does your diamond look larger once it''s set?

[mooscushion]

Hi all! I''ve been lurking for awhile trying to soak up as much info as possible. Well, I just purchased a beautiful cushion from Mark at ERD. You can actually see a picture of it if you refer to lablovers pos. "which cushion should I choose?" I had it sent to me and it is really beautiful in person. It is icy white and it sparkles like crazy. The only problem is I was hoping to find something that faces up larger. Thats why I am posting this question. Once you set your diamond, did it appear larger than when it was just a loose stone sitting on your hand? This is probably a very stupid question, because I can''t imagine why it would look larger. I guess I am just hoping. I really don''t want to set it in a halo. While I think they are really lovely, that''s not the look I am going for. This diamond is an upgrade for our 20th wedding anniversary. I was hoping to set it similar to Scarlet16''s setting, but set it north/south instead of east/west. For the band, I am wanting a diamond eternity band.

The other setting I was considering, although I''ve never seen it in person, is Tacori 2604. I do think that setting would make the ring more substantial, but not sure how it would look with a cushion. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Allison D.]

Actually, in most cases yes, diamonds do appear larger when set. The human eyes is drawn to lines, and the prongs draw the eyes out to the perimeter of the stone.

 

[Skippy123]

Are you talking about this Tacori? http://com.pricescope.com/photos/rhino/picture2192.aspx It looks like a bit of halo so it would make give you greater finger coverage!

 

[mooscushion]

Yes, Skippy. Thats the one I was thinking of. How do you think that would look with a cushion cut? The l/w ratio of the one i have is 1.12. I really do like that setting, but I also like Scarlets!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 7/3/2008 5:20:06 PM
Author: mooscushion
Yes, Skippy. Thats the one I was thinking of. How do you think that would look with a cushion cut? The l/w ratio of the one i have is 1.12. I really do like that setting, but I also like Scarlets!

I think it would love beautiful but I am partial to Scarlets!!! I know Tacori E-ring had a different head made for her Tacori ring to accommodate a different stone. You might want to ask Mark if he thinks that would work for the stone he is finding you. Both are lovely rings; I guess it is personal preference!

 

[neatfreak]

I am also partial to scarlet's ring!!!! Remember that halos will NOT make the stone bigger, but WILL make the entire ring bigger. Just a personal preference as to whether you prefer the focus to be on THE RING or THE STONE. If you can answer that you should be able to answer your own "which one" question!

And being set does make a stone appear a bit bigger too!

 

[Isabelle]

FWIW, I do think diamonds look larger when they are set well. I am really obsessed with prongs, and it seems like the better done to prongs, the more they can enhance the appearance of size. Sometimes, prongs can distract from a stone and make it look smaller. Leon Mege and WF do really nice prongs. Halos when they are proportionate to the diamond and the ring itself can also make a center stone look larger in some ways. As Skippy said, you could get some awesome finger coverage!

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

I also found that the style and type of ring/setting significantly affect the appearance of size....

Rings with narrower bands, or bands that narrow towards the stone make the diamond look bigger. Thick/chunky bands will make the stone look smaller.

The style of setting and appearance of stone size was important to me as my girlfriend has very small hands and has previously indicated that she would like a stone no greater than around 1 carat. I got an excellent cut 0.82 (round brilliant) and wanted to maximise the look of the stone. For me it was an easy job because her smalll hands meant that the ring needed to be small/intricate/not too bulky anyway.