My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setting

[Lukasz]

Hello everyone! This forum was a great resource for me during my five month quest of making a custom engagement ring for the very first time. In turn, I am returning the favor by providing an honest account of my experience with the hope that someone may get something useful out of it. And, on the plus side, I get to show everyone my one of a kind engagement ring! As a disclaimer, I already posted this topic to the "Show Me the Bling!" section, but a user suggested I cross post it here since my engagement ring includes a colored stone.

About five months ago, I began putting forth serious effort in obtaining an engagement ring for my girlfriend of nearly five years. For ethical and personal reasons, I already knew my girlfriend would not want a diamond. That's all I knew and wanted the rest to be a complete surprise. Since I do jewelry making on occasion (here is an example: http://www.lukaszmachon.com/?portfolio=formed-copper-necklace), it was pretty easy to get my girlfriend's ring size. I had her measure each finger after telling her I would give ring-making a try.

For the stone, I decided on an emerald since it happens to be my girlfriend's birthstone and I knew she was a fan of emeralds. It was surprisingly difficult to find vendors in the United States that sold high quality loose emeralds. After lots of research, I decided to buy from AZ Emerald (http://www.azemerald.com). Dealing with Sam, the owner, was an absolute pleasure. I gave him a budget and an idea of the type of stone I wanted. Before I knew it, Sam had sourced the perfect unique emerald. A 3.6ct Colombian cushion cut measuring 9.5x9.2x6.6 mm and likely from the Chivor mine due to the slightly bluish green tint. Here is a photo of the emerald when I first received it:



Next came the part I never expected would be so difficult- finding the right artist to trust my precious stone with and a feeling of confidence that my expectations will be met. My first experience was with Cornelis Hollander out of Arizona. It was not a good first experience. Cornelis himself was never interested in discussing my ring idea directly with me. Instead, I always dealt with his wife who would rarely answer my questions for some unknown reason. After a few frustrating e-mail and phone call exchanges, I moved on to Leon Mege (http://www.artofplatinum.com). I read a lot of feedback about Leon on this forum and knew he may be interesting to deal with, to say the least. For the record, I don't lack confidence and confident people don't intimidate me. Arrogant people, however, do irritate me and Leon irritated me on a couple of occasions. My impression is that he didn't like my non-convential idea of having a solitaire with an emerald and not a diamond. He was also slow to respond to inquiries and on a couple of occasions pushed me to "just send him the stone" without answering all of my questions. In short, Leon left me feeling like I did't want to do business with him.

On to the good news! I stumbled upon Victor Canera's work and positive reviews on this great forum. And for that, I am grateful. I had a great time working with Victor. From looking at his web site (http://www.victorcanera.com), I decided the Trueste solitaire with its double "eagle claw" prongs would be a good match for my cushion cut emerald. Victor answered all of my questions, was professional and quick to respond, plus made me feel like a respected customer. I got the feeling he didn't treat people buying rings worth 10 times my ring any differently. Plain and simple he is just an overall super nice guy who happens to be extremely talented. A pretty rare combination if you ask me. He is also honest and made it clear that setting an emerald is a challenge and that he was a bit nervous. Good. I want someone in his shoes to be a bit nervous in that situation. It means he cares.

I ultimately placed a work order with Victor and had my ring back to me in a few weeks. Wow. Victor does good work, that's my overall impression. Great edge detail, good proportions, and a uniform beautiful polish. Once I received the ring, I replaced the Made in China ring box that Victor supplied the ring in with a hand made ring box made of exotic hard woods by an artist out of Oregon named Sean (http://www.etsy.com/shop/barkupatree?section_id=5819755). Every detail counts in an engagement ring, if you ask me- even the ring box.

To wrap up and get to the results, here is a series of three photos I took on New Year's day of the ring on my now fiancé. I would have proposed sooner, but I was waiting for our first snow storm. What was going to be a planned event became a spontaneous from the heart moment on New Year's Eve before the snow made its way to DC! She was shocked and amazed. The ring exceeded her expectations and I have Sam and Victor to thank for it! As a disclaimer, these photos were taken at night, indoors, and under recessed lighting. So, the emerald does not look as brilliant as it normally does- especially in the sunlight! I hope to eventually post additional photos in the sunlight.



http://www.lukaszmachon.com/images/ring/3.6ct_Emerald_Ring_1b.jpg



http://www.lukaszmachon.com/images/ring/3.6ct_Emerald_Ring_2b.jpg



http://www.lukaszmachon.com/images/ring/3.6ct_Emerald_Ring_3b.jpg

And here is a link to my ring, now on Victor's web site (the color of the emerald in his photo appears too aqua, the video reveals a more accurate color):

http://www.victorcanera.com/jewelry/engagement-rings/the-trueste-solitaire-with-emerald.html

Thank you everyone for reading my knowingly long story of my very first custom ring purchase experience!


- Lukasz

 

[LD]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Beautiful ring and I love the elegant simplicity of the setting.

I'm intrigued to know what you were told about your Emerald. Have you obtained a lab report and if so, what is the level of treatment? Also, I do hope that somebody has told your fiancee how to look after the ring? If not, please say because she needs to be aware of what she can/can't do to keep it looking beautiful!

 

[Lukasz]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Beautiful ring and I love the elegant simplicity of the setting.

I'm intrigued to know what you were told about your Emerald. Have you obtained a lab report and if so, what is the level of treatment? Also, I do hope that somebody has told your fiancee how to look after the ring? If not, please say because she needs to be aware of what she can/can't do to keep it looking beautiful!

Thank you for the feedback, LD! I never got a lab report because it would have delayed the process by a few weeks and I trusted Sam at AZ Emerald enough to not get the lab report. The details about the stone I have in my original post is all that I know. The size, dimensions, and likely origin.

With respect to caring for the emerald, I know the basics and have passed on this info to my fiancé. For starters, it's a soft stone so be careful! Second, never ultra sonically clean the ring. Also, no harsh chemicals or very hot water. If you could provide me with more detail or send me a link to a good write up on the topic I would very much appreciate it!


- Lukasz

 

[LD]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

EDIT: Oooops I was typing at the same time as you so forgive me if I've repeated anything you already know!

Have just read your other thread and have realised that you don't know much about jewellery / insuring pieces etc., so I hope this next bit will help:-

First the bad news - Emeralds are considered to be less durable than other gemstones because of their "softness". In reality the only stones you can wear everyday without too much thought are diamonds and corundum (rubies and sapphires). Having said that, if you knock one of those in the right place you can end up with chips, cracks and a stone in two pieces so nothing is infallible. Now the good news! - although many many many people will tell you that you shouldn't wear an Emerald daily, I own one that is over 100 years old and was worn by my Mother nearly every day of her life and it's intact and fine. She knew how to take care of her ring and was careful with it so the next bit of this post is important for you to know!

Emeralds need to be cared for a bit more than diamonds and sapphires/rubies. For example, NEVER put them in an ultrasonic to clean them (they could crack - worst case scenario) and/or could move the internal inclusions and the fillers (if it has any). Cleaning needs to be with a baby's toothbrush, some mild soap and TEPID room temperature water, then a gentle wipe dry with a lint free cloth. Do not ever wash your hands wearing your ring. Hot water can crack the stone (not always but don't risk it).

The edges of your stone are exposed in its setting - that means they are more vulnerable than a setting that would protect it. However, that's ok so long as you know and take every care not to knock or bang your ring against anything.

Also it's important to know how much treatment has been applied to your stone AND what treatment that is. Typically about 90-95% of Emeralds on the market have been oiled - this is fine and an acceptable treatment and it's not a bad thing to have it re-done periodically (years not months). However, some Emeralds have been treated with either a coloured or colourless filler that reduces the visibility of the "jardin" - the internal inclusions. Some of these treatments are more long lasting than others. Some need re-doing, others very rarely.

If you haven't got a lab report (preferably AGL) then I would suggest getting one. It'll give you the type of treatment and the extent of that treatment - very useful for your ongoing care. The report will also be very helpful when you come to insure the ring as it will have the size and details of the Emerald for your insurer. Once you have that, I would take the ring to an appraiser (see top of this forum for suggested appraisers) who will value the ring for replacement. Then you can approach an insurer. I'm not in the US so can't help with this bit but I'm sure others will be along soon who can!

Hope that's helpful. It really is a beautiful ring and you should be very proud of it.

 

[Arcadian]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

beautiful ring, I do have to say I agree with LD on this one though. AGL will check the stone though its been set, and it may be worth your while to send it, just to find out what amount of treatment (or non treatment) is on the stone so you know how best to care for it.

My understanding about emeralds especially those from Colombia is that almost all of them are treated in some way; via oil or other means. Its a rare one that is not treated from that location.

I won't ever say not trust your vendor, but you should verify what you bought, especially something lovely and important as this.


-A

 

[distracts]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

GORGEOUS ring! That emerald is an outstanding color. I can't wait to see more pictures. The VC setting really does show off the emerald to best effect. It looks wonderful on her finger. You did a great job choosing that!

Also it's important to know how much treatment has been applied to your stone AND what treatment that is. Typically about 90-95% of Emeralds on the market have been oiled - this is fine and an acceptable treatment and it's not a bad thing to have it re-done periodically (years not months). However, some Emeralds have been treated with either a coloured or colourless filler that reduces the visibility of the "jardin" - the internal inclusions. Some of these treatments are more long lasting than others. Some need re-doing, others very rarely.

It seems that all the stones on the website have been treated in some way - their treatment category is "oil, wax, or polymer" but it doesn't specify which for what stone unless it has a lab report. I second getting a lab report so you know the treatment. I think it's also very important that any jeweler that does repairs or resizing on your ring to know the treatments.

In terms of insurance, I use Jeweler's Mutual. I think they have a higher limit and better replacement policy than the ring under most home riders, though obviously it depends on your exact coverage (it was better than ours, anyway). If you do a search for them here you can read a lot about them - lots of PSers use them.

In terms of care when wearing - most PSers, even those with diamond rings, take their rings off at night, when they shower or wash hands, and when they exercise or do any other activity that involves a lot of stuff with hands and hard things. Many also take their rings off while just at home. Personally, I never wear mine unless I go out or have company over, but I have it on a ring stand above my desk so I can look at it all day (which I bought at Michaels craft supply store for about $10). This may seem a little extreme, but you guys will eventually find what combination of wearing and not-wearing works for you. Oooh, and I also recommend getting either ring stands or little ring dishes to put by the bed and by every sink in the house so she has a place to put the ring when she takes it off - if you can't find ring stands or dishes you like, soap dishes are a good alternative.

I hope we're not scaring you with our advice - we just want to be sure you two do everything possible to keep your ring in the best shape.

 

[chrono]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Thank you for the write up of your experience throughout the process. The stone and ring are truly beautiful. I second/third the suggestion to have the stone checked out by AGL not only for insurance purposes but also to know the level of treatment. If oiled, then it needs to be re-oiled every several years, in addition to its care being a little different than if it is resin filled. If resin filled, then it may not need to be redone at all, depending on which type of resin is used. If 100% untreated, then you have no concern about re-doing the treatment over time.

 

[partgypsy]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

I have to say what a Gorgeous ring! It looks beautiful on her finger, and the color is to die for

I also had an emerald ring I wore for years without special care, but my setting was a bit more protective (more gold, small diamond set on each side) than your relatively open setting.

I love the idea of having ring holders by the sink, bed, strategic spots so she can take off her ring without worrying about losing it.
And even diamond rings shouldn't be worn during sleep. Supposedly wearing during sleep (and rubbing against the sheets) is the #1 cause of prongs wearing down, which could cause loss of the stone.

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

What a beautiful ring for a gorgeous lady !!!!

She is going to love her ring, you did amazing !!!!
Congratulations on your engagement ~ how ROMANTIC !!!!!

 

[chloeishere]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

WOW! That is an absolutely stunning stone, in a fantastic setting. You did an amazing job, I'm sure your lovely fiance is thrilled!

I like that you presented it in a wooden box, too (and those are lovely, I peeked at the link)-- I can imagine how wonderful that vivid emerald looked against the richly colored wood.

You've gotten a lot of great advice in this thread already, and I don't have anything else to add, but WOW! And, congratulations to both of you!

 

[T L]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Beautiful ring and box too!! Enjoy it for many years to come, and never ever put it in an ultrasonic cleaner (that's my general warning about emeralds).

 

[Aoife]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Congratulations on your engagement! The ring is lovely, and VC's workmanship does justice to the gorgeous emerald.

As others on this thread have advised, it would be very important to me to make sure I knew all the details of treatment so that I could take care of this lovely gemstone. A brief trip to AGL now might prevent a lot of heartbreak in the future.

 

[Lukasz]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Thank you so very much everyone for the kind words and especially the great advice! "distracts" and "LD", you really gave me some great tips and advice. I passed these on to my fiancé.

So unfortunately I am kicking myself in the butt a little right now. When I first received my stone, my instinct was to go find a setting and not delay anymore. I knew the AGL certificate process would delay things and add cost. Now that the stone is in a setting, my understanding is that the lab won't be able to do much. I am wondering at this point whether or not an appraiser can provide the information we seem to really need at this point: the estimated cost of replacement (for insurance) and the type of treatment on the emerald (for care). The cost part is a no brainer, but I'm not sure an appraiser like this one in my area can do both for us: http://accreditedjewelryappraisers.com.

 

[Aoife]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Thank you so very much everyone for the kind words and especially the great advice! "distracts" and "LD", you really gave me some great tips and advice. I passed these on to my fiancé.

So unfortunately I am kicking myself in the butt a little right now. When I first received my stone, my instinct was to go find a setting and not delay anymore. I knew the AGL certificate process would delay things and add cost. Now that the stone is in a setting, my understanding is that the lab won't be able to do much. I am wondering at this point whether or not an appraiser can provide the information we seem to really need at this point: the estimated cost of replacement (for insurance) and the type of treatment on the emerald (for care). The cost part is a no brainer, but I'm not sure an appraiser like this one in my area can do both for us: http://accreditedjewelryappraisers.com.

This is absolutely not the case. You will pay an additional fee, but when you consider the beauty and value of this emerald, an extra $65-100 is small change. An appraisal will not give you the same information as an AGL report, and for an item of this value, the AGL report will be invaluable.


http://www.aglgemlab.com/services/

 

[pregcurious]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

I believe you can still send your stone to be evaluated at AGL even though it is mounted. Here is a price sheet that details costs for loose and mounted stones:
http://www.aglgemlab.com/services/Rates.aspx

 

[Lukasz]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

I believe you can still send your stone to be evaluated at AGL even though it is mounted. Here is a price sheet that details costs for loose and mounted stones:
http://www.aglgemlab.com/services/Rates.aspx

This is absolutely not the case. You will pay an additional fee, but when you consider the beauty and value of this emerald, an extra $65-100 is small change. An appraisal will not give you the same information as an AGL report, and for an item of this value, the AGL report will be invaluable.

http://www.aglgemlab.com/services/

Thank you for the clarification! It does add piece of mind knowing I can still take care of it, but that doesn't mean I stopped kicking myself in the butt.

Aoife, you mention the AGL report is invaluable. Assuming we get the report, will this be sufficient for insurance purposes OR is an appraisal still necessary?

 

[Aoife]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

An appraisal is still necessary, but the AGL report will be very useful for the appraiser when s/he writes the appraisal. By including all that information, you can ensure that if it's ever necessary to replace the emerald (I know, perish the thought!) you will actually be able to replace it with the same quality stone. My appraiser always makes sure copies of reports are included in the appraisal document.

Edited to add:

Don't kick yourself for not getting a report first, we all do stuff like that sometimes. Just get the report now!

 

[LD]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Just to clarify:

AGL will supply a report that lists origin (if you ask for it and it can be determined), size, carat weight, treatment(s) etc. What they won't do is give an indication of worth/current value/replacement value.

An appraisal will give you the worth/replacement value which is needed for insurance.

Therefore the appraisal comes after the AGL report and the two are entirely separate.

Don't kick yourself, you've done an awesome job to this point - you just need to go back a step to make sure that you've got all bases covered. Many people don't do this and down the road something happens and they wish they had. Look at it this way - you've learned tons and can now do everything needed to protect yourself and your gem moving forward!

 

[Lukasz]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Just to clarify:

AGL will supply a report that lists origin (if you ask for it and it can be determined), size, carat weight, treatment(s) etc. What they won't do is give an indication of worth/current value/replacement value.

An appraisal will give you the worth/replacement value which is needed for insurance.

Therefore the appraisal comes after the AGL report and the two are entirely separate.

Don't kick yourself, you've done an awesome job to this point - you just need to go back a step to make sure that you've got all bases covered. Many people don't do this and down the road something happens and they wish they had. Look at it this way - you've learned tons and can now do everything needed to protect yourself and your gem moving forward!

I've learned these things quickly and easily thanks to people like you!

I called AGL and spoke to Kelly for some time about my situation. She clarified some things for me. With a Prestige ID and enhancement report, I'll know more detail about the treatment of our emerald than a Gembrief report. I'm told, in most cases, they can accurately measure the stone dimensions even though it's in the setting. The one down side having it mounted is that the carat weight will be just an estimate OR they can put down a customer specified weight on the report. My assumption is that AGL's estimate is more credible than the information I provide regarding the weight, even though I am confident in it's accuracy. Do you agree I should go with AGL's estimate on the report?

My second question is related to shipping. I had a bad experience shipping my emerald to Victor via USPS certified and insured mail. Despite the $55 price I paid, they still managed to lose track of it and had it delivered one week late. With the need to insure it for much more now that it's in a setting, I don't want to pay even more for the poor service USPS has provided me. They even charged me for a shipping label I never printed and forced me to file a claim with my bank/debit card!

With that said, what do you guys recommend for shipping the ring to AGL from DC to NY?

 

[chrono]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

Don't sweat it; you aren't too late and can take steps to remedy it.

With such an important stone, it's best to spring for the Prestige ID and enhancement report from AGL. The AGL estimate should be fine, since obviously it's already mounted.

I am sorry to say I haven't shipped any gemstones through other methods than USPS registered mail (insurance included). It is supposed to be the safest method. I think UPS will ship a mounted stone and allow you to insure it through them but I am not 100% sure. Fedex will also ship gemstones and jewellery but you are responsible to insure it through your own means.

 

[Aoife]

Re: My Story | 3.6ct Cushion Cut Emerald in VC Trueste Setti

I'd definitely ask for the Prestige report in this case. With emeralds, the origin has an effect on the value, so it's important information if you ever need to replace the stone.

Regarding shipping, for an item of this value, I wouldn't send it any way other than USPS registered mail: it may be slow, but it will get there eventually. Since each person who touches the package, removes it from the safes, etc. has to sign for it, it is much, much harder to lose. You aren't able to track it, but it will get there!