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*Question for Halo Owners*

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idreamofice

idreamofice

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
395
Hello Halo Owners!

Do you find that your halo "drowns" your stone? Do you ever get tired of your setting or wish you had a simpler setting?

I was looking at a few halo settings this weekend and I couldn''t get the whole picture without a center stone in them so the SA brought out a few loose stones to put in the setting for me. Well, I noticed that the stones just kind of got "lost" in the settings. I was paying more attention to the setting and not the stone. While the settings were very beautiful I still want a setting that will compliment my stone and not "drown" it.

So..do you guys find that you are more drawn to your setting rather than the stone? or maybe it''s because I was there to find a setting so I wasn''t really paying attention to anything but the setting? or am I just crazy? because when I see pictures of halo settings on PS I just about drool and faint...
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Thank you!
 
I think the key is in the proportion of the halo to the stone. I think sometimes smaller stones can get lost in the halo if the mele is too big. I much prefer a very "dainty" halo that emphasizes the stone and not detracts.
 
I think I know exactly what you mean. I think it is especially risky if the halo is pre-made for a stone to be dropped in. The width of the halo can really make you lose the center stone. When I was thinking about my 10 year ring, I thought about changing my solitaire setting to a halo setting. But what I noticed with some of the ones I looked at was that the "bead set" or "pave" diamonds were not all full cut, the quality of the cuts were not necessarily as pretty as my solitaire, and then the halo was not custom made for the stone. So all in all, it looked like it detracted from the diamond rather than added to it. I think you have to be really careful when you do add a stone to a halo setting. But it is probably something you can discuss with your jeweler and totally fixable. The "fix" probably starts with having the ring custom-created for your stone. And if I were doing that, I would insist on bead setting the halo and shank diamonds and that each be full cut with matching color and clarity levels so that each little diamond would match the one next to it. And of course, the halo itself has to be made for the stone. Those things really matter in terms of creating the overall impression of the ring.
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I agree with these comments 110%!!! I had a ring made with a halo and then ended up having the ring remade by another company. Proportion and halo sizemade all of the difference for me. "Cutrock", read my thread "Tiffany Inspired Legacy with graduated Side Stones" and see my pics for a recent, real life example of this very issue. As far as I''m concerned, proportion is a deal breaker!
 
Date: 3/9/2008 11:45:04 AM
Author: gardnerranch
I agree with these comments 110%!!! I had a ring made with a halo and then ended up having the ring remade by another company. Proportion and halo sizemade all of the difference for me. ''Cutrock'', read my thread ''Tiffany Inspired Legacy with graduated Side Stones'' and see my pics for a recent, real life example of this very issue. As far as I''m concerned, proportion is a deal breaker!
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Hi Gardener,
welcome to PS. just a quick note, the posters names are the ones under their avatar pic, such as in this case her name is "Idramofice". the term "cut rock" refers to how many times she''s posted on the board. just like with someone relatively new like urself it says "rough rock"
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Garnerranch, I saw your ring. It''s beautiful. It is a perfect example of how a custom ring made for a stone makes ALL the difference, AND how you also need a skilled craftsman to put it together. Thank you for sharing such a great example.
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just like everyone said before proportion is a KEY factor in how well a halo looks, if its too big it just doesnt look right and its the same thing if the halo is to small, then you have to consider the proportions of the stones in the halo. i love my halo setting, sure there are days when i oogle over amazing solitaires (particularly Mark.M''s settings and certain leons) but i would never trade in my halo i love it, i think its perfect...and at least i think that my asscher actually POPs in the halo.
 
yes, speaking from experience, the halo can drown the stone. i found a halo setting in a jewelers and ordered the same setting made for me by the designer for my stone. the one in the store had a 1.10 ct center and it looked huge.... i thought the center stone was a 2 - 2.5 ct when i first saw the ring. despite the halo, the attention was still largely on the center stone. it was stunning.

i simply sent the designer my stone and asked for the same setting to be built around it, but for whatever reason the effect on my 1.02 ct center stone was quite the opposite. it is a beautiful ring as a whole, but my center stone is definitely swallowed by the halo, and looks much smaller to me now. it could be the proportion of the halo to the center is different than the one in the store, it could be that the center stone in the store ring was of a better quality cut which made it stand out more, or it could be a combination of both (i didn''t order the setting from the jeweler where i saw it, so i haven''t been back to compare).

sometimes i look at my ring and love it, but sometimes i do look at it and resent the halo for its proportion to my diamond. because of that, i have wished for a solitaire setting and begun to appreciate them more, but i think a big part of that is seeing so many soitaires on PS where the diamonds themselves are just spectacular (my diamond does benefit from a little ''help''). so i remind myself i am fortunate for what i have, and that it really is beautiful. it is not that i have lost my zest for halos, it is that i now realize it''s a tricky business getting the halo just right for your particular diamond.

if you decide to go with a halo, i agree with everyone to pay close attention to the proportion of the halo to your center. ritani''s halos have fabulous proportions IMO, they always catch my eye and make my heart skip a beat.
 
My answer is a definite no, I never get tired of my halo setting...not in the least.

When I was searching for ering styles, I knew that I wasn''t going to be able to get a huge diamond, so I looked for ways to enhance the size of what I could get. When I saw the halo design for the first time, I was blown away. I loved the way that the large facets of a step cut diamond offset the encrusted look of the pave halo. I thought other cuts like RB''s, princess cuts and radiants, tended to look too busy in a halo, for my taste.

I don''t know if that helps at all, but it''s just my $0.02.
 
I have the Ritani Endless Love halo setting, and this was actually a re-set from my original Scott Kay solitaire tension setting. I definitely think that the center stone and halo melee need to be in proportion however, for this type of setting to work.

Personally, I love my halo and never regret having updated my setting. The halo and shank on the Ritani are thin and delicate-looking, and really do a good job of showing off my center stone. Honestly, my stone looks *way* prettier in its new setting than it ever did in its original home. And I receive compliments from strangers all the time...what a unique setting, how sparkly it is, how big it looks, etc.

Anyway, I have seen some halo settings where there seems to be too much metal, melee used were too large / out of proportion, etc. And yes, in these cases, the halo did seem to "drown" the center stone. I think it''s all a matter of finding the right one that will (as you said) compliment your stone.
 
Date: 3/9/2008 10:24:12 AM
Author: Catmom
I think the key is in the proportion of the halo to the stone. I think sometimes smaller stones can get lost in the halo if the mele is too big. I much prefer a very ''dainty'' halo that emphasizes the stone and not detracts.
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Exactly what I was thinking! I also must say as much as a love pave'' halos'', the "bordered" halo''s (even when using the smaller diamonds) just did not do it for me. I love how I can see the individual roundness of each little diamond in my halo. As I oftensay to my FI- they kind of look like like little sparkley sprinkles. Yum!
 
Thank you everyone for your responses!!

Catmom & MissRocks thanks for your input. I do agree that porportion is key. I was drawn to the more dainty carl Messler setting at first but after looking at so many I am now leaning more towards another setting whick looked very similar to a martin flyer setting. This is the one that seemed to "drown" the diamond though.
Maybe as Isabelle mentioned the reason the diamond seemed to get lost was because the setting was pre-made. I will have a setting made to accomodate my stone so hopefully this will help.
Thanks gardnerranch, I read your thread and I''m very glad everything worked out with your beautiful ring!
Emilina your asscher halo combo is one of my favorites!
Rainydaze *I* think your ring is beautiful! But like you said I''m afraid that I might resent the halo for "stealing" the show. My FI is very concerned as well because he is very proud of the stone he picked out and he wants it to be the main focus not the setting.
Tberube, I agree! I really like the look of stepcut diamonds with halos. But then again since finding PS I realized that I like all shapes and sizes!
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Cutey I really love your ritani, it''s beautiful and is a good example of the right poportion!

I will attach a few pics to show anyone who is interested.

This one is not the exact setting but is very similar the the carl messler I was looking at.

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I don''t have the exact pic of the other one I''m leaning towards but it is VERY similar to this Martin Flyer setting. The difference is that the one I am looking at is prong set not bezel.


Let me know what you guys think. Thanks again everyone!

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It all depends on your taste. It seems like a lot of the halo setting I see in jewelry shops tend to be double halos with center stones under a carat. I''ve never been a big fan of those because the halo does overpower the center stone. I went with a singel halo and a 1.55 carat center stone. The halo compliments the stone but the majority of the top view of the ring is the center stone.

Just decide what you think looks best. The best advice you can give yourself when lookign for a ring is going with what looks best to you.
 
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