Any Australian Pricescopers who have worked with Victor Canera?

[AMCC]

Hi Pricescopers,

Has anyone from Australia has worked with Victor Canera on settings?
My partner and I have a bit of a dilemma, we purchased our diamond with Brian Gavin but haven't had much luck resolving the setting.

I'm really hoping that the wedding band can sit flush up against it which is why I would like to eliminate the donut.
Unfortunately, BGD aren't able to create a 6 prong setting without the donut.

We have reached out to Victor Canera to see if he could create our setting for us but we haven't been able to find a way to insure our diamond while it is with VC. I did read that it is an option to have it set without the diamond, ship it over and set it back in Australia. Has anyone done this before? If so, how is the final outcome?

I am after a 6 prong (6 and 12 o'clock) pave setting without a donut at the base of the basket. I am actually not sure why it doesn't really appeal to me. Perhaps someone can shed some light as to why it's necessary to have the donut and convince me otherwise?

Would greatly appreciate any advice!

Thanks

 

[LLJsmom]

@arkieb1 is in Australia and has settings made by victor and sent to Australia for setting. I tagged her here and hopefully she will answer. Of course I wouldn't tell you what to do but I had two diamonds set by VC, one MRB and OEC and they were fine. Not sure if insurance had covered it while he was setting it.

A real jeweler can tell you why structurally it might be better but if VC will make it I think it's probably safe enough, given you aren't going to be doing heavy construction with your ring on. You like what you like. Don't worry about it.

 

[laurenk]

Hi! I'm in Brisbane and purchased my pear from Jewels By Grace who then sent her to Victor for setting. I am blown away (still) by Victor's work and love my ring. Knowing VC couldn't insure it whilst it was in his possession was scary but I had my heart set on him doing the ring so I took a leap of faith.

I spoke with VC numerous times and he assured me that he felt comfortable and confident setting my pear.

I do know of others who had VC make settings (mostly the Emilya) without the diamond and then chose a reputable jeweler here in Oz to set. They seemed to all work out quite well. I couldn't do that due to having a pear.

Where in Australia are you?

 

[AMCC]

@arkieb1 is in Australia and has settings made by victor and sent to Australia for setting. I tagged her here and hopefully she will answer. Of course I wouldn't tell you what to do but I had two diamonds set by VC, one MRB and OEC and they were fine. Not sure if insurance had covered it while he was setting it.

A real jeweler can tell you why structurally it might be better but if VC will make it I think it's probably safe enough, given you aren't going to be doing heavy construction with your ring on. You like what you like. Don't worry about it.

Thank you for being so thoughtful and tagging! That puts my mind at ease!

 

[AMCC]

Hi! I'm in Brisbane and purchased my pear from Jewels By Grace who then sent her to Victor for setting. I am blown away (still) by Victor's work and love my ring. Knowing VC couldn't insure it whilst it was in his possession was scary but I had my heart set on him doing the ring so I took a leap of faith.

I spoke with VC numerous times and he assured me that he felt comfortable and confident setting my pear.

I do know of others who had VC make settings (mostly the Emilya) without the diamond and then chose a reputable jeweler here in Oz to set. They seemed to all work out quite well. I couldn't do that due to having a pear.

Where in Australia are you?

That's amazing that you were so brave! Did you have the diamond insured when you sent it over?
Your ring is absolutely stunning! Does Victor specialise in halo settings? Would getting a simple 6 prong pave setting be worth it or could I find someone in Australia who hand forges rings to his standard? It seems he is the best in the biz and I haven't come across anyone as reputable in Australia but I had to throw the question out there just in case. I am still in two minds about whether I should go for a 6 prong pave setting or Victor's Emilya as it is just so beautiful!

I am based in Melbourne!

 

[arkieb1]

No there isn't anyone in Australia that IMHO does pave like Victor's. I doubt Victor would make a pave ring without the centre stone, I have a couple of pave rings from him and he always had the stones. I have one non pave setting that he did make for me (which took me two years to talk him into) and I found a specialise guy here to set the OEC in the basket whom I thought could do justice to the prongs...

There are independent places that insure jewellery worldwide these days, google jewellery insurance Australia and a number of them should come up.

 

[AMCC]

No there isn't anyone in Australia that IMHO does pave like Victor's. I doubt Victor would make a pave ring without the centre stone, I have a couple of pave rings from him and he always had the stones. I have one non pave setting that he did make for me (which took me two years to talk him into) and I found a specialise guy here to set the OEC in the basket whom I thought could do justice to the prongs...

There are independent places that insure jewellery worldwide these days, google jewellery insurance Australia and a number of them should come up.

Thank you very much for the insight. VC has said it's possible but that having the diamond would yield the best results. They have recommended that we purchase a diamond from them but we would like to keep ours..
Are you based in Melbourne by any chance?

 

[AMCC]

No there isn't anyone in Australia that IMHO does pave like Victor's. I doubt Victor would make a pave ring without the centre stone, I have a couple of pave rings from him and he always had the stones. I have one non pave setting that he did make for me (which took me two years to talk him into) and I found a specialise guy here to set the OEC in the basket whom I thought could do justice to the prongs...

There are independent places that insure jewellery worldwide these days, google jewellery insurance Australia and a number of them should come up.

Hey again,
I remember seeing a thread where you recommended Alistair Kelsey, who's work is stunning. Have you seen any of his pave work or if I were to go down this route, should I go for a simple setting?

Hope you don't mind all the questions
Thanks

 

[Acinom]

I am based in Europe. Victor has made the setting for my OEC without having the center stone. Think it's more difficult to do this with a halo setting. In my case it was possible because my stone is symmetrically round. A local jeweller set the stone for me. This jeweller did not do the magic that VC does on his prongs, but if you have a good local jeweller it could work.

I could not send my stone to the US for insurance reasons (during shipping). The idea of shipping my 5+ ct stone scared me and I would have had to pay a large tax amount.

VC made some gorgeous rings with colored stones for me as well.

I can also highly recommend Alistair Kelsey in Australia. I have several rings from him and he is incredibly talented. He is now jeweller of the year in Australia! I do not have pave rings from Alistair. You can have a look at his FB for examples. You probably already have seen this thread? https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-alistair-kelsey-collection.218921/

 

[arkieb1]

Alistair is a wizard with metalwork, his pave will not look like Victors as you can clearly see on their websites. I am in QLD, there are a number of good jewellers down in Melbourne Rutherford's for example have a good but expensive bench so do a number of the other both modern and Antique jewellery stores.

 

[nomissjane]

I had Victor make an Emylia halo for my 2ct diamond in 2012.
It was my original diamond but I was madly in love with Victors Emyila setting.
I'm rubbish at posting links but I'm sure you could look it up on this forum, but the upshot was that its really tricky to get insurance for your diamond to cover it for the shipping and when it's in Victors care....add to that if you send your diamond over to Victor and have him send in back in a new setting then Australian customs considers it to be 'modified' and requires you to pay GST on its value all over again, despite the fact that you already paid it the first time!!!!
In the end I sent Victor a copy of the GIA cert with all the specs and he made the most perfect setting to fit my stone. When it arrived I took it to my trusted jeweler in Sydney who set it and did, I think, a superb job of replicating Victors gorgeous prongs.
I'll try and post a photo.
Since Victor did such a stunning setting for my diamond I then asked him to make me the matching eternity. I adore them both.

 

[MollyMalone]

@nomissjane and @arkieb1 -- in order to assist AliceC in making her decision, it would helpful to know whether the Australian jewelers who set your own diamond in the VC semi-mounts would have reimbursed you for loss-damage to the diamond or the semi-mount while in their hands? That would be unusual here in the States; like VC, most US jewelers don't have insurance coverage for that situation & therefore won't assume liability for "outside" stones.

* * * There are independent places that insure jewellery worldwide these days, google jewellery insurance Australia and a number of them should come up.

The problem is that "jewelry" coverage is not synonymous with insurance that covers loss or damage to a loose diamond before and while being set. Last year, neither laurenk nor SeekingClarity could find an Australian insurance company who will underwrite that. Jewelers Mutual is the only US insurer who will provide such a rider to a consumer's personal jewelry insurance policy, but JM is not an option for those who live outside the States and most of Canada.

 

[arkieb1]

There are insurance companies that do cover everything, but in general it is so expensive that it can cost nearly as much as a diamond or a high percentage of the actual diamond. So the choice has always been if you are an Aussie, go with a jeweller who will insure it when setting it, risk it and get it set without insurance, get the setting sent to Australia and get it set here using one of the insurance companies listed or house and contents insurance and check the fine print for one that will insure it when it is "out of the home" (no most will not pay if it is overseas) or pay a super high fee for full coverage.

 

[MollyMalone]

There are insurance companies that do cover everything, but in general it is so expensive that it can cost nearly as much as a diamond or a high percentage of the actual diamond. So the choice has always been if you are an Aussie, go with a jeweller who will insure it when setting it, risk it and get it set without insurance, get the setting sent to Australia and get it set here using one of the insurance companies listed or house and contents insurance and check the fine print for one that will insure it when it is "out of the home" (no most will not pay if it is overseas) or pay a super high fee for full coverage.

I'm not seeing, in this thread or earlier ones, the name of an Australian insurance company that will cover a loose stone when it is out of the home and being set, in Australia. Do you know of one? That would be great info for us all to have and share in the future

 

[laurenk]

I also don't know which insurers would do that. It would be worth calling around - I'm sure if you have the diamond and the setting in your possession here in Australia there must be someone. I have spoken with http://www.qreport.com.au/ before so they may be worth talking to.

 

[nomissjane]

I may have just been really naive, however, when I received Victors Emylia I had my original trusted jeweler unset the diamond from their setting and reset it into the Emylia. I was advised by them, and my understanding was, that the diamond would be insured by them for loss or damage while it was in their procession. They are very capable, high end jewelers in Sydney and I was so desperate to get that gorgeous setting on my finger that I gave them my full trust and they did a superb job.
It was not an ideal arrangement, but these are jewelers I have used many times and have a very well known and solid reputation and without a trip to LA it wouldn't have been possible any other way. I was heavily pregnant at the time and so that was out of the question.
The alternative was no Emylia....and I was just so 'needing' one of Victors stunning designs.
To be honest the whole process couldn't have been easier really. Victor is probably one of the nicest, most knowledgable and professional people I've ever had the pleasure of working with, hence I ordered the matching eternity 6mths later.

 

[AMCC]

I may have just been really naive, however, when I received Victors Emylia I had my original trusted jeweler unset the diamond from their setting and reset it into the Emylia. I was advised by them, and my understanding was, that the diamond would be insured by them for loss or damage while it was in their procession. They are very capable, high end jewelers in Sydney and I was so desperate to get that gorgeous setting on my finger that I gave them my full trust and they did a superb job.
It was not an ideal arrangement, but these are jewelers I have used many times and have a very well known and solid reputation and without a trip to LA it wouldn't have been possible any other way. I was heavily pregnant at the time and so that was out of the question.
The alternative was no Emylia....and I was just so 'needing' one of Victors stunning designs.
To be honest the whole process couldn't have been easier really. Victor is probably one of the nicest, most knowledgable and professional people I've ever had the pleasure of working with, hence I ordered the matching eternity 6mths later.

Thank you for bringing this up as an option. Would you mind sharing your jeweller in Sydney? Did they create the claw prongs in the same way Victor does?

By the way, did your ring size change much during and after pregnancy that you have needed to resize? If so, did you do that with Victor or is it possible to do locally?

Thanks

 

[nomissjane]

My Sydney jewelers are Cerrone. This was who we purchased our diamond from and when I get a chance to post a photo I think you'll see that they did a great job with the prongs. I don't think they are quite as 'sharp' as Victors prongs but they are really close.
Lucky for me my ring size didn't change after pregnancy at all. I went into Tiffany&Co to sneakily try on rings and get sized as they still use US ring sizing. I had my original setting sized by them and that is what I ordered from Victor. My hands, feet, ankles, legs, face, generally everything, swells out of control when I'm pregnant but it all went back to normal after bub was out.

 

[arkieb1]

I'm not seeing, in this thread or earlier ones, the name of an Australian insurance company that will cover a loose stone when it is out of the home and being set, in Australia. Do you know of one? That would be great info for us all to have and share in the future

These guys might;

http://www.qreport.com.au/

Some Australian home and contents insurance companies used to insure loose stones in Australia but again you pay a very very high premium for them to do this.

A lot of jewellers in Australia do have their own insurance for loose stones being set, there should be a number of them down in Melbourne just ask them.

 

[AMCC]

These guys might;

http://www.qreport.com.au/

Some Australian home and contents insurance companies used to insure loose stones in Australia but again you pay a very very high premium for them to do this.

A lot of jewellers in Australia do have their own insurance for loose stones being set, there should be a number of them down in Melbourne just ask them.

We contacted Qreport today and they only cover completed jewellery/rings! Bummer!

Will keep investigating and will report in if we find anything

 

[arkieb1]

I know jewellers can get insurance that covers stone setting because my husband's family work in the trade. I think the main issue is most of the places are going to want to insure a ring straight from one of the recommended jewellers on their lists. Phone the jewellers Association of Australia explain the situation and ask them if you can insure it from Australia to be set overseas (they will probably want it set here). Or which insurance companies might cover a loose stone under house and contents insurance.

https://www.jaa.com.au/consumers/guidance/insurance

 

[AMCC]

I know jewellers can get insurance that covers stone setting because my husband's family work in the trade. I think the main issue is most of the places are going to want to insure a ring straight from one of the recommended jewellers on their lists. Phone the jewellers Association of Australia explain the situation and ask them if you can insure it from Australia to be set overseas (they will probably want it set here). Or which insurance companies might cover a loose stone under house and contents insurance.

https://www.jaa.com.au/consumers/guidance/insurance

Thank you very much! I'll contact them on Monday, much appreciated!!

Alternatively, our second option is to send the setting to Melbourne and get a jeweler to mount it.
If you have any recommendations on jewellers who are able to offer this service and are good enough to create Victor's claw prongs, please do let me know!

 

[AMCC]

My Sydney jewelers are Cerrone. This was who we purchased our diamond from and when I get a chance to post a photo I think you'll see that they did a great job with the prongs. I don't think they are quite as 'sharp' as Victors prongs but they are really close.
Lucky for me my ring size didn't change after pregnancy at all. I went into Tiffany&Co to sneakily try on rings and get sized as they still use US ring sizing. I had my original setting sized by them and that is what I ordered from Victor. My hands, feet, ankles, legs, face, generally everything, swells out of control when I'm pregnant but it all went back to normal after bub was out.

Hello nomissjane!

You're so lucky your ring size didn't change!

I contacted Cerrone in Melbourne and explained the situation. They said it's likely something they can do but wouldn't be able to confirm until they saw the setting in person especially if it's in platinum.
Did you come across any issues with this? I would be so worried that I purchase the setting from VC only to be rejected and not being able to set it!
If you have a chance at all to upload a photo of their prongs, that would be so great!

Thanks

 

[Pinkbunny]

Hi Pricescopers,

Has anyone from Australia has worked with Victor Canera on settings?
My partner and I have a bit of a dilemma, we purchased our diamond with Brian Gavin but haven't had much luck resolving the setting.

I'm really hoping that the wedding band can sit flush up against it which is why I would like to eliminate the donut.
Unfortunately, BGD aren't able to create a 6 prong setting without the donut.

We have reached out to Victor Canera to see if he could create our setting for us but we haven't been able to find a way to insure our diamond while it is with VC. I did read that it is an option to have it set without the diamond, ship it over and set it back in Australia. Has anyone done this before? If so, how is the final outcome?

I am after a 6 prong (6 and 12 o'clock) pave setting without a donut at the base of the basket. I am actually not sure why it doesn't really appeal to me. Perhaps someone can shed some light as to why it's necessary to have the donut and convince me otherwise?

Would greatly appreciate any advice!

Thanks

What is a donut (in a ring)?

 

[LLJsmom]

Dear OP, since you are concerned about every aspect of this process, wouldn’t it be easier to forgo Victor’s setting and just get the stone shipped to you and get the setting to be made from scratch in Australia? I know you would love a VC setting but some issues are gonna have to give in this process. You are going to have to live with some risk somewhere and instead of stressing about mitigating every single thing that can go wrong, just get it done there.

 

[AMCC]

What is a donut (in a ring)?

Here is a comparison photo I put together. Hope this helps!
I believe the ring on the left is Frankie's stunning halo The more I look at it, the more I'm ok with the donut!

 

[AMCC]

Dear OP, since you are concerned about every aspect of this process, wouldn’t it be easier to forgo Victor’s setting and just get the stone shipped to you and get the setting to be made from scratch in Australia? I know you would love a VC setting but some issues are gonna have to give in this process. You are going to have to live with some risk somewhere and instead of stressing about mitigating every single thing that can go wrong, just get it done there.

Hi LLJsmom, you make a really good point and thanks for being upfront about it
Luckily we may have found a broker who can insure it for us!

 

[ringcat]

Hi @AliceC
I am an Aussie in the same situation as you were, in wanting a VC setting for my stone (EC). Could you share the name of the broker and how your insurance situation was resolved?
Thank you.

 

[ringcat]

If you prefer, you can get in touch with me from my LT listing:
https://loupetroop.com/listings/other/for-misslili-and-bpadgett58-its-ringcat-from-ps

 

[ringcat]

Hi everyone, just bumping this thread.
Would be SO grateful if anyone who knows AliceC could let her know about this thread.
Thank you