Elaborate Solitaire or Halo?

[retrogamer]

My wife is on her 3rd upgrade (upgrade in color and downgrade in size) and I have been given the task of deciding on a setting. We have not picked out an old european cut diamond yet (it will be around 1.7-2 ish carats) and I will leave that decision up to her. She is waffling back and forth between wanting a vintage/vintage looking solitaire or another halo but I'm in the less is more mentality. Any recommendation on vendors who could achieve either look?

Some things about my wife:
- Her birthday is in September, so it might be nice to include sapphires in the setting design somewhere
- size 4 ring and petite
- has had both cast and hand-forged rings (while I appreciate the quality of the hand-forged ring, it was significantly higher in price and I'd like it to be 6k max depending on the complexity of the design)

 

[FrekeChild]

Like, sapphire surprise stones or just sapphires somewhere on the ring?

I've been re-watching Friends lately and fell back in love with Monica's three stone (diamond and sapphire) ring.

 

[retrogamer]

I think I'd like the sapphire to be somewhere that is apparent. I've seen the surprise or stones set on the inside of the band and I'm not a fan. A concern for me would be the quality of the sapphires depending on the design that I end up choosing.

 

[momhappy]

Has she specifically asked for sapphires? If not, I think it's something that could be pretty risky. Of course, it's a personal preference, but I wouldn't ant any colored stones in my E-ring at all. How about adding some sapphires to a wedding band that she could mix & match? As far as vendor, I used BE/ERD for my halo reset and was incredibly pleased with the workmanship, quality, value, and customer service.

 

[missy]

I love Victor Canera's work. He is an artist. Other vendors who do beautiful work- Caysie of CvB Inspired Design, Erika Winters with Jewels by Grace, Steven Kirsch, and as momhappy recommended ERD.

Of course it is totally a personal decision which style your wife prefers but my vote is vintage solitaire and if you have not yet picked the diamond perhaps consider getting it where you also have the setting made...I know many of the vendors carry antique stones and make beautiful settings for them.

Good luck and enjoy the process!

 

[baby monster]

If the previous settings were all halos and the new stone will be a downgrade in size, I would consider another halo unless she wants less coverage on the finger. The double whammy of a smaller stone in a solitaire setting might be too big of a downsize in the overall look of the ring.

There are gorgeous sapphire halo settings that look antique. Would that be something she'd like? Here's a link to BE's antique style halos with colored stones. http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/royal-chandelier-cushion-brilliant-collection-pcid-44.html?file=product_list&category_id=44

 

[retrogamer]

Has she specifically asked for sapphires? If not, I think it's something that could be pretty risky. Of course, it's a personal preference, but I wouldn't ant any colored stones in my E-ring at all. How about adding some sapphires to a wedding band that she could mix & match? As far as vendor, I used BE/ERD for my halo reset and was incredibly pleased with the workmanship, quality, value, and customer service.

2 of the pieces she's pointed out on her pinterest have sapphires in them. I do have some reluctance despite that she has voiced that she may want sapphires in the ring as she's never had a colored stone in any of her engagement ring iterations. One may enjoy how a piece looks on a photo, but not necessarily on the hand.

 

[retrogamer]

I love Victor Canera's work. He is an artist. Other vendors who do beautiful work- Caysie of CvB Inspired Design, Erika Winters with Jewels by Grace, Steven Kirsch, and as momhappy recommended ERD.

Of course it is totally a personal decision which style your wife prefers but my vote is vintage solitaire and if you have not yet picked the diamond perhaps consider getting it where you also have the setting made...I know many of the vendors carry antique stones and make beautiful settings for them.

Good luck and enjoy the process!

Victor Canera is a possibility that I have not considered before-- and we are in CA, it might be worth it to take a peek at his work. I suppose we should really wait until a stone has been finalized.

 

[retrogamer]

If the previous settings were all halos and the new stone will be a downgrade in size, I would consider another halo unless she wants less coverage on the finger. The double whammy of a smaller stone in a solitaire setting might be too big of a downsize in the overall look of the ring.

There are gorgeous sapphire halo settings that look antique. Would that be something she'd like? Here's a link to BE's antique style halos with colored stones. http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/royal-chandelier-cushion-brilliant-collection-pcid-44.html?file=product_list&category_id=44

The size impact is a concern of mine as well, but frankly to get a similarly sized diamond in a GIA H/I range as she had before is just not feasible right now (we bought our first home recently). I have heard that whiter stones have a bigger visual impact on the hand than say lower on the color range, is this true?

BE does have some similar styles to ones she has pointed out with sapphires-- I'll look into it.

Thank you !

 

[Gypsy]

So the setting budget alone is 6k?
Have you looked at Singlestone? That's honestly where I'd be looking for a setting for an old cut with a healthy budget like that.

Something like this:
https://www.pricescope.com/blog/top-3-engagement-rings-styles-single-stone
or this:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/third-times-the-charm-2-4ct-oec-in-new-single-stone-halo.182455/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/third-times-the-charm-2-4ct-oec-in-new-single-stone-halo.182455/[/URL]

Or you can work with BE on this Singlestone inspired design they have done in the last (same as the Singlestone halo in the first link but as a solitiare): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/modern-vintage-ring-from-erd.201518/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/modern-vintage-ring-from-erd.201518/[/URL]

 

[Gypsy]

Here their facebook page gives you a good idea of their stuff, it's GORGEOUS:
https://www.facebook.com/SingleStoneLosAngeles

 

[baby monster]

If the previous settings were all halos and the new stone will be a downgrade in size, I would consider another halo unless she wants less coverage on the finger. The double whammy of a smaller stone in a solitaire setting might be too big of a downsize in the overall look of the ring.

There are gorgeous sapphire halo settings that look antique. Would that be something she'd like? Here's a link to BE's antique style halos with colored stones. http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/royal-chandelier-cushion-brilliant-collection-pcid-44.html?file=product_list&category_id=44

The size impact is a concern of mine as well, but frankly to get a similarly sized diamond in a GIA H/I range as she had before is just not feasible right now (we bought our first home recently). I have heard that whiter stones have a bigger visual impact on the hand than say lower on the color range, is this true?

BE does have some similar styles to ones she has pointed out with sapphires-- I'll look into it.

Thank you !

Excellent cut stones look bigger visually because they're cut for maximum light return instead of weight retention, i.e a steep/deep stone in any color will look smaller than ideal cut in same ctw. I'm not aware of higher graded colors looking larger.

 

[retrogamer]

So the setting budget alone is 6k?
Have you looked at Singlestone? That's honestly where I'd be looking for a setting for an old cut with a healthy budget like that.

Something like this:
https://www.pricescope.com/blog/top-3-engagement-rings-styles-single-stone
or this:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/third-times-the-charm-2-4ct-oec-in-new-single-stone-halo.182455/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/third-times-the-charm-2-4ct-oec-in-new-single-stone-halo.182455/[/URL]

Or you can work with BE on this Singlestone inspired design they have done in the last (same as the Singlestone halo in the first link but as a solitiare): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/modern-vintage-ring-from-erd.201518/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/modern-vintage-ring-from-erd.201518/[/URL]

Yes, the budget for just the setting is 6k. I've actually met with Ari on another occasion, he's quite a charming fellow. I'm afraid due to the designs she's pointed out; it would be out of the pricer range with Single Stone (based on my assumptions). As far as my research has indicated, calibre (is that the correct term?) sapphires would eat up a good portion of the costs.

 

[retrogamer]

If the previous settings were all halos and the new stone will be a downgrade in size, I would consider another halo unless she wants less coverage on the finger. The double whammy of a smaller stone in a solitaire setting might be too big of a downsize in the overall look of the ring.

There are gorgeous sapphire halo settings that look antique. Would that be something she'd like? Here's a link to BE's antique style halos with colored stones. http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/royal-chandelier-cushion-brilliant-collection-pcid-44.html?file=product_list&category_id=44

The size impact is a concern of mine as well, but frankly to get a similarly sized diamond in a GIA H/I range as she had before is just not feasible right now (we bought our first home recently). I have heard that whiter stones have a bigger visual impact on the hand than say lower on the color range, is this true?

BE does have some similar styles to ones she has pointed out with sapphires-- I'll look into it.

Thank you !

Excellent cut stones look bigger visually because they're cut for maximum light return instead of weight retention, i.e a steep/deep stone in any color will look smaller than ideal cut in same ctw. I'm not aware of higher graded colors looking larger.

I should clarify, given things are all equal (cut, clarity, carat) would a GIA H have more of a visual "pow" to the eyes compared to say a GIA L?

 

[chrono]

I should clarify, given things are all equal (cut, clarity, carat) would a GIA H have more of a visual "pow" to the eyes compared to say a GIA L?

If the person likes icy white, then the higher colour is "pow" to him/her. If the person likes soft and warm, then the L will have "pow" to him/her. When all else is equal, the only difference is personal preference for colour.

 

[retrogamer]

I should clarify, given things are all equal (cut, clarity, carat) would a GIA H have more of a visual "pow" to the eyes compared to say a GIA L?

If the person likes icy white, then the higher colour is "pow" to him/her. If the person likes soft and warm, then the L will have "pow" to him/her. When all else is equal, the only difference is personal preference for colour.

Ah, okay that makes sense. Maybe it was just a sales tactic that I was told that whiter stones pop more on certain skin tones. She has finally figured out though that her preference is for GIA G-I and nothing really above or below (after having had a multitude of diamonds).

 

[retrogamer]

We may have procured the old european upgrade 2.5 carats, don't know the exact stats as it's all gibberish to me at the moment.

 

[lambskin]

Since she is upgrading to a better color by reducing the size she may find the new stone looks small. So you may be stuck with another halo which there are so many options I would not select without her input. I am not a fan of halo settings. I would see if she would like a beautiful three stone ring with a pair of sapphires flanking the new diamond. So classic and timeless. 3 stones to symbolize the third upgrade?