Help me set Mahenge garnet

[milton333]

I have an 8mm Mahenge garnet from precision gem. Garnet is a special stone to me, it's my only child's birth stone. This is showing very purple-pink in the images, but is mostly a reddish-pink or red wine color in my usual lighting environments. It has an excellent cut and a lot of scintillation. I was leaning toward halo (I'm usually a solitaire with plain shank kind of person, or multi stone with plain shank), but I am liking the diamond shank. This would not be a daily wear, though fairly frequent, and I work a desk job and haven't had problems with daily wear rings going out of shape or being damaged from my lifestyle. (These are not my long, elegant fingers, unfortunately).

 

[thirdrock]

The stone looks great in both settings. If you already have halos, the diamond shank would be a nice change.

 

[bright&shiny]

I love the look of the halo - and i'm not necessarily a halo girl. It gets a little lost compared to the blingy band, IMHO. Fun project either way

 

[junebug17]

What a beautiful stone, I just love the color. It looks lovely in both settings. I lean towards the halo. I just like the contrast, the extra finger coverage and how it makes the stone pop.

 

[jenzgemz]

The stone is a stunner! Both are lovely, leaning towards the halo just due to the extra real estate it takes up on the wearer's finger.

 

[Garnetgirl]

I’m not usually a halo person, but I really like the first setting. It showcases the garnet so nicely.

 

[pinkjewel]

I vote halo. It sets the stone off- like a frame around a beautiful painting

 

[Bonfire]

I vote halo. It contrasts and enhances the rich color.

 

[demantoidz]

Beautiful stone. Why not a halo and diamond shank? The two settings are classics so you can't go wrong, aesthetically I don't have a preference. I voted halo as practically, it offers some protection for the garnet.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Oh this is really difficult! I chose the diamond band, simply because I love a round solitaire design, and that stone is so large that it can stand alone. Also, since it's a deeper tone, I think allowing more light in through the pavilion is ideal. But I totally agree with @demantoidz... I'd go for both the halo and diamond band!

 

[demantoidz]

Oh this is really difficult! I chose the diamond band, simply because I love a round solitaire design, and that stone is so large that it can stand alone. Also, since it's a deeper tone, I think allowing more light in through the pavilion is ideal. But I totally agree with @demantoidz... I'd go for both the halo and diamond band!

Good point about allowing in more light. I'd observe how the stone behaves on top of the settings and if there's a negative effect on the color with a halo I'd opt for the diamond band.

 

[CaseyLouLou]

Oh this is really difficult! I chose the diamond band, simply because I love a round solitaire design, and that stone is so large that it can stand alone. Also, since it's a deeper tone, I think allowing more light in through the pavilion is ideal. But I totally agree with @demantoidz... I'd go for both the halo and diamond band!

I was told by a stone cutter that the light always goes in the crown and back out the crown so the sides and pavilion don’t need to be exposed. Maybe having a halo could cause some shadowing but I think if it’s well cut you won’t have to worry about that.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Hmm, I think band. I want to see it in all it's glory!

 

[Autumn in New England]

I was told by a stone cutter that the light always goes in the crown and back out the crown so the sides and pavilion don’t need to be exposed. Maybe having a halo could cause some shadowing but I think if it’s well cut you won’t have to worry about that.

I agree that this is true for the most part. But there's a reason why people cup yellow or pink diamonds, even when they're exceptionally well-cut. Ideally, all light is supposed to enter the table and reflect off pavilion facets back to the eye through the crown, but you can still influence the face-up appearance of a stone through the pavilion. This is why for millennia, people foiled the backs of diamonds and other colored stones. So closing off a pavilion from light under a halo can sometimes have an effect on a stone's apparent tone. And this can actually be a good thing, if you have a gem that's maybe a bit lighter in tone or weaker in saturation than you'd like (such as a padparadscha). But even just in looking at OP's photos, the stone looks a little brighter in the diamond band without the halo. Again though, it's a matter of preference. I'd still say OP could go with both the halo and diamond band, because bling always wins out in my book. And, to me, the stone is so beautiful that any slight difference in its appearance due to the mounting won't matter.

 

[margauxmines]

As many have said (and if budget allows), the halo and diamond band would look great! If you only had to choose one, I prefer the halo... I think the white diamonds really make the garnet pop and it looks so good on the hand—and this is coming from someone who doesn't really like halos all that much! But I think in this case, it would be beautiful for your garnet.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

Halo and a plain band. Comfort and drama at the same time.
Some stone - wow!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I love the look of the halo - and i'm not necessarily a halo girl. It gets a little lost compared to the blingy band, IMHO. Fun project either way

I agree
and i almost never go for the halo
but it finishes it off nicely in this case

 

[MidModMin]

I'm not normally one to vote for a halo, but I do in this case. Garnets have a deep, rich tone, and I think the halo showcases that in the best way.