Halo with Cabled Band (Shank?) - better options?

[ering2016]

Hey friends! I've only recently discovered pricescope so I hope this is in the right place.

After seeing these photos online of a James Allen ring, I fell in love with it (2 carat in the photos). The very thin and delicate braid/cable part is very David Yurman and I love how the lifted part isn't too high, and the diamond is exposed underneath without much fuss around it. Ring finger is size 5, so the delicate band will be perfect I think.





The setting is this one: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-pave-halo-cabled-diamond-engagement-ring-item-17894

Based on my research so far, I'm going to probably get a VS2+ 1.3ish carat WhiteFlash ACA round brilliant diamond in the center. They seem well respected here and have all the information available, and everyone seems to say they sparkle the most! (I'll be back when it's time to pick the stone!)

So is the James Allen setting a quality one? I've seen some reviews where the little stones fall out of their rings. Are there better ones out there in that style? WhiteFlash doesn't seem to have this simple style in stock. A thin plain band could be fine too if the braiding is too rare, but the two stem simple little lift is important, like this: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-pave-halo-engagement-ring-round-center-item-18303....

And is it weird to ask WhiteFlash to get a setting that looks like that (or have them buy the James Allen one) for me to put the stone in. It says they will set stones, but I don't know if it's weird to do it with a competing store like that.

Any help would be amazing! You all have such good advice here!

 

[Gypsy]

No have WF send you a CAD and we'll help you get it right. WF custom is much better quality.

 

[ering2016]

So I can just send them the photos and they'll draw a similar ring for me? And then if I approve they can just make the same ring? (I'm not super sure how jewellery making works or if it takes a long time...)

And will it be a lot more for the custom work? I was thinking about $15,000 for diamond and setting, and the James Allen setting is $650.

 

[Gypsy]

Well, you should always go for platinum with pave. And quality REALLY matters with pave, so you absolutely should go with the WF setting.

You can show them the link. Tell them what you love about it. You should make two changes: lower the head if you aren't having wires. And have that halo angled 20% so it isn't such a space ship. That would make the setting nicer aesthetically and more structurally secure. Additionally WF's customer service is exemplary (and I cannot say the same about JA who is giving another poster a hard time about the prongs they want).

I would expect that to cost about 2500-2800 in platinum. And that's a good price for the quality you are getting. With pave you will get what you pay for in this case.

That leaves you 12500 for a stone. And you can EASILY get a great stone for that budget. Especially if you don't make any rookie mistakes.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3653220.htm If you want to be super conservative.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3670637.htm Another option.

 

[ering2016]

Right, makes sense! I saw some other folks had stones fall out. ):

Can you explain "lower the head if you aren't having wires" a little more? I don't think I get your meaning and I want to be able to explain it to WF if it's important. I see what you mean with the angle, some googling has shown me some examples and it's a much nicer profile. Also, if they can make the 4 prongs a little more delicate, I think I'd like that too.

That's great! I was expecting more for the setting since its "custom"! That's great to work with. I'm not ready today, but I'm definitely excited about getting the process going! I want to make sure I have all my information together before I chat with WhiteFlash.

You're amazing, thanks so much for all this.

 

[Gypsy]

Okay, so most cathedral halos have wires in the gallery. What does that mean?



See the wires under the halo? Those are the 'gallery wires'. They provide support and structure and strength.

You like the fact that the ring from JA is missing these. It makes the ring much less secure. Especially since, if you loo at the profile of the ring the halo is set very high. Too high. That head could snap right off under the right conditions.

There are some secure halos that, like the JA one, do not have gallery wires. But the trick to it is that they are set much lower than that one. So you need to lower the head (the diamond will not be very deep and you will still be able to see the pavilion and clean it easily), if you don't want gallery wires. This one is set too high.