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Questions about a Custom Round Halo ER

They quoted me $3720 to recreate the Helzeberg ring with diamonds on only two sides, so we could do a wedding ring. Should I just do that?
 
Hey Scotty! I haven't chimed in yet, but I have been following your post, so I wanted to chime in now that you've gotten down to the design portion of your ring..

I think that BG is a master when it comes to determining the aesthetic of a ring. I think that you've made a fantastic choice using him, and his price for custom is great! This is my thought on you design so far...

1. You mentioned that you were going to being using .05 melee on the halo, is that still correct? That is quite large for a halo, typically we see halos with melee between .005-.015, occasional .02. I know that you mentioned early in thread that she preferred the look of the larger stones surrounding your center, so this is will come down to preference, but many of the settings you have selected have had much smaller melee and I just wanted to mention that to be sure that she was still loving the larger stones. Many antique halos have much larger melee, and for me personally, if I was going with a large halo, I would want to have an antique style setting to compliment it. Again, personal preference.

2. Three sided pave is gorgeous, but not practical. :cry: You fiance won't be able to wear a wedding band without a spacer between the rings. Melee is notorious for falling out, so you will increase your risk by going with melee this tiny and it can be very scratchy between the fingers. And aesthetically, I think the mix of the very large melee for the halo and the teeny tiny melee of the shank will look odd. I think it would be more pleasing to the eye to have the shank stones more closely match the halo....not exactly of course but closer than what you've chosen.

3. I also agree with Gypsy that BG can create a much nicer cathedral for you. You had mentioned curved, flowing elegance, as one of your criteria and I don't see that with the Gabriel setting, I think that it may be a nice example of the style gallery that you prefer, but I think that BG can clean it up some and really give you the simple, understated elegance that you are looking for.

4. Custom isn't for everyone, it can be an extremely stressful experience. Once the ring is complete, it becomes your ring, whether or not the final outcome is the one that you had envisioned or not. For some people choosing a wonderful quality stock setting that they love is a better choice.

Those are just my thoughts. I love seeing how excited you are about choosing the perfect ring for your future wife. It's supposed to be a wonderful fun experience and it sounds like that is exactly what you are having. I can't wait to see what you decide to do. :))
 
EXCELLENT advice above... and thank you ladies very much. I've got some good news. I found out today that one of my earlier designs was actually her favorite--more than the helzberg.

http://www.gabrielengaged.com/style/ER7923W83JJ

She had actually not told me that because she thought it was going to be too expensive, well actually it is almost a grand LESS expensive than my latest creation! The only thing that BGD said is that they will have to "change the undercarriage meaning do the scallops a different direction so that it's not an exact copy but everything else will look the same"

PHEW I feel like I dodged a bullet... that one was high up in my favorites as well!
 
scottylmt|1333468273|3162489 said:
EXCELLENT advice above... and thank you ladies very much. I've got some good news. I found out today that one of my earlier designs was actually her favorite--more than the helzberg.

http://www.gabrielengaged.com/style/ER7923W83JJ

She had actually not told me that because she thought it was going to be too expensive, well actually it is almost a grand LESS expensive than my latest creation! The only thing that BGD said is that they will have to "change the undercarriage meaning do the scallops a different direction so that it's not an exact copy but everything else will look the same"

PHEW I feel like I dodged a bullet... that one was high up in my favorites as well!

oh well I am glad you found out! it wil be gorgeous!
 
I hope so. Im kind of anxious to see what they will come back with regarding the undercarriage. I know she really likes it as is, and I like it cuz it looks like a crown lol. Hopefully we can make something awesome and even better!
 
OK I get it. I was reading a post on here from 2008 where a guy was unhappy about his custom work. Jonathan had said that no great designer would make an exact copy, so they wouldn't get sued... so THAT's why they will need to change the scallops?

I wonder if we modify the top from 12 halo stones to the larger 10 halo stones if BGD could avoid copyright infringement? Afterall, it would be a completely different ring...

Thank you for all your concerns and advice. I re-confirmed today that my gf really likes the larger halo stones, and wants the center to blend in with the overall ring, rather than showcase it (personally I think that may be a mistake since we're talking such high quality cuts, but it's her choice..)

As far as custom... nothing in my life is easy lol. My gf and I have such specific tastes that it took us three months to find a dining room table! (and I was on the net searching relentlessly EVERY day!) So custom is the ONLY route I'll be able to go. I'm going with BGD because he comes so highly recommended, and I have seen examples of his incredible work. I don't mind paying more than a local jeweler for somebody who knows what the hell they're doing... and from the looks of it, he does!

Every purchase in my life is an uphill battle... so this is just another case of me having to find/create the perfect outcome. I appreciate all of your help and patience more than you will ever know :praise:
 
Congrats! Just a quick question, if she likes that ring - why don't you order that exact same one? They'll customize it to fit your specific stone...
 
another option is to slightly tilt the halo so from a profile view you see more diamond.
 
Both great suggestions ..

I asked and it doesn't come in 75 point center, plus we couldn't do signature ha melee, AND we couldn't do larger halo stones. Besides I like the idea of a one of a kind ring, even if its a hybrid! Im also talking to BG about how to sneak in a few more stones :Up_to_something:

And I AM going to have the halo slightly tilted, for a more 360° bling!

Starting to get excited again!
 
I think that you are absolutely in good hands with BGD! He will make an incredibly gorgeous ring for you both. And because you have put so much time and fore thought into I'm sure that you will be thrilled with the results!

I really like the idea of tipping the halo as well! And your correct about the reasoning behind having to change the gallery of the ring. I'm not exactly sure what copyright laws specify but I think that the overall ring has to be changed by 20% or something like that, and your correct that changing the shank width, the tip of the halo, using different sized melee, will all make the ring uniquely yours.

I'm getting excited as well, I can't wait to see pics of your design!! :love:
 
scottylmt|1333468273|3162489 said:
EXCELLENT advice above... and thank you ladies very much. I've got some good news. I found out today that one of my earlier designs was actually her favorite--more than the helzberg.

http://www.gabrielengaged.com/style/ER7923W83JJ

She had actually not told me that because she thought it was going to be too expensive, well actually it is almost a grand LESS expensive than my latest creation! The only thing that BGD said is that they will have to "change the undercarriage meaning do the scallops a different direction so that it's not an exact copy but everything else will look the same"

PHEW I feel like I dodged a bullet... that one was high up in my favorites as well!


I think that sounds perfect!!! Ask them for petals in the under gallery. They can make it look like a blooming flower.

And I agree with a 20% halo tilt as well.
 
Awesome I'm glad to hear the tilted halo getting such positive feedback. Of the hundreds of halos I've looked at, I have seen only a few with angles; even then they weren't as much as I would've liked.

Yes he's going to redesign the basket, and part of that is going to be making the horizontal line (just under the halo) of metal a little thicker, so we can have an extra row of DIAMONDS!

http://www.gabrielengaged.com/style/ER7923W83JJ

Then, on the side opposite the future wedding band, I'm probably going to sneak a few stones onto where the metal starts to taper out, and possibly some of the metal "dots" that breaks up the solid metal look. Those last two are "possibly's", because first I want to see what the CAD looks like as I've already described.

As of now, I'm going with 18 kt gold. Re-finishing is covered in BGD's lifetime coverage of the ring, and we will be sending it in every other year anyway to maintain... so I think this will work out just fine. If anyone begs to differ, now would be a great time to chime in, because I will have until they start production to change my mind, and it's $250 more for platinum so not enough to break the bank..

I know we talked gold vs platinum a small bit on another thread, but this will be my main thread from now on. Lesley tells me that her white gold gets dull every year or so and it bothers her... is there anybody here like that? :?:

I can't wait to see the CAD :D
 
scottylmt|1333514316|3163046 said:
Awesome I'm glad to hear the tilted halo getting such positive feedback. Of the hundreds of halos I've looked at, I have seen only a few with angles; even then they weren't as much as I would've liked.

Yes he's going to redesign the basket, and part of that is going to be making the horizontal line (just under the halo) of metal a little thicker, so we can have an extra row of DIAMONDS!

http://www.gabrielengaged.com/style/ER7923W83JJ

Then, on the side opposite the future wedding band, I'm probably going to sneak a few stones onto where the metal starts to taper out, and possibly some of the metal "dots" that breaks up the solid metal look. Those last two are "possibly's", because first I want to see what the CAD looks like as I've already described.

As of now, I'm going with 18 kt gold. Re-finishing is covered in BGD's lifetime coverage of the ring, and we will be sending it in every other year anyway to maintain... so I think this will work out just fine. If anyone begs to differ, now would be a great time to chime in, because I will have until they start production to change my mind, and it's $250 more for platinum so not enough to break the bank..

I know we talked gold vs platinum a small bit on another thread, but this will be my main thread from now on. Lesley tells me that her white gold gets dull every year or so and it bothers her... is there anybody here like that? :?:

I can't wait to see the CAD :D

if you have an extra row of diamonds i am not sure if there is room to tilt the halo?

I personally have plat and like it. It needs no replating, ever. for $250 more I would pick plat. however, there are people who do not like the patina that platinum develops and who would pay more for white gold.
 
He says he's able to accommodate all my requests, so now I'm even more anxious to see how!

Very interesting point of view though, about some people PREFERRING white gold. Looks like I know what I'm going to have to research tomorrow... 8-)
 
I'm one of the ones in the gold camp! I don't like the patina of platinum and prefer the softness of unplated WG. If your researching today Yssie did a nice thread comparing her platinum and white gold and the color differences of each. I'm also thinking of giving palladium a try sometime in the future, it doesn't get the patina of platinum and doesn't need to be replated like white gold...
 
The thing with white gold is that different people's chemistry affects the wear of the gold in different ways. I have a plain tiffany-style solitaire (been wearing just about daily since 2/1/2008) from Whiteflash and a plain white gold band from e-weddingbands.com (also daily wear since 8/8/2008), and did send back my Whiteflash ring to have it resized and polished, but I don't think they re-rhodium plated it.

Today, there is an *ever so slight* difference in the color of the e-ring and the w-band (w-band is a shade or two less 'white'), probably because the alloys used in each are slightly different. But both are as shiny as the days I put them on, and polish up quickly with one of those glasses-cleaning cloths. No 'patina' on either ring and I don't mind that they aren't as white as they used to be, and I love Yssie's examples of colors of gold and unplated white gold is a lovely color on its own. I've had a few people in my real life who have platinum rings say that they wish they'd gotten white gold, and I remembered that when shopping for my rings nearly 5 years ago now.

It's really a personal preference, and your future wife may find that she doesn't want to re-plate her rings, ever, because they don't lessen in whiteness, or she may find that they do lessen in whiteness but she likes it, *or* she may find she has to do it every 6 months because her chemistry makes them less white and she doesn't like it. You could show her Yssie's ring(s) and see what she thinks of the color, and if it doesn't bother her (or she loves it) then white gold may be the way to go. If she always wants white metal and doesn't mind the platinum patina, $250 is worth it for a lifetime of happiness, in my opinion. :bigsmile:
 
My suggestion is to show BDG your inspiration ring and then let them come up with a custom design from that...it combines your ideas with their artistry. If I was getting a custom ring, I would also want to get the input from the designer and have it be partly their creation too...but that's just me!
 
I'm one of "those" who actually loves the shiny of white gold. I like platinum and the patina as well, but my eyes have always been drawn to WG and it's rhodium shine. I've gotten my current WG set re-dipped exactly twice in 7 years, both times because I was having other work done and they went ahead and did it, not because it "needed" it. I'm glad this was fine with me, because the jeweler didn't ask!

I do think it's a very personal preference, and she should take a look at all the available options and think on them. Not everyone's chemistry means their white gold will need re-dipped often, but not everyone wants the high polish look that the rhodium gives. I am not a huge fan of unplated WG, but haven't seen it yet in person so might change my mind. My next ring is going to be platinum and I'll probably find that I come to prefer that over time. I do like that there is never a metal loss with platinum and that it can be repolished to shine again if I want it to. It's just something you'll have to let your lady think on and decide for herself, I'd say :))
 
Ok GREAT feedback so far. I'm gonna search out the lady you mentioned's thread right now.

As far as letting BGD customize it, I am to an extent. He is doing the entire basket, and how it comes up to hold the diamonds. He already said he didn't like how the ring tapers up in size at the top, but my gf loves that about it, so I asked him to leave it.

Time to start my research... :mrgreen:
 
So after having researched the patina of platinum, and "dulling" of white gold, I presented the facts as I know them to Kendra. She quickly said she wanted white gold, and that the "dulling" wouldn't be a problem since we would just have to pay shipping to have it re-dipped/finished.

So white gold it is! And I sent my first cashier's check in today! Now I'm just waiting on the first CAD's to come back. Ahhhh, the end is in sight, but I actually don't want it to be over LMAO! I'm finding myself coming up with necklace ideas... I'm afraid this could turn into another addiction :errrr:
 
I haven't commented before, but I have been following your thread(s). Congrats on making the final decision on the stone and setting and hopefully moving on the to CAD stage very soon! That is one of the more exciting parts of the process.

As for this:

I'm finding myself coming up with necklace ideas... I'm afraid this could turn into another addiction

Welcome to PS. This happens to ALL of us, trust me. :bigsmile:
 
BGD got my payment 8 days ago and they're saying the CADs still wont be done until late next week... Grrr lol

Also, brian said, when I was debating between the two stones, that if I went with his, he would work with me. Then I get the invoice for the diamond, and it was full price after ps wire discount! Im not sure if maybe they're taking some off the ring, but how the hell would I even know if they were or not!?

I have an uneasy feeling about that, and im not really happy. I figured at least a couple or few hundred off! I don't know if maybe they forgot to take the price down, but it seems like it was more DISREGARDED since there wasn't any mention about it.

I probably should've said something before I paid the diamond, but was so excited to get rolling. I haven't paid the ring cost yet tho, so im hoping they come back with less than quoted, otherwise im gonna say something at that time. What do you guys think?
 
I agreed not to post specifics in public, but I wanted to say something so guys in the future don't make the mistake I did...
 
scottylmt|1334938209|3176220 said:
BGD got my payment 8 days ago and they're saying the CADs still wont be done until late next week... Grrr lol

Also, brian said, when I was debating between the two stones, that if I went with his, he would work with me. Then I get the invoice for the diamond, and it was full price after ps wire discount! Im not sure if maybe they're taking some off the ring, but how the hell would I even know if they were or not!?

I have an uneasy feeling about that, and im not really happy. I figured at least a couple or few hundred off! I don't know if maybe they forgot to take the price down, but it seems like it was more DISREGARDED since there wasn't any mention about it.

I probably should've said something before I paid the diamond, but was so excited to get rolling. I haven't paid the ring cost yet tho, so im hoping they come back with less than quoted, otherwise im gonna say something at that time. What do you guys think?

Best honest with them - they may have forgotten about it or there was a misunderstanding. They want to make you happy. BTW, they're closed on Saturdays - call today. Will you get the ring in time? Do they know your deadline and was it stated on the ring invoice?
 
Well I don't have a deadline so that's good lol. I remember on the phone im pretty sure she said a week after payment id have CADs. Not upset about that really its just sounding like now it'll be two weeks.

Do you really think I should call before I get the CADs??? Im worried if I do that then maybe they would get pissed off and just raise the price and TELL ME I got a discount. They seem like very nice ppl over the phone so I have no reason to believe they would do that. But im worried they might try to do that anyway.

Was thinking maybe I should bring up the negotiation AFTER I have the CADs so I know for sure I am getting a deal?
 
webdiva|1334943599|3176298 said:
scottylmt|1334938209|3176220 said:
BGD got my payment 8 days ago and they're saying the CADs still wont be done until late next week... Grrr lol

Also, brian said, when I was debating between the two stones, that if I went with his, he would work with me. Then I get the invoice for the diamond, and it was full price after ps wire discount! Im not sure if maybe they're taking some off the ring, but how the hell would I even know if they were or not!?

I have an uneasy feeling about that, and im not really happy. I figured at least a couple or few hundred off! I don't know if maybe they forgot to take the price down, but it seems like it was more DISREGARDED since there wasn't any mention about it.

I probably should've said something before I paid the diamond, but was so excited to get rolling. I haven't paid the ring cost yet tho, so im hoping they come back with less than quoted, otherwise im gonna say something at that time. What do you guys think?

Best honest with them - they may have forgotten about it or there was a misunderstanding. They want to make you happy. BTW, they're closed on Saturdays - call today. Will you get the ring in time? Do they know your deadline and was it stated on the ring invoice?


It's probably already too late to call today. But PLEASE don't worry. Just call them on Sunday and talk to Lesley. They will work it all out for you immediately. I know they will.
 
Ok back to my original thread for an update!

As of last night, I am now an ENGAGED MAN!

It was a perfect proposal for the two of us. Im the type that likes to plan and research every little detail about things (as you all obviously know by now lol) and she's more the start a project and refine as you go type. Our closest friends are moving 8 hours to chicago for a business venture, and last night was their going away party. Naturally, I had the perfect plan...

We were to go down to the old market area early before everybody got into town. I would take her to an awesome restaurant down there. Then we would walk the area (tons of really cool sculptures and parks and water features ) and end up on the Nebraska -iowa bridge that walks over the Missouri river (really cool and we've never been to it) Then, as the sun almost set, I'd bust out the proposal!

Everybody would be in at 830, our reservations were at 630, and the ring looks best here around 8. Perfect plan...

Well, it was her day off and she was STILL getting calls and dealing with situations right up to 5:30! Needless to say we missed the gym, and had to rush and get ready for dinner (25 min drive including parking and walking to restaurant) I know her too well, so I called and changed it to 7 while she was in the shower ;)

Well to make matters worse, it started RAINING! And showed no signs of letting up. Luckily I had a plan b. The ring also looks AMAZING in our dining doom (multiple spot lighting) so I got all ready and waited patiently for her to be done, knowing full well she was going to come out at 6:20 (thinking reservations were still at 630 lol)

So I got the ring and white glove, and set them on one of our dining chairs next to the one I was sitting at. I would have her sit down caddy corner with me so she couldn't see them under the table... 8-)
 
So of course she comes out at 620 thinking we're late! There I am with my arms crossed at the dining table and say "don't put your coat on yet, there are some things I need to tell you..." Mind you I made it look like I was angry about her job stress blowing our plans and her making us "late". So she sat down and I started about how I am about planning and how she is about making moves... and how I had all these romantic plans for the night and got ruined. Then I went on about how through her I've learned that plans only go so far, and how I've become much better about getting things done because of her. And just basically that I don't give a shit if things don't go perfectly, butthat we have each other and always triumph as a great team on things. And we really bring out each others strengths (often by necessity lol)

So I busted out a white glove and said "have you ever heard of The White Glove Treatment?" As I put it on... she looked at me like what in the HELL are you about to do with one white glove??? Lmao. "Its what the best of the best do... you always handle it with a white glove, so that it remains untouched, and the first person it ever touches, is the woman you love" At this point I reach under the table and her face is hilarious I think she expected a huge sex toy! So I got down on my knee then she FINALLY caught what I was up to! I stayed down there, and said a few things that will always stay between us, but more so to keep holding the box out longer to build her anticipation to see the ring lmao! I will say I was impressed she really took what I was saying to heart, and NOT ONCE did she look down at the box, that was final confirmation I had my perfect mate because she was more interested in the proposal than the ring.

So I finally opened it RIGHT IN THE SPOTLIGHTS, and her face honestly looked like she didn't know if it was real! I talked to Brian about how to create the "hollywood" effect and I worked like a charm!!! She was blown away and could barely say "omg that's even better than the other one I liked so much" It almost sounded like a whisper still like she couldn't believe it (the other one was actually the CAD brian sent me of HER RING!!! and I told her don't get your hopes up it is WAY out of our range... that's brian GAVIN! LOL)

The whole thing went flawlessly, and a perfect mix of MY planning, and HER impromptu! It was a perfect story for us because what better place than the home we've created together and with her damn dog (who I actually really adore, just like an adolescent who acts up!) Licking me while I was on my knee! But it all just fit really well with us! Im the happiest man in the world right now..
 
Pictures are a must!!! :twirl:
 
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