HELP! Asscher Halo needed

[Gypsy]

Okay... so Leon and I talked... and. Not going to happen.

First, my impression was that he was very rushed and busy. Which I can appreciate. But I also got the DISTINCT feeling that my setting was a VERY, EXTREMELY low priority for him. Which isn''t the greatest PR... but okay the guy is an artist.

Also got the message that he doesn''t enjoy doing baguette halo''s because he doesn''t do many of them and therefore they are time intensive. Can appreciate that too.

But then he didn''t seem open to my suggestion that instead of the trapazoids in the halos pictured above I would prefer straight and tapered baguettes set with the tapered ones on the corners like the one Valeria posted above. This would have been a new design for him... and he wasn''t comfortable with that.... (felt like he didn''t feel confortable with it because he couldn''t delagate it-- he didn''t even consider it, just started talking about micro pave halos)

THEN he said it was going to cost 5.5- 6K for the setting (with the trapazoids, because he had done that before)... and STRONGLY suggested (just assumed I''d agree) that I get a micro pave setting.

So... okay... I was ready to give up control for the artist... and put up with the temperment. But he didn''t listen to me at all. AND didn''t at all respond to my suggestions that we meet in person. So over all... not impressed. And not comfortable. I think the micro pave''s are beautiful... but I''m in love with the baguette halo idea. Can''t help it.

On the other hand... the Quest guys seem pretty good to date... I''m to call them tommorow... so I''m crossing my fingers.


That''s the latest update.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/18/2006 1:28:15 AM
Author: Boom
I love the setting you have in mind.

When I had Leon do my Asscher halo setting, I asked about having baguettes in the halo instead of RBs. He said the cost would be higher because the baguettes would have to be custom cut to fit the center stone. With 3 sided pave on the shank, it would have been way over budget for me, so I dropped the idea. I think Wink has made a sapphire halo setting where the sapphires had to be custom cut (trapezoids maybe?), which ended up costing twice the price of round sapphires.

I hope either Leon or Quest gives you a great quote, I would love to see hand shots of this setting. Good luck!

Hi Boom... The custom cut baguettes are costly (hence the 6K price qoute from Leon)... but the idea I had was to use straight and tapered with platinum in between... to get the look I wanted with a budget friendly twist... I hope I get this too... cause I'd LOVE to put the hand picks up... I'm crossing my fingers for Quest and for my jeweler in DE who I ran the design by and who is inquiring from the people he knows if they can do it for me for around $2500 (which the the HIGH quote he gave me-- very little platinum wieght and diamond weight needed).

 

[Gypsy]

Yeah... see Dave it's the whole 'encouraging' thing of his that I had a problem with. I don't want a three sided pave... I want simple platinum band for my setting. And his 'encouraging' felt more like steamrolling me into doing what he wants... as opposed to listening to me... the consumer. It might just have been a personality thing though. Oh well. 6 thousand dollars aint gonna happen.

Date: 4/18/2006 1:01:12 PM
Author: familystone
Hi,

If you are thinking about having Leon design your ring I highly recomend going in to talk to him in person. He was extremely approachable and helpful in the process of determining what was the ideal style for the ring design. Additionally, nothing can substitute for seeing actual examples in person. Since you have a good idea of the basic concept of your ring (halo of baguets) I am sure he can determine a close price quote. I met with him twice before I put the deposit down for the ring and never felt rushed in the design process and was fully confident that he is going to produce something amazing. On a side note, he usually doesn't encourage having a wedding band sit flush against the ER but, you just have to tell him thats what it has to be and he will be helpful. He usually suggest WB on one hand and ER on the other and put them together on special occasions but not everyday becuase it could damage the rings by the rubbing (especially with 3-sided pave).

-Dave

 

[valeria101]

Date: 4/18/2006 9:23:09 PM
Author: Gypsy

Hi Boom... The custom cut baguettes are costly... but the idea I had was to use straight and tapered with platinum in between... to get the look I wanted with a budget friendly twist...

Saw that sort of thing done... You may want to get some idea of what it may look like first (with Quest, perhaps a wax could be available?).

If the baguettes are rather narrow, it may look nice. The ring I remember had them rather wide and looked terrible with the metal worn into a gray patina between the baguettes. If the Lockes ring doesn''t look too far off he initial idea, I wonder if having the corners smaller and fitted with round melee would not end up looking rather nice - especially if the diamond does not have very deep cut corners and the setting could follow the square-ish outline. Just a thought...

 

[valeria101]

Don''t know about you, but I couldn''t wait for Quests CAD''s to get an idea of what this might look like...

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/18/2006 10:26:08 PM
Author: valeria101


Don''t know about you, but I couldn''t wait for Quests CAD''s to get an idea of what this might look like...

Wow...how did you do that!?!

Awesome! That''s it. Just maybe with tapers on the corners!!! Like the pic you posted earlier. Oh wow, THANK YOU VALERIA. I''m going to send that over to Quest... and to my jeweler!

You made my night! And my diamond is pretty square so it works very well!

 

[Gypsy]

Damn it''s time for bed... work the morning... THANK YOU SO MUCH. That''s perfect!

 

[Kaleigh]

Ana, never ceases to amaze me!!! Love it!!

 

[princessv]

Wowie! I love love love that..any wonder we love that so much kaleigh?

We''re not biased no...heheh!

 

[Gypsy]

Damn it's time for bed... work the morning... THANK YOU SO MUCH. That's perfect!

One last question... my jeweler suggested that to avoid that scratched platinum patina I consider that the platinum between the straight baguettes and the tapers in the corners being milgrained? And then milgraining the sides of the halo... and the shank and band. Any opinions on that? Any alternatives to milgraining? Will be on tomorrow night.

I'm going to smile all the way to sleep because of you Ana!

 

[valeria101]

Well, rings are not made of paper... it may be that my schetches are not quite right (wish they are, of course).

I agree with the jeweler's advice about millgrain - something has to be done about those little inserts of metal.

 

[valeria101]

Just in case... one way to deal with the corners sans calibrated baguettes (perhaps tappered ones instead of straight? they would not need to fit perfectly with the striaghts on the sides though).

LINK

 

[diamondlil]

I love the idea of straight baguettes on the sides and rounds on the corners.

 

[valeria101]

Is it just me... or do the all-baguette and all-pave versions still sound like worth the trouble more than any mix of the two ?

 

[familystone]

Gypsy,

Sorry you had a bad experience with Leon, maybe you cuaght him on a bad day. Hope you find a designer that can give you what you want at a more reasonable price.

-Dave

 

[Gypsy]

I probably did Dave, and I still think the guy does fabulous work. Just a personality thing, otherwise.

BUT... good news from Quest! for $2850 they can do the tapered/ trapazoids on the corners and straight baguettes on the sides. Ann, THANK YOU for your design hard work last night... it helped Pete visualize what I wanted immediately after seeing it. He''s going to give me a written estimate detailing what we talked/ emailed about. And I told him I''d give him an answer by Monday. I was VERY happy with his attentivness and his pride in what they do. He was upfront about everything, and extremely helpful. So its a definite winner!

AND my jeweler called me with GREAT news... although it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. And I''ll have to post about it after dinner...cause it''s ready to go!

Be back in a few!

 

[Gypsy]

Okay... bigger grain of salt than I thought. My jeweler (who is flat out great) knows a fancy diamond cutter who could do all the baguette cutting for the trapazoids for me ... within my budget. Which means that I may be able to use all trapaoids and no straight baguettes.YAY! But... here comes the grain of salt. Quest won''t work with an outside cutter (which I understand)... and I don''t know if my jeweler can find anyone who can do the halo and the ring a whole as cleanly and crisply as Quest can.

And if it comes down to trapazoids or overall execution... execution will win.

Which is hard because I love my jeweler... and the trapazoids... and a friend of mine (I just found out) works there now.

 

[princessv]

Personally, I think that the baguettes on the sides and rounds on the corners look better, but that''s JMHO

I think it gives the ring a nice contrast, whereas with the traps it just looks as if it blends in all together.

 

[Gypsy]

What do you guys think of this pic I found? The craftsmanship... ???

Going to have to put it on as a attachment cause it was from a site I couldn''t left click on.... This isn''t working. Argh...

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/19/2006 9:01:29 PM
Author: Princess V
Personally, I think that the baguettes on the sides and rounds on the corners look better, but that''s JMHO

I think it gives the ring a nice contrast, whereas with the traps it just looks as if it blends in all together.

Hey Princess! Actually its the contrast that I don''t like for my ring, personally. LOL. I want it to look like a picture frame around my diamond... a clean strong frame that matches and blends with the clean step cut lines of my diamond. That''s why I didn''t do the Leon micro pave. Contrast. Don''t want it on my ring. Strange. But true.

 

[Gypsy]

Okay... that worked. CRAFTSMANSHIP OPINIONS WANTED!!!
(please)

 

[qqq]

If you are still considering designers you should definitely speak to the woman who did my fiance''s e-ring. She was so wonderful to work with, and the quality of the craftsmanship is amazing (very reasonably priced as well). You can check out the ring she made for us at https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-royal-setting.41288/page-2. I''m sure she would be willing to work with you on your design. And we''re talking a 100% handmade piece, not machine cast like a lot of places do (no offense meant to anyone, but there is a quality difference). Let me know if you are interested and I will get you in touch with her.


qqq

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/19/2006 9:20:02 PM
Author: qqq
If you are still considering designers you should definitely speak to the woman who did my fiance''s e-ring. She was so wonderful to work with, and the quality of the craftsmanship is amazing (very reasonably priced as well). You can check out the ring she made for us at https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-royal-setting.41288/page-2. I''m sure she would be willing to work with you on your design. And we''re talking a 100% handmade piece, not machine cast like a lot of places do (no offense meant to anyone, but there is a quality difference). Let me know if you are interested and I will get you in touch with her.


qqq

WOW... that was unbelievable. Very very clean... and amazing craftsmanship. Was she reasonably priced (if I may ask)? I would ABSOLUTELY love to get in touch with her. THANKS!

 

[qqq]

Date: 4/19/2006 9:44:56 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 4/19/2006 9:20:02 PM
Author: qqq
If you are still considering designers you should definitely speak to the woman who did my fiance''s e-ring. She was so wonderful to work with, and the quality of the craftsmanship is amazing (very reasonably priced as well). You can check out the ring she made for us at https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-royal-setting.41288/page-2. I''m sure she would be willing to work with you on your design. And we''re talking a 100% handmade piece, not machine cast like a lot of places do (no offense meant to anyone, but there is a quality difference). Let me know if you are interested and I will get you in touch with her.


qqq

WOW... that was unbelievable. Very very clean... and amazing craftsmanship. Was she reasonably priced (if I may ask)? I would ABSOLUTELY love to get in touch with her. THANKS!

Very, very reasonably priced. She used to work for Michael Beaudry and has recently gone out on her own, so she is really trying to build her ''book of business''. Let''s just say I got a quote from Leon for that setting and it was almost 3x what she charged me. And the craftsmanship is beyond amazing, the pictures really can''t even do it justice. Her name is Maytal Hannah and her email address is [email protected]. If you want you can email me and I can give you her cell phone # privately, if you prefer to contact her in person. My email address is [email protected].

qqq

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/19/2006 9:54:37 PM
Author: qqq

Date: 4/19/2006 9:44:56 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 4/19/2006 9:20:02 PM
Author: qqq
If you are still considering designers you should definitely speak to the woman who did my fiance''s e-ring. She was so wonderful to work with, and the quality of the craftsmanship is amazing (very reasonably priced as well). You can check out the ring she made for us at https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-royal-setting.41288/page-2. I''m sure she would be willing to work with you on your design. And we''re talking a 100% handmade piece, not machine cast like a lot of places do (no offense meant to anyone, but there is a quality difference). Let me know if you are interested and I will get you in touch with her.


qqq

WOW... that was unbelievable. Very very clean... and amazing craftsmanship. Was she reasonably priced (if I may ask)? I would ABSOLUTELY love to get in touch with her. THANKS!

Very, very reasonably priced. She used to work for Michael Beaudry and has recently gone out on her own, so she is really trying to build her ''book of business''. Let''s just say I got a quote from Leon for that setting and it was almost 3x what she charged me. And the craftsmanship is beyond amazing, the pictures really can''t even do it justice. Her name is Maytal Hannah and her email address is [email protected]. If you want you can email me and I can give you her cell phone # privately, if you prefer to contact her in person. My email address is [email protected].

qqq

I may take you up on the phone number offer... but since I want to illustrate my request, I think I''ll stick to email for the time being. THANK YOU!!!!!!!

 

[qqq]

Date: 4/19/2006 9:58:09 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 4/19/2006 9:54:37 PM
Author: qqq

Date: 4/19/2006 9:44:56 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 4/19/2006 9:20:02 PM
Author: qqq
If you are still considering designers you should definitely speak to the woman who did my fiance''s e-ring. She was so wonderful to work with, and the quality of the craftsmanship is amazing (very reasonably priced as well). You can check out the ring she made for us at https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-royal-setting.41288/page-2. I''m sure she would be willing to work with you on your design. And we''re talking a 100% handmade piece, not machine cast like a lot of places do (no offense meant to anyone, but there is a quality difference). Let me know if you are interested and I will get you in touch with her.


qqq

WOW... that was unbelievable. Very very clean... and amazing craftsmanship. Was she reasonably priced (if I may ask)? I would ABSOLUTELY love to get in touch with her. THANKS!

Very, very reasonably priced. She used to work for Michael Beaudry and has recently gone out on her own, so she is really trying to build her ''book of business''. Let''s just say I got a quote from Leon for that setting and it was almost 3x what she charged me. And the craftsmanship is beyond amazing, the pictures really can''t even do it justice. Her name is Maytal Hannah and her email address is [email protected]. If you want you can email me and I can give you her cell phone # privately, if you prefer to contact her in person. My email address is [email protected].

qqq

I may take you up on the phone number offer... but since I want to illustrate my request, I think I''ll stick to email for the time being. THANK YOU!!!!!!!

No problem, good luck, and let us know how it goes!

qqq

 

[Gypsy]

Not going to qoute cause it''s getting silly... .but I will definitely keep updating. I emailed her tonight... so hopefully I''ll hear from her soon. Although from what I understand many jewelers are closed for the week for holidays.

If anyone has opinons about the emerald cut with the baguette halo I posted above, please post them... I am very intrested in your thoughts!

THANK YOU! Off to bed!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 4/19/2006 10:57:26 PM
Author: Gypsy


If anyone has opinions about the emerald cut with the baguette halo I posted above, please post them... I am very interested in your thoughts!

Well, it looks like this is a full bezel (=solid metal ''bucket'' under the whole halo) and although it looks nicely finished, the setting is probably quite ''solid'' looking and heavy. It isn''t to common to see a ''halo'' setting built as a solid bezel, because of the weight (unless the stones are truly tiny - as it is the case with invisible cut diamonds assembled in a bezel). I would have picked a more modernistic design to be made this way - so that the bulk doesn''t look out of place. By comparison with the airy construction of the ''usual'' frame of calibre cut diamonds and colored stones... the weighty look doesn''t seem flattering to me. But it all sounds like a matter of taste.

Btw. speaking of ''modernistic'', here''s an example of what I had in mind:

I can easily imagine calibrated baguettes around the princess there, but it is a very different animal altogether.

Compared to... this one, say:

Bauhaus versus Art Deco?

 

[decodelighted]

This thing is just gorgeous ...from the same Ebay vendor that the above ring was from. Know NOTHING about them, except that these PIX are amazing!!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 4/20/2006 8:48:56 PM
Author: decodelighted

This thing is just gorgeous ...from the same Ebay vendor that the above ring was from. Know NOTHING about them...

Yeah, they are pretty far from where I live too

''Art Nouveau'' looked up her wonderful enamel butterfly pin in their shop.