I think I''ve decided...Oval with half moons...now where to find??

[gator3109]

Hello everyone. Wish I could have stumbled upon this diamond forum earlier. Just a wealth of good info here!

Anyways, after a month of store and internet shopping, I think I have decided to get an Oval with half moons. (I fell in love with Kaleighs after searching the forums.

I have a budget of around $10k, give or take a little. (more likely give...hehe)

I am looking for a decent oval (maybe F-H and VS2-SI1) and somewhere in the 1.5 range.

I have searched the settings on all the major places (BN, WF, GoG, Mondera, Adiamor, etc) and have come up with only a few places that even offer half-moon settings.

One was Diamond Source of Virginia (they seemed real friendly on the phone and they are going to quote me a price)
and the other was the moonlight from WF. But that seems to be for a round diamond and not Oval (as well as a max of 1.5). EDIT: I found a few on Goodoldgold, but I dont know the prices on them yet and i was hoping for bigger moons as though are TW .36

So, if anyone can help me find a nice setting with the half moons (either flat side or crescents) that sorta fits my price budget, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you everyone!!

Jason

 

[Gypsy]

Kaleigh's oval is from GOG. She called them, told them what she wanted and they sourced it for her. I suggest you do the same. Then she sent it to Leon Mege for the setting. www.artofplatinum.com I also suggest using him for the side stones, he's a master of matching centers and side stones.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 4/9/2008 4:45:40 PM
Author: Gypsy
Kaleigh''s oval is from GOG. She called them, told them what she wanted and they sourced it for her. I suggest you do the same. Then she sent it to Leon Mege for the setting. www.artofplatinum.com I also suggest using him for the side stones, he''s a master of matching centers and side stones.

Yup, ditto. Leon is great at sourcing the half moons. Jonathon at GOG brought in 4 ovals for me, made a video of them and picked one. He''s great to work with. Good luck!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

If your total budget is $10,000, you''ll need to reserve a good bit for the setting and side stones if you want a setting from Leon. A platinum 3 stone setting is probably running in the $2000 range, plus the sidestones. You might be looking at something like $6000 left for the center stone which probably won''t get a 1.5 unless you go pretty low in color and/or clarity.

 

[gator3109]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone!

Unfortunately, I knew I wouldn''t be able to go with leon or pretty much any custom type work for my 10K budget if I wanted something around 1.5ct. (Though I don''t need a platinum ring). I''ll see what the Virginia company will quote me and I guess I''ll go from there.

The only thing that bothered me about that company was their return policy which was nil. She basically said that she can send me the stones (with credit card on file) to review, but once they set them in a setting, its mine. I hate to be backed into a corner for an expensive purchase that my g/f may or may not like. (but i also want to surprise her and avoid the whole get her a fake ring and then buy one with her).

So, I guess I''ll continue searching.

Any other input is much appreciated!!

Thanks

Jason

 

[kbarro1]

Hi there! I was just looking at rings like this last night...the one I was in love with was $45,000, so I will keep dreaming!

But, I did find this one in the Kirk Kara collection and it sounds close to what you might want. The site is:

http://www.kirkkara.com/#section=gallery&productid=6223D-S

good luck!

 

[dennyr]

With curved center stones like the oval or cushion, crescent half moon side diamonds work great because the fit snug against the center stone. Of course not all crescents and half moons are cut the same way so you want to be sure you find diamonds with great cut so they match the beauty of the center stone. There are lost of side stone providers but only a few than have exceptionally cut side stones.

Pay attention to how well the diamonds fit together in this custom mounting. A lot of jewelers throw around the words "custom mounting" but few really are custom made from a mold to exactly fit the specific diamonds and finger size. All too often mountings are stock items they simply drop a center stone into a head and the side diamonds are not even close to the center stone. When spending the dollars you are talking about, be sure to get the custom mounting and quality of side stones that your center diamond deserves.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 6/4/2008 11:50:45 PM
Author: dennyr

With curved center stones like the oval or cushion, crescent half moon side diamonds work great because the fit snug against the center stone. Of course not all crescents and half moons are cut the same way so you want to be sure you find diamonds with great cut so they match the beauty of the center stone. There are lost of side stone providers but only a few than have exceptionally cut side stones. Check out the YouTube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzT_9yrZVuE that show an oval center diamond with crescent half moon side diamonds ring (photo attached).

Pay attention to how well the diamonds fit together in this custom mounting. A lot of jewelers throw around the words ''custom mounting'' but few really are custom made from a mold to exactly fit the specific diamonds and finger size. All too often mountings are stock items they simply drop a center stone into a head and the side diamonds are not even close to the center stone. When spending the dollars you are talking about, be sure to get the custom mounting and quality of side stones that your center diamond deserves.

Are you at all familair with Leon Mege? That''s who most of us were talking about in this thread. He''s about as custom as it gets....
His attention to detail is why I had him make my oval with half moons.

 

[dennyr]

Every day we advise guys planning on surprising their girlfriends, not to spend a lot on the mounting if they are not sure on the style she wants. We recommend buying the beautiful diamond (hopefully you know what shape she wants), set it in a simple Tiffany style mounting, and present that ring. That takes the pressure off the guy to guess which mounting style she will love the most given that she probably does not know yet either. Then you can both shop for the mounting style while she has the diamond on her finger. The gal gets the ring she really loves and the guy avoids making an expensive mistake.

Years ago, most engagement ring purchases were a complete surprise to the girl. Today, we find that this is viewed as more of a joint effort by couples, just like planning the wedding and honeymoon, or deciding their first house. There still can be a surprise about the final ring selection or when it is presented but our experience has been that the more input the girl has in the shape of the diamond and the general style of the mounting, the less pressure there is on the guy and the happier the result.

 

[dennyr]

I have seen photos of Leon Mege''s work on his web site but not in person. His work appears to be custom and nice quality. I was just at the Las Vegas Jewelry trade show last weekend and wish I had read this thread prior to my trip in case he was presenting there. We are always on the lookout for the best ring designers and find that different designers excel in particular styles of rings (pave, three stone, invisible set, etc.).

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 6/5/2008 12:14:17 AM
Author: dennyr
I have seen photos of Leon Mege''s work on his web site but not in person. His work appears to be custom and nice quality. I was just at the Las Vegas Jewelry trade show last weekend and wish I had read this thread prior to my trip in case he was presenting there. We are always on the lookout for the best ring designers and find that different designers excel in particular styles of rings (pave, three stone, invisible set, etc.).

Not only is his work custom, it''s art. It''s not just nice quality, it''s triple A quality. Another master craftsman is Mark Morell, his work is fluid, and is sheer perfection.