Got CAD drawings from WF...Need opinions!

[tdoyledesign]

I got my CAD drawings from WF and they are pretty close to what I am looking for with a few exceptions. I am mimicing a HoF setting my GF liked and changing it a little in the basket as well as a few changes to the halo. I felt the HoF setting appeared a little too much like costume jewelry in person as the center diamond (1 ct.) was not the "star" of the show and the melee were too large.

I decided on a 1.25 ct. ACA center stone with smaller melee diamonds in the halo. Since I shrunk the halo melee, the prongs seem to protrude too much. Can I ask to shrink these? Right now there are 14 halo diamonds. Should I ask for 12 (slightly larger) diamonds to allow them to "swallow" up the prongs. I want the "flower" look in the halo where the diamonds are out furthest...not the prongs.

Also it appears the melee on the shank are recessed too much. According to WF's attached notes, the prongs, etc. are overbuilt for the hand finishing process. Will these recesses shallow up? Please see my attachments as well as WF's notes attached below. Thanks!

Here are a few things to consider when viewing your CAD renderings:
1) CAD renderings show a preview of all of the style elements and proportions of your custom design. Everything you see in the CAD will be cast into metal for your final project.
2) The design in the CAD renderings will appear a little sharp in the edges and bulkier than the finished product. During the polishing and finishing processes, the metal casting will be refined into a more delicate finished state. More metal needs to be added to each design to compensate for the refinement process.
3) You may also notice that the prongs or bezels look a bit tall. Don’t worry! Our stone setters will polish and shape the prongs and/or bezels after the stones have been set.

 

[Andelain]

Don't let the prongs in the CAD throw you off. When they say the finished prong will be much smaller, they mean it. To show you, here's a CAD I approved, and pics of the finished product. Your ring is going to look great.

The CAD


The end result

 

[lknvrb4]

It is a very pretty ring. I have to say though as a past halo owner with larger melee, I feel the melee around the halo are over taking the center stone. I loved my halo granted but sometimes I think it looked like it all meshed together and I really just wanted my center diamond to be noticed. Just something to think about.

 

[Enerchi]

As mentioned above don't worry as much about prongs as they will be filed down in finishing, but ifvthecmelee in halo is too much for what you'd imagined, could ouasktohave the centre stone raised skightly to separate and highlight the 1.25ACA? Or... Smaller melee such as 1 or 2 pointers ( could mean more of them but they would be smaller and help the diamond pop) but I don't know your mele size now,sorry!

 

[orbaya]

I agree with the previous posters about the CADs. They are scary looking! LOL! Here are my WF CADs for my 5 stone ring. I hope the comparison helps! Also, I think the halo stones should be a bit smaller so that the center stone is the highlight of the ring.

Sorry the pics are so big!

 

[yssie]

td - the smaller melee aren't going to be able to protrude as much - they're smaller and there is little leeway in prong placement because the inner shared prongs are required, and the outer prongs have to sit a certain distance out to actually hold the stones in balance. I would think bigger stones would be the simple solution.

Well that's my take anyway - we'll see what Gypsy thinks, she's particularly good with settings and visualising changes. If she doesn't see this you might start a new thread calling her specifically.


----

ANDE!!!!

It's GREAT to see you again!!
I had to double check the timestamp

 

[Andelain]

Thanks Yssie. BTW, I answered you in my H&A thread from last year.

 

[shimmer]

Tacori seems to do this effectively, and I'm certain their melee are smaller than the HOF (I count 12 so that may be the way to go). If you are near a Tacori dealer they should have this in stock because it's new--I would check it out before you make a decision, but I'm crazy that way, lol

 

[stargurl78]

I'm going to agree with Yssie and I vote for larger melee. I don't think you're going to be able to the scalloped "flower" shape with smaller melee. I also don't like that chunky piece of metal where the band meets the head, but that might just look bulky because of the CAD.

 

[tdoyledesign]

Thanks all! That makes me feel a bit better. I think I am going to ask to see CADs of 12 (slightly larger) melee diamonds instead of 14. There are just too many prongs that way anyways. Do you think the price will be a wash? 14 small melee vs. 12 slightly larger melee? I will start a thread for Gypsy re-routing her to this thread!

 

[yssie]

Tacori seems to do this effectively, and I'm certain their melee are smaller than the HOF (I count 12 so that may be the way to go). If you are near a Tacori dealer they should have this in stock because it's new--I would check it out before you make a decision, but I'm crazy that way, lol

Oh good point Shimmer - w/ the separate prongs to deal w/ the center the Tacori can get the two prongs holding each melee really close together, and close to the middle of the stone

td this is a really good point, something to seriously consider IMO if you really want a scalloped outline but don't want to increase the melee size -

 

[Gypsy]

Hiya.

I think you need to raise the center. If you want the center to be the star in a cluster halo like that, having it set at the same height is only going to make them all appear to blend too much and will not give you the look you want. I would have them set the center higher than the halo. And I would have them angle the melee in the halo out, away from the center, tilting the halo maybe around 10-15 degrees. I wouldn't necessarily increase the melee size, but I would talk about prong placement options to give it a more scalloped appearance. If that doesn't work, then you can talk about increasing the melee size. But I would consider that only after you see what you can do with the prongs.

I also really dislike the underside of the halo. It's really unattractive and looks like braces. When you wear a ring, your own view is often the profile so the profile being pretty and cluttered is a smart thing, and makes for more happiness with the setting. I would have them scrap the profile entirely and go for something much more artistic.

Here's a lovely profile. I'd see how close you can get to something like this.

I think it needs a lot of work, but I do think that in the end you'll have something nice. It's just going to take a few iterations of the CAD to get there. Which is fine.

 

[tdoyledesign]

Gypsy,

Thanks for your take on things! I was actually thinking the same thing in a few cases. I was thinking of raising the center stone a few millimeters, and was considering angling the melee diamonds. I too felt the underside profile looked a bit cluttered. It almost looked like a bunch of bananas all hanging there. I was thinking that decreasing the number of melee diamonds would cut that down to 12 prongs instead of 14, but perhaps a total re-think of that area is in order. I like clean, simple lines and that was really taking away from the simplicity of the shank, etc. I plan on speaking with them tomorrow and will update you on any images I get.

Is it safe to say they are used to a couple re-dos? I am very picky, as I am sure you guys all are

After all, its my heard earned money and I want it perfect!

Thanks again!

 

[Gypsy]

Every customer is different. I'm sure there are customers that like the first iteration they are given, and others that take 3 or 4 iterations. I've never worked with WF so I'm not sure how-- what's the word I'm looking for-- intuitive (??) their design people are and I think a lot depends on that. I know that in my own experience how good a designer is about seeing into what you want and helping you achieve that makes a big difference in how quickly you can get to a final design. I know when I have worked with Brian at BGD or Steven at Timelessluxury both were very good at seeing into what what I was saying and proposing back changes to get the feel I want and making tweaks themselves to conform with what I was telling them. On the other hand working with companies where you have to dictate every single change can be arduous and can take a lot longer to get to the goal. So my advice there is to ask to speak directly to the design person (not the sales person) who is in charge your project and FIRST, tell them the feel you want, then second tell them the changes you are proposing. And then tell them that you want to hear their thoughts about how to get the look you want.

For me, the design you have is too industrial from the profile. Too much focused on structure, not enough of the artistic. So that's the first thing I would tell them has the wrong "feel".

The second thing is you want the center to be the star and not so much like a cluster. And that you want a very scalloped outline, with less prong clutter for the halo.

Then I would ask for 'more flow' in terms of the shank, etc.

So for me, a lot is gonna hinge on the connection you get going with the design person doing your project.

 

[tdoyledesign]

Great advice. Do you (or anyone else) happen to have any other pics of options for below the halo that are more artistic? I like the one you proposed. I would just like to see as many as I can so I don't have them go down one path, and then I happen upon one I like even better! I will be searching the site for ideas in the meantime. Thanks!

 

[Gypsy]

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/prodshots/72PP18.jpg

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/prodshots/176PP18.jpg

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/prodshots/101PP18.jpg

Undergallery shots are kinda hard to find.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-under-gallery.123144/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-under-gallery.123144/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/im-seeing-purple-photos-from-wink-of-my-purple-sapphire-halo-setting.128291/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/im-seeing-purple-photos-from-wink-of-my-purple-sapphire-halo-setting.128291/[/URL]

I'd just show them some examples and tell them you want it pretty (no pave in the undergallery, too much maintenance) but it looks like you want a flush fit so, have them work with it and make it look nice. It IS possible to get a nice clean gallery design with a flush fit band and still have it structurally supportive and braced.

This is mine:

 

[tdoyledesign]

Well the "scalloping" in the halo has gotten a lot better. I still have the option of dropping from 14 melee diamonds down to 12. Thanks for the input!

I asked them to raise the center diamond 2mm. Assuming they listened I believe it is overkill. The diamond is floating now and looks TERRIBLE!

WF and I agreed to make the changes to the halo prongs, angle the halo melee 15 deg. and raise the center stone BEFORE we addressed the underside of the halo. What are your thoughts?

I for sure want to bring the diamond back down a bit. Not sure how I feel about the angled melee. Also WF didn't want to do the "double layered basket" like the HoF setting since they wanted to avoid it for copyright reasons. But this is what's really bothering me about the underside of the halo. With only one layer on the "basket" you can see right into it and it looks really unrefined.

 

[Gypsy]

I think the raised center looks great, honestly. I think you are seeing a very large scale representation of something that is ultimately quite small. I think in real life the effect will be much more subtle and will give you less of a cluster look. I think it also takes away some of the 'noise' of the cluster. I'd keep it. Just have them, when they are setting the center, make sure the diamond doesn't stick up too high.

I think the scallop is much better. And I like it. And the proportions of the melee stones compared to the center are just right. So I wouldn't go bigger.

I also really love the angling of the halo and think it will make for A) less of a cluster look and B) a much nicer profile (once they fix that mess on the underside).

I think it's coming along very well.

 

[tdoyledesign]

Hello all,

Well after going back for several revisions, I am almost there. A little blending between the "donuts" that the melee halo rest in and the outer prongs is all I think is needed. Plus they are a little stiff and I would like some fullness to the "donuts" as they appear to be just a simple ring. Also, the center diamond's girdle is in line with the table on the melee (as far as I can tell on the renderings) but in the top tip-up view you can still see under the diamond and into the basket. Is this anything to be concerned about? I don't want to see into the "guts" of the ring. I don't like it having the space around it. I would like it sitting down and flush. Or is this something that they will fix once they set it by hand?

I agreed with Gypsy that the basket needed some artistry and we re-worked the underside. We went back and fourth on various heights for the center diamond and angle of the melee and settled on this. Let me know your thoughts! Thanks as always!

 

[Gypsy]

I have a suggestion. See the below.

 

[Laila619]

I think it looks really good! I like Gypsy's suggestion; however, I noticed that the original HOF ring has that metal there, so I assume Whiteflash was told to copy the HOF as much as they could.

 

[Enerchi]

Wonderful progression of the CAD's - I agree that to my eye, the detail Gypsy noted about more of a 'wedge', would be very nice. Keeps the flowery open petal look, flowing from all angles.

 

[Christina...]

I love the changes! I think that the final detail Gypsy suggested is going to perfect the design! Can't wait to see the finished piece!

 

[VRBeauty]

I Love that basket! (Nice find, Gypsy!)

My only suggestion is to think ahead a bit to what you want for a wedding band and how you expect it to sit against the engagement ring. Right now it looks like the basket sits so low that it would limit your wedding ring options if you want a flush fit. I think you might need to raise the basket a bit if you want plain band that's proportional to the e-ring, and possibly a bit more than that if you want a half eternity band that mimics the shoulders on the e-ring. But... I'm just eyeballing it.

 

[tdoyledesign]

THanks for the positive comments! I also like some of the suggestions...I will Photoshop them up and see what I think. VERY good point about the wedding band too. I DO want it flush so I will ask the CAD guy to consider that.

Bryan Boyne was kind enough to speak to me personally. We were going back and fourth trying to get the look I wanted. Together the 3 of us came up with something I am happy with. I was probably way more picky that they were used to. Constantly sending over sketches and suggestions. But hey, its costing me some hard earned money and I want it to look good for a lifetime!

Thanks all! Will keep you updated

 

[tdoyledesign]

Hello all,

Its been almost 2 months since I last updated you on the progression of the CADs. I have pushed back my plans to propose a few months (for the better no worries!!) so I decided to slow down on the CADs a bit since I didn't need it quite as soon as expected. Wanted to show you all where it is at the moment. We made the wedding band flush fit and compressed the height of the basket a bit rather than raising it all, as well as added some of the suggestions for the shank, etc. The only thing they have yet to accomplish is I want the center diamond lowered just a bit. I wanted the girdle in line with the top of the melee diamonds so it is still too high. I want it raised from the melee but its just too much. From the top view in the last CADs you could still see under the diamond and down into the basket. I didn't like that.

I wanted the basket to look like it was made from one solid piece of metal (blended together rather than seperate) like the HoF rather than a bunch of different prongs and "rings" holding the melee (hope that makes sense). I am getting used to the separate prongs and "mini baskets" holding the melee. It seems a bit more intricate. I need to remember this will be much smaller than the pics. What are your guys' thoughts? Should I push for the blended look? I've been asking for it and they seem to be avoiding doing it. Maybe they can't build it in CAD?

BTW WF has been very patient with me and Bryan Boyne (VP) even worked with me himself to make sure I was happy. I am a professional designer (I design cars here in the Motor City) so I am very opinionated and they have been great. They did charge me an additional $450 for extra CAD work though. Not sure how I feel about that. I did have a few more re-dos than normal, but the designer wasn't getting what I was looking for even though I provided him page after page of photoshop'd sketches and sketches of exactly what I was talking about. Oh well I guess.....

Let me know your thoughts! Thanks!!!!!

 

[tdoyledesign]

Here is a shot of the basket on the HoF as a reminder so you can see the "blended" look of the basket I am talking about.

http://www.heartsonfire.com/shop-jewelry/rings/engagement-rings/belovedengagementringdiamondband.aspx


**EDIT** I just looked at the video (website is new!) on the bottom right of the page and the basket looks much more like what I have....makes me feel better

 

[Gypsy]

I love the current basket and profile. I think it's really great and the petals are there... it's very lovely. I wouldn't mess with that. As for the stone height, it's largely controlled by the setter, it's not a function of the CAD which might be why they aren't including it in there.

It's come a long way and I have to say the most recent revisions really show an elegant comprehensive design. I think you've got something special there. I personally think you are there and wouldn't tweak it any more.

 

[GreenBling]

Gypsy gave some really good advices! i love the gallery now and the entire design look more lively with the center diamond raised higher. In HK where we are flooded with solitaire it is very rare to see such elaborate setting. I have seen a similar flower ring in real life only with even bigger melees and it was just georgeous!

 

[tdoyledesign]

Ok so I told WF that I was happy with the setting but I wanted them to keep the diamond as low as possible when setting it by hand. I was given this response:

We’ve already lowered the center diamond as much as possible. If we bring it down more then we will need to re-design the prongs for the center stone which will create a gap between the center diamond and surrounding melee

I could have sworn that the prior version had the diamond nice and low. You can in fact go up on this thread and see that the diamond was indeed lower before I asked them to protect for a flush fit band. As directed, they kept the melee at the same height and simply compressed the basket as directed. But you can clearly see somehow the center diamond raised in the process. See the attachment for the comparison.

My question is, am I being too picky? I am just going to say that I agree with what the designer is saying, but that I would like to have the center diamond placed BACK to where it was in the prior version. As far as I can see there is no reason why that should have raised.

Thanks!