Please give me some opinions on this cad

[Dreamer_D]

I don't like the new mock up. I would use the original design but simply lower all of the stones. I don't like the center up higher than the others.

I like a three stone because more money for bigger side stones. Bigger stones = bigger bling.

 

[bunnycat]

I like the center stone higher, but all of the diamonds a little lower (the way you've changed the cad). I don't like the filled in sides at all. Just looks clunky and chunky to me. I prefer the open look of the original for the end prongs.

liz

Same here.

I think I understand the look you are going for, not a 5 stone band, but a solitaire with graduated shank stones. This ring just happens to have 5 stones but it is not a band.

Kind of like this:
https://www.pricescope.com/gallery/acidfree_albums/vendors/white_flash/Custom_5_Stone_Diamond_Engagement_Ring

I don't like the filled in sides. It's hard to stack rings with that set up because it just doesn't "go" so if you ever want to stack another band with it, it won't look right (trust me). As curved as possible with the ends and delicate like the original.

 

[CharmyPoo]

I have no experience with BGD since they don't respond to my emails so I can't compare their work.

I also don't have direct experience with David Klass but looking at photos of his work ... I am really not concerned even with more delicate pieces. I am purely speaking from a workmanship perspective. I would really consider him if I wanted a value custom piece. His pave is not as refined as LM, SK, VC .. but neither are many of the other popular vendors here.

I mean look at this ... it's a beautiful five stone:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/five-stone-acc-with-pink-halo.179924/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/five-stone-acc-with-pink-halo.179924/[/URL]


And I really like this band ...

 

[04diamond<3]

I don't like the new mock up. I would use the original design but simply lower all of the stones. I don't like the center up higher than the others.

I like a three stone because more money for bigger side stones. Bigger stones = bigger bling.

I have to agree. IMO the first cad is a lot better, and personally, for someone who wants more sparkle, I'd get something with a more open basket (IE the first pic compared to the second set).

I have no experience with BGD since they don't respond to my emails so I can't compare their work.

Oh, Charmy, they don't respond to my emails either....I wonder if that will ever change...

 

[CharmyPoo]

I have no experience with BGD since they don't respond to my emails so I can't compare their work.

Oh, Charmy, they don't respond to my emails either....I wonder if that will ever change...

The funny thing is that they respond to my friends who I sent over there ... and who ultimately purchase from them! No sweat though as I will just move on and work with others.

 

[Christina...]

christina i appreciate your input. I value your opinions on these things because i think you understand my situation more than some on here.The person I am working with, ive looked at his work, and though i wouldnt go with him for more delicate work, from what i have seen he does nice work, especially with more strait forward designs. with shipping and the cost t unset and the band with BGD, i think it would end up costing double than to go with him.

The reason I mentioned a 3 stone is that lots of people have said a 5 stone wont be engagementy enough, so i wanted some peoples opinions on a 3 stone vrs my 5 stones. Id considered it as a cost saving measure, though.

heres a really fast and dirty pic of what i think ill send back to him, as you see i remove d the cathedral. go idea? bad idea? you decide

Good! I'm happy that I didn't upset you! I just really want you to love your ring! I agree with the others about not messing with the CAD except to adjust the height of the stones. Since you are really trying to maintain the look of an e-ring, I would definitely keep that center stone higher than the others, though lower than in the CAD. I thought though, that it was mentioned in a CAD thread previously that the height of the stones is really the result of the setter and not the CAD. I don't have any personal CAD experience so don't take my word for it, there are many others here better able to guide you. Someone else mentioned the width of the shank, I guess I feel two ways about that, first, generally I prefer a thicker shank with 3/5 stones rings, second, it's been my experience that the stones appear larger when set with a more dainty (2mm or so) shank sooooo, since you are trying to maximize the size of your stones, you may prefer the look of the more delicate shank? Of course the plan is also to have most of that hidden between your fingers, so ultimately if you want a more sturdy ring I would have it widened a bit.

 

[Christina...]

I have no experience with BGD since they don't respond to my emails so I can't compare their work.

I also don't have direct experience with David Klass but looking at photos of his work ... I am really not concerned even with more delicate pieces. I am purely speaking from a workmanship perspective. I would really consider him if I wanted a value custom piece. His pave is not as refined as LM, SK, VC .. but neither are many of the other popular vendors here.

I mean look at this ... it's a beautiful five stone:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/five-stone-acc-with-pink-halo.179924/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/five-stone-acc-with-pink-halo.179924/[/URL]


And I really like this band ...

I agree, again I have no personal experience, admittedly my concerns are more non-workmanship related, and are largely irrelevant in this thread. I also admit having a hard time separating my feelings on the two.

How frustrating when a vendor won't return an email. I had a terrible time getting a return email from a vendor last year, attempted to connect with them again on a project I'm working on right now and still got only lukewarm and sporadic responses. Bummer, because so many have had great experiences with them. Just more reasons why we all have a preferred vendors.

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

I purchased a small yg stacking band last year (round / baguette) from DK
and the quality of this tiny band is very very nice....
I have absolutely no complaints, and wouldn't hesitate to have him make me a nice custom ring.
I think he will work with you Neil..... just let him know exactly what you want.

 

[Niel]

Christina is your concern his replicas of other well known PSers rings? I will admit that bothered me a bit, BUT, he runs a business and I'm sure is trying to get his name out there as much has he can, its not his fault other people want inexpensive complete copies of other people's work.

Charmy that 5 stone with the link halo is actually what got me deciding on him over some of the other vendors I was considering. Its very pretty, the claw prongs would be exactly what I was going for.

B cat I'm glad you see what I'm going for, I thought the cads might help people see, sense I feel like my description wasn't doing my vision justice. I get a 3 stone to other people seems more like an engagement ring, though personally I'm not sure why. Its still a diamond on my left ring finger. So to me that's engagement- like enough. Though with that said I've reached out to one other vendor that I've yet to hear from regarding a three stone, if that doesn't work, which i dont think it will because of budget, out this will be my route.

The filled in sides I made look bulkier than I wanted, so I see why no one likes them (though I thought the rest of my quick new cad was nice ) but I still think it might look better without a cathedral. I'll have him make something up maybe.

As for the thickness of the shank, maybe I'll widen it to a 2.2 or so?

 

[jjspierx]

Just a quick mockup of your original design, only lowered while keeping the cathedral.

 

[chrono]

Just a quick mockup of your original design, only lowered while keeping the cathedral.

This! Very elegant, wearable and feminine.

 

[luvsdmb]

Niel, you are really good at this ring stuff so whatever you design I'm sure it will be wonderful. I did like your second CAD design, I like it lower and I like the side being more straight up. It won't be that chunky once it's done, I get that is just you showing how you want it different than the swoopy of the first picture.
I can't wait to see it!!

 

[Niel]

Just a quick mockup of your original design, only lowered while keeping the cathedral.

This! Very elegant, wearable and feminine.

Thanks jjspierx!! Much better than mine. I sent him that pic!

What do you guys think of the width. Keeping in mind my trinity is pretty thin.

 

[chrono]

Niel, what is the original width? 2 mm is plenty thick since there are no stones around the shank.

 

[Niel]

Niel, what is the original width? 2 mm is plenty thick since there are no stones around the shank.

Yeah 2mm

 

[woofmama]

Just a quick mockup of your original design, only lowered while keeping the cathedral.

I've been following this thread as I have an interest in getting a graduated five stone in the "distant" future. I have little to no experience with cads, just wanted to say I think this is perfect!
Having seen a David Klass ring in person I will also say that the workmanship was extremely nice. I know some feathers have been ruffled in the past regarding his work but I would still consider him for my own project if I was going custom and needed to stay in budget..

Can't wait to see your ring Niel!

 

[jjspierx]

Thanks jjspierx!! Much better than mine. I sent him that pic!

No problem, its the least I can do after all the help I got from you and others while picking out my engagement stone and setting!

 

[Laila619]

Just a quick mockup of your original design, only lowered while keeping the cathedral.

This! Very elegant, wearable and feminine.

Thanks jjspierx!! Much better than mine. I sent him that pic!

What do you guys think of the width. Keeping in mind my trinity is pretty thin.

I like! I would bump the width up a notch, to maybe 2.3mm. Gold shanks can wear down over time, especially when rubbing against a wedding band.

 

[Mico]

Just a quick mockup of your original design, only lowered while keeping the cathedral.

+1

 

[yssie]

Niel - I like the last version best as well, open cathedral shoulders and lowered stones.

 

[yssie]

I have no experience with BGD since they don't respond to my emails so I can't compare their work.

I also don't have direct experience with David Klass but looking at photos of his work ... I am really not concerned even with more delicate pieces. I am purely speaking from a workmanship perspective. I would really consider him if I wanted a value custom piece. His pave is not as refined as LM, SK, VC .. but neither are many of the other popular vendors here.

I mean look at this ... it's a beautiful five stone:

And I really like this band ...

I did a double-take reading this.
The second band is lovely, but do you honestly consider the LM copy fine workmanship Charmy? I hold your opinions on pave in high regard but also speaking purely from a workmanship perspective - that assertion coming from a poster who consistently puts vendors through the wringer for poor finish and pave that shows too much metal is bafflingly inconsistent.

 

[CharmyPoo]

I have no experience with BGD since they don't respond to my emails so I can't compare their work.

I also don't have direct experience with David Klass but looking at photos of his work ... I am really not concerned even with more delicate pieces. I am purely speaking from a workmanship perspective. I would really consider him if I wanted a value custom piece. His pave is not as refined as LM, SK, VC .. but neither are many of the other popular vendors here.

I mean look at this ... it's a beautiful five stone:

And I really like this band ...

I did a double-take reading this.
The second band is lovely, but do you honestly consider the LM copy fine workmanship Charmy? I hold your opinions on pave in high regard but also speaking purely from a workmanship perspective - that assertion coming from a poster who consistently puts vendors through the wringer for poor finish and pave that shows too much metal is bafflingly inconsistent.

The key to my post is "value custom piece". To my point above, we can't put him in the same category as folks like LM, SK, VC .. and RDG is in a league of their own. His work simply is not at the same level but he is good value for what you get. His pricing is like some some of the etsy vendors but I feel his work is better than the etsy vendors. I don't think I said anything about "fine workmanship". I believe his work is good for the price - same I believe LOGR is good value. There are folks that just aren't worth it.

In terms of the first ring, is it anything like Leon's work - absolutely not - but it is beautiful on its own and probably cost 1/5th of what Leon charges. Going back to value, I think it is good ring at that price.

ETA: I have removed the "copying" aspect out of my evaluation. I am purely judging from cost -> product.

 

[yssie]

I have no experience with BGD since they don't respond to my emails so I can't compare their work.

I also don't have direct experience with David Klass but looking at photos of his work ... I am really not concerned even with more delicate pieces. I am purely speaking from a workmanship perspective. I would really consider him if I wanted a value custom piece. His pave is not as refined as LM, SK, VC .. but neither are many of the other popular vendors here.

I mean look at this ... it's a beautiful five stone:

And I really like this band ...

I did a double-take reading this.
The second band is lovely, but do you honestly consider the LM copy fine workmanship Charmy? I hold your opinions on pave in high regard but also speaking purely from a workmanship perspective - that assertion coming from a poster who consistently puts vendors through the wringer for poor finish and pave that shows too much metal is bafflingly inconsistent.

The key to my post is "value custom piece". To my point above, we can't put him in the same category as folks like LM, SK, VC .. and RDG is in a league of their own. His work simply is not at the same level but he is good value for what you get. His pricing is like some some of the etsy vendors but I feel his work is better than the etsy vendors. I don't think I said anything about "fine workmanship". I believe his work is good for the price - same I believe LOGR is good value. There are folks that just aren't worth it.

In terms of the first ring, is it anything like Leon's work - absolutely not - but it is beautiful on its own and probably cost 1/5th of what Leon charges. Going back to value, I think it is good ring at that price.

ETA: I have removed the "copying" aspect out of my evaluation. I am purely judging from cost -> product.

That's fair - "fine" was my interpretation of "refined", and I misinterpreted the positive context of your post to mean objectively "fine workmanship".
I can't speak to Klass' pricing but I've certainly worked with vendors who provide better value for money than others - different vendors serve different niche needs. Just based on photos (I've never seen his work IRL, but I've seen and own BGD pieces) I don't think that Niel trying to compare Klass' workmanship to BGD's is a fair or fruitful venture - they serve different niche needs.
I suppose Niel's best option just depends on precisely what she's looking for.

ETA: I'm sidestepping other topics as well.

 

[Christina...]

I have no experience with BGD since they don't respond to my emails so I can't compare their work.

I also don't have direct experience with David Klass but looking at photos of his work ... I am really not concerned even with more delicate pieces. I am purely speaking from a workmanship perspective. I would really consider him if I wanted a value custom piece. His pave is not as refined as LM, SK, VC .. but neither are many of the other popular vendors here.

I mean look at this ... it's a beautiful five stone:

And I really like this band ...

I did a double-take reading this.
The second band is lovely, but do you honestly consider the LM copy fine workmanship Charmy? I hold your opinions on pave in high regard but also speaking purely from a workmanship perspective - that assertion coming from a poster who consistently puts vendors through the wringer for poor finish and pave that shows too much metal is bafflingly inconsistent.

The key to my post is "value custom piece". To my point above, we can't put him in the same category as folks like LM, SK, VC .. and RDG is in a league of their own. His work simply is not at the same level but he is good value for what you get. His pricing is like some some of the etsy vendors but I feel his work is better than the etsy vendors. I don't think I said anything about "fine workmanship". I believe his work is good for the price - same I believe LOGR is good value. There are folks that just aren't worth it.

In terms of the first ring, is it anything like Leon's work - absolutely not - but it is beautiful on its own and probably cost 1/5th of what Leon charges. Going back to value, I think it is good ring at that price.

ETA: I have removed the "copying" aspect out of my evaluation. I am purely judging from cost -> product.

^^^This ^^^ is primarily my concern Neil. Again I know that you are looking to stay within a budget, I just feel that your taste are probably more discerning than what this vendor can offer you. If you really intend to wait 5 years before touching the ring again, I'm just not sure that this level of craftsmanship is going to be enough for you. Your Ritani was a beautiful quality piece, this is what your eye is used to seeing, I just want you to be able to honestly ask yourself if anything less than that will be good enough for an everyday piece. I should say again, I have no personal experience with this vendor, others have seen his work first hand and stated that they feel his work is fine, but you have gone through a lot getting to this point.....is good enough, good enough for YOU? I guess you should honestly ask yourself this..'would you be working with this particular vendor if you were able to stretch your budget a bit further?' If the answer is no, then I would ask 'how much longer will it take to work with a vendor that I feel can offer me both the quality and value that I need to be happy and enjoy my ring for the next five years?' Only you can decide how long is too long to wait, I know that we are wired for instant gratification, but what if waiting just a few more months allowed you to be both gratified and satisfied? Would it be worth the wait? Again only you can answer that, and my hope is only to get you to really think about what is most important to you both now and 6 months or a year from now. And, only because I want you to be very happy with this ring, you deserve to be. Something else that also sometimes helps me when I'm feeling conflicted (and maybe you aren't) is to take myself out of the equation and consider what type of advice I would give someone else if they were to come to me with the same situation. It just allows a bit more perspective IMO.

oh, and to answer your question from earlier...yes I have an issue with the copying, but I don't expect everyone to feel as I do about it. What's important in this situation is how you feel about it.

 

[Niel]

I mean my design isn't complex or really difficult I would think. I know there's issues with copying work, but this doesn't seem like a copy of anything. I'm looking for normal quality, something like say James Allen would have. Will I not be getting that with DK?

because yeah BGD has nice quality, but the band I'm looking at doesn't seem necessarily noteworthy

 

[yssie]

I mean my design isn't complex or really difficult I would think. I know there's issues with copying work, but this doesn't seem like a copy of anything. I'm looking for normal quality, something like say James Allen would have. Will I not be getting that with DK?

because yeah BGD has nice quality, but the band I'm looking at doesn't seem necessarily noteworthy

You probably know how picky I am about my pieces, and you probably also know that I don't care for pave - all my pieces are plain, polished metal just like what you're looking for.

When I look at that CAD I see a number of "possible problem areas". The issue with casting (ignoring potential porosity issues) is that pouring the metal doesn't result in a smooth finish - the piece has to be finished (polished, corners and indents highlighted) by hand after casting. The major ones that jump out are polishing the underside of the head and the top/inner surfaces of the doughnuts, the indented prong/shank meets need to be precisely etched, the curve of the end shoulder needs to be cleanly and *symmetrically* highlighted down the shank, when polishing all ten sides of the baskets need to be polished to exactly the same thickness, depth, and curve... and because there's no pave, and no engraving, no milgrain, there's absolutely nothing to distract you from any errors or inconsistencies.

Again, I've never seen Klass' work IRL, but I know from experience that BGD's casting and finishing is as good as it gets - it's clean, precise, even, symmetric, and as IMO complete as it's possible to get given the limits of working around the structure of the cast itself. If you were my friend IRL I'd strongly advise against passing on that certainty in favour of saving a few hundred for a piece that's as significant as the one you're looking to have made (and this isn't about Klass, I'd say the same of most Etsy vendors too, and it's got absolutely nothing to do with the copying discussion at all).

 

[CharmyPoo]

That's fair - "fine" was my interpretation of "refined", and I misinterpreted the positive context of your post to mean objectively "fine workmanship".
I can't speak to Klass' pricing but I've certainly worked with vendors who provide better value for money than others - different vendors serve different niche needs. Just based on photos (I've never seen his work IRL, but I've seen and own BGD pieces) I don't think that Niel trying to compare Klass' workmanship to BGD's is a fair or fruitful venture - they serve different niche needs.
I suppose Niel's best option just depends on precisely what she's looking for.

ETA: I'm sidestepping other topics as well.

I feel bad thread jacking but just quickly. I was using fine as in "ok" (ie. "it's fine").

 

[luvsdmb]

Wow Niel, you poor thing are you confused by all these comments? I guess I missed it but where you planning on using BGD at one point for your ring? You mentioned something about pulling the trigger on the sidestones.
Maybe you could let me know what's going on here I am confused. Are you able to have your ring done at ERD? Have you checked with Quest? My quote from Quest was really really good. OR are you completely happy and content having it done with DK?
Catch me up please

 

[Niel]

Wow Niel, you poor thing are you confused by all these comments? I guess I missed it but where you planning on using BGD at one point for your ring? You mentioned something about pulling the trigger on the sidestones.
Maybe you could let me know what's going on here I am confused. Are you able to have your ring done at ERD? Have you checked with Quest? My quote from Quest was really really good. OR are you completely happy and content having it done with DK?
Catch me up please

christina is right i do consider myself someone with higher standards when it comes to settings. Ideally i would like to have a custom setting made by LM or VC, but i dont have 4k for this, and i wont for a while. I have reached out to many vendors to see if they could recreate this for my meager budget. Currently I have some stones on hold at BGD, that i will buy and put in whatever setting i decide. I dont really love the prongs of the BGD, Its a somewhat boring 5 stone band setting, and it will cost me (with prong, shipping, insurance, and them unsetting my stone ) it will cost nearly twice as much as the DK one. so heres the dilemma. Neither of the settings will be my forever setting, so do i spend so much more for a setting that will be equally as "not quite right" as the DK one, just for different reasons?

Then there is ERD. Id like to go with them , but they havent gotten back with me, and i dont think it would fit my budget either....

 

[Christina...]

I mean my design isn't complex or really difficult I would think. I know there's issues with copying work, but this doesn't seem like a copy of anything. I'm looking for normal quality, something like say James Allen would have. Will I not be getting that with DK?

because yeah BGD has nice quality, but the band I'm looking at doesn't seem necessarily noteworthy

Neil, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that your situation had anything to do with my feelings about copying. I don't...at all! I only wanted you to consider this vendor from a quality perspective. Yssie has much more experience in that regard than I do and I think that she just gave you a lot to consider.