How much sparkle do french cuts give?

[diagem]

A better picture perhaps...

 

[Dreamer_D]

How do they set square diamonds in a round halo without having too much of a gap on the outer circumphrence??

Thanks Harriet.

 

[diagem]

A slightly different design version in a line...

 

[stepcutgirl]

Wow, Diagem! Thanks! Those are super cool pictures and give me a much better visual of it.

DD-I may be wrong but I think they cut them in a trap shape to make then go around.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Bumping this up for anyone who might have some more words for me on these stones.

 

[bgray]

i will say one thing --I LOVE french cuts my self BUT if my stone was a brilliant cut i wouldnt use french cuts--too much competing faceting. if your stone is a mine cut style sapphire or a step cut i think it works. EDIT: I guess what I am saying is that with a brilliant cut round (like your avatar I would use square/carre cut) but with a step cut or a stone with large open facets can carry french cuts. There needs to be some balance. I have an EC e-ring and have three french cut bands. The geometry of the EC works well against the faceting of the french cuts

 

[stepcutgirl]

Hmm, thanks for that observation bgray. My stone is a precision brilliant cut. I have seen this done often in the art deco period with a round brilliant center diamond and a french cut gemstone halo and I love the way that looks. Do you think it being done in the opposite fashion changes things?

 

[bgray]

Date: 3/3/2010 11:02:40 AM
Author: stepcutgirl
Hmm, thanks for that observation bgray. My stone is a precision brilliant cut. I have seen this done often in the art deco period with a round brilliant center diamond and a french cut gemstone halo and I love the way that looks. Do you think it being done in the opposite fashion changes things?

I dont know. Not saying it wont look good but--it could come off as busy/clashing. I actually have an antique ring with carre cut rubies around an old mine diamond. I feel like most of the times the halos are carre cuts but I might be wrong. Personally with your stunning stone I would do square cuts as the halo. OR you could do round brilliants ..........

 

[bgray]

Stepcutnut: check these out for ideas.

http://www.sjphillips.com/

i cant make the link live but check out sapphire rings....

 

[stepcutgirl]

Those are some gorgeous rings! Thanks for the link.

 

[bgray]

stepcutnut:

a thought--what about a double halo--a truly deco look. (my fave). your stone surrounded by rounds surrounded by squares OR your stone surrounded by squares surrounded by french cuts... or some variation of that idea...

 

[stepcutgirl]

I do love that look as well but that is a LOT of halo!

This stone is a pretty good size already at 2,0 cts and 7.3mm so I think two halos would be too much for it, but it is a fantastic look!

ETA-I have called every jeweler in the tri county area that has estate pieces and either thay have no idea what french cuts are or they have no pieces with them in it! Grrrr!

 

[bgray]

stephen russell in nyc uses them quite a bit

 

[Gailey]

Date: 3/2/2010 6:59:13 PM
Author: DiaGem
A slightly different design version in a line...

DiaGem, I love you.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Diagem and oldminer could I have your opinions on a french cut halo with a sapphire center?

 

[stepcutgirl]

bumping up again. I still want to hear from a few others.

 

[decodelighted]

What's your budget? French cuts that will have to be custom cut into a halo will likely prove to be VERY expensive. Maybe you should start with a quote before you get your heart set one way or another?


ETA: My educated but amateur guess would be the setting would be 2x or more with French cuts vs. standard RBs or single cuts. RB or single cut maybe $1500-2500, custom-cut Frenchies: 5-7K

 

[stepcutgirl]

I've gotten 2 quotes back so far. While money is an issue, this is in my budget. I'd really like to hear from people who have french cuts how they feel they look since I have no way to see french cuts. I'd also like more general opinions on a halo of this sort since myself and the vendors who have given quotes have never seen a halo like this.

ETA-I also thought the quotes would come back so expensive it would take it out of the running, but they are surprisingly not all that much more than a regular rb halo.

 

[bgray]

i know i am repeating myself from earlier but french cuts werent and arent typically used in halos--it was pretty much carre cuts which from a distance might look like they were french cuts. french cuts would be extremely difficult to trim for a halo because of the faceting. stepehn russell in nyc is very into french cuts and uses them in bands and sometimes in the bands of a ring. Leon Mege loves antique and antique style stones--if anyone can do it and do it right -it would be him. why dont you ask him? his halos are predominantly carre and brilliant (pave/bead)

it would also concern me that the vendors who have given you quotes have never seen such a halo.

 

[stepcutgirl]

bgray-carre cuts are an option for this but not as much as french cuts. I have seen old halos made from each and I prefer the french cut ones.

Each of the vendors who are giving me quotes have seen the halo done with both french cut and carre cut gemstones but not diamonds. An internet search yields no results of a diamond halo using either cut. Hence why I want opinions from people who have seen french cut diamonds and can give me an opinion of why they think it would or would not work.

I did ask Leon for a quote for a ring similar to this before but using colored stones (which I assume) would be cheaper and it was 3x's the cost that has been quotes so far.

ETA-Just to make sure he is still out of my budget I did just send him another quote request.

 

[bgray]

Date: 3/3/2010 8:17:26 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
bgray-carre cuts are an option for this but not as much as french cuts. I have seen old halos made from each and I prefer the french cut ones.


Each of the vendors who are giving me quotes have seen the halo done with both french cut and carre cut gemstones but not diamonds. An internet search yields no results of a diamond halo using either cut. Hence why I want opinions from people who have seen french cut diamonds and can give me an opinion of why they think it would or would not work.


I did ask Leon for a quote for a ring similar to this before but using colored stones (which I assume) would be cheaper and it was 3x's the cost that has been quotes so far.


ETA-Just to make sure he is still out of my budget I did just send him another quote request.

got it--i have several french cut diamond bands myself. nothing with a halo.

 

[Cehrabehra]

french cuts are square - it could look awkward to halo a round stone with square stones, that would be my biggest concern.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 2/28/2010 2:18:02 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
Thanks for all the replies. Here is a photo shopped picture of what I''m thinking. I think I would go JbEG, BGD or WF for the design.

Okay, that looks nice - I guess I pictured the french cuts as being much larger relatively and sticking out like awkward petals lol

 

[stepcutgirl]

Ceh-yeah, that would be a bit odd! They custom cut the stones into almost trap shaped squares, if that makes sense.

Bg-Are your french cut rings on here? I couldn''t find your thread on any.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 3/3/2010 8:10:46 PM
Author: bgray
i know i am repeating myself from earlier but french cuts werent and arent typically used in halos--it was pretty much carre cuts which from a distance might look like they were french cuts. french cuts would be extremely difficult to trim for a halo because of the faceting. stepehn russell in nyc is very into french cuts and uses them in bands and sometimes in the bands of a ring. Leon Mege loves antique and antique style stones--if anyone can do it and do it right -it would be him. why dont you ask him? his halos are predominantly carre and brilliant (pave/bead)

it would also concern me that the vendors who have given you quotes have never seen such a halo.

That may be true for diamond French cut halos, but you don''t have to look far to find sapphire and ruby French cut halos. Here''s one I found at Dover Jewelry

 

[stepcutgirl]

Yes, you can find those gemstone halos fairly easily...but I can''t find a single diamond one.

I REALLY like those gemstone ones though. If I don''t wind up with a french cut diamond halo for my ering I would love to have a sapphire halo around an oec one day!

 

[bgray]

Date: 3/3/2010 9:00:50 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 3/3/2010 8:10:46 PM

Author: bgray

i know i am repeating myself from earlier but french cuts werent and arent typically used in halos--it was pretty much carre cuts which from a distance might look like they were french cuts. french cuts would be extremely difficult to trim for a halo because of the faceting. stepehn russell in nyc is very into french cuts and uses them in bands and sometimes in the bands of a ring. Leon Mege loves antique and antique style stones--if anyone can do it and do it right -it would be him. why dont you ask him? his halos are predominantly carre and brilliant (pave/bead)


it would also concern me that the vendors who have given you quotes have never seen such a halo.

That may be true for diamond French cut halos, but you don''t have to look far to find sapphire and ruby French cut halos. Here''s one I found at Dover Jewelry

yes i agree: i have a double oec stone ring each with a french cut ruby halo

 

[Gailey]

Date: 3/3/2010 8:30:54 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
french cuts are square - it could look awkward to halo a round stone with square stones, that would be my biggest concern.

They are not always square. I believe Single Stone carries a band with rectangular French cuts. Lang Antiques is listing an asscher ring with graduated French cuts.

Lastly, Here are some sublime traps cut by DiaGem I believe

 

[Gailey]

Date: 3/3/2010 9:03:15 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
Yes, you can find those gemstone halos fairly easily...but I can''t find a single diamond one.

I REALLY like those gemstone ones though. If I don''t wind up with a french cut diamond halo for my ering I would love to have a sapphire halo around an oec one day!

I don''t believe I have either, otherwise I would have saved it in my scrap book. Closest I came was finding a CAD of a diamond halo. I found this on PS, but can''t for the life of me remember where.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Well I finally found a jeweler who has done a diamond french cut halo around a colored stone and he says it is exquisite! Way way out of my price range, but that makes me very happy to hear!