What to Expect When You're Expecting (working with DK)

[bibliotheque_]

New CAD fresh off the press from DK! Does anyone have any thoughts? I'm pretty happy with this rendition. David confirmed that the diamonds in the hidden halo won't be visible from the top view down. The diamond is set a slight bit higher now I think to accommodate the "swoopier" prongs. Is this height okay at 6.46mm?

 

[Slickk]

I love it! May I ask what you plan on wearing (if any) wedding band with this? I ask because you will have rubbing on the prongs (which are lovely swoopy like that) especially if they are diamonds. I also think you will not have a flush fit with a wedding band if that is important to you. Just food for thought. Otherwise, I think he nailed it. I am expecting from DK too!! How funny that sounds.

 

[yssie]

New CAD fresh off the press from DK! Does anyone have any thoughts? I'm pretty happy with this rendition. David confirmed that the diamonds in the hidden halo won't be visible from the top view down. The diamond is set a slight bit higher now I think to accommodate the "swoopier" prongs. Is this height okay at 6.46mm?

It seems that the exterior outline of the halo of diamonds will be ever so slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the centerstone? Based on this CAD I’m confident they will be very visible from top view unless you’re looking at the ring with one eye. Which is obviously not going to be your usual perspective.

Those halo diamonds will need to be inset quite a bit more to be invisible face-up when looking at the ring with two eyes.

I really detest when people making jewellery ignore details like this. These sorts of real-world considerations are professionals’ jobs.

 

[bibliotheque_]

It seems that the exterior outline of the halo of diamonds is ever so slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the centerstone? Based on this CAD I’m confident they will be very visible from top view unless you’re looking at the ring with one eye. Which is obviously not going to be your usual perspective.

Those halo diamonds will need to be inset quite a bit more to be invisible face-up when looking at the ring with two eyes.

I really detest when people making jewellery ignore details like this. These sorts of real-world considerations are the professionals’ jobs.

Thank you so much for your feedback @yssie! Is there anything you suggest I say to David to reiterate the point that I don't want to see the halo diamonds from the top view? He explicitly said in his email response that I would not see the diamonds around the hidden halo from the top view and that the CADs don't show that well. I don't want to offend him by harping on the point as I am a complete novice so would appreciate any specific pointers on how to communicate the ask.

 

[bibliotheque_]

I love it! May I ask what you plan on wearing (if any) wedding band with this? I ask because you will have rubbing on the prongs (which are lovely swoopy like that) especially if they are diamonds. I also think you will not have a flush fit with a wedding band if that is important to you. Just food for thought. Otherwise, I think he nailed it. I am expecting from DK too!! How funny that sounds.

Yayyyy! I hope your piece comes soon and is everything you wanted and more!

I'm hoping to pair it with a diamond eternity band; something like the below. I definitely think I'm going to have a prong eating problem so I'll probably look into getting a thin spacer along with the wedding band.

 

[yssie]

Thank you so much for your feedback @yssie! Is there anything you suggest I say to David to reiterate the point that I don't want to see the halo diamonds from the top view? He explicitly said in his email response that I would not see the diamonds around the hidden halo from the top view and that the CADs don't show that well. I don't want to offend him by harping on the point as I am a complete novice so would appreciate any specific pointers on how to communicate the ask.

I recommend you clarify that you want the halo stones to be invisible when looking at the ring top-down at 8” with stereo vision. Change 8” to your preferred distance.

If the CAD reflects the mould accurately - I guarantee it will not meet this requirement as-is unless we’re talking distances like “across the table”.

 

[bibliotheque_]

I recommend you clarify that you want the halo stones to be invisible when looking at the ring top-down at 8” with stereo vision. Change 8” to your preferred distance.

If the CAD reflects the mould accurately - no matter what anyone might say, I guarantee it will not meet this requirement as-is

Perfect, thanks so much for the communication tip! Very, very much appreciated!!!

 

[BMI]

What a beautiful diamond!
In your inspiration pictures it appears that there is a larger vertical gap between the top of the halo crossbar and the girdle of the diamond. For the halo to be more inset I think it needs to be lower. In the CAD, your diamond appears to be set lower into the shank than in the inspiration pics, which do not have a donut. Because of that I think the halo bar needs to be a bit lower, where the prongs are closer together, thus making it more inset, for the diamond to completely hide it from the top view. I don't know if my explanation made any sense, but I just wanted to share what I see when I compare the CAD to your inspiration pictures. And congratulations on your engagement!

 

[prs]

The hidden halo diamonds are embedded in the basket that is supporting your center stone There's only a certain distance the diamonds can be pushed back before they go all the way thru the basket and impinge on the pavilion of your center stone. You may have to lower the halo on the basket to to make room for the diamonds to be moved further back. The best way to communicate this is to tell DK exactly how far, in mm, you want the face of the halo diamonds to be recessed under the girdle of your center stone.

@BMI just made much the same point whilst I was typing my post.

I notice the bottom two shank diamonds will be caught between your fingers and rub. Some ladies find this to be no problem, others can't stand it. My DW is in the can't stand it camp, so I thought I'd better point it out. If you don't know, it would be better to get rid of them. They are kind of a waste anyway because nobody will be able to see them hidden between your fingers.

 

[BMI]

@BMI just made much the same point whilst I was typing my post.

Perhaps, but your post is much more helpful since you explained it so much better and with all the necessary terms!

 

[yssie]

The hidden halo diamonds are embedded in the basket that is supporting your center stone There's only a certain distance the diamonds can be pushed back before they go all the way thru the basket and impinge on the pavilion of your center stone. You may have to lower the halo on the basket to to make room for the diamonds to be moved further back. The best way to communicate this is to tell DK exactly how far, in mm, you want the face of the halo diamonds to be recessed under the girdle of your center stone.

@BMI just made much the same point whilst I was typing my post.

I notice the bottom two shank diamonds will be caught between your fingers and rub. Some ladies find this to be no problem, others can't stand it. My DW is in the can't stand it camp, so I thought I'd better point it out. If you don't know, it would be better to get rid of them. They are kind of a waste anyway because nobody will be able to see them hidden between your fingers.

I disagree wholeheartedly.
It is a customer's job to convey what she wants to see.
It is the designer's job to make that happen - to figure out and implement the specific dimensions and design elements that will yield the aesthetic the customer wants.
When the customer, who is not a designer, not a jeweller, and not a CAD expert, attempts to define concrete implementation details, they are rarely optimal decisions, but the designer is now hamstrung, and the ending is rarely happy.

Threads for DK designs are usually pages upon pages of PSers providing concrete implementation advice. DK also goes through many more CAD iterations and has more customers reset/remake pieces than any other PS popular jeweller I can think of.
This is not coincidence.

 

[prs]

It seems that the exterior outline of the halo of diamonds will be ever so slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the centerstone? Based on this CAD I’m confident they will be very visible from top view unless you’re looking at the ring with one eye. Which is obviously not going to be your usual perspective.

Those halo diamonds will need to be inset quite a bit more to be invisible face-up when looking at the ring with two eyes.

I really detest when people making jewellery ignore details like this. These sorts of real-world considerations are professionals’ jobs.

Here is one of the inspiration photos the OP sent to DKJ



The customer did convey what she wanted to see, you will note the diameter of the hidden halo is barely smaller than the diamond. Perhaps DKJ can be forgiven for not realizing @yssie would come up with this "stereo" vision thing and render the inspiration photos useless.

Sorry @bibliotheque_ I didn't realize @yssie was at war with DKJ. I'll cease and desist now.

 

[lovedogs]

@prs I don't interpret @yssie 's comments as being "at war" with DKJ. I think she's trying to be helpful and makes sure the OP gets what she wants and isn't disappointed. If the OP specifically doesn't want to "see" the diamond halo from the top view, then it is critical to make sure the final outcome achieves that.

 

[yssie]

The customer did convey what she wanted to see, you will note the diameter of the hidden halo is barely smaller than the diamond. Perhaps DKJ can be forgiven for not realizing @yssie would come up with this "stereo" vision thing and render the inspiration photos useless.

Sorry @bibliotheque_ I didn't realize @yssie was at war with DKJ. I'll cease and desist now.

I laughed out loud. I certainly do think that if I, a mere consumer, can immediately spot a disconnect between what a customer has asked for and what a jeweller has provided, the jeweller has more responsibility to identify the issue.

The sheer number of "help me with DK threads" on this forum is telling. He has an excellent bench, but the consistent outsourcing of design specifics to random people via this forum is not a strategy that inspires confidence.

 

[Slickk]

The sheer number of "help me with DK threads" on this forum is telling. He has an excellent bench, but the consistent outsourcing of design specifics to random people via this forum is not a strategy that inspires confidence.

I respectfully agree with this, but that is reflected in his price point. You do need to have a clear vision to work with him.
That said, I’ve loved all of my DKJ pieces, but I may not be as discriminating as some and I know what works for me.

 

[yssie]

I respectfully agree with this, but that is reflected in his price point. You do need to have a clear vision to work with him.

Yup, it is reflected in his pricepoint. I know he has a designer on staff - Amy - does it cost extra to employ her services, do you know? That is my standing recommendation for threads like this - "you should ask his designer for help".

My understanding is that DK is willing to redo/remake multiple times until a customer is happy, so if one is okay with a potentially extended timeline to achieve that final aesthetic this might be much less of a concern.
Edited*

 

[lovedogs]

Yup, it is reflected in his pricepoint. I know he has a designer on staff - Amy - does it cost extra to employ her services, do you know? That is my standing recommendation for threads like this - "you should ask his designer for help".

It does not cost more (that I am aware of). But yes, I think people need to have a strong vision of what they want prior to working with him. I love his work and think he is excellent, but certainly is best for those who know exactly what they want (and preferably have examples of what they want which he has made previously).

 

[mrs-b]

The sheer number of "help me with DK threads" on this forum is telling. He has an excellent bench, but the consistent outsourcing of design specifics to random people via this forum is not a strategy that inspires confidence.

I think this is no coincidence, true. I think people from PS go to DKJ, knowing he'll make them what they want. And PS persistently feeds into the idea of "If you go to DKJ, you need to do all your own designing".

Has anyone ever just left it to them to design and construct? Rarely, from what I can see. Most people who go to DKJ from PS keep their finges pretty firmly planted in the pie. I don't think DKJ has an issue with this, but it certainly leads to a lot of the sorts of threads to which you're referring. This is diametrically opposed to someone like Leon Mege - or even Victor Canera - who stick to their own designs and don't vary all that much 'on request'.

DKJ has been working on a web site for some time now, so they can offer their own specific styles, as is the case with most of the jewelers we recommend. They are more than capable of that. Personally, I think it would serve them better were they not as flexible as they are. But a great deal of their business is people who "have a mental picture of what I want...and here's my 50 inspiration pics...and can you do me 30 CADs?" Try that sort of thing with most of the other jewelers recommended on these forums and see how it goes!

I think the number of threads asking for assistance is a reflection of people not knowing clearly how they'd like a piece to look, and DKJ's generosity in doing uncharged-for CADs, and offering remakes. Believe me, if Steven Kirsch offered remakes, I'd have done one with him. My VC ring, I sold. My Leon ring had an issue, but I would have had to pay full price to have had it remade. And it goes on and on. DKJ has more threads like this because they're willing to do it, not because their work is sub-standard, which I think is the oblique implication here. It's not warranted.

 

[Slickk]

@yssie Good question that I am not certain of the answer. Given that my CADs were moreso delayed than usual a couple weeks ago lead me to think she does all of his CADs. I could be wrong though as I’ve never specifically asked for her assistance but I have wondered if she is the one who replies to me in “David’s” emails.

 

[yssie]

DKJ has been working on a web site for some time now, so they can offer their own specific styles, as is the case with most of the jewelers we recommend. They are more than capable of that. Personally, I think it would serve them better were they not as flexible as they are. But a great deal of their business is people who "have a mental picture of what I want...and here's my 50 inspiration pics...and can you do me 30 CADs?" Try that sort of thing with most of the other jewelers recommended on these forums and see how it goes!

I think the number of threads asking for assistance is a reflection of people not knowing clearly how they'd like a piece to look, and DKJ's generosity in doing uncharged-for CADs, and offering remakes. Believe me, if Steven Kirsch offered remakes, I'd have done one with him. My VC ring, I sold. My Leon ring had an issue, but I would have had to pay full price to have had it remade. And it goes on and on. DKJ has more threads like this because they're willing to do it, not because their work is sub-standard, which I think is the oblique implication here. It's not warranted.

I think cause and effect are winding around each other, and it is to the detriment of DK's reputation. Having a standard portfolio is the canonical resolution to this problem - I agree it will be of immense benefit.

I imagine that when someone says "I'm from PriceScope and I want X and here are my fifty inspiration pics"... At this point there is almost a mutual understanding that it will take several CAD revisions and potentially a few remakes to nail a design down. And in practice maybe it's okay if a few things get "lost along the way" so to speak because this iteration provides lots of opportunity to catch those sorts of things incrementally, but on paper, I'll be honest, it's unflattering - it reads as either carelessness or incompetence.

I'm looking forward to seeing his portfolio. He has a fantastic bench. But he's got to adopt workflows and practices that speak to design expertise to be respected as more than simply a great bench. Standardized offerings provide in-house inspirations that people can draw on, which hugely reduces those "copy this" and "kludge this" requests - I applaud this decision!!

Edit - I hear you on other vendors. We all know that my own experience with Canera ended unhappily - more my own fault than anything else: I wanted a design that wasn’t in his portfolio and I wasn’t happy with the result. At the time I mostly blamed his lack of thoroughness as a designer. Years later I realize it was my fault for going to him with an out-of-norm project and not demanding more input during its creation. My experiences with Leon Mege have been in stark contrast! Finding that happy medium with vendors with whom you work well can definitely be...Let’s call it an adventure, lol.

 

[prs]

Yup, it is reflected in his pricepoint. I know he has a designer on staff - Amy - does it cost extra to employ her services, do you know? That is my standing recommendation for threads like this - "you should ask his designer for help".

My understanding is that DK is willing to redo/remake multiple times until a customer is happy, so if one is okay with a potentially extended timeline to achieve that final aesthetic this might be much less of a concern.
Edited*

FWIW I believe Amy is a full owner and partner in the business. She has been with David from the very start of the business and is not "on staff". In fact Amy is the organizational genius that keeps everything on track. She is in the office full time and handles most of the design work. You actually want Amy doing your designs as David is often away from the office taking care of all their outside the office business.

It might be worth pointing out to the OP that, no matter how recessed the halo, you will see it as soon as you tilt the ring beyond perfectly face up. Also I suspect DKJ might be reluctant to recess the halo because it does provide some protection to the girdle of the center stone. The center stone is a very good size, and as I look at the current CAD I don't see it has much protection at all between the four prongs. @bibliotheque_ you might need to be very gentle with it to avoid chipping the girdle.

 

[yssie]

FWIW I believe Amy is a full owner and partner in the business. She has been with David from the very start of the business and is not "on staff". In fact Amy is the organizational genius that keeps everything on track. She is in the office full time and handles most of the design work. You actually want Amy doing your designs as David is often away from the office taking care of all their outside the office business.

It might be worth pointing out to the OP that, no matter how recessed the halo, you will see it as soon as you tilt the ring beyond perfectly face up. Also I suspect DKJ might be reluctant to recess the halo because it does provide some protection to the girdle of the center stone. The center stone is a very good size, and as I look at the current CAD I don't see it has much protection at all between the four prongs. @bibliotheque_ you might need to be very gentle with it to avoid chipping the girdle.

Some very good discussions here for DK’s designer to have with OP.

At least I’m consistent I suppose.

 

[mrs-b]

I think cause and effect are winding around each other, and it is to the detriment of DK's reputation. Having a standard portfolio is the canonical resolution to this problem - I agree it will be of immense benefit.

I imagine that when someone says "I'm from PriceScope and I want X and here are my fifty inspiration pics"... At this point there is almost a mutual understanding that it will take several CAD revisions and potentially a few remakes to nail a design down. And in practice maybe it's okay if a few things get "lost along the way" so to speak because this iteration provides lots of opportunity to catch those sorts of things incrementally, but on paper, I'll be honest, it's unflattering - it reads as either carelessness or incompetence.

I'm looking forward to seeing his portfolio. He has a fantastic bench. But he's got to adopt workflows and practices that speak to design expertise to be respected as more than simply a great bench. Standardized offerings provide in-house inspirations that people can draw on, which hugely reduces those "copy this" and "kludge this" requests - I applaud this decision!!

Edit - I hear you on other vendors. We all know that my own experience with Canera ended unhappily - more my own fault than anything else: I wanted a design that wasn’t in his portfolio and I wasn’t happy with the result. At the time I mostly blamed his lack of thoroughness as a designer. Years later I realize it was my fault for going to him with an out-of-norm project and not demanding more input during its creation. My experiences with Leon Mege have been in stark contrast! Finding that happy medium with vendors with whom you work well can definitely be...Let’s call it an adventure, lol.

One person's "damaged reputation" is another person's "Oh! Isn't he fabulously flexible!" Given the popularity of the DKJ business, I think most people aren't seeing this as a damaged reputation. And remember - what to you reads as 'carelessness and incompetence' doesn't strike most of us who have worked with them as such. Which is why we keep going back and back and back. It would be easy to say 'it's because of the great price point', but that's not why I go. I go for the fun of it, for the level of service, and for the finished product. So it's horses for courses. It's my intention to use all the more popular PS vendors by the time I'm done; I'm currently doing 6 projects with DKJ at a range of price points, but I'm planning something special - possibly 2 things special - with CvB over the next year. And one day I'll do an Erika Winters piece or die in the attempt! ( - and I mean that financially speaking!)

And just by the way - on that whole VC debacle over your piece, I was FIRMLY team Yssie and still am. I love Victor and his work, but that scenario was...well, fill in the blanks. But suffice to say, I thought you were gracious in the extreme. No need to rehash it, of course, but I know what I felt at the time, and still feel, about it all.

 

[lilysweet]

Not to veer off course, but with all that is happening with discussions around the world right now, I want to say how much I appreciate the input and tone yssie and mrs-b in your responses. So lovely to see a respectful exchange of thoughts! thx

 

[bibliotheque_]

Oh wow, I did not expect this thread to blow up this much between a few client calls. Thanks so much to @yssie @prs @BMI for your advice. I've shot a note out to David to just reiterate that I'd like to ensure that the hidden halo isn't visible from the top down. I tried not to be too specific about measurements here and there because I do want to acknowledge that I literally don't know what I'm doing, so want to defer to experts! To @prs's point, I am okay with it being seen at a tilt (which I think is the joy of it, I wanted to see a little extra sparkle when tilting it), but my goal for the hidden halo is for it to be a "hidden" feature so that it still looks like a solitaire at the end of the day. I am confident that David knows the "technical requirements" to properly hide it since one of the inspiration photos was from his own Instagram page. I also take the comment regarding protecting the girdle to heart and will keep that in mind. Last thing I want to do is push for something that creates unnecessary risk of damage. Thanks so much to you all again! I'll report back with any further developments.

 

[yssie]

@mrs-b It is such a pleasure to discuss - well, anything - with you. I mean that truly, and as your friend. I know that there are topics we’ll argue but I also know that we agree on everything that’s ever been really important.

And you appreciate the gift that is prose: As much attention granted to verbiage as to purpose. I’m never going to deal the cards with more eloquence than you... That is invigorating, and makes me happier than you know ❤

As usual you make considered points. And your collection, which I know DK can take sizable credit for having brought to fruition, is incomparable - from perspectives of both design and workmanship.

So why do we not see “help me with my CAD” threads from mrs-b? Is it your experience working with CAD - that you can interpret and manipulate nuances to your preferences without an audience? Probably. Is it that DK and Amy know your tastes very well, so they can preempt your preferences? Probably that too.

But what about the people who don’t have your experience? They wind up on PS with ten page threads that involve other PSers offering impractical suggestions like photoshopping sub-millimeter alterations into diagrams.
And what about the people who don’t have access to PS resources? They’ll either not notice that their requests have not been met or they’ll write it off as “falling through the cracks”.

I see standardization of portfolio as solving so many issues, past, present, and future, all at the same time.

1. Customers now have resources they can point to that DK has already designed and executed on. No more starting from scratch with every new client who brings a set of a dozen unfamiliar inspirations.
2. Customers now have resources they can point to that DK already owns. No more requests to copy existing designs from other sources.
3. Customers now have clear and curated insight into DK’s preferred aesthetic. No more requests to fulfill the sensibilities of every era of epochs past.

Sounds like @bibliotheque_ has more ideas. I’m looking forward to the site launch!

 

[mrs-b]

Not to veer off course, but with all that is happening with discussions around the world right now, I want to say how much I appreciate the input and tone yssie and mrs-b in your responses. So lovely to see a respectful exchange of thoughts! thx

@lilysweet - thank you for your kind words.

@yssie and I have been friends for some years now, and I respect her thoughts on all things and her aesthetic on everything. I always prick up my ears when I see she's commented on a post, and read her comments with anticipation and enjoyment - even if it's a response to one of my own posts over something I know we disagree. And PS has no greater joy to me than to see she's posted a thread on a new creation - because I know I'll be in for a treat.

I had a conversation with my goddaughter the other day over how to respond to some of her more racist relatives, and their comments about posts she'd made about racial inequality. I said to her that the key to a good, clean argument is to argue the issue, not the person. Too often these days we see arguments become personal and end with insults. The truth is - if you can't support your position without resorting to 'winning' by destroying the opposition, rather than their argument, then you'd best look at your own position, because it's lacking.

I think, too, as one gets older, one realizes that most issues have 2 sides; when ethical people take different sides on an issue, it's normally because the issue has merit on both sides, so it will pay a person to consider both.

And there's almost no issue - and none I can conceive about jewelry - that's worth hurting or losing a friend. So after a point, it's all about remembering your priorities and knowing who you are.

 

[yssie]

@lilysweet - thank you for your kind words.

@yssie and I have been friends for some years now, and I respect her thoughts on all things and her aesthetic on everything. I always prick up my ears when I see she's commented on a post, and read her comments with anticipation and enjoyment - even if it's a response to one of my own posts over something I know we disagree. And PS has no greater joy to me than to see she's posted a thread on a new creation - because I know I'll be in for a treat.

I had a conversation with my goddaughter the other day over how to respond to some of her more racist relatives, and their comments about posts she'd made about racial inequality. I said to her that the key to a good, clean argument is to argue the issue, not the person. Too often these days we see arguments become personal and end with insults. The truth is - if you can't support your position without resorting to 'winning' by destroying the opposition, rather than their argument, then you'd best look at your own position, because it's lacking.

I think, too, as one gets older, one realizes that most issues have 2 sides; when ethical people take different sides on an issue, it's normally because the issue has merit on both sides, so it will pay a person to consider both.

And there's almost no issue - and none I can conceive about jewelry - that's worth hurting or losing a friend. So after a point, it's all about remembering your priorities and knowing who you are.

Everything you said, love

I'm sorry your clever and talented goddaughter has to deal with racism from her own family. She's very lucky to have role models who will help her rise above it with head and heart intact.

 

[lydial]

@bibliotheque_ I have comments about your DK CAD! ... @yssie and @mrs-b I am going to be the random PS commenter on her CADs... so anyway... you noticed the stone appears higher in the second CAD. When I looked at the CADs I noticed the line to the stone height on CAD 1 goes to a different point (the girdle?) than CAD 2 (the crown). So I am not convinced it is higher, just different points of measurement. Under 7 mm to me is low set for stones over 1 ct. and it may be lower than the inspiration photos. Next: To get the more swooping look DK made the donut smaller in CAD 2. Your inspiration photos have no donut that I can see. The basket seems to come straight out of the shank in the inspiration photos. That gives the basket a more wine-glass-bowl shape instead of a flat bottomed bowl-like flow. If you asked for a donut for security reasons you will not have the same swoops. I am a potter and bowl shape is something I know a lot about. Finally, in the inspiration photos the hidden halo is lower in the basket hiding it from the top. In your CADs the halo is higher. You can tell that in the inspiration photos the halo is set its full height below the stone girdle. In your CADs it is about half its height below your stone girdle. The inspiration halo stones must be smaller and the center is probably bigger to achieve the proportions. In my opinion your design looks plenty delicate enough. I would talk to your ring maker about lowering the halo in the basket and making those pave stones tinier if you truly want it hidden from above. That should hide the halo. Enjoy your project!

 

[lydial]

@bibliotheque_ I have comments about your DK CAD! ... @yssie and @mrs-b I am going to be the random PS commenter on her CADs... so anyway... you noticed the stone appears higher in the second CAD. When I looked at the CADs I noticed the line to the stone height on CAD 1 goes to a different point (the girdle?) than CAD 2 (the crown). So I am not convinced it is higher, just different points of measurement. Under 7 mm to me is low set for stones over 1 ct. and it may be lower than the inspiration photos. Next: To get the more swooping look DK made the donut smaller in CAD 2. Your inspiration photos have no donut that I can see. The basket seems to come straight out of the shank in the inspiration photos. That gives the basket a more wine-glass-bowl shape instead of a flat bottomed bowl-like flow. If you asked for a donut for security reasons you will not have the same swoops. I am a potter and bowl shape is something I know a lot about. Finally, in the inspiration photos the hidden halo is lower in the basket hiding it from the top. In your CADs the halo is higher. You can tell that in the inspiration photos the halo is set its full height below the stone girdle. In your CADs it is about half its height below your stone girdle. The inspiration halo stones must be smaller and the center is probably bigger to achieve the proportions. In my opinion your design looks plenty delicate enough. I would talk to your ring maker about lowering the halo in the basket and making those pave stones tinier if you truly want it hidden from above. That should hide the halo. Enjoy your project!

Just another note: I was only looking at the last inspiration pictures not the first re: the swooping basket head. The first has the bigger donut, more like CAD 1. So your a CAD 2 ends up looking like none of your inspiration pictures (neither the more prominent donut nor the absent donut). I do not have a preference just noticing differences that you need to consider.