Halo setting--Single or Full cut, A jour or no?

[t86]

Hi all,

I'm in the process of designing a custom-made halo setting for my vintage/chunky cushion. I would love any help on the nitty gritty details.

First, I had thought I would go with single-cut melee to complement the chunky facets of the vintage cushion. But the designer (Steven Kirsch) strongly recommended full-cut. He assured me that he could source ideal-cut full cut that would be better. What do you all think? It seems to go against what I've read on Pricescope, but should I trust his instincts? The price is the same for both. I saw loose single cut and set full cut in person, but found it hard to compare the two since one was loose, one was set.

Second, would you go with a jour or no a jour? A jour means that the melee in the halo are set so that it's open on the bottom. Basically, when you look at the bottom of the halo, you can see the pavilions of the diamonds. No a jour means that the setter curves some metal over the bottom of the halo so that you see smooth metal, not melee pavilions. I think I prefer the look of no a jour (a jour reminds me of Swiss cheese!) but Steven recommends a jour because it's easier to clean and the melee sparkles slightly more with more light coming in. Worth it?

Finally, he recommended a halo size of 1.6 mm and shank of 1.9 for my 1.79 carat cushion that measures roughly 7.5 X 7.5 mm. What do you guys think? Will it give me the delicate Harry Winston look or should I go smaller--maybe to 1.3 mm--in the halo?

Thank you SO MUCH for any help. I need to get the details down asap!

 

[Mrs.W 514]

I would suggest having the melee open on the bottom because it really does make it easier to clean. If the bottoms are not accessible it will never be as sparkly as it was when it was brand new out of the box. I like being able to see more of the diamonds I paid for as well!

As far as single vs full cut I think you should go with what you want. The full cuts are going to give you more splintery flashes and the full cuts are going to give you slower bolder flashes. There was a thread here recently that mentioned this, Ill look for the thread but here is a link to the ring that was the result http://www.victorcanera.com/jewelry...lower-halo-solitaire-with-multi-row-pave.html The buyer picked single cut melee and loved it! Personally I would pick single cut melee with an antique stone but the difference isn't going to be huge.

I tend to prefer smaller halos with a shank that is a little more substantial. I would ask for a mock up of the two halo sizes in relation to the shank size and see which appeals to you more. I would probably pick the smaller halo with this shank size.



edit here is that link
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-halo-featuring-a-1-52-avc-3-row-pave.169374/

 

[t86]

Thank you, Mrs. W! I really appreciate your input.

I think I am leaning towards a jour. I do think the added sparkle is probably worth the "swiss cheese" look. And thanks for the advice on the mock-up!

As for single-cut versus full-cut, I was surprised that Steven was so strongly in favor of full-cut. I know Victor Canera and Leon Mege generally favor single-cut, so I was anticipating the same reaction from Steven. I will have to mull this over a bit, I think. I wish he had rings set with both full-cut and single-cut--it's hard to tell which I like better by comparing loose melee to set rings.

 

[stargurl78]

I think I would go with a jour and single cuts for your ring. I think the size of the halo and shank sounds perfect.