Momma wants a halo. Orospot? advice?

[momhappy]

So, I currently have a traditional round solitaire with a few small diamond in the band and a matching wedding band. I am so tired of the whole engagement ring/wedding band set - I want a halo (with no wedding band)!!! My solitaire is a 1.521 carat and I'm pretty happy with the size, so I don't think I need an "upgrade" per se. Fortunately for me, I am very petite (ring size 3.5), so my diamond looks big on me already I found this halo and fell in love: http://www.victorcanera.com/jewelry/the-emilya-with-flush-fitting-stems
Victor Canera quoted me about $4000 and my local jeweler quoted me $3500-4000. I also shop on Etsy and have purchased some wonderful, custom diamond pieces on there, so I am familiar/comfortable with the process. I found a jeweler on Etsy who quoted me about $3700 and I found another called "OroSpot" who seems like they can get a similar job done for quite a bit less. Anyone have any experience with OroSpot? Any advice on achieving my perfect halo for the best price?

 

[momhappy]

No advice for shopping around for a halo setting?
Also, I was curious, has anyone purchased a semi-mount and had a current stone (already set in an existing ring) removed and set into the new semi-mount? Any idea what the cost might be for that type of service?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Victor Canera is worth every single penny, and I would bet that his is far superior to the others with only a very small difference in price. Don't sacrifice quality for a few hundred dollars. He is a pave master, and I wouldn't even think of paying $500 less for a lesser quality setting. His is handforged and most will be cast. Just not the same quality at all.

When buying a setting and having an existing stone set, the price can vary widely. The setting seller may do it for free up to a couple hundred dollars.

 

[Niel]

I am not familiar. Now VC is going to have very top quality, but if you are reluctant to pay for that, engagement rings direct does really wonderful work. That setting is fairly common, and it looks very nice from ERD
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/grace-classic-micro-pave-halo-enagement-ring-bpid-58-18.html

heres an example
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/[/URL]

 

[SB621]

I pretty much agree with DS when it comes to the quality of VC. If that is your dream setting then have him do it. I wouldn't use anyone else. I will be selling my Emilya halo but I don't think my setting will fit yours since it is for a 2ct RB.

 

[momhappy]

Victor Canera is worth every single penny, and I would bet that his is far superior to the others with only a very small difference in price. Don't sacrifice quality for a few hundred dollars. He is a pave master, and I wouldn't even think of paying $500 less for a lesser quality setting. His is handforged and most will be cast. Just not the same quality at all.

When buying a setting and having an existing stone set, the price can vary widely. The setting seller may do it for free up to a couple hundred dollars.

I agree that VC rings are gorgeous and I don't have any doubts in regards to the quality. However, the other rings I'm looking at are also hand forged (with the exception of maybe OroSpot becasue I haven't verified that one yet). - they just don't have a well-known brand backing them up (and inflating the price). Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think that VC is that overpriced, but it's in my nature to shop around and find the biggest bang for my buck.
Thanks for your advice - perhaps I should just go with VC. I'm just so indecisive and it's a big step sending off my ring and not knowing what I'm getting back (no matter which jeweler I choose)....

 

[Aoife]

Are you sure that all the other options other than VC are truly hand forged? Most craftsmen who offer custom design are actually using the CAD process, which is very different, and usually less expensive. I know that you may already be aware of this, but I just wanted to make sure that you were truly comparing apples to apples in terms of pricing.

 

[momhappy]

I am not familiar. Now VC is going to have very top quality, but if you are reluctant to pay for that, engagement rings direct does really wonderful work. That setting is fairly common, and it looks very nice from ERD
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/grace-classic-micro-pave-halo-enagement-ring-bpid-58-18.html

heres an example
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/[/URL]

Thanks so much for posting this! Her center diamond matches the specs on my diamond almost exactly, so it really gives me an idea of what a completed project would look like for me too. Did she use ERD?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I totally understand! It is a lot of money no matter what! All I can tell you is that I have only had one thing done by Victor, but I'd have more confidence about the outcome with him than anyone else. You could check with Steven Kirsch if you want a comparison quote from someone who does similar level work. Sometimes their quotes are almost the same and sometimes they are not.

 

[PintoBean]

If the emiliya makes your heart sing, and this will be your forever setting, I say go for it!

You could also request quotes from SK as diamond seeker noted, ERD has a hand forged option as well, and diamonds by lauren

 

[Niel]

I am not familiar. Now VC is going to have very top quality, but if you are reluctant to pay for that, engagement rings direct does really wonderful work. That setting is fairly common, and it looks very nice from ERD
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/grace-classic-micro-pave-halo-enagement-ring-bpid-58-18.html

heres an example
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/[/URL]

Thanks so much for posting this! Her center diamond matches the specs on my diamond almost exactly, so it really gives me an idea of what a completed project would look like for me too. Did she use ERD?

 

[momhappy]

If the emiliya makes your heart sing, and this will be your forever setting, I say go for it!

You could also request quotes from SK as diamond seeker noted, ERD has a hand forged option as well, and diamonds by lauren

I guess that's part of the problem - I can't say with 100% certainty that this would be a "forever" ring. I don't know how anyone can say that. Things change/people change/styles change. A "forever" anything just isn't practical. I got my wedding set 11 years ago and although it's lovely. I just don't care for the style any more. Who's to say that 10 years from now, I won't care for my halo (should I choose to go that route)? Also, someday I might upgrade my diamond to a 2 carat or I may switch to a natural canary yellow, so that's another reason why I shy away from dropping too much money on this particular redesign project.
Funny you mentioned Diamonds by Lauren - I have received a quote from them too (it's a bit high only because I want to utilize my existing diamond and their prices are lower when you purchase their diamonds). When I finally get my yellow diamond, it will likely be from DBL

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I, personally, would not consider a $3500-4000 setting if I was considering a future upgrade. It would only be if I wanted to make an heirloom ring that I intended to keep for good! I do think a VC halo would be very classic, timeless and worthy to be an heirloom. But certainly, none of us knows the future with 100% certainty.

 

[kalima]

I agree that VC rings are gorgeous and I don't have any doubts in regards to the quality. However, the other rings I'm looking at are also hand forged (with the exception of maybe OroSpot becasue I haven't verified that one yet).

The terms Handmade, Handforged and Handcrafted should mean that the piece has been entirely by hand from start to finish, using hand tools and raw metal wire/bullion. But it is commonly used even if the piece has been cast or assembled from prefabricated components. So the term has become pretty meaningless on Pricescope and is often used to describe jewellery that is neither. Jewellery that is produced using CAD/CAM, wax models and casting is not handmade, it could be described as hand-finished which is more accurate.

This confusion is unfortunate because some vendors (I won't out them here as one was mentioned in this thread) have twisted the meaning of this term and equated their lower quality product to be equivalent to much higher end benches like Leon Mege, Steven Kirsch and Victor Canera because they also call their product "handmade". The truest form of hand forging a ring such as this one is to start with wire, plates, tubes, and/or shavings and solder or weld pieces together for structure then hand scoop out metal to form the pave. This method requires a pave master, and few outfits have pave specialists who can compare to VC, SK or LM's benches. if a seller simple makes one piece by hand and casts the rest they can call this "hand forged" or "handmade" but the quality of the pave will in no way be comparable.

I suggest you ignore the marketing and focus on how delicate and refined you want the pave to look and how durable and well seated you want the prongs as well as what size of melee you want. These things are much more important than whether it is marketed as "hand forged". You can view differences between vendors suggested here by asking other members to show you closeup pictures of past rings as a comparison.

In my not so humble opinion if the difference between VC and 'Random Cast Jeweler' or 'Random Etsy Jewelery' or 'Random Local Jeweler"' is $500 or less I think you would be making a big mistake going for an inferior product just to save a couple hundred.
By inferior I mean not as well shaped prongs, less well seated pave, more unnecessary metal showing, sharper or blocky instead of more flowing lines on struts and curves etc.

I wouldn't exactly call craftsmen like VC "big name" or that they command a significant "brand premium" they really aren't like a Tiffanys or Cartier, their work is refined and time consuming and for jewellery enthusiasts. For those with a sharp eye the small premium you pay for their work is justified and it shows in the details.

When I was shopping for my wife's ring maker it came down to cad cast versus a true handmade ring and the price difference was almost $2000 (this was in 2009), also SK and VC weren't known on these boards at this time. I chose the cast route and really after examining more refined rings I wished I hadn't.

If the price difference is greater or if you aren't that concerned with getting the most delicate and refined ring you might try ERD who does pretty solid cast work but will be more bulky and he will likely be more comfortable using larger melee like 1 or 1.5 pointers, but I'd make sure it is a substantial savings in your mind before going this route.

Given your delicate hands and already substantial diamond size I would reccomend Victor Canera or Steven Kirsch and suggest diamonds between half and 3/4 pointers. WIth smaller melee diamonds you really want smaller pave prongs to show less metal and I wouldn't trust other benches to do this as well as they can.

Best of luck on the project no matter who you choose it will be a beautiful ring.

 

[momhappy]

I am more confused than ever. I appreciate all of the advice so far. I guess I'm realizing that I'm fairly clueless when it comes to jewelry-making. Many of the jewelers I have researched use the term "hand forged" but I suppose that term can be be misleading at times. I have no idea what I want - all I know is that I have seen lots of halos and theVictor Canera Emilya halo seemed to appeal to me the most. When speaking with jewelers, I don't even know what types of things to ask for except that I know that the VC halo is at a 25 degree angle, that there is no metal between the diamond and the halo, and that his halo has little metal at the lip of the halo. Ugh... Help!

 

[momhappy]

I am not familiar. Now VC is going to have very top quality, but if you are reluctant to pay for that, engagement rings direct does really wonderful work. That setting is fairly common, and it looks very nice from ERD
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/grace-classic-micro-pave-halo-enagement-ring-bpid-58-18.html

heres an example
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/[/URL]

Does anyone know if the woman (syd) in the thread listed above here used this ring as her guide?: http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/ada-a-classic-micropave-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-bpid-79-19.html

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree that VC rings are gorgeous and I don't have any doubts in regards to the quality. However, the other rings I'm looking at are also hand forged (with the exception of maybe OroSpot becasue I haven't verified that one yet).

The terms Handmade, Handforged and Handcrafted should mean that the piece has been entirely by hand from start to finish, using hand tools and raw metal wire/bullion. But it is commonly used even if the piece has been cast or assembled from prefabricated components. So the term has become pretty meaningless on Pricescope and is often used to describe jewellery that is neither. Jewellery that is produced using CAD/CAM, wax models and casting is not handmade, it could be described as hand-finished which is more accurate.

This confusion is unfortunate because some vendors (I won't out them here as one was mentioned in this thread) have twisted the meaning of this term and equated their lower quality product to be equivalent to much higher end benches like Leon Mege, Steven Kirsch and Victor Canera because they also call their product "handmade". The truest form of hand forging a ring such as this one is to start with wire, plates, tubes, and/or shavings and solder or weld pieces together for structure then hand scoop out metal to form the pave. This method requires a pave master, and few outfits have pave specialists who can compare to VC, SK or LM's benches. if a seller simple makes one piece by hand and casts the rest they can call this "hand forged" or "handmade" but the quality of the pave will in no way be comparable.

I suggest you ignore the marketing and focus on how delicate and refined you want the pave to look and how durable and well seated you want the prongs as well as what size of melee you want. These things are much more important than whether it is marketed as "hand forged". You can view differences between vendors suggested here by asking other members to show you closeup pictures of past rings as a comparison.

In my not so humble opinion if the difference between VC and 'Random Cast Jeweler' or 'Random Etsy Jewelery' or 'Random Local Jeweler"' is $500 or less I think you would be making a big mistake going for an inferior product just to save a couple hundred.
By inferior I mean not as well shaped prongs, less well seated pave, more unnecessary metal showing, sharper or blocky instead of more flowing lines on struts and curves etc.

I wouldn't exactly call craftsmen like VC "big name" or that they command a significant "brand premium" they really aren't like a Tiffanys or Cartier, their work is refined and time consuming and for jewellery enthusiasts. For those with a sharp eye the small premium you pay for their work is justified and it shows in the details.

When I was shopping for my wife's ring maker it came down to cad cast versus a true handmade ring and the price difference was almost $2000 (this was in 2009), also SK and VC weren't known on these boards at this time. I chose the cast route and really after examining more refined rings I wished I hadn't.

If the price difference is greater or if you aren't that concerned with getting the most delicate and refined ring you might try ERD who does pretty solid cast work but will be more bulky and he will likely be more comfortable using larger melee like 1 or 1.5 pointers, but I'd make sure it is a substantial savings in your mind before going this route.

Given your delicate hands and already substantial diamond size I would reccomend Victor Canera or Steven Kirsch and suggest diamonds between half and 3/4 pointers. WIth smaller melee diamonds you really want smaller pave prongs to show less metal and I wouldn't trust other benches to do this as well as they can.

Best of luck on the project no matter who you choose it will be a beautiful ring.

Outstanding post! Handforged and handmade are not the same thing, and you are correct that "handmade" means many different things here!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am more confused than ever. I appreciate all of the advice so far. I guess I'm realizing that I'm fairly clueless when it comes to jewelry-making. Many of the jewelers I have researched use the term "hand forged" but I suppose that term can be be misleading at times. I have no idea what I want - (1) all I know is that I have seen lots of halos and theVictor Canera Emilya halo seemed to appeal to me the most. (2)When speaking with jewelers, I don't even know what types of things to ask for except that I know that the VC halo is at a 25 degree angle, that there is no metal between the diamond and the halo, and that his halo has little metal at the lip of the halo. Ugh... Help!

To the first bolded item, you have good taste and a good eye for quality, obviously!

To the second bolded item, don't even try to do it. Go with a pave master and you don't have to tell them anything other than show them a picture of a previous ring they have made!

 

[Niel]

I am not familiar. Now VC is going to have very top quality, but if you are reluctant to pay for that, engagement rings direct does really wonderful work. That setting is fairly common, and it looks very nice from ERD
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/grace-classic-micro-pave-halo-enagement-ring-bpid-58-18.html

heres an example
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-harry-winston-inspired-rb-halo-from-erd.168484/[/URL]

Does anyone know if the woman (syd) in the thread listed above here used this ring as her guide?: http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/ada-a-classic-micropave-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-bpid-79-19.html

I don't know, but its close, all you'd have to do is contact them ( by phone, they said there email connected with there website hasn't been working right)
And could probably even just say "i want this ring like this girl from ps" and theyll give you the email to contact them directly.

 

[Niel]

Double post

 

[momhappy]

Does anyone know how the prices of Mark's custom Harry Winston-style halos compare to similar Victor Canera styles (like the Emilya which is around $4100 with no diamonds on the struts). I called and left a message for Mark, so hopefully, I will hear back from him soon.

 

[Niel]

Well I would think its similar to the first link I posted you, that says 2800. But hard to say

 

[momhappy]

By the way, here is my current ring:

 

[momhappy]

For those of you who have redesigned your wedding rings, what do you do with the left-overs? I will only be using my center diamond, so my accent diamonds and platinum setting will go unused. I also found a handful of jewelry in my jewelry box (mostly with small diamonds in gold or platinum) that I don't wear any more because I have upgraded over the years. Is it worth doing anything with? Are there places that buy small diamonds?

 

[heididdl]

I used my left over as part of the project I sold the gold/platinum and melee to lessen the cost of the setting. Or if they don't do that I would shop around and sell my stuff (but lmake sure gold is up again it is down it was at 1680 now 1580. (do not accept less then $30-$35.00 per dwt....) that's penny weight .643 - 1 gram.

platinum you should get $35 40 per pennyweight ( I buy gold that 's how I know) but if you trade it to Victor he will give you the best bang for your buck

 

[Niel]

For those of you who have redesigned your wedding rings, what do you do with the left-overs? I will only be using my center diamond, so my accent diamonds and platinum setting will go unused. I also found a handful of jewelry in my jewelry box (mostly with small diamonds in gold or platinum) that I don't wear any more because I have upgraded over the years. Is it worth doing anything with? Are there places that buy small diamonds?

If it were me, because i am sentimental i would sell the plat and use the diamonds in the w band and mounting and either turn them into a u prong eternity band or a diamonds by the yard style necklace/bracelet

 

[momhappy]

I thought about using them in the halo, but I think that they are too big. I don't really have any sentimental attachment to a handful of tiny diamonds, so I think that selling them or getting some sort of credit would be nice. I love the idea of a DBTY necklace (I have had one on my wish list for quite some time), but these diamonds are too small and I already have another diamond ring (that I never wear anymore) that would be perfect for my DBTY project.

 

[SB621]

For those of you who have redesigned your wedding rings, what do you do with the left-overs? I will only be using my center diamond, so my accent diamonds and platinum setting will go unused. I also found a handful of jewelry in my jewelry box (mostly with small diamonds in gold or platinum) that I don't wear any more because I have upgraded over the years. Is it worth doing anything with? Are there places that buy small diamonds?

This thread reminds me of ME 2 years ago! I asked very similar questions

Victor made my Emilya halo though I did get quotes from other vendors. I went with Victor because that ring was exactly what I wanted. He set my diamond and I ended up selling my orginal ering to another PSer who put a CS in it. I didn't have sentimental attachement to it so it didn't bother me. If you are attached to yours I would recommend getting the diamonds out and sending to WF or BGD and having them make you a DBTY bracelet or necklace! Goodluck!

 

[momhappy]

I talked to Victor Canera about taking the rest of the material from my existing wedding set (two platinum bands and probably a bit more than .40 in small, accent diamonds) and he said that they were not interested. He said that they would just return it back to me. I guess that I was sort of surprised by that response.

 

[SB621]

I talked to Victor Canera about taking the rest of the material from my existing wedding set (two platinum bands and probably a bit more than .40 in small, accent diamonds) and he said that they were not interested. He said that they would just return it back to me. I guess that I was sort of surprised by that response.

You shouldn't be. Most jewelers won't take apart and reuse your scrap metal and diamonds. It is more time consuming and itsn't worth their labor costs.