Opinions on an Elyque setting please...

[Slickk]

I think so. Do you have a render and the ring? Do they look the same?

I’m sorry. Not sure what you’re asking here...
I do see what you are saying about the center stone prongs. Did you approve pics before he sent it to you? If I asked for claws, I wouldn’t be happy with those.

 

[Sunshine812]

True. And I realize now that the real ring in her pic is turned so the angle may be affecting how it compares to the render.

Ok, here is the render and here is the ring, still think there is too much spacing and see the metal around the halo?

 

[Sunshine812]

I’m sorry. Not sure what you’re asking here...
I do see what you are saying about the center stone prongs. Did you approve pics before he sent it to you? If I asked for claws, I wouldn’t be happy with those.

Yes, i approved the render, its absolutely gorgeous. But the actual ring is what I got, I didn’t get to see pictures from the manufacture, they sent the ring to Jonathan, then he sent me a picture, I told him that the 4 prongs were wrong and the prongs on halo and shank were not far enough apart. He said I needed to see the ring in person and he sent it to me, he said it’s not defective.

 

[lydial]

Sorry. Here is my honest 2 cents. I do not think any of your rings from your vendor look as expected from the “render”. They are pretty but not what you agreed to. It isn’t the prongs. It is the halo support. I think the metal support under the halo doesn’t tuck under the melee in the halo. If they are using prefab parts they are ordering wrong. If they are custom making they are not fine tuning. It is too wide. Coarse metalwork. If I were a consumer watching threads on PS I would steer away from your vendor. That being said, I do not mind the aesthetic in your “actual” settings. I like the peak of material. If that was wanted it is great. But you wanted your melee to have almost a scalloped look. Their product is clearly not the detailed workmanship and design you were shown in the renders. I personally would not use this vendor. Assuming they are reading this, they should be aware of the lack of production detail in their final product. Is it a bench problem? A design problem? I have only worked with Leon Mege, Steven Kirsch, and HPD and my settings have all looked identical to expectations. Maybe “Elyque” needs a better bench.

 

[Slickk]

I told him that the 4 prongs were wrong and the prongs on halo and shank were not far enough apart. He said I needed to see the ring in person and he sent it to me, he said it’s not defective.

Honestly, I think you should have insisted he fine tune the prongs to what your expectations and instructions were before shipping it to you. When you brought that detail to his attention, I wish you were not asked to see it in real life when you could see immediately you were not happy with them. It’s not ‘defective,’ but it isn’t what you asked for.
I agree with @lydial that perhaps this isn’t the vendor for your project. Three times was not the charm unfortunately. I am sorry.

 

[elizat]

I'm sorry you are not happy. I know I said this before, but I don't think that Jon's bench was going to make you happy, based upon what I read. You sound like you want something that is handforged, perfect fluid metal, with no visible metal in the halo.

That's not going to be a cast setting, imo. You can probably expect to pay at least double, if not more, for that workmanship. I don't think you will be happy with a cast setting, period. I would look at Maytal Hannah or Steven Kirsch. Leon Mege will likely not work with the stone and I don't think you'd be a personality match with him, even if you like his work.

Or, take a loss on the setting and sell the diamond, and start from scratch with someone else, after you see a good portfolio and address all your concerns.

 

[Rfisher]

OP
Have you looked through these threads?

Show Me Your Steven Kirsch beauties

I could not find a thread that consolidated all of Steven's work, and it's so hard to recommend him without a thread that pulls it all together. So PSer's, please help fill in this thread... https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/steven-kirsch-glacier-ring-with-pictures.225977/...

www.pricescope.com

The Maytal Hannah thread

Over the years, designer Maytal Hannah has made besutiful creations for PSers. I do not have one, but I like her work. Please post your Maytal Hannah creations here and share your experiences.

www.pricescope.com

If you haven’t,
I think it’d be helpful for you to see these pictures before you decide on what to do with your current ring.
You’ll have to do some additional searching to find near 2carat stones with halo stones the size like yours though.

Only you can decide if it’s worth it to up your budget for something else, or start over, or be satisfied with what you currently have.

There may be some miscommunication on expectations to reality between you and the current vendor. But I wouldn’t classify it as ‘defective’.

Best wishes

 

[lovedogs]

Ok, here is the render and here is the ring, still think there is too much spacing and see the metal around the halo?

The IRL ring looks like your render IMHO and is gorgeous. I dont see the differences and think this is just the nature of renders vs IRL pieces.

 

[BMI]

I see metal around the halo in her completed ring, yet the metal isn't visible in the render. But of course these are subject to variances in casting and polishing etc.

Ok, here is the render and here is the ring, ... there is too much spacing and metal around the halo

I do not think any of your rings from your vendor look as expected from the “render”. They are pretty but not what you agreed to. It isn’t the prongs. It is the halo support. I think the metal support under the halo doesn’t tuck under the melee in the halo. If they are using prefab parts they are ordering wrong. If they are custom making they are not fine tuning. It is too wide. Coarse metalwork.

It’s not ‘defective,’ but it isn’t what you asked for.

@Sunshine812 I am so sorry that buying a larger center stone and changing to a white metal did not solve the issues present in the first two renditions. I agree wholeheartedly with the assessments of these previous posters as quoted above.

From all of the CAD images I have seen on this and other forums, it is more common for there to be less metal in the real ring than is shown on the CAD, not more, as has been the case with all three of your settings. I agree that the halo support is too large. I do not know if it is possible, but perhaps the bench can polish down the outer edge to give the ring the more scalloped look of the render. That alone (if it is even possible) would not change the amount of space between the halo diamonds, but it would change the overall look so that the spacing of the prongs might not be as noticeable.

Sorry this process has been so difficult for you and I hope you will soon have a ring setting that brings you much joy.

 

[mrs-b]

To me, the rendering halo and band look like they're set in a shared prong style. The finished ring looks to be pave. I do like your ring, but the melee seems to be seated in metal, then held in place with prongs. What you're seeing is the metal seat the stones are sitting in. If you want shared prongs alone, you'll need to convey that, and make sure the relevant bench can do the work.

Your ring, as it is, is much more secure. But it's never going to be as delicate. Personally, I'd go with an even larger halo, then do a plain band (ie no diamonds). I think it would give you more of a KAPOW finish, visually, and would solve the problem of all the detail in the band which is detracting from the clean lines of the head; I think this is one of those cases where sometimes less is more. There's currently a lot happening, visually, and I'd edit that and go with a slightly different look. You have a KILLER center stone, so I'd be hanging on to that, using a different bench, amping the halo stones a tiny little bit over what they currently are, going with a sleek band (think curves, reverse taper, and high polish for light reflection), and declaring victory.

But I agree, you and the bench being used are not 100% on the same page. Try Stephen Kirsch or CvB for the really fine metal work you want. Maytal also, and DKJ's uber bench.

Just as an example of what I'm suggesting for the band, here's a perfect example. Think *this* band, with a larger halo head than you currently have ( - obviously the ring in this link has no halo - I'm just showing you for the band):

RED! Sholdt R685 Platinum Solitaire Ring Setting $1890 | Loupe Troop

loupetroop.com

 

[lydial]

I still love halo’s and they really are the best way to increase the finger coverage.

@Sunshine812 can you upload a few photos of the structure under your newest iteration, like this one from @swaye2010 so we can better understand the halo construction?

is it like the one above with a scalloped basket? (That is how my cluster necklace is set) or French set like this Stuller? https://www.stuller.com/products/12...yId=21345&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

It appears to me that you will need your setting to be constructed like this to get the minimal-metal look: https://www.stuller.com/products/bu...ion&recommendationId=193307#/mounting-options

(Unfortunately Stuller does not sell that style for oval).

I presume your setting looks like this, a flat pave halo with generous sized pave melee. That is why you see metal. Each stone is probably not set in iCT’s own scoop: https://www.stuller.com/products/bu...ion&recommendationId=119075#/mounting-options

14K White 8x6 mm Oval 7/8 CTW Natural Diamond Semi-Set Engagement Ring

123541 / Engagement Ring / Semi-Set / 14K White / Oval / 8 x 6 mm / Natural Diamond / Polished / 7/8 CTW Natural Diamond Semi-Set Engagement Ring

www.stuller.com

 

[Sunshine812]

Sorry. Here is my honest 2 cents. I do not think any of your rings from your vendor look as expected from the “render”. They are pretty but not what you agreed to. It isn’t the prongs. It is the halo support. I think the metal support under the halo doesn’t tuck under the melee in the halo. If they are using prefab parts they are ordering wrong. If they are custom making they are not fine tuning. It is too wide. Coarse metalwork. If I were a consumer watching threads on PS I would steer away from your vendor. That being said, I do not mind the aesthetic in your “actual” settings. I like the peak of material. If that was wanted it is great. But you wanted your melee to have almost a scalloped look. Their product is clearly not the detailed workmanship and design you were shown in the renders. I personally would not use this vendor. Assuming they are reading this, they should be aware of the lack of production detail in their final product. Is it a bench problem? A design problem? I have only worked with Leon Mege, Steven Kirsch, and HPD and my settings have all looked identical to expectations. Maybe “Elyque” needs a better bench.

Thank you for your comments. Glad to know I’m not the only one that sees the difference. Apparently you and the others see it too. I was told that I needed to see it in real life, well I did and I’m not satisfied. Funny you mention halo support, we discussed this and said maybe it was a cluster I was looking for, but the picture of the cluster did not look like I wanted. Believe me I asked so many questions that I kept changing my mind in what I wanted, to a plain band style, to a bezel style, to an East to West design, etc. I just kept coming back to the halo, plus I didn’t want to loose all the money I put into the setting with 22 - 2.2mms. I was told that they would remake the setting at no charge, the charges I had was for the bigger stone and bigger melees. I will take everyone’s recommendations and look at these other designers and see what, if anything, they can do to help.
I so appreciate all yours and others feedback to see I’m not the only one that sees the differences.
thank you again, truly.

 

[Sunshine812]

Honestly, I think you should have insisted he fine tune the prongs to what your expectations and instructions were before shipping it to you. When you brought that detail to his attention, I wish you were not asked to see it in real life when you could see immediately you were not happy with them. It’s not ‘defective,’ but it isn’t what you asked for.
I agree with @lydial that perhaps this isn’t the vendor for your project. Three times was not the charm unfortunately. I am sorry.

when I first saw pictures of the ring from Jonathan, I txted back immediately saying how disappointed I was and all the stuff I asked for and didn’t get, the render and actual, in pics, are different, we went back and forth and him saying “no gold overhang, the prongs are perfectly normal and the diamonds spaced as the law of physics allows” and he and his wife insisted I see it in person, I asked him to take a pic with the actual ring on his wife’s finger, he sent the pic, I said ok I see it, but I needed to know I could return it if need be and he make it right, And then I noticed by an email he shipped the ring to me, I said oh I see you shipped the ring, I was hoping he was going to say he saw what I was explaining and not ship and figure out how to fix it, but nope, so I said I would take a look and if I didn’t like, I’d ship it back, and this was his answer, If there were obvious defects we would definitely not have shipped. The ring definitely looks perfectly beautiful. Let me know when you get.
Yes, it’s not defective but it is also not what I asked for. 3 times is not a charm.

 

[Sunshine812]

I'm sorry you are not happy. I know I said this before, but I don't think that Jon's bench was going to make you happy, based upon what I read. You sound like you want something that is handforged, perfect fluid metal, with no visible metal in the halo.

That's not going to be a cast setting, imo. You can probably expect to pay at least double, if not more, for that workmanship. I don't think you will be happy with a cast setting, period. I would look at Maytal Hannah or Steven Kirsch. Leon Mege will likely not work with the stone and I don't think you'd be a personality match with him, even if you like his work.

Or, take a loss on the setting and sell the diamond, and start from scratch with someone else, after you see a good portfolio and address all your concerns.

Yes, but I thought I’d give it one more chance, you were right. Thank you for letting me know, based on all that you have read, that I need possibly something more like handforged. I will definitely look at these other vendors and hope one can help me with my vision. i love the Elyque Oval but not the setting it is in. Thank you again for all your comments and great advice.

 

[Sunshine812]

OP
Have you looked through these threads?

Show Me Your Steven Kirsch beauties

I could not find a thread that consolidated all of Steven's work, and it's so hard to recommend him without a thread that pulls it all together. So PSer's, please help fill in this thread... https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/steven-kirsch-glacier-ring-with-pictures.225977/...

www.pricescope.com

The Maytal Hannah thread

Over the years, designer Maytal Hannah has made besutiful creations for PSers. I do not have one, but I like her work. Please post your Maytal Hannah creations here and share your experiences.

www.pricescope.com

If you haven’t,
I think it’d be helpful for you to see these pictures before you decide on what to do with your current ring.
You’ll have to do some additional searching to find near 2carat stones with halo stones the size like yours though.

Only you can decide if it’s worth it to up your budget for something else, or start over, or be satisfied with what you currently have.

There may be some miscommunication on expectations to reality between you and the current vendor. But I wouldn’t classify it as ‘defective’.

Best wishes

Thank you. I looked through these and love the designs. Yes I too think I need to have someone else build my vision. Especially since Ill be wearing and looking at it everyday. I want to be happy and satisfied with the results, but most important, i want to LOVE my ring!

 

[elizat]

Yes, but I thought I’d give it one more chance, you were right. Thank you for letting me know, based on all that you have read, that I need possibly something more like handforged. I will definitely look at these other vendors and hope one can help me with my vision. i love the Elyque Oval but not the setting it is in. Thank you again for all your comments and great advice.

Depending on your stone size, you could probably sell the setting. I think someone would buy it if you could get stone tolerance mm from Jon. It’s very pretty.

Good luck and I’m glad you love the center, because it’s just a matter of finding your setting maker. Maytal is known for halos in particular.

 

[muesli]

Forgive my crude mark up, but to illustrate my point In my previous post. See how these halo prongs are spaced differently?

I agree with you completely, thus making the halo a bit "clock-like".
Still it's a beautiful ring!

 

[t86]

I’m sorry you’re not happy with your ring. I do think it looks lovely. Just out of curiosity, which bench of Jonathan’s did you choose? He told me he has a Stuller bench and a more expensive hand-forged bench. Perhaps the hand forged bench would have been able to execute your vision?

 

[Sunshine812]

@Sunshine812 can you upload a few photos of the structure under your newest iteration, like this one from @swaye2010 so we can better understand the halo construction?

is it like the one above with a scalloped basket? (That is how my cluster necklace is set) or French set like this Stuller? https://www.stuller.com/products/12...yId=21345&recommendationSource=CategoryBrowse

It appears to me that you will need your setting to be constructed like this to get the minimal-metal look: https://www.stuller.com/products/bu...ion&recommendationId=193307#/mounting-options

(Unfortunately Stuller does not sell that style for oval).

I presume your setting looks like this, a flat pave halo with generous sized pave melee. That is why you see metal. Each stone is probably not set in iCT’s own scoop: https://www.stuller.com/products/bu...ion&recommendationId=119075#/mounting-options

14K White 8x6 mm Oval 7/8 CTW Natural Diamond Semi-Set Engagement Ring

123541 / Engagement Ring / Semi-Set / 14K White / Oval / 8 x 6 mm / Natural Diamond / Polished / 7/8 CTW Natural Diamond Semi-Set Engagement Ring

www.stuller.com

Hi, yes I’ll attach the photos of all sides and the bottom of ring.
No, it is not like a scalloped basket, and when I asked for a CAD in a French style, I’ll show that one too.
That Stuller one is very pretty, but like you said not in an Oval. Bummer
Thank you so much for your comments!

Here are the pics for the Actual Ring



Here was the French Cut Halo


Here is a pic with smaller stones in halo, 1st one is 1.8mm’s


This one is 2.0mm’s


This was trying to put 14 - 2.2mm’s in the halo which I thought it was pretty, then told there would be gaps between center stone and outer melees


So, you see it has not been easy, I kept changing my mind because I was not getting or finding my Vision ring.

 

[swaye2010]

Thanks so much for your feedback. So, you know what I’m talking about and being picky is not a bad thing. I love your ring, it is beautiful! I was told that mine too would look like the stones fit nicely under the center stone, and so there would be no gaps. My stone is 1.90 and the halo stones are 2.2mms. I had asked for different sizes of stones but I was told that the manufacture would remake the same ring, but anything different I might have to pay extra. So please see my new post and provide feedback. From one picky person to another, lol

I can’t open the links to see what is in the Stuller catalogue that @lydial posted. I suspect that you have a French style halo and what you really are asking for is the scalloped basket. My ring has 2.5 mm stones and I think that is the only way to do it when you have a large halo. I personally don’t like any halo where the stones look like they are sitting on a plate and the center is flush. I feel like that is the difference between your pics and the finished ring. If they lifted the stone slightly and tucked the halo under. You also need a slight tilt to the halo but the degree’s I will leave to the experts. When you have larger stones, especially on a round, you don’t want it to look like a center stone with planets orbiting around it.

I don’t know what the limitations are working with only the Stuller catalogue. Could your credit be applied to a custom design because I think a scalloped basket is the only way you are going to get one you are asking for. I am including my CAD but this was before I knew much about CAD’s and not all the info is on here. I actually had it recast after this version and raised the head a bit more. I had no problem with a flush sitting band either.




Below was my first version of my ring. I didn’t like the diamonds sitting flush to the stones. This one was in u-prong and I was also going for minimal metal. I just wasn’t happy with it and I ended up paying for an entirely new setting which is how I ended up on PS 5 year’s ago. Everyone said my stones were going to be way too big in the halo but I had a vision for my ring and I still love it. I wish it photographed better because when I am wearing it, I see mostly a ball of sparkle although the renderings look heavy. I just wanted a very solidly built e-ring. In some lights you see the metal and in other lights it is just one big sparkle blob.

Let’s hope you can get it worked out because I can still see the difference and I think the style is the problem.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

Well, idk, not an expert, but shouldn’t the render be showing the exact measurements of the proposed stones?

Yes, I would think so. I only have one custom piece, and most of the stones are bezel set, so I really don't know from personal experience.

 

[swaye2010]

Hi, yes I’ll attach the photos of all sides and the bottom of ring.
No, it is not like a scalloped basket, and when I asked for a CAD in a French style, I’ll show that one too.
That Stuller one is very pretty, but like you said not in an Oval. Bummer
Thank you so much for your comments!

Here are the pics for the Actual Ring



Here was the French Cut Halo


Here is a pic with smaller stones in halo, 1st one is 1.8mm’s


This one is 2.0mm’s


This was trying to put 14 - 2.2mm’s in the halo which I thought it was pretty, then told there would be gaps between center stone and outer melees


So, you see it has not been easy, I kept changing my mind because I was not getting or finding my Vision ring.

I just saw your update as I was replying to you. My basket has each stone scalloped out and you just have a continuous oval ring undercarriage. They can’t lift the center stone and tuck it slightly under the halo this way and I think that is the problem. As I mentioned, it ends up looking like a plate with the stones sitting on top. This doesn’t allow for one continuous look between the center and the halo stones. I also think the tilt is crucial.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

Thank you for your comments. So if you saw this same render, you would say the ring looks fine?

I'm not an expert, but it looks very similar to me. I think there will always be subtle differences between the render and real life, so for me personally, it would be acceptable. But again, this is your ring and you need to be happy. I think only the experts can tell you if you can get a closer real life ring to the render. I really feel for you. This ring should bring you joy. I truly hope that you can achieve that.

 

[Rfisher]

Im confused?
Is this a custom ring made to order from scratch cast or is this customized from stock pieces put together from stuller or elsewhere?
If it’s from stock pieces I think your vision and the budget allotted do not mix well.
If this is a custom ring made to order from scratch cast, I think the expectation of pave work and the vendor do not go hand in hand. Dont know if that’s a budget consideration as well.

The vendor telling you the stones are set close together, to see little metal as possible, within the limits of space, time and math or whatever it was, tells you everything you need to know.
I don’t know what your expectations are in resolving this. I don’t know how much you have paid for the other two settings, CADs and labor. But with this third one not being to your liking, I hope you and the vendor come to an agreement that neither of you is out much more than the other, and close to having nothing to show for it.

Best wishes

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

The size of the stones are supposed to be the same in the render and in the actual ring.

Yes, but the render looks larger than the actual ring. Could just be my perception though.

 

[lydial]

Hi, yes I’ll attach the photos of all sides and the bottom of ring.
No, it is not like a scalloped basket, and when I asked for a CAD in a French style, I’ll show that one too.
That Stuller one is very pretty, but like you said not in an Oval. Bummer
Thank you so much for your comments!

Here are the pics for the Actual Ring



Here was the French Cut Halo


Here is a pic with smaller stones in halo, 1st one is 1.8mm’s


This one is 2.0mm’s


This was trying to put 14 - 2.2mm’s in the halo which I thought it was pretty, then told there would be gaps between center stone and outer melees


So, you see it has not been easy, I kept changing my mind because I was not getting or finding my Vision ring.

I am going to be honest. Again. You have had a frustrating experience so your view may be skewed right now. That newest ring is maybe not the most extremely delicate or crazy super duper dainty, but it is still very very beautiful. If you knew it was a true halo with the flat underside and not being scalloped it makes more sense that it has the peak of metal. Without those features you always would have some metal showing. I don’t mind the peak of metal. It currently looks just delicate enough and nice and durable too. The metal work is a little tiny bit thick / previously I said coarse but from the side it isn’t bad; that isn’t always ugly and here the whole thing together seems to work. All together the proportions go well. I would keep it and enjoy it.

 

[Rfisher]

This graphic (pulled from another thread) can illustrate if there’s metal seating underneath all the stones, and not shaped away, the bigger the melee, the more metal will show.
It’s miscommunication between you and the vendor on the style you want to achieve, or the vendor doesn’t supply what you believed you were asking for.

The ring isn’t crappily done, nor defective.

Here’s the thread it came from. You might find it helpful?

Ideal halo ratio?

This is a question for those halo addicts out there, like @elle_71125 ... What do you think is the ideal size for halo melee? If the stone is around 7 mm, is 1.3 mm about right, or do you prefer a chunkier look? How do you decide? Halos tend to be expensive. Does the price tend to hold you...

www.pricescope.com

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

Ok, here is the render and here is the ring, still think there is too much spacing and see the metal around the halo?

Now I absolutely see it! That is definitely different.

 

[Sunshine812]

This graphic (pulled from another thread) can illustrate if there’s metal seating underneath all the stones, and not shaped away, the bigger the melee, the more metal will show.
It’s miscommunication between you and the vendor on the style you want to achieve, or the vendor doesn’t supply what you believed you were asking for.

The ring isn’t crappily done, nor defective.

Here’s the thread it came from. You might find it helpful?

Ideal halo ratio?

This is a question for those halo addicts out there, like @elle_71125 ... What do you think is the ideal size for halo melee? If the stone is around 7 mm, is 1.3 mm about right, or do you prefer a chunkier look? How do you decide? Halos tend to be expensive. Does the price tend to hold you...

www.pricescope.com

Thank you so much for sending me this information. The site you pulled it from showed pics of actual rings with sizes of middle stones and sizes of melees, it was great, thank you.
I’m not really sure where the disconnect or miscommunication is, I just know that the renders I’ve seen and liked, look nothing like the actual ring when it is made. So, you think the bigger the melees, the more metal shows? Hmmm, ok
thanks again.

 

[Sunshine812]

Now I absolutely see it! That is definitely different.

Thank you, yes the gaps between melees are definitely Visible.