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Help: Round Halo Design

CaveatEmptor

CaveatEmptor

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 13, 2018
Messages
9
Hi all,

I am requesting some help with a round halo design that I had been working on with a jeweler in Los Angeles. I have been struggling for months, and now that I stumbled across this website, I feel I am in much better shape - I had been quite lost before. I am creating a custom halo design for my longtime girlfriend. I know that she likes halos (more rounded than square), round center stones, and pave settings. I have put a deposit on this stone: 2.38 carat, very good cut, very good polish, very good symmetry, VVS2, H color. Here is a link to the dimensions: https://snag.gy/oXMOxJ.jpg. And a link to a picture of the stone: https://snag.gy/7uld6h.jpg.

For the setting, my main concern is that it has the right type of pave - I would like very little metal. However, for everything else, I am not sure what I should be asking my jeweler to do. Should I be specifying the width of the setting and the size of the diamonds on the band? Are there enough/too many diamonds on the legs of the "tripod" that the diamond sits in? What type of prongs show the least amount of metal? Any help would be very much appreciated by me and my future fiance. Thanks.

CAD.png
 
Are you tied to that stone? The experts here could find you something significantly better. "Very good" cut is actually not good at all, and the dimensions don't look promising.
 
@lovedogs Not tied to it. Total cost of the stone plus all the work would be around 20K.
 
Ok. My other concern is whether you know the quality of this jeweler's work before committing to something custom. Have you seen a completed ring that he/she makes that is similar to what you want? From what you are describing I feel like this could be easily accomplished in a stock setting without the added stress and risk of doing something custom.
 
@lovedogs I have seen his work before, and I thought many of his pieces looked nice. Of course, I am no expert. Should I be asking for something more custom than this? What details would make it more worth the stress/risk?
 
@rockysalamander, one of our resident experts posted this on another thread about going custom:



Before you put down any money for custom, make sure you see a ring like you want that they have actually designed and executed. Look carefully at the prongs, prong tips and all the finishing (especially "inside" the setting). Not every jeweler is a designer. Not every jeweler can execute every design. If you go custom, you need to ask a lot of questions first.
1) Are they the actual designer or will they work with someone else?
2) Do they built the actual CAD model or will they work with someone else?
3) Do they do the finishing of the cast piece in-house?
4) Can they make you a wax/plastic model of the ring before casting in metal?
5) How many "rounds" of CAD are built into the price? 2, 3, 5, until you are happy...?
6) Do they provide insurance for your diamond during setting? (if no, either you need to insure it or walk away).
7) If you put down a deposit and they do the CAD and still communication of your vision and the design don't work, what is the policy?
8) What alloys for you chosen metal are available?
9) Do those alloys have nickel (which is a common allergen to many)?

The more "other" parties are involved in the process, the greater the chance for communication errors and frustration. There still are small, independent jewelers who do everything, but they are becoming rarer and rarer. Custom is hard, even for experienced members, so just exert some caution. Even if you use a local jeweller, you can post information/CADs here and we can help.

If you describe what you are looking for with images/inspos, we might be able to find it as a "stock" setting. That would likely be less expensive and more of a "sure thing."
 
@lovedogs

1. He works with an in-house team to design it.
2. Same.
3. Same.
4. I didn't think to ask.
5. Until I am happy.
6. I will ask.
7. He will refund me the money minus the CAD cost.
8. I am picking platinum.
9. I'll ask

Here is the inspiration. She tried on this one ring, and she really liked it (she was looking at cushions at the time).

https://www.4shared.com/s/fwKmuw-nvgm

https://www.4shared.com/s/f2F2_04O8ee

image1 (3).jpeg

and I liked how this one ring looked from the top down (the halo is more rounded)

unnamed.png
 
ditto @lovedogs i don't think you should go custom unless you're looking for a completely unique setting (which this really isn't) or looking for hand forged which will translate to more money. (check out www.victorcanera.com)

Nice setting from JA
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...e-and-pave-gallery-engagement-ring-item-53074
and Adiamor (who has a location in Los Angeles):
https://www.adiamor.com/Engagement-Rings/Halo/French-Cut-Cushion-Halo-Setting/Platinum/1652
b2cjewels:
https://www.b2cjewels.com/round/1/a...engagement-ring-for-round-diamond-in-platinum

and of course there are others. As far as the stone, you can do way better than that. You may have to drop a bit in size but it would be worth it. A 2ct stone is still going to look big in a halo!
 
@farrahlyn Where would you suggest I look for a stone?
 
CaveatEmptor said:
@farrahlyn Where would you suggest I look for a stone?
Click to expand...

The vendors we typically recommend are James Allen, white flash, high performance diamonds (for a super ideal stone), brian Gavin, b2c, etc. See other threads where experts are recommending stones.
 
Out of the 20k, what are you allocating for stone and for setting?

Have you discussed upgrading in the future? If upgrades are a possibility, you may not want to spend so much on a setting right now.
 
@PintoBean. Around 20k all included. No tax in my state so that isn't a problem. I am willing to go a little higher for some demonstrable difference in quality/size.

@lovedogs Thanks, I'll lurk moar.
 
If a jeweler is selling you a very good cut stone without a warning that it's a below average cut I'd be hesitant to do business with them.
 
If you're keen on using a local B&M store to you, check out Adiamor. i like their halo setting i posted above, very pretty. you're not going to hit that 2.3ct mark with the budget you have BUT you will get a sparklier, livlier stone.

found this stone on their site. it's a little out of "ideal" parameters but the 36 crown works well with the 40.6 pavillion. plus its a G color which is really nice and only puts you slightly over budget
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2.03-ct-G-VS2-Affinity-Cut-Round-Diamond/D42022472

if you don't mind dropping to an I color, these are worth looking at further.
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2.20-ct-I-VS2-Affinity-Cut-Round-Diamond/D42003815
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2.14-ct-I-VS2-Affinity-Cut-Round-Diamond/D41970410
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2.05-ct-I-VVS2-Affinity-Cut-Round-Diamond/D41914675 over budget but i thought i'd include it.


If you're open to purchasing online (if you like the JA setting) then we can definitely give you some stone choices from there too.
 
Found these options from James Allen (JA). The two I's are true hearts, meaning they have true hearts & arrows (H&A) symmetry and images to prove so. All have AGS Ideal 0 cut, which is important for the sparkle factor -- meaning they have good angles. This is a big plus for many of us. Good bang for buck on these. It was a little concerning all had dates of 2017 or earlier. Not sure if this is old inventory, or previously traded-in stones. Lastly, JA upgrade policy is spend 2x the original amount to get full price of the original stone.

JA True Hearts 2.14ct I SI1, $18,540 (born 2/9/17)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-si1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-3187076

JA True Hearts 2.07ct I SI1, $17,960 (born 2/9/17) - Eye clean?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-si1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-3187066

JA 2.01ct H SI1 AGS0, $18,540 (AGS000 certfied, born 6/17/16) - Eye clean?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-h-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3634613

JA 2.01ct H SI1, $18,950 (AGS000 certified, born 3/24/17) - Eye clean?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-h-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3634623


Here are some options from WhiteFlash (WF). A few of these may be pushing your budget. Nice thing about these, all are AGS000, true H&A and they have been specialty cut for the A Cut Above (ACA) program. The Expert Selection (ES) has minor things that did not allow them to qualify as ACA's but they are a near miss ACA and still treated with respect. Additionally WF has all imaging, top notch customer service & very generous upgrade program (spend $1 more and get full credit for your original stone). Selection tends to be healthy as well, so when/if the time comes to upgrade you may have more options than other vendors.

WF ACA 2.321ct I SI1, $20,635 wire
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4018656.htm

WF ACA 2.118ct H SI1, $20,327 wire
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3634195.htm

WF ES 2.117ct I SI1, $16,201 wire - Eye clean?
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3817256.htm

WF ES 2.003ct I SI1, $16,845 wire
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2936493.htm
 
Now is a good time to talk about clarity. You will notice the stones I listed are all SI1's. This is a substantial downgrade from your VVS2 clarity. Everyone feels different about the various C's. For instance, some cultures are very focused on colorless stones with very high clarity (E+, VVS+). Most American culture is more relaxed with near colorless and "eye clean" stones.

Most everyone here will tell you that you should not pay for something you can't see, meaning an "eye clean" SI1 stone is just as good as a VVS2 to most. In fact, some of the best values are found with an SI1 clarity.

So what does eye clean mean?

It's a subjective term, meaning it varies from person to person. A somewhat common definition that some of many of our vendors utilize is the following:

No inclusions visible to the naked eye of a person with 20/20 vision when viewing the diamond in the face-up position at a distance of approximately 10 inches under normal overhead lighting.

While this definition is somewhat common, it is not an industry standard. Additionally, picky people (like me) exist and prefer more stringent definitions. When I was looking for my girl I modified "eye clean" to mean the following:

No inclusions visible to the naked eye of a person with 20/20 vision when viewing the diamond in the face-up or side position at a distance of approximately 6 inches under normal overhead lighting.

I will admit many do not share my definition. I did this because I know me, lol. Most stick their diamond in a setting where the side is not seen, so the side view requirement is not common for most people.

All this said, you are cautioned to review YOUR definition of eye clean with the vendor you are considering for purchase. They can, and do, vary from vendor to vendor. It is better to make sure you are both on the same page so there are no misunderstandings.

Lastly, I might note some people suffer from "mind clean" stones. I also fall into this category. it means that while no imperfections can be seen with your naked human eye, it drives you nuts because you know it's there. Only you know the right answer for you on this subject matter, but I was open to a clean SI1 stone when I was shopping for my girl. While clarity was not a deciding factor, I was over-joyed with the fact I ended up with a very, very clean VS2 stone.
 
sledge said:
Found these options from James Allen (JA). The two I's are true hearts, meaning they have true hearts & arrows (H&A) symmetry and images to prove so. All have AGS Ideal 0 cut, which is important for the sparkle factor -- meaning they have good angles. This is a big plus for many of us. Good bang for buck on these. It was a little concerning all had dates of 2017 or earlier. Not sure if this is old inventory, or previously traded-in stones. Lastly, JA upgrade policy is spend 2x the original amount to get full price of the original stone.

JA True Hearts 2.14ct I SI1, $18,540 (born 2/9/17)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-si1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-3187076

JA True Hearts 2.07ct I SI1, $17,960 (born 2/9/17) - Eye clean?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-si1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-3187066

JA 2.01ct H SI1 AGS0, $18,540 (AGS000 certfied, born 6/17/16) - Eye clean?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-h-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3634613

JA 2.01ct H SI1, $18,950 (AGS000 certified, born 3/24/17) - Eye clean?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-h-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3634623


Here are some options from WhiteFlash (WF). A few of these may be pushing your budget. Nice thing about these, all are AGS000, true H&A and they have been specialty cut for the A Cut Above (ACA) program. The Expert Selection (ES) has minor things that did not allow them to qualify as ACA's but they are a near miss ACA and still treated with respect. Additionally WF has all imaging, top notch customer service & very generous upgrade program (spend $1 more and get full credit for your original stone). Selection tends to be healthy as well, so when/if the time comes to upgrade you may have more options than other vendors.

WF ACA 2.321ct I SI1, $20,635 wire
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4018656.htm

WF ACA 2.118ct H SI1, $20,327 wire
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3634195.htm

WF ES 2.117ct I SI1, $16,201 wire - Eye clean?
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3817256.htm

WF ES 2.003ct I SI1, $16,845 wire
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2936493.htm
Click to expand...

@sledge i hope you don't mind me nit picking these stones!

Not loving any of those JA stones because of clarity on all of them. the first two have noted "Additional twinning wisps and surface graining not shown". the first, the 2.14 also has several twinning wisps almost all the way across the table and the 2.07ct has visible twinning wisp along the side of the table and a small one on the table. They both look cloudy to me. the third JA stone, i LOVE the angles but is a toss up whether or not its eye clean. probably not at this size but worth asking. the last JA stone is inscribed as a HOF stone (!!!!!!) but the "additional clouds not shown" comment worries me because it LOOKS cloudy.

WF stones.. yeah don't even have to look, they're all gorgeous. lol!
 
farrahlyn said:
@sledge i hope you don't mind me nit picking these stones!

Not loving any of those JA stones because of clarity on all of them. the first two have noted "Additional twinning wisps and surface graining not shown". the first, the 2.14 also has several twinning wisps almost all the way across the table and the 2.07ct has visible twinning wisp along the side of the table and a small one on the table. They both look cloudy to me. the third JA stone, i LOVE the angles but is a toss up whether or not its eye clean. probably not at this size but worth asking. the last JA stone is inscribed as a HOF stone (!!!!!!) but the "additional clouds not shown" comment worries me because it LOOKS cloudy.

WF stones.. yeah don't even have to look, they're all gorgeous. lol!
Click to expand...

Nope, don't mind the picking at all. The OP getting the best stone is what matters. I see the same issues as you, but thought maybe it was because of the zoom magnification.

Generally speaking, I prefer much cleaner stones. As I've mentioned before, certs and videos like those drive me nuts as I suffer from "mind clean" issues. Probably future diamond purchases that I fund will include paying money for higher clarity than the majority here because of my own preferences and pickiness. However, not everyone shares that same sentiment and I try not to push that on anyone else. Hence I am sometimes more lenient on SI1's than I should be because I think it's just me being picky.
 
So, we've thrown a lot of information at you. How would you like to proceed? That CAD needs a lot of work, but frankly, I'd like us to find you a better stone first. but, we can support whichever direction you want.

For the record, does your girl want a stone over 2 c and a halo?
 
rockysalamander said:
So, we've thrown a lot of information at you. How would you like to proceed? That CAD needs a lot of work, but frankly, I'd like us to find you a better stone first. but, we can support whichever direction you want.

For the record, does your girl want a stone over 2 c and a halo?
Click to expand...

Great point by @rockysalamander -- dropping just slightly below 2 carat would help get you some better options.
 
sledge said:
Great point by @rockysalamander -- dropping just slightly below 2 carat would help get you some better options.
Click to expand...
What I meant was anytime someone is getting up to 2 carats, I think its important to consider the wearer. Does she want a larger stone? Does it fit her lifestyle? Does it fit her profession? Is she comfortable with a larger stone as they get taller as they get wider.

For example, I was helping a friend buy a ring for his intended. He is a successful dot-com mogul and was looking at 3 carats E VS1 or higher. The intended was a kindergarten teacher. After my prodding, he checked and found out that she wanted an antique cut diamond under 1 carat and loved lots of color. We found an P colored OEC and put it into a low bezel setting. She was thrilled.

If she is "new" and moving up in her career, in some fields, larger engagement rings can be problematic.
 
rockysalamander said:
What I meant was anytime someone is getting up to 2 carats, I think its important to consider the wearer. Does she want a larger stone? Does it fit her lifestyle? Does it fit her profession? Is she comfortable with a larger stone as they get taller as they get wider.

For example, I was helping a friend buy a ring for his intended. He is a successful dot-com mogul and was looking at 3 carats E VS1 or higher. The intended was a kindergarten teacher. After my prodding, he checked and found out that she wanted an antique cut diamond under 1 carat and loved lots of color. We found an P colored OEC and put it into a low bezel setting. She was thrilled.

If she is "new" and moving up in her career, in some fields, larger engagement rings can be problematic.
Click to expand...

I was coming from a pricing standpoint.as the 2 carat magic weight cost.premium could be avoided.

But @rockysalamander makes a very valid point. Initially when I started considering a ring for my girl I was wanting to get her a 2ct+ stone. As I learned more about HER preferences I quickly learned that wasn't what SHE wanted. She works with many abused kids and families and did not feel comfortable being that flashy as many of her patients are lower income.

Initially she wanted 0.5ct. The final stone ended up at 0.867ct. Oddly enough she liked unique settings so that was another journey altogether.

My point is to reinforce what was said -- take the time to know your girls preferences. Especially her color sensitivity. LOL I learned this the hard way.
 
@sledge @farrahlyn @lovedogs @rockysalamander @PintoBean

All great points. I hadn't considered what others may think about her stone. I'm thinking that I will go back to the jeweler and tell him what my new preferences are for the stone based on what you all have told me. I would prefer that the stone be over 2 carats - I just like the way it looks on her finger. As for the CAD design, what is wrong with it/needs to be improved? I will post pictures and details of the new stone details once I go in and speak with him. Also, sorry I did not respond earlier - we had some family tragedies in the last month. Thanks in advance for any input.
 
Sorry to hear about your family issues, my thoughts and prayers are with you as you guys continue to move past them.

I am rather busy at work right now but will put my head around this and circle back as soon as possible.
 
@sledge

Thank you for the kind words. I am hoping to shift the mood and bring everyone a lot of joy with this ring. It's important for me to get it right the first time.
 
Have you looked into Victor Canera who is located in LA? He does beautiful halos and you could purchase the stone through him too. I used him, but do not live in LA. It was very easy to work with him.
 
If you have not commited to your jeweler yet, you might want to contact maytal hannah. She is in LA and made 3 rings for me, I met her in person and she's very helpful and easy to work with. Good luck
 
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