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*** HELP! Halo reset gone wrong? ***

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Bella84

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 29, 2013
Messages
7
Hello everyone   I'm new to this site but have used your awesome posts before as inspiration for my own ring when my husband and I were designing it a few years ago.  I'm not familiar with technical terms that I see on the site, so I apologize in advance.  

Here's my situation...   When my husband asked me what kind of e ring I wanted, I told him I wanted a shared prong band with a rb solitaire. 3 years ago he gave me a beautiful ring and I love it! But I felt that the stones on the band were too large.  The center diamond is a 1.5 carat and the band is 1 carat total (8 stones, 4 on each side).  But I felt that the side stones overpowered the solitaire.  I didn't want to recast the ring or get a new center stone (I wanted to maintain the original ring bc that's what he gave me).  So I had the idea to add a halo to make everything look more balanced & proportional.    

Our anniversary is next week and we asked our jeweler to add the halo.  He took out the head that held the solitaire and replaced it with the halo.  Pretty easy fix without changing the integrity of the band.  The problem is that we got the ring yesterday and I hate it!  The halo was made far too high (like crazy high. You'll see what I mean in the pics below) and the center stone sits above the halo which I didn't want.  I wanted the halo to sit at the table of the diamond.  Those things he said he can fix by making a new halo, so I'm not too worried about that.  My worry is that the halo stones themselves are too big.  

So here are the ring specs.  I need your opinions to help me make this decision!  

The entire ring is platinum  
Size 7
Band is 1.0 CTW (8 stones)
Center is 1.5 Carats
Halo is 1/2 Carat (16 stones, 3 points each)  

Should I keep the 3 point halo or switch to 2 points?  Which would look better?  I'm not afraid of bling but I also don't want it to look gawdy.  Which size stones do you think would look proportional with the band?   I should also mention that my wedding band matches the e ring band.  Instead of 8 stones, it has 10.   Please help!!!  I need it!  :)
 
pictures

Here are some pics

20130829_163654.jpg

20130829_163712.jpg

20130828_143529.jpg

_9454.jpg
 
Hi, Bella84 - what I will say is that it's obvious that you're unhappy with the ring and that's what matters most. I do agree with you though - the halo diamonds look too large and it's set too high. I also see a lot of prongs in the halo - they aren't delicate and subtle.

As far as what size melee to use - there are others who will hopefully offer up their opinions/insight with regards to that.

You'll get this figured out! :) I'm glad to hear that you've already been in contact with the jeweler to express some of your concerns.

EDIT: I just have to add that your ring is very pretty. It's very sparkly and I like the addition of the halo. I just agree with the issues you're having with it.
 
Your new halo looks very pretty and blingy. I do see what you mean about the halo being high, but you said he could lower it. I love all the bling. Maybe your jeweler made it high so that it doesn't hit your wedding band. I will keep watching to see what changes you make.
 
You have a great set! That said, the halo is indeed set very high and the halo diamonds are a bit on the big side.
Hopefully you come to a good solution.

I love the rings together, blingy but sophisticated. There's nothing wrong with the top down view. Adding smaller diamonds in the halo is a matter of taste. But it is indeed set very high which is also not practical for daily use.
 
Hi There! I do see what you mean about being set high. It's good to know you already talked to him and he said he can lower the halo platform, and the stone. I agree that I like my stones set with the girdle near the halo rather than above it (flush). Fixing those things ought to help some about the height.

I think part of the thing that may be bothering you with the halo stones themselves is that in addition to them being 3pters (nothing wrong with that, in and of itself) there is a lot of spare metal around the stones so that is also adding to the look. If you think the halo stones are too big, maybe talk with him about 2pters? I can see why he may have wanted to go with larger stones, to balance out what you have going on in the shank. Putting tiny little 1pters or 1/2pters would have looked out of place. Maybe 2pters would still give balance and not be too small or if he still thinks 3pters are best, perhaps if there's a way for him to do less metal around the stones in the pave'? Pave is kind of tricky and so you have to know what the jeweler is comfortable with making. Those are just my thoughts looking at the ring and maybe it will give some insight in to what the jeweler was thinking versus what you were wanting and some way to approach a compromise and get teh ring back to a place where you love it. Good luck!
 
I forgot one thing: does your jeweller has photo's of earlier work for reference! It might help if you can show him examples of what you like in terms of size, dimensions etc.
 
Thank you everyone

This process has been really stressful. I just sobbed when I got the ring back yesterday bc I felt like I had made the wrong decision by adding the halo. The prongs are so prominent and large and the setting is so high, the ring feels very top heavy. I love the look of halos but what we asked for looks nothing like this.

Thankfully the jeweler is ok with fixing it. I'm just still really torn on 2 pts or 3pts for the halo. Does anyone have a picture of 2pts around a1.5 center? I'm very visual so I think that might help me with my decision.

Thanks again everyone. You're all very sweet for your giving your opinions. :) My husband thinks I'm silly for being emotional about a halo. Oh men... They just don't get it. Haha.
 
Bella84|1377814977|3512125 said:
My husband thinks I'm silly for being emotional about a halo. Oh men... They just don't get it. Haha.
Click to expand...

Women and men 'get' different things.
Both are right. ;) and relationship is about understanding and compromise. :love:

Hope you get the ring that makes you happy.
 
bastetcat|1377814148|3512119 said:
Hi There! I do see what you mean about being set high. It's good to know you already talked to him and he said he can lower the halo platform, and the stone. I agree that I like my stones set with the girdle near the halo rather than above it (flush). Fixing those things ought to help some about the height.

I think part of the thing that may be bothering you with the halo stones themselves is that in addition to them being 3pters (nothing wrong with that, in and of itself) there is a lot of spare metal around the stones so that is also adding to the look. If you think the halo stones are too big, maybe talk with him about 2pters? I can see why he may have wanted to go with larger stones, to balance out what you have going on in the shank. Putting tiny little 1pters or 1/2pters would have looked out of place. Maybe 2pters would still give balance and not be too small or if he still thinks 3pters are best, perhaps if there's a way for him to do less metal around the stones in the pave'? Pave is kind of tricky and so you have to know what the jeweler is comfortable with making. Those are just my thoughts looking at the ring and maybe it will give some insight in to what the jeweler was thinking versus what you were wanting and some way to approach a compromise and get teh ring back to a place where you love it. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Bastecat said it very well.

Lowering the diamond to have no airline will help, as well as smaller melee. I would think even 1.5 s may be more in proportion to the band of your ring, but still give the delicate halo you are looking for.

Agree w bringing in as many pics as possible and documenting your specific requests. He sure sounds very willing to make it right for you, so that's a great step in the right direction!
 
Kenny, I completely agree with you. Thankfully my husband is much more practical than I am and since he knows it can be fixed, he doesn't stress about it. I'm the emotional one. All about balance. :)

Enerchi & Bastetcat: I also agree. I think we're going to lower the halo so it sits at the top of the last stones on the band. And move the halo to sit flush. I think he needed to put metal around the halo to make it cushion like I wanted. Not sure though.

I found these pics on Google that I think I'll use as inspiration. The second one is what I'd like my set to look like. Not sure what size melee is on that one though

engagement_ring4.jpeg

507632eb059e5b243c0ca063898e2c3c.jpg
 
My only caution is that there are two different things at play in the actual halo portion. That is the size of the melee and the metal around the stones. Both of these things add width/bulk to the halo. Also, you may want to make sure he's not using the same halo head on the next one if the size bothers you. If he puts smaller melee and the halo still has the same amount of metal on it, then there will be even more metal showing. In other words, it will take more than just a change in melee size to make the halo more delicate.

Melee size is a personal choice. My personal feeling is that you would be fine with 2pters. You might also be fine with 3pters if there was less metal around the stones (because slightly larger melee doesn't bug me and I think it can look fine as long as the cut down work is nice), but that's the trick with pave. Less metal in the pave is highly specialized work and not every jeweler does it/can do it.

Here's the solitaire to halo thread that may help you with some inspiration:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/solitaire-to-halo-before-and-afters.130309/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/solitaire-to-halo-before-and-afters.130309/[/URL]
 
Well I'm going to be straight and say your jeweler is on another planet from ours if he gave you that halo and thought it was a good representation of what could be allright. You're handeling it much better then I would have.

So a few thoughts-
*It is 95% of the time a bad idea to turn your orginal ering into something it was never meant to be. Understand that your ering will never look perfect because the side diamonds were never meant to be part of a halo. Proportional it will always look off.
* Most halos have smaller diamonds in the halo in the shank. Whose idea was it to go with 3pts??? That size throws the proportions way off plus just allows a lot of metal to show through. It gives the ring a flower or cluster ring feel.
*To fix this go down in size. I would do 1pters as my size preference. Have him fix the head. I would take it off completely and do a curved strut (in or out doesn't matter) and have him lower the halo. Finally tilt the halo too to give it less of a flying saucer look. If your jeweler doesn't or can't follow that direction then find someone else who can. I always thought adjusting a ring to something completely different was the hardest thing to do so you might just need to look at other vendors who can give it a more fluid look.
 
I think it's stunning except for the height.
 
SB621|1377821083|3512186 said:
Well I'm going to be straight and say your jeweler is on another planet from ours if he gave you that halo and thought it was a good representation of what could be allright. You're handeling it much better then I would have.

So a few thoughts-
*It is 95% of the time a bad idea to turn your orginal ering into something it was never meant to be. Understand that your ering will never look perfect because the side diamonds were never meant to be part of a halo. Proportional it will always look off.
* Most halos have smaller diamonds in the halo in the shank. Whose idea was it to go with 3pts??? That size throws the proportions way off plus just allows a lot of metal to show through. It gives the ring a flower or cluster ring feel.
*To fix this go down in size. I would do 1pters as my size preference. Have him fix the head. I would take it off completely and do a curved strut (in or out doesn't matter) and have him lower the halo. Finally tilt the halo too to give it less of a flying saucer look. If your jeweler doesn't or can't follow that direction then find someone else who can. I always thought adjusting a ring to something completely different was the hardest thing to do so you might just need to look at other vendors who can give it a more fluid look.
Click to expand...

Thank God someone came out and said this. :|

First of all, I'm really sorry. I can tell you are unhappy, and I don't blame you one bit. So please don't take this as "poo-pooing" your ring, as this in no way your fault. Your jeweler should have known better -- you can't just plop a big circle of diamonds on top of the prongs of an existing ring and expect it to look right... :? And I won't even start on the decision to use 3 point stones in the halo. I just can't wrap my head around your jeweler's thought process... or lack thereof. This alone would make me consider another bench. :|

OP, just have someone else make you a new setting -- the right way. Any bench that would execute a halo the way this one did would never get a second chance from me. ::)

I truly wish you the best of luck.
 
Thank you all for your honesty. I really appreciate it. :)

I'd never heard of curved struts before so I googled it and it looks like a MUCH better idea than what I have right now! So Thanks for that tip.

I'm trying to stay calm about all of this so it makes me feel validated to hear that others see what I saw so wrong with it.

I agree, I think 2 pts will be much better of a fit. I have to stick with the same jeweler though bc he's a family friend and we've paid already. I really don't feel like paying someone else now.

Msop04, I love your ring on your profile picture! What size are the diamonds on your halo? The proportion is beautiful and the ring is just stunning.
 
I prefer 1 pointers but I think your jeweller is stuck between a rock and the wall due to your existing 8 diamonds on the shank. He has to balance out the look visually. It will look very odd to have a delicate halo with a thicker shank (due to the larger shank diamonds). He selected the large diamonds in the halo so that they are almost the same size as the ones on the shank.
 
I've had a halo go wrong myself so I completely understand why you are upset. In my case I kept thinking it would grow on me but it never has. I Wish I would have taken it back so good for you for speaking up now. In your case, I can see that it's too high and the proportions are a bit off. I wouldn't say it's awful or bad, just not what you wanted. I think you'll be happy in the end though once it's lower and the melee is smaller.

Can't wait to see pics after you get it the way you want it!
 
So sorry for your disappointment in this! I agree with Chrono that your jeweler probably used the 3 point stones to balance out the look with the diamonds in the shank. that said though, I think the ring will look fine with smaller halo stones - 2 points, even 1.5. I'm thinking he will have to make a new halo to accomodate the smaller stones. I'm not sure how much he can change the struts but you can talk to him about it. Looks like he can lower the entire halo closer to the shank, and also lower the diamond itself to make to sit more flush with the halo. I think you will like your ring much better once the halo is lowered and smaller melee are used.
 
Bella84|1377839117|3512304 said:
Msop04, I love your ring on your profile picture! What size are the diamonds on your halo? The proportion is beautiful and the ring is just stunning.
Click to expand...

Thank you Bella. :)) I'm pretty sure they are 1/2 pointers, but they may be 3/4 pointers (center is 2.4 ct)... They are just a hair smaller than the stones on the band since they are on the halo, thus closer to the eye. This is hard to tell from the avatar and there are diamonds in ascending sizes leading up to the halo from the sides. The diamonds in the "middle shank" area are the smallest. (dang, that even confused me...) :lol:

Since you must use him, is there any way your jeweler can simply do a new setting that was meant to be a halo? I don't think that would be a ridiculous request, since you are obviously unhappy as is. I just don't think you will be happy with it otherwise. The larger stones in the existing band are too large to "build" on... I agree with the other posters that 1 pointers or less would look much more in proportion to your stone. :halo:
 
I'm so glad I posted on here. You've all been so helpful! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll keep you posted on how things go. I'm definately not going to settle until it looks exactly how we want it to. :)
 
Bella84|1377917090|3512730 said:
I'm so glad I posted on here. You've all been so helpful! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll keep you posted on how things go. I'm definately not going to settle until it looks exactly how we want it to. :)
Click to expand...

Good for you!! You deserve to be in love with your ring! They will make it right for you... just hang in there! :))
 
That is EXACTLY what I wanted! I'm going to show our jeweler those pictures. You read my mind GeckoLady! Thanks!!! Makes me wonder now what size my side stones are. Hers are 6 pointers with a 2 pointer halo melee. I am just thinking proportion wise. I love how hers looks!
 
Bella, I'm so sorry I missed this thread! How did it all work out? I love my halo, and hopefully you will be happy if you ended up going down to 2 pointers. Let us know how it turned out! :wavey:
 
I'm sorry you are going through this. I will say to you what I say to anyone who posts on PS with a similar issue: Demand a refund and start over with a new vendor. I think if this jeweler and his bench were able to create a ring like the one's in your inspiration photos, I think they would have done it the first time. There is such a huge gulf between the inspirations and the ring he created that I don't think showing him those images will do much. Not everyone can create that delicate look, and it most likely cannot be done by using the shank of your original ring. So start over with a jeweler who makes rings like you want, and get it done right the first time.

ETA: I didn't notice this is an old thread. I hope it all worked out! I will leave my comment for future readers.
 
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