Halo Setting: Is diamond color as important?

[SF-Guy]

I'm still struggling.

I'd like to find a decent sized (1.4-1.8ct) "eye clean" ROUND stone to put in a halo pave setting such as this (albeit, this one is probably out of my price range).

I'm looking for a stone within my budget of $6500-$8500 and after reading up on some threads here, want to maximize fire and brilliance when making my e-ring purchase.

I get that in large part - fire and brilliance have to do with the way the diamond is cut & colored, and the way light passes through the stone. But then I came to the realization (and again I am inexperienced here) that when spending $$$ on say a F,G or H color stone - that color I'm paying for may NOT exhibit it's full potential as it is buried inside the halo setting. So perhaps that $$$ is better spent on carat weight instead???

Is this an appropriate assumption? My only concern here is that Halo settings may incorporate pave stones of a higher color grade than the diamond I choose which would then again make the diamond color important.

 

[Daisycakes617]

Hello! I'm definitely not an export, but I tried on a halo where the center stone was an I and the melee was E-F...and I could totally tell that the color was "off" a bit. I was trying on an oval though so maybe with well cut rounds it's different...but I'm not sure that such a huge difference in color is a great idea for one ring. Here's the one I tried...can you see a difference in the colors?

 

[msop04]

...looking for a stone within my budget of $6500-$8500 ...want to maximize fire and brilliance
...that $$$ is better spent on carat weight instead???

Is this an appropriate assumption? My only concern here is that Halo settings may incorporate pave stones of a higher color grade than the diamond I choose which would then again make the diamond color important.

Hi SF-Guy

Even if you had a D color stone, the pave stones will always look whiter and bright due to the size of the facets (small). The BG setting you linked to has quite large stones in the halo, so that would be a concern if you wanted a halo with larger stones. However, if you want a more delicate halo, then you'd be totally fine going with an I, J and sometimes K color stone. As long as it's a performer, then I think your money would be better spend on SIZE!!

My stone is a J (and 2.4 ct, so color shows even more...) set in a halo with G/H stones (see avatar), and I don't see a difference at all!

 

[msop04]

Hello! I'm definitely not an export, but I tried on a halo where the center stone was an I and the melee was E-F...and I could totally tell that the color was "off" a bit. I was trying on an oval though so maybe with well cut rounds it's different...but I'm not sure that such a huge difference in color is a great idea for one ring. Here's the one I tried...can you see a difference in the colors?

Your are right, Daisycakes! An oval will show more tint than a round. Well-cut rounds have the ability to hide body color the best of any other cut! Marquise, oval, pear, and radiants tend to trap more color.

 

[msop04]

I did a quick search on JA with the parameters you mentioned, but didn't find anything. I did, however find this stone. It's nice and scored a 1.3 on HCA.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...t-j-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-65733

It's smaller than what you wanted (1.30 ct), but it may be a challenge to find 1.4-1.8 that is nice and will be in your budget... So, that said, you may need to think about either increasing your budget or decreasing the minimum carat weight. I wouldn't compromise on cut. The good thing is that if you're going the halo route, then it's gonna add a lot of "look" for the buck.

 

[SF-Guy]

Hello! I'm definitely not an export, but I tried on a halo where the center stone was an I and the melee was E-F...and I could totally tell that the color was "off" a bit. I was trying on an oval though so maybe with well cut rounds it's different...but I'm not sure that such a huge difference in color is a great idea for one ring. Here's the one I tried...can you see a difference in the colors?

Thanks for the insight Daisycakes, i'm still sort of new to this - but do see what you mean about the stone being a little hazy compared to the pave melee.

Hi SF-Guy

Even if you had a D color stone, the pave stones will always look whiter and bright due to the size of the facets (small). The BG setting you linked to has quite large stones in the halo, so that would be a concern if you wanted a halo with larger stones. However, if you want a more delicate halo, then you'd be totally fine going with an I, J and sometimes K color stone. As long as it's a performer, then I think your money would be better spend on SIZE!!

My stone is a J (and 2.4 ct, so color shows even more...) set in a halo with G/H stones (see avatar), and I don't see a difference at all!

msop04, I love your ring!!! My gf actually prefers a square halo setting but I haven't really been able to find such a setting (still new to searching). I see your pave is G/H with your J color stones... So I think the key is to keep the pave in the settings within a certain range of the center stone.

Are there any good retailers where I might look at a range of halo settings with different colored pave stones to choose from?

Thank you both for the suggestions!

 

[msop04]

Hello! I'm definitely not an export, but I tried on a halo where the center stone was an I and the melee was E-F...and I could totally tell that the color was "off" a bit. I was trying on an oval though so maybe with well cut rounds it's different...but I'm not sure that such a huge difference in color is a great idea for one ring. Here's the one I tried...can you see a difference in the colors?

Thanks for the insight Daisycakes, i'm still sort of new to this - but do see what you mean about the stone being a little hazy compared to the pave melee.

Hi SF-Guy

Even if you had a D color stone, the pave stones will always look whiter and bright due to the size of the facets (small). The BG setting you linked to has quite large stones in the halo, so that would be a concern if you wanted a halo with larger stones. However, if you want a more delicate halo, then you'd be totally fine going with an I, J and sometimes K color stone. As long as it's a performer, then I think your money would be better spend on SIZE!!

My stone is a J (and 2.4 ct, so color shows even more...) set in a halo with G/H stones (see avatar), and I don't see a difference at all!

msop04, I love your ring!!! My gf actually prefers a square halo setting but I haven't really been able to find such a setting (still new to searching). I see your pave is G/H with your J color stones... So I think the key is to keep the pave in the settings within a certain range of the center stone.

Are there any good retailers where I might look at a range of halo settings with different colored pave stones to choose from?

Thanks for the compliment!

Honestly, I don't think it's going to matter if the pave is D-E-F or lower, because they're still going to look brighter. I did a lower color due to cost, since I was going custom. Also, the color of a stone has nothing to do with it appearing "hazy." I think the poster's photo was just not very clear. A lower color will not be hazy because it's a lower color. If a stone's hazy, it could be due to clarity issues or strong fluorescence.

I would check with Ritani. They have very nice halos and great prices! You may want to go with a metal other than platinum to decrease costs. Here is one of my faves:
http://www.ritani.com/engagement-ri...iamond-band-engagement-ring-in-palladium/4773

 

[Daisycakes617]

...looking for a stone within my budget of $6500-$8500 ...want to maximize fire and brilliance
...that $$$ is better spent on carat weight instead???

Is this an appropriate assumption? My only concern here is that Halo settings may incorporate pave stones of a higher color grade than the diamond I choose which would then again make the diamond color important.

Hi SF-Guy

Even if you had a D color stone, the pave stones will always look whiter and bright due to the size of the facets (small). The BG setting you linked to has quite large stones in the halo, so that would be a concern if you wanted a halo with larger stones. However, if you want a more delicate halo, then you'd be totally fine going with an I, J and sometimes K color stone. As long as it's a performer, then I think your money would be better spend on SIZE!!

My stone is a J (and 2.4 ct, so color shows even more...) set in a halo with G/H stones (see avatar), and I don't see a difference at all!

Msop04 WOW! I would have never guessed that your ring is a J! hmm, now i'm wondering if I should reconsider getting an oval? Anyway, just wanted to say that your ring is gorgeous!

 

[msop04]

Msop04 WOW! I would have never guessed that your ring is a J! hmm, now i'm wondering if I should reconsider getting an oval? Anyway, just wanted to say that your ring is gorgeous!

Thank you, Daisycakes!!