms of design. So, I don't want to give too much design advise. Start with the hale from the top. Look at every cushion halo you can. Find one that you like the proportions of. Then, post that. From that and with your stone's measurements, you (or we) can figure out the proportions of the halo stones.

Personally, I like this proportion if you are not going for floral. These are quilt small stones and they really make the center shine (this is the same diamond counted mentioned by a previous PS member). Your ring shows much fewer.

@KristyDarling's ring has a similar proportion.
https://www.pricescope.com/blog/jewel-week-kristydarlings-cushion-halo-diamond-ring

Does this seem like what you are looking for?

 

[Honeybasil]

Thanks for your detailed reply. I emailed David to see if I can send my wedding band to him, so I am waiting for his reply. I am attaching a picture that I saved on my phone that is really the look I like (except I want plain shank). Tell me what you think of this.

 

[rockysalamander]

Ok. So, using the inspiration you posted, the halo stones are about 13% the diameter of the main stone (round). For a cushion, I'd be using 13% of the shortest dimension. So, your posted picture and the one I posted are nearly the same. So, as a cushion, the halo will look a bit more like the one I posted. To get that, you'd need to reduce the size of the halo stones compared to the CAD.

I think @sledge and other made good points on the gallery. I think keeping the items in yellow would keep this inspiration alive. The dotted one is your choice...I'd avoid it because it could make fitting a wedding band harder. Instead of diamond in the crescents, you could ask DK to make a reverse arch inside to retain the openness but provide structure and detail. The other option is to make them solid, but that gets pretty close to Tacori's copywritten design and I'd be hesitant to recommend that.




Ok. How are we doing? I think you have a good vision on the halo. Make sure he tilts the halo stone 20 degrees from level (just like the tacori above). Are you liking this side view idea?

 

[Honeybasil]

Ok. So, using the inspiration you posted, the halo stones are about 13% the diameter of the main stone (round). For a cushion, I'd be using 13% of the shortest dimension. So, your posted picture and the one I posted are nearly the same. So, as a cushion, the halo will look a bit more like the one I posted. To get that, you'd need to reduce the size of the halo stones compared to the CAD.

I think @sledge and other made good points on the gallery. I think keeping the items in yellow would keep this inspiration alive. The dotted one is your choice...I'd avoid it because it could make fitting a wedding band harder. Instead of diamond in the crescents, you could ask DK to make a reverse arch inside to retain the openness but provide structure and detail. The other option is to make them solid, but that gets pretty close to Tacori's copywritten design and I'd be hesitant to recommend that.




Ok. How are we doing? I think you have a good vision on the halo. Make sure he tilts the halo stone 20 degrees from level (just like the tacori above). Are you liking this side view idea?

Really quick, since my stone is round and not cushion, should I be going with the 13% of the diameter? I have a round diamond but want the cushion shaped halo. I will respond to the rest of this when I get home. THANK YOU!

 

[Honeybasil]

Ok. So, using the inspiration you posted, the halo stones are about 13% the diameter of the main stone (round). For a cushion, I'd be using 13% of the shortest dimension. So, your posted picture and the one I posted are nearly the same. So, as a cushion, the halo will look a bit more like the one I posted. To get that, you'd need to reduce the size of the halo stones compared to the CAD.

I think @sledge and other made good points on the gallery. I think keeping the items in yellow would keep this inspiration alive. The dotted one is your choice...I'd avoid it because it could make fitting a wedding band harder. Instead of diamond in the crescents, you could ask DK to make a reverse arch inside to retain the openness but provide structure and detail. The other option is to make them solid, but that gets pretty close to Tacori's copywritten design and I'd be hesitant to recommend that.




Ok. How are we doing? I think you have a good vision on the halo. Make sure he tilts the halo stone 20 degrees from level (just like the tacori above). Are you liking this side view idea?

Ok, I'm home and can sit at my computer to type. So if my main round diamond is 6.5 mm, 13% of that is .845. Is that the size I should be asking for? I love this drawing you did on the Tacori. It helps me to visualize better and I think would be great. The little arches you drew in black would be in addition to all you highlighted in yellow (minus the dotted one)? I think that would be really pretty. I do want it to be pretty to look at from the profile, it's just hard to know what to tell him. And I definitely don't want to ask him to copy the Tacori too closely. I had also thought about a double edge halo, but I didn't know if that would change the look or structure too much? Thoughts?

 

[rockysalamander]

So, I scaled these to be the same size center stone. The difference between these two is that the one on the left (another DK) has four halo stones between the prongs and the one on the right (your pic) has 5. Do you prefer one over the other? I would send this side by side picture to DK and say that you "like the one on the {right/left} with X stones between the top prongs". He'll sort out the size. The only thing I'd change from the one on the left is to ask that the center diamond sit just over the edge of the rounds (where it can due to shape), so you don't see the inner curve of the halo stones. The other difference is that the claw for the prong on the right is fully inside the circle of melee, where the one on the left has the prong within the row of melee. You want the claw to be fully inside the melee -- which will lead me to the my comments on a double halo (below).



In double halos, I'm not personally a fan of a two sided halo. The diamonds on the side are always scratching and eating anything they touch. But, you need to decide what you like. The Falling Pave Edge (https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...-edge-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-item-49492) shows a very strong downward tilt (>20 degrees). That strong a tilt actually works better for two rows of nearly the same size melee. Its another design option vs. a truly two-sided. I personally prefer the Falling Edge if you want more of a 2-sided look. For comparison, this is JA's 2-sided halo (https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...-over-diamond-halo-engagement-ring-item-50696).

If you want a double row of diamonds, I like when the inner halo are itty bitty and the outer halo are along the lines of what you've found. With a round in cushion, you can use that inner row to help fudge the shape of the round so it ends up more cushiony. This is especially important when you shift the prong inside the row of outer melee like I suggested above. This type of halo also makes your center look bigger since the little melee are more fire and tend to cheat the eye. This not a great example, but shows the idea. The inner halo are as tiny as they can use and than the outer one are the stone like we've be talking about in size. Both rows of stones are tilted downward by 20 degree off level.

The shape of the halo can be a very soft cushion or a more squared off one. You posted the one on the right (rounded). So, I'd also send this side-by-side and say you like the very soft, rounded form for the halo of the one on the right, not the one on the left which is too square. I also prefer the sharp claw-prong on the right.



Ok. What are you thinking?

 

[Honeybasil]

I’m thinking “why didn’t I just order one of those James Allen settings?”

Seriously. Thank you for the input. It’s so helpful for a dummy like me who doesn’t know what I’m doing - I just know I want my ring to look better than it does now, and I want it to fit with my wedding band. I’m so appreciative!!

I just like the look of the ring on the right better than the left, so I will send him these photos. When you say to ask for the center diamond to sit just over the edge of the halo diamonds, does that just give it a tighter look overall?

Also, I don’t really want a double halo, but I think they are pretty when you can see diamonds from the side also, so I was thinking double edge, but I see your point about the diamonds being in a bad position to their surroundings! I do like the true double edge of the JA, though. Decisions decisions! Oh, also not sure I understand about the prongs...

 

[Honeybasil]

Oh wait, I see what you’re saying about the prongs!!

 

[rockysalamander]

I’m thinking “why didn’t I just order one of those James Allen settings?”

Seriously. Thank you for the input. It’s so helpful for a dummy like me who doesn’t know what I’m doing - I just know I want my ring to look better than it does now, and I want it to fit with my wedding band. I’m so appreciative!!

I just like the look of the ring on the right better than the left, so I will send him these photos. When you say to ask for the center diamond to sit just over the edge of the halo diamonds, does that just give it a tighter look overall?

Also, I don’t really want a double halo, but I think they are pretty when you can see diamonds from the side also, so I was thinking double edge, but I see your point about the diamonds being in a bad position to their surroundings! I do like the true double edge of the JA, though. Decisions decisions! Oh, also not sure I understand about the prongs...

First, I'm happy to help. I like the design side. My grandmother was a jeweller and I like to think she taught me a little.

PRONGS
For the prongs, look at where the arrow is pointing. The one on the left has the base of the prong about 1/2 into the halo stones. The one on the right does not. So, that gives the one on the right a more continuous halo.



OVERLAP
For overlap, the one on the left shows this. The full circle of the halo stones are seen from the top. So, it looks like a halo + center. If you want it to look more like the center is bigger and not emphasize the separate halo, you ask that the center stone float over (cover over) the portion of the arc facing the center stone. But, with such tiny halo stones and fitting a round in cushion, I'd priortize other details first for a CAD revision and then see where we land

OTHER PICS
Harry Winston Inspired lovely. This is a larger center, but shows what that cushion on the right will look like when changed to a round. You'll have little areas where teh round is closer and further from the halo if you stick with a single halo. This is lovely, but may not be a "tight" as you want. A tiny inner halo allows for more blending. See next ring below. https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2-ct-harry-winston-inspired-round-cushion-halo.215089/

I marked the area on the upper right. So, have a look and see if this is what you want. If not, then either the prong has to move into the halo (like the one on the left in my above post) or you need little melee to fill those areas.



Double halo with tiny stones. You can see how the inner stone kinda fades into the center stone and helps the center fit the cushion shaped outline a bit better @nala's lovely. These inner stones are larger than I'd suggest for what you've described, but shows the effect. You also don't need a full inner halo. You could ask just to have melee where I have the red-lines above and pull the halo stone in a bit tighter on the top and sides to keep is continuous.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/double-the-goodness-with-my-double-halo.231143/

This a much nicer made two sides halo, if you go that direction. But, this is a hand-forged setting, so DK will not be able to get the metal this delicate as he is a cast-CAD maker. But, the angles and proportions are quite nice. https://www.pricescope.com/blog/brilliant-two-row-pave-cushion-halo-engagement-ring-jotw

 

[Honeybasil]

This is my current setting. Are the proportions of the diamonds on this the same as what I am asking for above? I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to visualize. I think because all the photos online are zoomed in, so it’s hard to tell.

And thanks for all of the clarification. It’s really helping me figure out what to tell him. He must be so frustrated with me!!

 

[rockysalamander]

Another one to look at for what a round in cushion looks like (just like the Harry Winston inspired one above), but the YG helps make it clearer. Again, hand forged so will be more delicate with the metal, but you can see the space I colored in red. Her stone is 1.5 ct and the melee are 1.5 pointers.

Metal color aside, I think this with a bit more soft outline, is what you are aiming at...

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/after-ive-been-waiting-and-waiting.171733/page-2

 

[Honeybasil]

Maybe a better photo

 

[Honeybasil]

Another one to look at for what a round in cushion looks like (just like the Harry Winston inspired one above), but the YG helps make it clearer. Again, hand forged so will be more delicate with the metal, but you can see the space I colored in red. Her stone is 1.5 ct and the melee are 1.5 pointers.

Metal color aside, I think this with a bit more soft outline, is what you are aiming at...

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/after-ive-been-waiting-and-waiting.171733/page-2

Yes I do love this. I think I actually have this picture saved as inspiration.

 

[rockysalamander]

This is my current setting. Are the proportions of the diamonds on this the same as what I am asking for above? I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to visualize. I think because all the photos online are zoomed in, so it’s hard to tell.

And thanks for all of the clarification. It’s really helping me figure out what to tell him. He must be so frustrated with me!!

The stones in your halo would be a bigger than the inspiration you posted. Your new halo would have smaller stones. Is that what you want?

 

[rockysalamander]

Yes I do love this. I think I actually have this picture saved as inspiration.

Perfect. I'd start with this as your primary inspiration for the halo and tell DK the stone size and melee size I mentioned. But, that you want the outline more rounded/soft at the corners like your cushion-in-cushion inspiration. You just have to decide if you mind the areas I colored in red or not. If yes, ask for ideas. Its much easier to start with the right overall shape and stone shape than trying to jump stone shapes.

I think we are making progress...

 

[rockysalamander]

Oh...instead of melee in the red area, they can also just use beads. I can't believe I did not think of that sooner. They are little metal balls that are shiny. They will give you the look of diamonds with added cost/difficult of diamonds. Another option. There a setting out there with this feature and I'm blanking on it. I'll see if I can dredge it out of my memory. Maybe another PS member recalls.

 

[Honeybasil]

The stones in your halo would be a bigger than the inspiration you posted. Your new halo would have smaller stones. Is that what you want?

I want them bigger than what I currently have

I feel like giving up at this point!

 

[rockysalamander]

I want them bigger than what I currently have

I feel like giving up at this point!

Nope. Just take a moment. If you want them bigger than you want them bigger. But, they won't look like the cushion you posted. So, you just have to decide what is more important to you. You have all the time in the world. DK has been waiting for 6 months for me to send final design ok on a ring.

 

[rockysalamander]

I want them bigger than what I currently have

I feel like giving up at this point!

ok. Why do you want them bigger? Bigger look? See them better?

 

[Honeybasil]

ok. Why do you want them bigger? Bigger look? See them better?

Bigger look and to see them better. And to look better with my band.

 

[rockysalamander]

Maybe I'm off base, but it sounds like you want a bigger diamond. Is that something to consider? Could you put the money you planned for a reset into an upgrade?

in any case, if you want the center to look bigger and the stones on the halo a bit bigger, I'd reconsider the double halo. Nala's is very pretty and shows how it does cheat the eye to make the center look bigger.

 

[Honeybasil]

Maybe I'm off base, but it sounds like you want a bigger diamond. Is that something to consider? Could you put the money you planned for a reset into an upgrade?

in any case, if you want the center to look bigger and the stones on the halo a bit bigger, I'd reconsider the double halo. Nala's is very pretty and shows how it does cheat the eye to make the center look bigger.

I had thought about that, but to upgrade is so much more money, and my diamond is sentimental to me. I just feel like I’m having such a hard time visualizing from photos so maybe I need to go back into a jewelry store now that I have more understanding of proportions and really look at things in person. I just feel like my diamond could be showcased better, and I want to do it right.