Setting Journey for Tycoon Cut Diamond

[the_mother_thing]

I can see easily enough that it's not perfectly square so I see what you mean about the kite option.

I still prefer the tabs - not such a fan of the full bezel in this situation. Not sure why? There are many situations where I think bezels are beautiful - but I'm not feeling it. Why though? I don't know. I think it's because I prefer the tab version a lot more? Not sure. However, which is your preference?

The tabs are my preference, for sure. Visually, they just look more pleasing to me, and that would allow more light into the diamond. The only reason for considering the semi-bezel option is the girdle. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve read on here how - with very thin girdles - a bezel is recommended to protect the diamond. I know David said it’d be fine, and it’s not that I doubt his assessment; rather, it’s assessing my own comfort/risk level with it that I need to wrap my head around, I suppose.

 

[Lykame]

The tabs are my preference, for sure. Visually, they just look more pleasing to me, and that would allow more light into the diamond. The only reason for considering the semi-bezel option is the girdle. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve read on here how - with very thin girdles - a bezel is recommended to protect the diamond. I know David said it’d be fine, and it’s not that I doubt his assessment; rather, it’s assessing my own comfort/risk level with it that I need to wrap my head around, I suppose.

Totally understand about that risk assessment. My preference with MRBs is four prongs but I went with six prongs for safety and girdle protection. I don't regret it. In that case, can you have a fiddle with some sort of very thin full bezelled milgrain option? I've had a look at opened gallery bezels and the bezels are always quite thick. Hmm.

 

[Lykame]

I am thinking if anyone can either do a very fine full bezel or some sort of clever tab prong design that still protects the girdle, it would be CvB.

For example, this setting has prongs but also has a sort of 'underhalo' that looks like it might offer additional girdle protection. I've looked at various full bezels and most of them look quite chunky. The thinnest I found by CvB was this one. To me that still looks like it would hide the pavilion even if the detailing was less/more open.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I am thinking if anyone can either do a very fine full bezel or some sort of clever tab prong design that still protects the girdle, it would be CvB.

For example, this setting has prongs but also has a sort of 'underhalo' that looks like it might offer additional girdle protection. I've looked at various full bezels and most of them look quite chunky. The thinnest I found by CvB was this one. To me that still looks like it would hide the pavilion even if the detailing was less/more open.

That is kinda what I was talking about with a ‘faux bezel’ ... almost like a very thin solid rim that sits just underneath the girdle all around, but then have either claws, tabs or dot-style prongs protruding up & holding the diamond in place. I don’t think your second link is right though (goes to the same ring as the first link).

Here’s an example I saved that has a very thin bezel like I was thinking, at least from the face-down appearance. And I’d be good with a half/semi-bezel being that thin if it’s doable/reasonable.

And I think this is the same ring (found via a different search tool/app), but I mocked it up to make the bezel not come as far down the front. Of course, I wouldn’t have it set that high, as the diamond is only 4.23mm deep, but hopefully you get the idea.

 

[Lykame]

Sorry, I meant this setting... hopefully that works.

I had a think about the faux bezel that's lower down with prongs - but I would imagine that must surely cover even more of the pavilion if you use something that's a full stretch of metal. If you had swooping prongs you could provide a buffer for the girdle, and barring that I think you would need an actual bezel to hold the girdle.

The other thing I was thinking was some sort of halo with an air line and prongs holding the central stone. The air line would have to be pretty significant however and I'm not sure from what particular angles your pavilion fire is most easily seen and whether an air line would be conducive to still seeing it?

 

[the_mother_thing]

Here is an example of a faux bezel I was thinking about, borrowed from @pearaffair ‘s thread so I don’t have additional views of this ring, but it looks to be a CvB as well, given the set-up. I think I’d aim for it to be even thinner/closer to the diamond than this, if possible. The diamond kind of sits just inside that lip and is held in place by prongs or ‘buttons’ in the examples I’ve seen.

 

[Lykame]

Here is an example of a faux bezel I was thinking about, borrowed from @pearaffair ‘s thread so I don’t have additional views of this ring, but it looks to be a CvB as well, given the set-up. I think I’d aim for it to be even thinner/closer to the diamond than this, if possible. The diamond kind of sits just inside that lip and is held in place by prongs or ‘buttons’ in the examples I’ve seen.

It's beautiful but I think the pavilion will be completely lost. Perhaps @pearaffair might offer additional views?

 

[the_mother_thing]

It's beautiful but I think the pavilion will be completely lost. Perhaps @pearaffair might offer additional views?

It wasn’t her ring; rather, one she’d posted among other inspiration settings for her marquise reset.

To pull off a faux bezel will require a very thin (from the north/south view) bezel-band just at & below the girdle in order to still see/appreciate the pavilion, given this diamond is not deep. It’ll really just have to be a design & bench consideration when the time comes, determine how do-able it may be, etc.

 

[Lykame]

Oh, ok. Sorry.

Well fingers crossed it can all be done in a way that makes you happy from a design point of view and a pavilion exposure point of view. Keep us updated.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Sadly, I’m not much further along on this setting process yet. My cold bug had me down longer than expected, and I’m just really beginning to feel ‘normal’ again the last few days.

I have decided I definitely want the FC shoulders (in the face-on view) like the CvB ‘Greta’, and a ‘swoopy’ central diamond setting style like those I posted in this thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-‘swoopy’-galleries-please.247215/

Here are some pics to show all the various elements in one collage:


Items I’m unsure about and would love some opinions on:

~ Adding tiny melee (single cuts?) to the north & south ‘swoops’ or leave them plain, polished metal like the bottom left image (maybe with some milgrain).

~ How high/low the swoop will be on the norther & south sides. If it’s high, it’ll largely block the view of the pavilion but be more protective of the girdle. If it’s low, it’ll be a beautiful north/south view of the pavilion, but leave the girdle more exposed. When I loupe the diamond, it looks like the corners are the ex-thin parts, and the N/S/E/W girdle edges are the slightly thick edges, so it may be okay more exposed.

~ In the upper right photo, I would like to find an alternative to the appearance of the ‘bridge’ holding the first two pairs of FCs on each side of the central diamond. I feel like there should be a side-opening under all the FCs or none of them, and I’d prefer there be an opening under all of them to allow light in, as FCs when bezeled don’t seem to perform as well based (at least on those I’ve seen in person). So I’d like to see/find a different side view for inspiration if anyone has any ideas there.

 

[Lykame]

I'm glad you're starting to feel better from your cold. I've got one currently, and most of the symptoms are fine but it really makes my asthma play up and that is a nightmare.

I personally really like the idea of adding diamonds to your 'swoops'. I think the alternative would be to engrave or milgrain them. Your overall look is quite 'vintage' and having a broad expanse of polished metal is somewhat modern looking. You will often be looking at your ring from a side angle. What do you think you would find most visually pleasing? For example, I love solitaires, they're beautiful, all that polished metal and the showcase of a diamond... but once I put it on, I can feel myself thinking... that's 'missing' something... and to be honest I get bored, which is annoying because I can appreciate their beauty... will you feel like that when you look at smooth polished metal or will you think, that's just so extremely elegant and showcases your central diamond perfectly? Follow your heart!

Regarding the height of the swoopiness - you're most likely to hit the forward part of the ring. If you set the swoops low, will you still wear the ring or will you stop for fear of breaking the diamond?

To be honest, and sorry to be so blunt about this, but I think your girdle will be exposed regardless of whether you have a high or a low swoop. I think if you hit the ring on the metal part, it's at risk of pinging against the girdle with that forward motion, and I'm not sure changing the height of the setting will make much of a difference. I mean it probably does a little, but in my head it kinda doesn't. What MIGHT make a difference is how chunky your prongs are, if they have some coverage 'away' from the edge of the diamond; when you hit the ring, theoretically with your straight edged diamond, unless you're hitting something really narrow, it should hit the prongs and not the girdle, if that makes sense. So maybe you just need to ensure that your prongs are sufficiently bulky to take that kind of hit? Especially with the thin thin corners. And then you can choose whatever swoopiness your heart desires. What swoopiness does your heart desire?

The third point, I'm sorry, I have no proper internet connection currently (enough to post but not enough to search through lots of pictures) so I'm not much help. The central FCs do have a bit of a gap underneath them and then that block of metal, and the outer ones just have that block of metal - to me it all ends up looking very high set, what do you think of it, ignoring light performance and the actual gallery design? I think once you've decided on height of all the stones, then you can have a think about galleries. Perhaps you can continue the theme of swoopiness and have swoopy open galleries for all the stones? This reminds me of @elliefire99's dilemma with her side galleries and wanting the stones to be bezelled but the galleries to be open and to have some sort of detailing. She ended up getting a very straightfoward gallery because the reality was there was just no space, but it looked absolutely awesome - probably in part because the side galleries were NOT taking too much attention away from everything awesome going on with the central diamond. They were just right. The thread of her finished ring is here.

Anyway, I hope those thoughts are even vaguely helpful. Looking forward to further updates!

 

[the_mother_thing]

Thank you so much for the detailed thoughts & feedback @Lykame Unfortunately, it looks like swoops (for the tycoon at least) are out now, and a full bezel will be the way forward. I had the diamond’s girdle assessed, and I’m just not comfortable with the risk and don’t want exactly the scenario you noted - that I’d be afraid to wear it for fear of damaging the diamond. And I’m okay with that and was okay with it (a bezel) from the get-go ... it’ll be a delicate/thin bezel, and I love bezels, so it’s all good. I may be able to just do something ‘swoopy’ in another part of the overall design ... we’ll have to see as I go back to the literal and proverbial drawing board on the center diamond setting (the side FCs are still ‘it’).

 

[D&T]

had to share since you were considering tension setting at one point... imagine this with an asscher/or your Tycoon JA also has ECs in this.. I've considered this for either EC or Asscher. I think this type or ring provides very good protection even though the diamond is more exposed. Your Tycoon cut would look amazing in this.. but it is modern.

This is a James Allen setting.

 

[the_mother_thing]

@D&T Thank you for posting that JA setting; I love that, but not sure I’d want it for an e-ring since my bands wouldn’t sit even close to flush. I’m okay with a little gap but that might be a bit more than I’d like for that finger. I’d love that for a RHR or even a left index finger though ... especially with a colored stone. Do you happen to have a link or item number for it?

 

[D&T]

sure thing...https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...d-spiral-tension-set-engagement-ring-item-197
just change the "view" to either Princess or EC

aww Ok, I see you want to wear a band with it... This would definitely not work with a band

 

[the_mother_thing]

sure thing...https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...d-spiral-tension-set-engagement-ring-item-197
just change the "view" to either Princess or EC

aww Ok, I see you want to wear a band with it... This would definitely not work with a band

Thank you! Yes, this ring will be an alt e-ring, so it needs to pair well with my w-bands.

 

[arkieb1]

I just want to add that's such a cool diamond it will look great any way you set it!!

 

[OoohShiny]

Thank you! Yes, this ring will be an alt e-ring, so it needs to pair well with my w-bands.

Soooo... did I miss the thread when this rock was set or am I completely forgetting I've seen it?? lol

 

[the_mother_thing]

Soooo... did I miss the thread when this rock was set or am I completely forgetting I've seen it?? lol

You didn’t miss anything; it’s not set yet. I have the design pretty much pinned down I think, but ‘life’ put it on the back burner for a few months. I hope to have time to finalize things and get ‘r done soon.

 

[lydial]

https://pin.it/4gchuxp4ptvsfe

I like a split shank Art Deco feel with this shape stone.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I’m coming back to this project after a nutty couple months ... work has been crazy, my hubs had some medical issues, and my daughter moved into her first apartment. Given all of that, this had to go on the back burner. Things are settling down now, so I’m hoping to get this project moving toward having a ring on my finger vs. a loose diamond in the safe.

I have a design all drawn up, but there are some aspects of it that I just don’t love to the point of being able to pull the trigger. Each time I think about it, I keep coming back to a gawwwwgeous ring that belonged to @bright ice


I’m thinking about something along these lines, but my center diamond will be bezeled (that is ‘non-negotiable’ as I want to ensure the ex-thin areas of the girdle are protected). I’m also thinking I may add one French cut baguette on each side of the traps, kind of like below, and haven’t gone beyond that yet to think about engraving, milgrain, gallery, etc. quite yet:


So, laid out straight-on, here is what it would kind of look like with my center stone as close to ‘scale’ as I can muster for right now:


It’s hard for me to visualize how well the FC traps & bags facets will play with the center stone; I think they’ll all get along well and perform nicely (seeing the Tycoon next to my Bailey band) but would appreciate some feedback/thoughts, especially from those who have/had FC traps/bags and are familiar with how they play. For quick reference, below are the two videos of my center diamond so you don’t have to hunt for them up thread (be sure to put them in HD for best viewing):

David’s Video:

My video:

So what do ya’ll think? Will FC traps & bags look/work well? I’m thinking so because they are a bit of a subtle look/flash that adds that extra little ‘something’ so you know they are there but still let the center stand out as the star. And the cuts kind of look similiar with a certain steppiness and diamond shapes on the tops of all cuts.

 

[bludiva]

I think that would be really pretty

 

[the_mother_thing]

Thank you @bludiva I just wish I had an in-person example of the FC traps to see how it would all look together ‘live’ when it moves.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I found a couple videos showing FC traps set:

 

[lissyflo]

BrightIce’s old CvB is also one of my favourite settings. Are you thinking of adding FC baguettes as well as traps for extra coverage? I love frenchies and the subtle shimmer they give, but to my eye I’m not as keen on them set perpendicular to each other (the trap leading into a baguette) - I think because the facet pattern is more detailed than step-cut traps/baguettes in the same layout would be and my eyes want to twist the baguette to same orientation as the trap facet pattern, if that makes sense. Although, are you planning to bezel the side stones as well as the centre?

 

[the_mother_thing]

... but to my eye I’m not as keen on them set perpendicular to each other (the trap leading into a baguette) ...

Although, are you planning to bezel the side stones as well as the centre?

To the first part of your post, seeing it ‘still’ like in the layout I posted, I might agree, but looking at the one LM video with the sapphire center as they move together, it doesn’t seem odd/bother me.

My initial thought is yes, all bezels; but I may change up the plan for the center, like maybe a faux bezel for protection but with claws; not sure, just thinking out loud.

 

[lissyflo]

If I’m remembering correctly, there was a fairly recent thread where someone changed from LM style side stone setting like in the video above to bezelled side stones. The centre was an emerald cut rather than your gorgeous tycoon cut, but the pictures in that thread might help your thought process. I’m sure I remember various mock-ups being posted by her, but with baguettes not FC.

With such a gorgeous and unusual centre stone, you’re going to end up with a striking ring any way you go with the setting!

 

[Rfisher]

And the cuts kind of look similiar with a certain steppiness and diamond shapes on the tops of all cuts.

I do not own these cuts to give my real world opinion on as you asked, but what you stated above is my same thought in looking at your photos.

Gorgeous!

 

[msop04]

@bright ice's ring is so gorgeous! I think your center would look stunning bezeled in that setting. However, I'd nix the French cut baguettes... they (traps next to FCB's) seem a bit busy, taking away from the "big three". Then again, it's difficult to tell if you don't have the exact angle it would be IRL...

 

[redwood66]

Since you and I don't have size 4 fingers I wonder if you would regret not having the diamonds all the way across? What would you do with the additional space across the top of the ring? Engraving? High polish? I think Caysie could work them in to be beautiful. Getting the angle right will be important. If you get down to deciding on this ring maybe the CAD could be mocked a little to show with and without.

Edit - The width of the small end of the traps where it meets the elongated FC would have to be the same size IMO. It bothers my eye that they are not.

In the LM ring they are the same.