What stone to pop in this milgrain halo setting?

[arken15]

Hi there,

I found this site a few months ago -- amazing -- have been lurking ever since and am finally ready to post! I was scoping out ideas to reset my .85 6mm rb in an antique type of setting when I came across pinkis' ring (see below). I absolutely fell in love, and am trying to figure out a way to make it happen. At first, I was considering having it custom made using my rb, which would be beautiful, but then thought it might be nice to go with something that matched the hard lines of the mounting. Additionally, I really started to appreciate the beauty of the asscher cut. Here are some of the options I was considering, could I get opinions?

I wear a ring size 5 and would like some significant heft to the center stone - 6.5mm or so?

Here's a link to the photo:
https://www.artdecodiamonds.com/images.php?id=2306&page=3&limit=1



1. Using my rb
advantage: it incorporates my current engagement stone...which is beautiful
disadvantage: aesthetically I would prefer putting angles in the setting

2. Buying a colorless asscher
advantage: I already know it looks phenomenal. The asscher cut is incredible.
disadvantage: I already have a colorless diamond, plus this is a pretty expensive option for me

3. Buying a yellow lab-grown asscher
advantage: I'm a total geek and lab-grown stones hold a certain engineering appeal to me (and it's still an asscher). Plus it's a little cheaper or I'd be able to go a bit bigger. I also think it would be really cool to pair it with a yellow gold art-deco eternity band.
disadvantage: Still pricey! The vivid yellow of the lab-growns might be a bit much for me? Not sure, haven't seen too many irl.

4. Buying a blue sapphire, emerald or radiant cut with cut corners
advantage: Significantly cheaper (I estimate around 3K) but still beautiful, I do love me some sapphires and there's something about this stone that I think would match the setting nicely.
disadvantage: since it's a darker colored stone (and I would definitely do a vivid/intense blue) you don't see the cut as much. I won't be staring into infinity like I would with the aforementioned asschers

5. Buying a yellow sapphire, asscher cut
advantage: Even more significantly cheaper (I estimate a 5K saving over a diamond) and I'd be able to appreciate a step cut.
disadvantage: Ehhh...I still prefer blue sapphires to yellow. If it's not going to sparkle, then I think I prefer a blue to a yellow hue.

Any thoughts/opinions I would be so glad to hear them!

 

[GemFever]

Welcome!

Sounds like a great project, but some important (and maybe tough) choices to be made. My opinion: if you want an asscher, go with a diamond. Colored stones are usually not cut into that shape and your choices would be extremely limited. If you're going to be spending several thousand on a sapphire, you may want to pick one with the best color and beauty without limiting yourself to a fancy shape.

As for lab-grown, I believe it's the policy of PS that you're not allowed to discuss synthetics here. May be a cool option, but if you go that route, gotta keep it off PS.

So... back to the diamond Do you have preferences on color and clarity? I don't know anything about asscher cuts, but you could probably get some good advice in RockyTalky if you start searching for a stone.

 

[Hera]

My thoughts are that this sounds like an expensive custom project. I would be setting aside at least 3-4k for just the custom setting. That should be after you decide on what you choose as a center stone.

I prefer a step cut as well versus a RB in that setting. That's just a personal preference though! It may be one of the best cost effective things to do because the setting will be expensive.

If you buy a diamond asscher for that ring, you would need a large asscher (like a 1.5 carat) diamond to get anywhere near the one carat face of size for that ring. Asschers, while gorgeous, face up small.

You could do a colored stone and you should find the stone first. Asking help from the colored stones section on PS would be what I recommend if you go that way.

 

[SB621]

Soo first...hmmm where to go with this.

Asscher cuts are not very common in colored stones. I personally would contact a vendor and have a lapidary cut you exactly what you need to fit this setting. And YES i would definitely do an asscher. Plus sapphires are a premium right now however I think this setting would look beautiful with a light blue sapphire also known as a montana sapphire which is a bit more periwinkle. It would be very art deco. Regardless a heated sapphire would be under 2k for that size range. It would be even cheaper if you like lighter or darker sapphires. You pay $$$$ for the med. saturation and tone options.

I apologize if this was allready posted but is this an ering or a RHR. If it is an ering I would definitely do a diamond. Find some place to trade in your RB for an asscher. I know James Allen does trade ins. If it is a RHR then i would do a CS.

Goodluck!

 

[Hera]

My thoughts are that this sounds like an expensive custom project. I would be setting aside at least 3-4k for just the custom setting. That should be after you decide on what you choose as a center stone.

I prefer a step cut as well versus a RB in that setting. That's just a personal preference though! It may be one of the best cost effective things to do because the setting will be expensive.

If you buy a diamond asscher for that ring, you would need a large asscher (like a 1.5 carat) diamond to get anywhere near the one carat face of size for that ring. Asschers, while gorgeous, face up small.

You could do a colored stone and you should find the stone first. Asking help from the colored stones section on PS would be what I recommend if you go that way.

Correction: While I prefer the look of a step cut as well, It may be most cost effective to use your own diamond and get a setting made. It looks quite lovely with a round shape.

For more budget friendly custom jewelers, I would recommend ID jewelry and Mark Broumand makes settings ver similar to your inspiration ring and I find them decent priced and decently crafted.
http://www.markbroumand.com/520ct-asscher-cut-diamond-engagement-anniversary-ring__1600-1d52321445/
A little jaunt over and you'll see they do a lot of similar settings.

You can also think about selling your diamond or upgrading it if your jeweler has a trade up policy.

 

[arken15]

Thanks everyone! A lot of good information to muse over. heraanderson you are 100% on target with the price of the mounting, it would be about 3.5K. It's a tad steep but I'd rather pay a little more and and go with a known jeweler that's made this before. I have a local place that's trying to track it down for me to try on but I'm not sure they are having much luck!

I'm not in a position to upgrade, it would upset my husband -- I know a lot of men are ok with this, but he's not one of those. Also, it's a really pretty stone that I'd have trouble parting with!

I'll include a picture of my current ring/stack (because why not) to give an idea of what the rb looks like (finger size 5). The proportions of my e-ring and stack bother me a bit (the rubies are slightly too big, I think the whole e-ring is too small for both bands underneath so I often just wear the smaller plat one) but I'm not going to swap them out for something else any time soon.




Apologies on the lab-grown discussion - I was contemplating a man made diamond and I thought that was kosher for PS (I should have used that language). I honestly had a little trouble figuring out what section to post this in since I'm discussing colored stones, MMDs and natural ones!

Given that my e-ring has rubies on it, if I went with a colored stone or diamond I'd like either wear one or the other at a time.
I'm heavily contemplating the sapphire idea and thank you for the recommendations - I do think I'd have to have it cut to fit because there do not seem to be too many octagon shape sapphs out there. My local jeweler is supposedly ordering some in for me to look at.

 

[Hera]

Thanks everyone! A lot of good information to muse over. heraanderson you are 100% on target with the price of the mounting, it would be about 3.5K. It's a tad steep but I'd rather pay a little more and and go with a known jeweler that's made this before. I have a local place that's trying to track it down for me to try on but I'm not sure they are having much luck!

I'm not in a position to upgrade, it would upset my husband -- I know a lot of men are ok with this, but he's not one of those. Also, it's a really pretty stone that I'd have trouble parting with!

I'll include a picture of my current ring/stack (because why not) to give an idea of what the rb looks like (finger size 5). The proportions of my e-ring and stack bother me a bit (the rubies are slightly too big, I think the whole e-ring is too small for both bands underneath so I often just wear the smaller plat one) but I'm not going to swap them out for something else any time soon.




Apologies on the lab-grown discussion - I was contemplating a man made diamond and I thought that was kosher for PS (I should have used that language). I honestly had a little trouble figuring out what section to post this in since I'm discussing colored stones, MMDs and natural ones!

Given that my e-ring has rubies on it, if I went with a colored stone or diamond I'd like either wear one or the other at a time.
I'm heavily contemplating the sapphire idea and thank you for the recommendations - I do think I'd have to have it cut to fit because there do not seem to be too many octagon shape sapphs out there. My local jeweler is supposedly ordering some in for me to look at.

I agree that you should have your jeweler make it. That's a good looking repro, the milgrain is fine work. It looks like an original without having the zoomed in pictures.

There's some great colored stone cutters out there. I know Peter Torraca cuts a killer asscher.

 

[Niel]

if if i was getting a step cut id go Jeff White. Stunning!

ETA you cant discuss lab sapphires but lab diamonds are find, you have to go to that thread! for what its worth id think thats a lovely idea.

ETA AGAIN haha, i LOVE everything about you e ring, especially the size of the rubies! i would probably put the plain band between your e ring and the diamond band, though, if i was stacking.

 

[chrono]

What would be your budget for the setting and stone? There seem to be this misconception that coloured stones are less expensive and easy to get. Some might be less expensive but if you are looking for a specific colour or cut, this can take quite a while to find and certain colours are very expensive.

Asschers are a deep cut so a 6.5 mm sapphire will be close to 2 carats. To get the steps to show through, opt for something lighter. A light blue sapphire is a good choice if you want to stay with blue sapphire. It is difficult to get a strongly saturated light toned blue and it will have to be precision cut, since this cut design is uncommon. Expect a heated asscher blue sapphire of 2 carats to cost anywhere from $5000 and upwards.

Decent looking yellow sapphires are not easy to come by. If your budget is limited, you might want to consider a beryllium diffused sapphire. No matter what colour, sapphires have a different sparkle from diamonds. They sparkle their body colour, be it blue or yellow. A diamond will sparkle all sorts of colours.

The lines of the design calls for a square step cut. I just don't see a round fitting in well.