Going custom (Greenlake), but I need your help!

[pauly1]

So I’ll get right to the point. I’m close to buying an engagement ring, and I really want it to be something special. After looking at thousands of rings over the last 5 or 6 months, here’s what I’ve come up with. I absolutely love the setting below, but I want to make sure the center stone I’m selecting will be the right compliment.

The Setting: I thank MAchick for posting this back in 2006, otherwise I never would have thought of it. https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-ring-custom-from-greenlake-jewelry-works.45126/
It’s just beautiful. I hope she doesn’t mind me stealing the design, well…..parts of it at least….we’ll get to that later. I’ve already called Greenlake Jewelers and to my surprise the setting is within my budget. So I’m going the custom route.

The Stone: I’m adamant that the center stone will be an Antique cushion cut. More specifically, an Old Mine Brilliant. I’ve been researching this cut like crazy and I can’t than Boston_Jeff, and Cehrabehra for providing such valuable information. I’ll be working with a private jeweler in my search for the stone, and from everyithing I’ve read, it could take a while. Here are the specs I’m going to provide him with, thoughts and suggestions are certainly appreciated.

Antique Cushion, Old Mine Brilliant, 8 pavilion Main (NOT MODIFIED BRILLIANT)

Carat: 1.60 - 1.75

Color: D – H

Cut: Good, Very Good

Clarity: IF – VS2

Polish/Symmetry: G, VG, Exc. / VG, Exc.

L/W: 1.10 (Approximately)

Culet: Slightly large, medium

Table: Nothing over 55%

Depth: 63% - 67%, nothing under 60%

Girdle: Medium to thick, faceted

Flour: ?

The Problem: As I said earlier, I want to make sure the setting and the stone compliment one another. Because this particular stone is fairly original, the settings chosen seem to be very understated, letting the stone stand alone. I couldn’t agree more, but at the same time I just love the originality of the Greenlake setting, and don’t would love to see it on her finger. However, when push comes to shove, I don’t want the setting and the stone to be fighting for attention. That said, do you think this stone and setting would work well together, or should I pick one or the other? I realize that I’ll probably get 20 people who love it and 20 who think it’s not the right combination. I’ll deal with that if it happens.

Back to the setting: As I said above, the design of the setting will be very close to what’s posted, but not identical. Obviously the setting posted is for a marquis, so the top of the setting will needs to change somewhat to accommodate the cushion. The side profile of the setting will not change at all, and by side I mean looking at the surprise sapphires head on. However, there are 4 round side stones in the band, which I don’t particularly want. I think this will definitely take the attention away from the center cushion, and therefore I’m looking for other suggestions. I’m entertaining the idea of continuing the leaf engraving as it appears on the side, but I fear it will be too much of the same thing. I would love to hear any suggestions you might have on the alternatives. My intent is to keep things simple and not detract from the center stone. At the same time, I don’t want it to be flat platinum either; it needs to stay in tune with the rest of the setting. Remember this is custom, so I’m not really limited.

I thank you guys so much for your input. I can''t tell you how helpful this board has been.

-Paul

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think you could have a shank like that, but the ring would need a traditional head, in my opinion. I wouldn''t set a cushion in a bezel if it were me.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 6/6/2007 6:19:09 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I think you could have a shank like that, but the ring would need a traditional head, in my opinion. I wouldn''t set a cushion in a bezel if it were me.

I disagree... the setting isn''t a bezel... it would be a semi bezel on the two ends but the two longer sides would be totally naked which is just a yummmmmy look (hehe of course I''d think that since it''s what I want too LOL) and if the metal part under the stone is high polished metal - bonus on the scintillation thing, waiting for mr pollard to come back and confirm this for me!!

I''ve been to greenlake and they''re amazing. I had some issues with the particular designer I worked with and I probably wouldn''t want to work with *her* again but overall the place is just phenomenal. I ended up not going with them but if something were to happen to my situation then they''d be my next choice.

I think the setting will be fine, but it will be very modified, particularly on the ends. You''re not going to effectively get that wonderful pinched at the corners look that the marquise enables. But the side view with the naked diamond and engraving will be amazing. Your ring sounds similar to mine really.... this ring you talk about was one of the early influences for me as well.

As for the stone, I wouldn''t put your limit for depth at 67%. If you are concerned about spread I would bump it to 70%. Your dream stone might be 68.5% or even 69 and those are still VERY acceptable depths for an old mine brilliant. if you''re not worried about spread you could go up to like 80%. I do think 70 is safe, and 67 is a bit lmiting, at least for initial findings - you can always eliminate the deeper stones later. Other than that everything looked great!

Good luck!!

 

[decodelighted]

I love everything about that setting except the beefiness of the "v" prongs ... my e-ring has a similar profile, yet has prongs that hold in the stone. I do thing delicate prongs would work better with a cushion shape than semi-bezel -- and you could set the stone either way then ... horizontal or vertical ... or -- if it''s a square cushion, it won''t matter. Since it''s custom, they''ll just build the "dip" to fit.

Sounds like it''s going to be an amazing e-ring!! Please do post pictures!

 

[MustangGal]

With the sides of the stone being so naked, she might need to take extra care not to bang it on things, the girdle would be pretty exposed to damage (I cracked my oval on the girdle). I love the setting, and think it would be beautiful. I would go with your idea of extending the engraving where the diamonds are, I don''t think it would be too much. I used to have a pear soltaire with engraving just like that, it was amazing!

 

[pauly1]

Thank you all for the feeback, it''s greatly apreciated! If anybody else has suggestions or thoughts, I would love to hear them.

-Paul

 

[neatfreak]

I really like that setting for an older style cushion. HOWEVER, I would caution you as others have that it will look significantly different with a cushion. If you want to stick with a similar style but don''t want a marquis, an oval might be a good choice to keep the setting more similar.

 

[pauly1]

Neatfreak,

Yes, I absolutely agree that the actual setting will need to change, as this is not a marquis. I was thinking of something “similar” to this. I wouldn''t use the surprise diamond on the side, I’m not crazy about it. The triangle element I’m not wild about either, and the prongs on the setting are a little to thick, I''d want something a little more delicate. As a general base though, I think this might have possibilities. Thoughts? If anyone has pictures or websites with similar ideas I''d love to see them. The more input to choose from, the better! Thanks.

As for the oval, I appreciate the suggestion. In the end though, if I can’t make this setting and stone work together, the setting gets the boot. I want the stone more, I just love it! Hopefully I can have both.

-Paul

 

[pauly1]

Thanks again, anybody else have any thoughts or suggestions? I''d love to hear them.

 

[pauly1]

I''ve been looking at a lot of pictures on-line and I''m starting to get a little concerned. Do you think that in the end my ring will end up with very similar proportions to this? Forget the extras that this ring has, those won''t make it into my design. I''m more concerned with the general shape of the setting. I don''t like how high the stone sits, and how boxy it looks. Is that correctable by dropping the bezzle, or going with a more shallow stone?

Sorry If I''m continuing to bump up my post, I just want to make sure I get this right. Thanks.

 

[pauly1]

Another

 

[decodelighted]

Don''t worry ... your ring will not turn out like the last two you posted. That stone is very high set & it''s not because the stone is "too deep" ... it''s just the way THAT ring is designed.

If you tell the custom jeweler that you prefer the first two rings you posted -- everything will be A-OK.

Not sure why you''re not getting more responses ... I guess it seems like you know what you want and have a good plan to get it. No need for hand-holding! Also -- since you''re going custom people assume you''ll be approving waxes or illustrations before proceeding -- and THAT''s the stage people will chime in with detailed likes or suggestions etc.

One thing you said concerned me though ... looking for a "shallow" stone to make sure it''s not sitting up too high. STOP RIGHT THERE. Shallow stones will not look nearly as good as well-cut stones of normal depth. You can do research on here as to the depths of Old Mine Brilliant stones & make sure it''s in the acceptable range. DO NOT worry about the depth of the stone making the ring "too high". Just show the designer the styles you like and DON''T like & be sure you''ll see a wax or an animation or illustration of what they''re doing for YOUR stone before you have them proceed further.

 

[FireGoddess]

Definitely do not start toying with the depth of the stone over concerns about how high the setting will be. The setting you posted where the stone sits quite high is due to design - notice those bezel rounds in the head that form a V? That''s one design element that contributes...it''s not due to the depth of the center stone in that ring.

I love MAchick''s ring and think it will be gorgeous with a cushion. I can''t wait to see your finished project!

 

[pauly1]

Thanks again ladies. I''ll likely be stating this project in about a month. I''ll keep you posted.