Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired halo?

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Here is my friend's ERD CAD/CAST cushion halo if you are price sensitive.


I would suggest you stick to a cushion over a princess but the choice is yours.

 

[bgray]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

another very fine choice would be Tanagro in Manhattan

 

[jerichosmom]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Charmypoo, if SK made the 5 stone band then why is it featured on ERD's page? Is it a consignment piece? I've shortlisted ERD for a project based on that particular ring with the impression that it was ERD's bench that made it. What about the rest of the vintage inspired pieces? I don't want to use ERD if that's not the workmanship I'm going to get.

Sorry for the threadjack but I'm sure other people are wondering the same thing..

 

[arkieb1]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

I own Frankiextah's halo the one made by Victor that she loved, bought it preloved from her last year. In fact she loved it that much she upgraded to a 3 carat and got the same ring made again by Victor for the new bigger stone. It's currently at Victors siting empty and it will hold a Round Brilliant 8.50 mms or 2.30 carats. It's a smallish size. I own rings made by Victor and I have dealt with Leon. Victor's pave is the best. No contest. Victor also makes a version of the ring you like with a RB as the centre stone but he makes the halo into a cushion shape if that makes sense. He also sells Antique and modern style cushions. If you don't want anything other than Leon's work then buy from Leon, those prices they are quoting you are pretty standard for these types of settings.

 

[arkieb1]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

I should have added Frankie's empty ring is a 4.75.

Here is a pic of it.



And the specs of it.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/victor-canera-rb-halo-ring-my-forever-setting-finally.164262/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/victor-canera-rb-halo-ring-my-forever-setting-finally.164262/[/URL]

If you like rows of pave and a round in a cushion shape I would recommend this version instead;

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vc-emilya-halo-w-single-cut-multi-row-pave-pic-overload.185195/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vc-emilya-halo-w-single-cut-multi-row-pave-pic-overload.185195/[/URL]

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Charmypoo, if SK made the 5 stone band then why is it featured on ERD's page?

You will have to ask ERD that question. It is a ring that SK made for ERD. It is such a beautiful ring and the detail is fantastic.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

I own rings made by Victor and I have dealt with Leon. Victor's pave is the best. No contest.

How did you make this determination? I am not disputing the quality of Victor's work but I am confused how people can come here and say with such certainty that X person has the BEST pave. Is this based on Frankie's comparison of her 3 rings made? Then by that logic, can we say that DBL makes the best 5 stone trellis hands down?

How does dealing with Leon translate to having intimate contact and knowledge of his pave work? How many rings does one have to see in person or examine on PS before such a determination can be made? What is a statistically sound number?

How many people have bad experiences with our beloved vendors but don't say anything online?

I can understand why people would say that Victor makes an awesome halo - it is pretty much guaranteed success based on the number of halos we have seen on Pricescope made by Victor.

I would love to put a bunch of pave rings with the same design in a stack and see how many people can actually tell apart who made what. I can say that my LM and SK pave is indistinguishable. I can tell my Maytal ring apart because I chose a different style of pave.

 

[pinkjewel]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Also, I thought I'd read on here that Leon has other people working for him and doesn't always make the pieces himself. I would imagine that would cause a range of expertise in the pave. Whereas Victor and Steven make each piece themselves. Someone correct me if this is wrong.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

We all know for a fact that Leon doesn't make the rings per videos and interviews available online. I have been told that Victor also has a bench of people but I have no idea if there is any truth in that. His work appears much more consistent to me so even if he has a bench of people - I am pretty sure he has a very rigorous quality control process.

 

[SB621]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

I own rings made by Victor and I have dealt with Leon. Victor's pave is the best. No contest.

How did you make this determination? I am not disputing the quality of Victor's work but I am confused how people can come here and say with such certainty that X person has the BEST pave. Is this based on Frankie's comparison of her 3 rings made? Then by that logic, can we say that DBL makes the best 5 stone trellis hands down?

How does dealing with Leon translate to having intimate contact and knowledge of his pave work? How many rings does one have to see in person or examine on PS before such a determination can be made? What is a statistically sound number?

How many people have bad experiences with our beloved vendors but don't say anything online?

I can understand why people would say that Victor makes an awesome halo - it is pretty much guaranteed success based on the number of halos we have seen on Pricescope made by Victor.

I would love to put a bunch of pave rings with the same design in a stack and see how many people can actually tell apart who made what. I can say that my LM and SK pave is indistinguishable. I can tell my Maytal ring apart because I chose a different style of pave.

Thank you Charmy! You said this so much better then I did

 

[arkieb1]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

I own rings made by Victor and I have dealt with Leon. Victor's pave is the best. No contest.

How did you make this determination? I am not disputing the quality of Victor's work but I am confused how people can come here and say with such certainty that X person has the BEST pave. Is this based on Frankie's comparison of her 3 rings made? Then by that logic, can we say that DBL makes the best 5 stone trellis hands down?

How does dealing with Leon translate to having intimate contact and knowledge of his pave work? How many rings does one have to see in person or examine on PS before such a determination can be made? What is a statistically sound number?

How many people have bad experiences with our beloved vendors but don't say anything online?

I can understand why people would say that Victor makes an awesome halo - it is pretty much guaranteed success based on the number of halos we have seen on Pricescope made by Victor.

I would love to put a bunch of pave rings with the same design in a stack and see how many people can actually tell apart who made what. I can say that my LM and SK pave is indistinguishable. I can tell my Maytal ring apart because I chose a different style of pave.

I don't base it on that. I have worked with both and I base it upon that. Having said that Leon has an eye for stone placement particularly in three stone rings and rings with sides stones and a creative flair unlike many others. True there are pluses and minuses of working with both Victor or Leon. You will notice I did NOT comment on Steven's work, I have never worked with him so I have not commented.

The p/s member has actually said she didn't like the Steven pave so you can all defend him to death, I am just offering an opinion based on personal experience, which quite frankly is what most of you do on here every day. You might see no difference between vendors - obviously she did for the particular ring that she wants.... One person might prefer the work of one vendor, another person could have a totally different opinion and for that matter a totally difference experience. If you think x person's 5 stone trellis is the best out there then you can offer your opinion - come on, like I said people do that on here every single day, including picking some major lemons as far as stones for people too might I add!!!!

She is specifically asking for pave LIKE Leon's pave I am not sure what part of that you are all missing. ERD and others are far cheaper and do some nice work but looking objectively at pics on here (and my family own a shop in Australia so I am not totally ignorant at looking at jewellery) that Leon's pave and Victor's pave while more expensive is going to be more in line with what this member is looking for. If she is on a budget places like ERD are great alternatives, however if she is in LOVE with Leon's work then she should either go back, buy a stone there and learn to deal with Leon or consider other similar options, of which I and a couple of others are offering Victor as a viable alternative. Other people are free to offer other vendors they have worked with or know that do similar work and make comparisons if they wish.

I have had a bad experience with 2 of the loved and respected vendors and I have NEVER bagged either one on here btw.

 

[7avocado]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

CharmyPoo - the picture looks great! I'll go check out ERD in person. Do you know who at ERD your friend used? thanks

 

[7avocado]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

bray - thank you for Tanagro suggestion. Will check them out.

If other have names in addition to ERD/SK/LM in NYC to check out, please send them my way. I'll report back my findings.

 

[7avocado]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Charmypoo - thank you for the recommendation to check out ERD. Of course, they aren't Leon's level but... for not having to deal with his attitude or taking a risk on doing a ring remotely with VC, they might be a decent compromise. I'll keep on looking but found my conversation with Chris encouraging. I tried a ready-made cushion halo CAD in 1.8mm and found the quality to be higher than all others I've seen excluding LM and SK.

See pic.

Chris quoted me ~$3K for the setting (CAD, not hand), is that fair? I am thinking of getting their CAD which seems 'good enough' in 1.8 or 1.7mm, spending a bit more on the stone, and then upgrading in a few years to an LC setting.

 

[7avocado]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

also went to Lauren B, didn't like her hand made settings. i'd rather go with CAD ERD

 

[chrono]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

$3K seems to be the average these days for a halo setting so the quote isn't unreasonable.

 

[PintoBean]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Hi!

Another option in NYC - Diamonds by Lauren. They offer cad/cast and hand forged options as well. I have never worked with them personally, but its worth checking out in person since you're already in NYC.

 

[pinkjewel]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Hi!

Another option in NYC - Diamonds by Lauren. They offer cad/cast and hand forged options as well. I have never worked with them personally, but its worth checking out in person since you're already in NYC.

I don't think David is setting outside stones anymore, but he may be an option if she wants to purchase a diamond there,too.

 

[SB621]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

$3K seems to be the average these days for a halo setting so the quote isn't unreasonable.

Agreed I think 3k is very fair. I have been doing halo quotes for years (and well some more then recent). I'm glad you like their pave. For CAD/CAST I think they do the best job and I really like their customer service. I have been emailing with Chris about some projects I might do in the fall and so far I like what I'm seeing. Meg_ just had a great halo with a twist done in RG not to long ago that is stunning. And I believe MomHappy did a version of the HW halo as well that is stunning if you care to look up their threads.

 

[WillyDiamond]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Hey OP, call Chris at ERD, both Momhappy and I used him for halo pave work.
Best of luck.

 

[7avocado]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

thanks SB621 and WillyDiamond. Just to clarify, $3K was for CAD, not for their hand-forged. Is that still ok or should hand-forged be $3K and thus CAD closer to $2K? What are your thoughts on buying a stone from them?

As I mentioned before, we were planning on going with David S http://www.davidsdiamonds.com/ Terrible website but are good educators. They are known for their proprietary cuts that result in more light reflection.

 

[chrono]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

You'll be lucky to find a well made hand forged halo setting for $3K. I expect this price for a CAD/cast setting. Expect a hand forged halo setting to be closer to the $5K mark.

 

[SB621]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

You'll be lucky to find a well made hand forged halo setting for $3K. I expect this price for a CAD/cast setting. Expect a hand forged halo setting to be closer to the $5K mark.

Yup I knew what you were talking about when you posted. You wont get pave halo hand forged for 3k. But for a CAD/CAST ring that is a great price.

If you are getting a cushion I would definitely give them a chance to source you one. Ultimately I would go with whoever got me the best performing diamond at a price point I was comfortable with. If ERD is going to do your setting there is something said for a 1 stop shop and does take away some of the headache with shipping/ insurance etc. Also if you get the whole thing from them they might cut you a bit of a discount. FWIW I think Mark has a great eye for cushions.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

arkieb1 - I re-read my post and it certainly sounded like I was directing it all to you. My questions were purely hypothetical and frankly even directed at myself. How do we actually judge who is the best? I don't think we can but we can simply determine who is the best for us. I don't think there is a perfect vendor out there.

As examples, people have complained about communication issues with SK and ERD. I never have a problem with them and they usually respond to me within hours. On the other hand, I can never get a reply out of BGD whom others have tremendous successes with. I concluded different vendors just jive with different people and vice versa.

I am also not defending SK and putting down Victor in any way. I would really love to own a halo from Victor one day if I chose to invest in another. He is actually my vendor of choice for a halo - they are near perfection to me. I also agree with you that LM is fantastic with proportions - I find that he does it better than anyone else. His rings always have great flow in my opinion. VC is fantastically organized and that is a great skill in itself - he is responsive, on time and really structured. He sticks by what he will and will not make - I appreciate that. I also appreciate SK in his flexibility which is far more than others but that's just his style.

I guess I just question if we compare pave work if we can really put SK, LM, VC on top of each other. They each have their weaknesses but pave work wise I don't think they are that different. Heck, my e-ring has pave from SK and LM ... it looks unified to me and I am pretty picky with my settings.

Anyways, I will shut up on this now .. too philosophical today.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Charmypoo - thank you for the recommendation to check out ERD. Of course, they aren't Leon's level but... for not having to deal with his attitude or taking a risk on doing a ring remotely with VC, they might be a decent compromise. I'll keep on looking but found my conversation with Chris encouraging. I tried a ready-made cushion halo CAD in 1.8mm and found the quality to be higher than all others I've seen excluding LM and SK.

Although I am not local to NYC, I go there often and like to deal "locally" as well. I bought my first e-ring stone from ERD and dealt with Mark but I have spent time with Chris as well. There really isn't a difference who you go with. Chris is a real nice guy.

If you can find a ready made halo that fits your stone, it would be a good option. I find myself a bit picky with how a halo fits around a stone so the ready made ones don't work as well for me.

I wouldn't sink $3K in a setting with plans to upgrade later. I would just spend the money now if that is what you want. LM actually has decent prices on cushions.

 

[momhappy]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Hi!

Another option in NYC - Diamonds by Lauren. They offer cad/cast and hand forged options as well. I have never worked with them personally, but its worth checking out in person since you're already in NYC.

I don't think David is setting outside stones anymore, but he may be an option if she wants to purchase a diamond there,too.

No, DBL will not set outside stones and yes, 3K for an ERD CAD halo is spot on.

 

[7avocado]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Ok ladies, I am getting closer on figuring out which settings I like!

ERD is less expensive but also isn't as refined. They are local, too which is a big plus.

And good news - ERD said they can help me get closer to VC/LM look that I like which might make it ultimately more delicate and refined (see my favorite LM ring here: http://www.leonmege.com/index.php/portfolio/view-all/true-antique-cushion-halo-engagement-ring-detail) and Frankie's awesome VC halo (i'd get it with cushion): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/3-075ct-h-vs1-rb-diamond-in-victor-canera-emilya-halo-ring.181019/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/3-075ct-h-vs1-rb-diamond-in-victor-canera-emilya-halo-ring.181019/[/URL]

ERD's pictures are attached.

Problem: I don't know how to identify the exact design differences between ERD and VC/LM. Can someone please help me verbalize? For instance, ERD's ring seems to have quite a bit of v-shaped marks on the shank, I prefer LM's look but i don't know what the terms is for what he does with the stones on the shank.

 

[7avocado]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

Charmypoo - one more question for you. I noticed you got 1.5mm shank, just what i want. do you find it to be too delicate to handle day-to-day wear? I am trying to decide whether i should be prudent and get 1.8 mm (like ERD pics) or whether i should go for that delicate look that i love. I just don't want it to break/bend/or have something else happen to it because I went too thin.

Also, did you get yours 90% platinum/10% iridium, the way Frankie is suggesting? thank you.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

You have to decide what type of pave you want. Most of LM's rings are made with u-cut pave / cutdown pave. The ones in this photo and the LM ring you linked is with V-cut pave.

I hate to tell you this but you are not going to get an ERD cad/cast ring to look like a LM ring. You are going to be disappointed. You have to level set your expectations.

 

[7avocado]

Re: Who is as good as Leon Mege at Harry Winston-inspired ha

thanks Charmypoo. looks like our posts have crossed in cyberspace, did you see the question about 1.5mm immediately above your response on pave types?

LM confirmed that his 811 is made with cutdown pave, so nice eye! is fishtail pave and v-cut the same thing?