My Appointment with Leon Mege

[dani13]

Goo-

I tried to find some pics of cushions with half moons for you...Here''s one (although a very large stone)...

 

[dani13]

And here is one by Leon...just try to imagine it with diamonds as the side stones instead of rubies....Also keep in mind that the proportion of the main stone to the 2 sidestones will be different based on what Leon (or another designer) picks for you and/or what you prefer:

 

[smalltowngirl]

Date: 9/18/2008 11:02:51 AM
Author: goobear78
Thanks for sharing your story smalltowngirl. Sounds like your daughter''s ring is stunning. Do you have any pictures?

I met with Mark and Theodore yesterday too, they were very nice and it''s funny Mark thought the opposite of Leon. He thinks my ring would be great in a solitaire. Theodore basically told me I could do whatever I want, even if he doesn''t think it would look right because I''m the one wearing it. LOL.

Skippy - the good thing is I don''t have my heart set on anything. The bad thing is I don''t have my heart set on anything. I have a feeling I will just see it and know, like i did with my stone. I read that on PS and didn''t believe it until it happened to me. I saw my stone and just knew it! That hasn''t happened yet with my setting, but I''m going to keep working on it and see what Leon thinks about half moons.

Funny you should ask about pictures. We were talking about that this weekend at their engagement party. She tried taking them so they could be posted here but found it difficult to get some of the quality that PSers usually post. Also, she''s in grad school and has very little time. I will see her next week and will take some myself.

FWIW, Mark and Theodore were so pleased with her solitaire setting, they will be offering it as one of their settings options. (Have already sold it to at least one customer in the month since she received her ring.) It''s a variant of the Cartier 1895 in looks.

BTW, she had exactly the same "when I see it I will know" moment with her stone that you did with yours. Mark must really have a gift with picking them.

 

[bgray]

Goobear78:

I would not go back to Leon. He is a more is more person. The problem with him is that if YOU (the customer) doesnt know exactly what you want then he trys to push what he thinks it should be. As a matter of fact--he is best for people who want to copy one of his existing designs or can say I want such and such. (period).

My ring that I envisioned as an elaborately embellished solitaire ended up with huge (1.6 tcw) side stones and totally encrusted in micropave. I wasnt sure so I acquiesced and I never liked it. Whats worse is the mounting cost me $8000.

He really is very talented but he is very opinionated and aggressive about what he thinks should be. If you want to use him stick to your guns. I would suggest perusing his website...........pick something close to what he has already done. You need to be more clear in your own mind or you will end up doing what he wants.

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 9/18/2008 11:03:03 AM
Author: bgray

Date: 9/18/2008 8:20:23 AM
Author: elle_chris
goobear- That''s a beautiful cushion and it is by no means small!. If I were you, I''d stick to having it set the way you want to. You''ll be the one wearing it, not Leon.

Bgray- What did you mean when you said ''Leon is , very russian''? Are you saying Russians are rude?

no--i know many many russians and those I know are extremely blunt with few words of explanation or embellishment. Ex: ''should I cut my hair like this?'' answer: no (with a grimace)

I am Russian, we''re not all like that

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/18/2008 11:29:25 AM
Author: bgray
Goobear78:


I would not go back to Leon. He is a more is more person. The problem with him is that if YOU (the customer) doesnt know exactly what you want then he trys to push what he thinks it should be. As a matter of fact--he is best for people who want to copy one of his existing designs or can say I want such and such. (period).


My ring that I envisioned as an elaborately embellished solitaire ended up with huge (1.6 tcw) side stones and totally encrusted in micropave. I wasnt sure so I acquiesced and I never liked it. Whats worse is the mounting cost me $8000.


He really is very talented but he is very opinionated and aggressive about what he thinks should be. If you want to use him stick to your guns. I would suggest perusing his website...........pick something close to what he has already done. You need to be more clear in your own mind or you will end up doing what he wants.

Thank you for sharing your experience with Leon Brgay. I think you said it best, I need to be more clear in my own mind or I will be doing what he wants. Since I didn''t really have my heart set on one type of setting I''ve got to figure out what that will be or I won''t be happy.

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/18/2008 11:15:45 AM
Author: Dani
And here is one by Leon...just try to imagine it with diamonds as the side stones instead of rubies....Also keep in mind that the proportion of the main stone to the 2 sidestones will be different based on what Leon (or another designer) picks for you and/or what you prefer:

Love it. Very pretty. I can picture it with diamonds. LOL.

But then, when can I not? LOL.

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/18/2008 11:17:03 AM
Author: smalltowngirl
Funny you should ask about pictures. We were talking about that this weekend at their engagement party. She tried taking them so they could be posted here but found it difficult to get some of the quality that PSers usually post. Also, she''s in grad school and has very little time. I will see her next week and will take some myself.


FWIW, Mark and Theodore were so pleased with her solitaire setting, they will be offering it as one of their settings options. (Have already sold it to at least one customer in the month since she received her ring.) It''s a variant of the Cartier 1895 in looks.


BTW, she had exactly the same ''when I see it I will know'' moment with her stone that you did with yours. Mark must really have a gift with picking them.

Yes! You have to post pictures. It''s a must! The Cartier 1895 is lovely and timeless.

 

[CharmyPoo]

You cushion is very beautiful! Looking at the photos, I am not completely sure if it was the same diamond we saw. I can''t remember anymore

 

[goobear78]

They all start to blur after a while don''t they? I find I see diamonds in everyday shapes now. Guess that means I''m on diamond overload.

But I''m not complaining.

 

[mrssalvo]

here''s that Leon ring dani posted with half moon diamond sides. i actually considered doing that and Irina photoshopped it for me a long time ago. Honestly though, I think a cushion looses some of it''s cushioness when you add the half moon diamond sides. it''s more of a blur of sparkle which is wonderful if that''s what you want but may be too much if you wanted a solitaire to begin with. I love this ring with the colored sidestones. I''ve got a version with blue sapphires saved too

 

[goobear78]

I see what you mean about the cushion loosing some of it''s shape with the half moons. I felt that way a bit when I saw the pears with my cushion yesterday. The pears were beautiful, but my perfectly square cushion lost its uniqueness a bit. I wonder if half moons go best with oval cushions.

So now that you all have seen my stone, if it was yours, what setting would you get? It doesn''t have to be Leon, I''m just interested in your opinions so I can get out of my head for a bit and see what others would do. Some of you have already listed some great settings and it''s helped a lot. So if you don''t mind, I''d love see more!

 

[js_diamond]

I love these settings personally:

http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=447

http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=50

http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=8

 

[goobear78]

Very pretty j_sdiamond. He may be a bit of a *pain* to work with, but man, his shop does amazing work!

 

[dani13]

Gosh, I know its so hard, Goo, to pick a setting. On one hand, a solitaire will keep ALL of the attention on your center stone, and you can mix and match w-bands, so its very versatile. But that 3 stone cushion with the half moons is so pretty too. I can totally see the 3 stone paired with a blingy eternity band. So hard to choose!!!

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/18/2008 1:29:41 PM
Author: Dani
Gosh, I know its so hard, Goo, to pick a setting. On one hand, a solitaire will keep ALL of the attention on your center stone, and you can mix and match w-bands, so its very versatile. But that 3 stone cushion with the half moons is so pretty too. I can totally see the 3 stone paired with a blingy eternity band. So hard to choose!!!

I know right! I wish all choices in life could be this hard.

 

[bgray]

www.sjphillips.com

check them out for deisgn ideas!

 

[bgray]

my favorite for you

http://www.sjphillips.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=6&tabindex=5&objectid=29970&categoryid=2063

 

[goobear78]

Great site bgray, thanks for passing it on. I''ve never seen this one before.

 

[js_diamond]

Date: 9/18/2008 1:36:04 PM
Author: bgray
my favorite for you

http://www.sjphillips.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=6&tabindex=5&objectid=29970&categoryid=2063

Love this one!!

 

[bgray]

Date: 9/18/2008 1:40:49 PM
Author: goobear78
Great site bgray, thanks for passing it on. I''ve never seen this one before.

its great to get inspiration ...............also www.nelsonrarities.com is a good one to check out

 

[edl]

Date: 9/17/2008 4:44:13 PM
Author: goobear78

Date: 9/17/2008 1:49:20 PM
Author: edl

Date: 9/17/2008 9:44:20 AM

Author: goobear78

Yes, I know he''s used to working with super large stones. But say it once or twice. 10 times for any size was just thoughtless. But what concerns me most is that Mark said this has happened to three of his clients in the last three weeks. Leon did know that my stone was from Mark, and once I said it again where I bought the stone, he kept putting it down and trying to put doubt in my head. I think there is something there as the two of them had some kind of history. And if my stone is too small for what he''s used to, and I totally understand that from his point of view, then maybe it would be better set elsewhere, that''s how I''m feeling this morning.

There''s definitely something going on, I got that impression as well. Let''s hope it doesn''t affect the final product!

Are you working with Leon and Mark as well? Any photos of your stone? Love to see them!

Goobear, I have some photos of my stone posted on another thread (search my username). I''ve talked with Mark, (not yet with Leon), but I''d like to check out VC before deciding what to do. I''m a bit partial to VC because my stone is an OMC, and VC''s style would match the stone better than the other two guys. They''re also in San Francisco (where I live) so I like the idea of working with someone local. Not to say that I wouldn''t fly out to NYC again for pizza & diamonds

I''ll make up my mind after meeting with VC next week.

Your stone is gorgeous BTW!

 

[goobear78]

Thanks edl! LOVE your stone! Mark''s got the best cushions. I just looked over VS''s website. Love their work and I think your cushion would look fab in any of their settings!

 

[CharmyPoo]

Stupid question. What is VC?

 

[goobear78]

Van Craeynest

http://www.vancraeynest.com/

 

[nolongeralurker]

Goobear, here is a link to LisaMarie''s LM solitaire. Her 1.36 has dimensions slightly smaller than yours but pretty close. I don''t think your stone would look small or lost in a simple setting if that is what you want.

Width: 7.16mm
Length: 7.18mm
Depth: 4.39mm

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/introducing-my-new-gog-leon-setting.94216/

 

[goobear78]

Wow. Beautiful ring. Thanks for passing that on.

I spoke to Leon again to today and told him I need to think about the pears some more. He does not like half moons btw, I asked, so they are out. LOL. But you know, if I still want to go with the plain solitaire, I think (?) he would do it, I just don''t think he''ll like it.

 

[swingirl]

Date: 9/18/2008 11:29:25 AM
Author: bgray

I would not go back to Leon. He is a more is more person. The problem with him is that if YOU (the customer) doesnt know exactly what you want then he trys to push what he thinks it should be. As a matter of fact--he is best for people who want to copy one of his existing designs or can say I want such and such. (period).

My ring that I envisioned as an elaborately embellished solitaire ended up with huge (1.6 tcw) side stones and totally encrusted in micropave. I wasnt sure so I acquiesced and I never liked it. Whats worse is the mounting cost me $8000.

Are you saying you have setting from LM that was $8000? Can you post some photos? I'd love to see what he does with that budget.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Your cushion is gorgeous!!!

What I see with that shape cushion is Tiffany Novo or Tiffany Legacy. It''s obvious by now that Leon does not want to do the Novo version for you, but I''ll bet Mark could. I would have Leon do a Legacy style halo...or Maytal Hannah. I agree with MrsS (as usual) that the half moon sides will blend in to the cushion and take away from the cushion itself.

 

[swingirl]

I haven't read enough of the posts to know what you are looking for but if you are interested in a solitare here is an example of Mark Morrell's work with a rectangular cushion. It's a much more flowing platinum treatment. Just another suggestion.