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Which vendor for custom halo ering???

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mjd

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Hi there,

First of all I just want to say I am so glad I came across this site! I live in Ireland and diamonds here are 3/4 times the price they are in the US!! I will def be purchasing online. Thanks to all of you I have managed to arm myself with enough knowledge to ensure that I get a beautiful sparkly diamond. Now I just have to decide on a setting ...

1. Tiffany rb with melee border - v yummy!!

http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/engagement/engagement.aspx?style=round_brilliant&ring=melee#
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2. Tiffany rb with pear side stones - v classic & elegant looking
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http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/engagement/engagement.aspx?style=round_brilliant&ring=pear#


I am leaning towards number 1 because I'm a bit of a boho girl and I like the antique look. Also I have a very active job so the halo setting might be more practical.
However, number 2. is v pretty and timeless - prob a safer option. What do you think pricescopers? Which would you go for??

I am def going to get rings custom made as I am on a budget of approx 7,000. Which vendor would you recommend?

I will prob purchase the diamond(s) from the same vendor I choose to make the ring - this would make things easier I think.

All help and info appreciated!
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aljdewey

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Here is the custom halo that Whiteflash made for me.....excellently done, and I've seen their halo rings firsthand as well. I highly recommend them.

This one happens to be a pendant, and the center stone is only .75, so I'd imagine that a similar halo of 1-pointers on your larger stone will look very elegant. Also, this one has a bezel running around the center stone....but I'll put up Shay's prong-set halo, too, that has no bezel next....

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aljdewey

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Here''s a link to Shay''s beautiful WF prong-set halo ring - hope she doesn''t mind my pointing to her GORGEOUS ring...

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mjd

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Thanks for the pictures alidewey! Shays ring is beautiful - its great to get a view of what it looks like on the finger also. The tiffany ring looks a bit more delicate or lighter looking - do you know what I mean? ... is it the milgrain detail that gives that effect or do you think the stones used in the melee border are smaller than the ones in Shays ring?
 

jaz464

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Looking at Tiffany pictures and trying to get the same thing or even very similar can be very difficult, if not impossible. Even with all of the one million copies out there, the simple Tiffany 6 prong setting still holds its own charm. It sounds like this is not an option, but when someone falls in love with a designer ring, it is often recommended that they just get the real thing. I love, love love my WF custom setting, so I have nothing against them. But nobody does Tiffany like Tiffany does.

BTW, just a single thread works best
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mjd

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Hi Jazmine - that is exactly my main concern about getting the ring custom made - I really don't want to be disappointed that it is not an exact copy! I am going to San Francisco at Easter so I might drop in to Tiffany and try the rings on. (No Tiffany in Ireland yet
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) Does anybody have any idea what carat centre stone I would expect to get for the rb with pear sides ring - my budget is 7k the price on this ring starts at about 4k I think.

... didn't mean to post twice - was trying to change the heading on the topic - just a newbie trying to get the hang of things
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jaz464

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I love #1 best. That is just a to-die-for setting. However #2 would be much easier to copy. Still there may be discrepancies that you don't like. Many people get Tiffany copies of their various rings and are quite happy. However, those people are generally not the ones who want EXACT copies.

Here is a Leon Mege round with pear sidestones.

http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=299
 

Gypsy

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Someone on here has a replica of that tiffany setting... made by ERD I think. I tried to look for it in SMTR but don''t have time. It''s stunning and a near exact replica... the reason that setting looks more delicate that the ones above is the ratio of the center to halo. The halo is smaller in relation to the center... also the bezel around the diamond is thinner... and milgrained.

Maybe someone will link you to the ring I''m referring to. It''s a stunning copy.
 

aljdewey

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Date: 2/20/2007 5:19:21 PM
Author: Gypsy

the reason that setting looks more delicate that the ones above is the ratio of the center to halo. The halo is smaller in relation to the center... also the bezel around the diamond is thinner... and milgrained.

Precisely - I tried to convey that in the post, but it appears it didn't resonate, so I'm glad Gypsy reiterated that piece.

The melee in the halos I posted are both 1-pointer halos....and there's only a wee bit smaller you can go (.007 or .008, I think?). However, as mentioned, the center in those is only 5.8mm - 75 pointer.

I you were to put a 1.25 in there and drop the melee to .008, it would achieve the delicate look you want.

Also, as Gypsy pointed out, milligraining the bezel will also make it more delicate looking.

Jazmine is right - if you want an EXACT copy, you should just get the original. However, since you initially stated that you'd definitely go custom AND mentioned budget constraints, I'm guessing you'll likely have to go custom to stay i budget.

Her suggestions (to go with the original or go with LMege) are good ones, but I think she missed the part about your budget. These choices are less likely to work in your stated budget.

I believe that Whiteflash has CAD capability now, so they could likely do a mock-up of what it would look like with smaller melee and larger center stone, and adding a milligrain.
 

Gypsy

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I would also ask Mark at ERD... he has CAD and does great, and from what I recall, very reasonable, work.
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 2/20/2007 5:39:10 PM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 2/20/2007 5:19:21 PM
Author: Gypsy

the reason that setting looks more delicate that the ones above is the ratio of the center to halo. The halo is smaller in relation to the center... also the bezel around the diamond is thinner... and milgrained.

Precisely - I tried to convey that in the post, but it appears it didn''t resonate, so I''m glad Gypsy reiterated that piece.

The melee in the halos I posted are both 1-pointer halos....and there''s only a wee bit smaller you can go (.007 or .008, I think?). However, as mentioned, the center in those is only 5.8mm - 75 pointer.

I you were to put a 1.25 in there and drop the melee to .008, it would achieve the delicate look you want.

Also, as Gypsy pointed out, milligraining the bezel will also make it more delicate looking.

Jazmine is right - if you want an EXACT copy, you should just get the original. However, since you initially stated that you''d definitely go custom AND mentioned budget constraints, I''m guessing you''ll likely have to go custom to stay i budget.

Her suggestions (to go with the original or go with LMege) are good ones, but I think she missed the part about your budget. These choices are less likely to work in your stated budget.

I believe that Whiteflash has CAD capability now, so they could likely do a mock-up of what it would look like with smaller melee and larger center stone, and adding a milligrain.
Another option - and this is what I plan to do if - I mean WHEN- I get my pendant... is to bevel set the halo. I love the look of a super thin dainty halo and because of the ring I''m getting done I also just love the look of melee set at a 45* angle so that face up it doesn''t add as much to the width of the piece (unless that''s what you want :D) but you get a bit of extra bling from the (mostly) side as well :)
 

mrssalvo

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Date: 2/20/2007 5:50:21 PM
Author: Gypsy
I would also ask Mark at ERD... he has CAD and does great, and from what I recall, very reasonable, work.

I agree. they have been making some gorgeous pieces lately and his custom process is very easy. I'd use him in a heartbeat.

this one isn't a halo but here's a recent ring done by Mark..

IMG_3391_ps.JPG
 

mjd

Rough_Rock
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Thanks everyone for your info and advice - I really appreciate all the help!!

Jazmine - I was so impressed with Leon Mege version of the Tiffany halo ring that I contacted him right away!! It is a stunning setting and I think I actually prefer it to the Tiffany version. Leon quoted me 5,000 for the setting (including side and melee stones) which i think is very reasonable ... but pushing the budget to the max this only leaves me with around 3,000 maybe 3,500 for the centre rb. Do you think I can get an excellent cut rb of a decent size (.8/.9) for this amount of money? Leon said that this ring would still look good with a smaller diamond - I was concerned because the centre stone in the ring above is about 1.7.

Also, if I went for the number 2. rb with pear side stones I could afford to spend 5,000 on the centre stone - maybe this is the better way to go?!
 

Gypsy

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Leon's ring is stunning, and so is his work. But he is a little pricier than some other, great, vendors sometimes. It's your call as to how much you are spending on the center versus the setting. But I personally, would see if someone like ERD can do the setting for less so that I could get a larger center... that's just my personal preference however.

As to 3500 for a .9 or so diamond... use the search function here to see if that would work... you may have to come down in clarity and color to about an I SI1... but that's still a white diamond face up and as long as you can't see the inclusions, why pay for them.

Not a round expert so these could be dogs... but here's two I just found.

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/56169.html

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/48498.html
 

mrssalvo

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I agree with gypsy. I''d want to put most of my budget into a center stone and less on the setting. Get a couple more quotes from the reputable custom vendors and then decide. 5K is a lot for a setting no matter what size your stone..
 

Stone Hunter

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May 12, 2006
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When I was searching for my stone someone on PS told me to focus on the diamond. If I got a diamond I loved I could always reset it later and get a setting I loved.

I used this advice and avoided buying a preset stone that I didn''t love. But I did love the setting it was in. Please think of the two seperately. Now I''m happy with both my stone and setting BUT if I''d focused on just the setting I wouldn''t have been happy in the long run.

HTH
 

kcoursolle

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For number one, I agree with the above suggestions of leon! He did an awesome job on a project like this already.


For number two, I''d go with knoxjewelers.biz Their craftsmanship is lovely, their prices are reasonable, and brian is such a nice guy to work with.

 
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