Small or hidden halo prongs

[flip]

Hi. I have been looking through halo settings lately and trying to find settings which reduce the size of the prongs. For reference the setting would be for a ~1ct. cushion cut. I'm interested in halos from some of the other designers that are referenced here frequently, but most of their typical settings seem to contain larger prongs.

I noticed Jean Dousset's "seamless halo" settings such as https://jeandousset.com/jewelry/engagement-rings/eva/ and I was wondering if there are other similar designs? I've noticed this type of setting called "prongless" or hidden prongs. I assume this setting uses some kind of bevel to keep the diamond in place, but I'm not sure how the stability compares to typical prongs. Also it seems that most people would prefer smaller prongs, so I'm slightly uneasy that I haven't been able to find other similar settings.

 

[rockysalamander]

I have not seen one in person, but I found a good resolution online images. Its a 2-sided pave halo. You can see the prongs on the "side" halo. I think it looks less metaly since you don't see the bottom of a normal halo.

Prong size is determined both by the skill of the maker and what is needed to hold the stone.You may wish to look at hand-forged vs. CAD as they can make smaller prongs through handforging. Victor Canera, Mytal Hannah, Diamonds by Lauren, Leon Mege, Steven Kirsch and other are often discussed for hand-forging.

 

[tyty333]

Looks like the center stone is being held in by itsy bitsy prongs that also hold the melee in. My eye-site is not that great though.
Havent seen this before. I like it though. Maybe David Klass can do it for you. Would love to see it.

 

[Victor Canera]

Hi Flip,

That halo is what we term a “seamless bezel”. It has the addition of a “double edge pave” on the halo as well.
The center stone is held by the walls of the halo so no prongs needed. As you can see the diamond is sunk into the halo and the girdle isn’t visible anymore.

Good luck

 

[flip]

Thanks for the great information everyone! Victor Canera's explanation gives me much more confidence that the stone is still secure in this position. I'm interested in hand-forged as well.

I suppose many people simply prefer to be able to see the girdle despite the necessity of prongs. I wonder whether there are any other downsides with this approach.