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Cushion Halo Setting - Leon Mege or Steve Kirsch?

anne_h

Brilliant_Rock
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Jun 13, 2005
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Maplefemme!! You went with Victor in the end! (just saw that now)

I hope you will be thrilled with the outcome. He did a fabulous job on my ring, and his customer service skills are amazing.

Anne
 

bright ice

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anne_h|1313109624|2988955 said:
Maplefemme!! You went with Victor in the end! (just saw that now)

I hope you will be thrilled with the outcome. He did a fabulous job on my ring, and his customer service skills are amazing.

Anne

Anne_h, when do we get to see your ring? Pictures please!!
 

frankiextah

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Mar 12, 2009
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785
see for yourselves...

evidence of casting : huge dimples that no amount of polishing can get rid of. also notice the tremendous amount of porosity (visible sprays of air bubbles)...

dimplesfromcasting.jpg
 

slg47

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frankiextah|1313120216|2989079 said:
see for yourselves...

evidence of casting : huge dimples that no amount of polishing can get rid of. also notice the tremendous amount of porosity (visible sprays of air bubbles)...

dimplesfromcasting.jpg

Frankie who made this ring?
 

frankiextah

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the setting i was referring to is the one on the RIGHT :

ringbeforeafter.jpg
 

maplefemme

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May 12, 2011
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anne_h|1313109624|2988955 said:
Maplefemme!! You went with Victor in the end! (just saw that now)

I hope you will be thrilled with the outcome. He did a fabulous job on my ring, and his customer service skills are amazing.

Anne

Hi Anne!
Yes, Victor has been fantastic to work with, in every aspect, I couldn't ask for better. I just have to wait for GIA to grade my stone before he starts on my ring. When we were discussing my OEC, he mentioned another Canadian's OEC ring he was working on and I guessed it was yours. He said your stone is beautifully white :praise:
I can't wait to see your ring!!
 

maplefemme

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May 12, 2011
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frankiextah|1313122783|2989107 said:
the setting i was referring to is the one on the RIGHT :

ringbeforeafter.jpg

Frankie,
I have always thought that this setting SK made for you was stunning, I'm not against casting, but if I commission a ring with the understanding and assurance that it's completely hand forged and casting free, I'd be very unhappy to discover otherwise.
I know it seems like a battle of semantics, but for this project did you and SK discuss hand forged, casting free, etc?
 

SB621

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Aug 25, 2009
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I sms LM is out of the running but I just wanted to add in that I have had 2 friends with LM rings that either lost melee diamonds out of or the shape of the ring when a bit wonky and they aren't even 2 years old.

I have also seen LM rings for sale by the owner that she stated has some issues with diamonds needing to be tighten etc. I have issues paying that much money and worrying about the structural integrity of the ring if you know what I mean. I would stick with the VC or SK. Goodluck!
 

mrssalvo

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Jan 3, 2005
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wow frankie!! Have you discussed this with SK and if so, what has been his response?
 

speed51133

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Feb 27, 2011
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[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/maytal-hanah-how-reputable.157420/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/maytal-hanah-how-reputable.157420/[/URL]

i went with maytal hannah. i love the ring and her work.
when shopping, i was finding that MANY people were telling me "hand made". Honestly, I dont think hand made means ANYTHING at all. Hand forged and NOT CAST is what needs to be agreed with and disclosed.

it all depends on your agreement with steven. I will say that is 100% cast by looking at it. Call him and ask him.
 

anne_h

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Jun 13, 2005
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Hi Bright Ice and Maplefemme,

I've had my ring awhile now, Victor's turnaround time was extremely reasonable.

But I haven't posted pics yet as I'm waiting for my husband to have some time to do proper handshots with his fancy camera. lol

Victor's work is excellent. Very high-quality. I've shown the ring to a number of jewelers and my appraiser, and they all commented specifically on the quality of the setting. I think my appraiser put it best by saying the ring looks delicate but also strong. One dealer commented on the quality of the pave work. Another dealer thought the prongs were the best part.

And Maplefemme, you know just how to compliment a girl by saying her stone is so white! lol It's an I-color (GIA). Which, in an authentic antique OEC stone (which this is), is relatively rare, as far as I noted in my own personal hunt. Well, at least in my budget!

I will post a thread in the next little while, hopefully before the end of this month.

Thanks for your interest!! :)

Anne
 

CharmyPoo

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Dec 10, 2004
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maplefemme|1311712375|2977277 said:
But here's the thing, I'm not assuming, I asked SK straight forwardly, both when asking for a quote and now in response to your post and his response was "we do not use any precast or prefabricated models, all parts and elements are made and assembled by hand."
I don't know what to make of all this...
What did you say to Steven in regards and what was his response?

I have nothing against any of the vendors - used them and like them. I would like VC to do my next project when I am ready.

However, if we really pick apart SK's response to you .. it doesn't dismiss the claims made by H and others. Precast potentially can imply a piece that has been purchased casted (ie. the standard stuff pieces that you can buy already pre-made). He can be the one making the mould and casting it himself - therefore, it is not precasted. No one has said that he doesn't use his hands to cast the part and assemble the part. Anyways, just being picky on words - each jeweler has their own preference on how to manufacture a piece.
 

maplefemme

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May 12, 2011
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CharmyPoo|1313762781|2994208 said:
maplefemme|1311712375|2977277 said:
But here's the thing, I'm not assuming, I asked SK straight forwardly, both when asking for a quote and now in response to your post and his response was "we do not use any precast or prefabricated models, all parts and elements are made and assembled by hand."
I don't know what to make of all this...
What did you say to Steven in regards and what was his response?

I have nothing against any of the vendors - used them and like them. I would like VC to do my next project when I am ready.

However, if we really pick apart SK's response to you .. it doesn't dismiss the claims made by H and others. Precast potentially can imply a piece that has been purchased casted (ie. the standard stuff pieces that you can buy already pre-made). He can be the one making the mould and casting it himself - therefore, it is not precasted. No one has said that he doesn't use his hands to cast the part and assemble the part. Anyways, just being picky on words - each jeweler has their own preference on how to manufacture a piece.

Exactly, Charmypoo...

This is why I am now working with Victor, amongst many other things, I respect his forthrightness.
There are numerous pieces the SK has created that I think are beautiful and I respect his talent, however, when I was discussing with him the topic of creating my ring I was very specific about it being 100% hand forged/cast free and I felt the quote reflected that.
When I bought this post to his attention and asked him if he used cast parts, he could have said yes, I cast my own for use on some rings. I would have respected that. Instead I get a cryptic response that I still have to guess at what he means by it.

There are people who don't really care if their ring is cast and find paying $5,000-$6,000+ for a cast setting to be acceptable, fine, it's a personal choice on what you place value on.
Above all I just respect transparency and integrity...
 
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