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Help needed!!! Double halo dream engagement ring

Kelseyg91

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Aug 16, 2016
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First time posting on this site guys. Basically I fell in love with a ring from Jubilee and opted to have it custom made using some of the diamonds from my mother's engagement ring. The jewelers have really great work, but for some reason my ring did not turn out at all as I had hoped. They have agreed to fix my ring free of charge.

They plan on changing the size of the double halo diamonds to 1/2 pointers (originally I had opted for that, yet I still got 1 pointers)
They plan on raising the height of the inner halo. For some reason both my halo's are the same height.
And they will round the corners giving it more of a cushion shape.

I've seen their other work and the rings are beautiful, I really don't know what happened with mine.

Right now I'm really confused whether I should change to 1/2 pointers. I really need some advice!
My center stone is a .5 carat round stone, the ring I liked from Jubilee is a .47 carat princess cut.

Here are some pictures of the ring I love. What size do you guys think the diamonds in halo are?
img_20160516_153819.jpg
img_20160516_153047.jpg
This last image is the way mine turned out....
img_20160714_133336.jpg

Thanks for your help!
 

Bron357

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Hi, in my humble opinion you have if you have a round centre diamond your halo needs to also be round. I also feel that the other ring with the princess cut looks bigger for its weight compared to your round. If anything, personally I'd do the outer halo with larger diamonds. The problem with smaller diamonds is you can end up with a look that is "more prongs holding them in" than actual diamond. And the square shape halo doesn't really work as well with a round centre stone. Softening the halo to cushion shape will look a lot more balanced. If you haven't already Google "diamond rings with halos" and check out all the different ways of achieving your dream ring. I still think the ring you ended up with is lovely but it wasn't able to "look like" the other ring due to the different shape of the centre stone.
 

Kelseyg91

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You're totally right and that's why the jewelers have suggested going to a cushion shape because it really doesn't work.

My biggest issue right now is going smaller on the halo. If I go smaller it won't look like the ring I wanted. But it may end up nicer???

Thanks for your reply bron357
 

Octo2005

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The one that you love seems to have a more tapered band than your current setting, it might just be the photo, but the inspiration ring seems to be more "fluid" if that makes sense. IMHO I think the melee size is good and agree that softening the corners and swapping the round for a cushion would look great. (But I am in love with cushions, LOL)

Best of luck!
 

Kelseyg91

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It's slightly more tapered and then my ring turned out much larger which makes it look even less tapered lol. I really do love the melee even though my DH seems to think smaller halos can be sparklier and prettier lol. The jewelers seem to think it will be nicer too ugh.. but yes you're right cushion will be so much better!
Thanks for your imput!
 

Gypsy

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Um. I like yours better??? :wacko: :sick: :wacko:
 

Kelseyg91

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Really Gyspy!? You're like a legend around here lol. Thank you though. I really really don't like the sharp edges or the fact that the halo's are the same height. The melee I'm starting to lean towards going smaller.. any advice Gypsy? I'll add a close up photo. In lighting the ring is beautiful and shines so nicely, in photos and out of the light it just looks bizarre. I just don't know if changing the halo height and shape of the ring will be enough. I can't say I like it at all in photos. I really only like it in nice lighting. img_20160816_210402.jpg img_20160816_225448.jpg
 

flyingpig

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Kelseyg91|1471411287|4066796 said:
I'll add a close up photo. In lighting the ring is beautiful and shines so nicely, in photos and out of the light it just looks bizarre.
Agree. I liked the shot in the car. The close up photo? Not so much...
I do not know what will make this ring better.
Overall, the centre stone and the double halo look very disconnected.
 

Snowdrop13

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It looks like the centre diamond is sitting well above the level of the halo so I think evening out the levels would be a good idea. I think you have mentioned all the things that I notice- imho the edges are too square and the halo stones should be smaller. I hope it works out 2nd time around!
 

Gypsy

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flyingpig|1471416148|4066806 said:
Kelseyg91|1471411287|4066796 said:
I'll add a close up photo. In lighting the ring is beautiful and shines so nicely, in photos and out of the light it just looks bizarre.
Agree. I liked the shot in the car. The close up photo? Not so much...
I do not know what will make this ring better.
Overall, the centre stone and the double halo look very disconnected.
Yeah. New photos show the issue. I'll.think about it.
 

Kelseyg91

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Thanks everyone, I think the 3 issues they plan on fixing will hopefully make it better. At this point I don't really care if it looks like the ring I wanted, I just want it to be pretty LOL!

Looking forward to hearing what you think Gypsy. I really do love the double halo's I love the sparkle and I want the coverage as well.
 

rockysalamander

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I'd recommend you move toward a cushion or round shaped halo and think hard about the balance of the halo stones to the main stone. The proportion of halo to diamond is very different between your inspiration and your ring. Your halos are about 60-65% of the size of your center stone. The inspiration is more like 45-50% (guessing due to resolution of image). In the image below from Debeers, the halos are about ~45% of the width of the center stone. I think this particular interpretation of the inspiration is overwhelming your diamond, not highlighting it.

The other design change from the inspiration is the narrowing of the taper at the top and maybe the whole shoulder of the band. Your band looks more slender both at the top and in full width. It has less visual presence. The inspiration has a visible flare at the top and looks like the diamonds are graduated in size down the band and maybe has some detail on the sides of the diamonds. The whole band looks wider as a proportion to the halo. I think that is also part of throwing off the visual balance and why it looks so different from the inspiration. {I have recently been dealing with just this issue in the design of a custom ring!} GOOD LUCK!

halotop.jpg
Source: http://www.debeers.com/de-beers-aura-double-halo-solitaire-ring-j1dd17bp

The Leon Mege double uses larger halo stones -- but the prongs are far less apparent. This also helps the look seem seamless.
https://www.leonmege.com/portfolio/custom-work/halo/double-halo-cushion-cut-diamond-platinum-engagement-ring-detail
 

Kelseyg91

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rockysalamander|1471466081|4067008 said:
I'd recommend you move toward a cushion or round shaped halo and think hard about the balance of the halo stones to the main stone. The proportion of halo to diamond is very different between your inspiration and your ring. Your halos are about 60-65% of the size of your center stone. The inspiration is more like 45-50% (guessing due to resolution of image). In the image below from Debeers, the halos are about ~45% of the width of the center stone. I think this particular interpretation of the inspiration is overwhelming your diamond, not highlighting it.

The other design change from the inspiration is the narrowing of the taper at the top and maybe the whole shoulder of the band. Your band looks more slender both at the top and in full width. It has less visual presence. The inspiration has a visible flare at the top and looks like the diamonds are graduated in size down the band and maybe has some detail on the sides of the diamonds. The whole band looks wider as a proportion to the halo. I think that is also part of throwing off the visual balance and why it looks so different from the inspiration. {I have recently been dealing with just this issue in the design of a custom ring!} GOOD LUCK!

halotop.jpg
Source: http://www.debeers.com/de-beers-aura-double-halo-solitaire-ring-j1dd17bp

The Leon Mege double uses larger halo stones -- but the prongs are far less apparent. This also helps the look seem seamless.
https://www.leonmege.com/portfolio/custom-work/halo/double-halo-cushion-cut-diamond-platinum-engagement-ring-detail


So in your opinion rockysalamander I should go with the 1/2 pointers instead? And yes definitely cushion will be better. That ring you used as an example is beautiful
 

rockysalamander

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I'm not in the trade...the math says if you want two equal halo of 45% of your main stone, each halo needs to be 1.25 mm total width (after setting). You'll lose some width between the halos.

My personal preference would be to make the stones in the inner halo tiny tiny. Then, make the outer stones a bit bigger. This is my personal preference (but this ring is on your finger!). This makes the halo a real feature to focus on your center stone and help cheat the eyes to make your round look like a cushion in a chusion-shaped halo.

doublehalo_mix.jpg

The size difference between these two is more subtle, but it is there! I also love the side view of the below halo. To my eye, the steps between the halos is nice. The stone could be lowered a bit (not much). I don't love the prongs, but otherwise this is quite nice to my eyes.
doublehalo-same.jpg
doublehalo-steps.jpg

More images: http://www.mdcdiamonds.com/engagementdetails.cfm?Stock=ES922CUWG&Country=us&cuid=2e505df40a407213d34001d3b1e7ba6f#

Another Version: http://www.since1910.com/tacori-ht2520cu-double-row-cushion-halo-diamond-engagement-ring (although this center is quite a bit bigger)

I would find the proportions you like and then go to the jeweler and walk them through exactly what you want (...thanks Gypsy). Let them do the math, because they will be setting the stones and know what tolerances they need to accomplish your design.
 

Kelseyg91

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Wow!!! Love love love both those rings! I really like the smaller stones on the inner halo.

I'm going to bring both these photos to my jewelers and see what they think! Thank you so much rockysalamander :) they will be starting the re-design September 6th! I will post the CAD's once they're ready! Thanks ladies
 

Rivendell

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Kelseyg91|1471398237|4066756 said:
You're totally right and that's why the jewelers have suggested going to a cushion shape because it really doesn't work.

My biggest issue right now is going smaller on the halo. If I go smaller it won't look like the ring I wanted. But it may end up nicer???

Thanks for your reply bron357


I also think the halo needs to be cushion or round. It would also look nicer if it was smaller and more in proportion to your central stone. Any ring can be made big if you add halos but I think you're right smaller will look much more beautiful even if it's not like the ring you originally wanted. Good luck I hope it all works out.
 

rockysalamander

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I'm so glad you found some inspiration for a re-design. :appl: Just be clear to the jeweler if you are tying to replicate the beautiful setting you saw (but using a round stone) or move in a new direction to create a different beautiful setting. IMHO...if you do round in round halo, it will be easier to execute well (here's some other round in round inspiration

If you go with a round in a cushion, here are just a few details I would focus on:
  • ~they will need to adjust the placement (and maybe size of the melee) of the inner halo to cheat the eye to provide the foundation of a cushion shape. You are using the smaller diamonds and prongs to infer the shape of a cushion, and it is then reinforced by the outer larger halo whose perimeter is a perfect cushion. They are not placing in inner halo melee in a perfect circle around your stone. The inner halo is very very close to the diamond. NO airline between the diamond and inner halo.
    ~main diamond held by 1 prong in each corner or split prongs paired in each "corner"
    ~the diamonds in each halo needs to be tilted downward (look carefully at the inspirations you like). For a single halo, PS'er say 20% "lean away" from horizontal. I'm not sure with a double. Study the side view of LM and Debeers inspirations. But, NOT flat. Maybe another PS'r will chime in on this.
    ~No big honking bits of metal holding the melee and between the halos. Emphasize delicate and seamless like the Debeers and LM inspirations.
    ~emphasize proportions. The designs you said you like have a particular% (around 45%) of the diamond width as a halo (total halo in final set form). Make sure they understand you want the same proportions after setting.
    ~thickness (not width along the finger, height off the finger) of you desired wedding band and if you like gap or no gap. That is a major driver of the overall height and basket shape under the halo.
    ~You don't have to close-off the bottom around the gallery. You can keep that open or uses some detail to make a pretty side view.
 

Kelseyg91

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Thank you for that reply!
Okay so I'm going to ask them for a cushion halo with a smaller inner halo and a 25% tilt (from what I've learnt on this site). Other than that I like how my ring sits, it sits perfectly for me to put a band under and I wanted it lower because of my job.
I think with those changes my ring will turn out nice! I hope!!! Thanks for all your help :) I'll post ring pictures once it gets done. And now we wait :)
 

Gypsy

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Oppps. I sorry I was going to come back to this thread.

In addition to what you've asked for already tell them specifically you want 1/2 point melee in the halo.

That should give you the look you want. Also have them set the stone farther DOWN into the halo (bring halo up around the stone) so tht it doesn't look like the stone is sitting on top of the halo. And the two halos should be on different planes from the side. Stepping up.

Like the first picture but with the 20% tilt you specified. See how the halos are on separate steps?

See the second picture too, the one with the rose gold? That one has the two steps AND the tilt. And see how far down that red gem is inset into the halos? That's what I mean about lowering your stone into it. The girdle should be just barely visible from the side (with maginification only). But the rest of the stone should be inside the setting.

double-halo-french-cut-setting-profile.jpg

51074_profile.jpg
 

Kelseyg91

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Okay awesome Gypsy! So 1/2 point melee on inner halo and 1 pointers on outer melee?

Will do for bringing the stone down. That ring in the second picture looks beautiful the way it's done
Thank you!
 

Gypsy

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No. No one pointers anywhere.

I would either do 1/2 pointers for both or I would do 1/2 pointers on inner and 3/4 pointers (or 2/3 pointers) on the outer if you want larger outer.

But one pointers are way too big for the look you want.
 

Kelseyg91

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Okay thanks for clarifying that Gypsy! I'll email them Asap with all these changes. Thank you so much!
 

Gypsy

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:wavey:

Feel free to send them the picture of the second ring to demonstrate what you want. Images often help.
 
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