2 Carat Showdown: Opulence Oval vs AVC vs AVR - With Pictures!

[leukolenos]

Today I tried on a bunch of vintage settings and actually found a few that correlated with my inspiration rings.

There was this blingtastic honker that was to die for, with an almost 3 carat OMC H color center. It made me think that a cushion bezel would be amazing— and I can imagine the bezeled center stone looking similar to this, with the dainty cuffs on the side (like leighton’s ring). I can also imagine a three stone setup exactly like this one but with much smaller sides...

The side view is really cool as well:

This one was an Eduardian setting with a very thin and delicate bezel and I loved the bezel!! But would this look good with a cushion?

Here is that one ring that I initially liked in the flesh! In person it’s actually really delicate and it was initially my favorite ring of the bunch, but I just don’t think it would work as well with a cushion.


And here they are all together:

I realize that it’s so much easier to find an appropriate setting for a round. I also realized that bezels are awesome.

I really like all of those (no help I know...)! But I do think all of those would be great with a cushion.

 

[Maggiemeans]

So yea.. I like the Victor eduardian/cvb Angela alot to.. They allow the AVC to be the star of the ring while accenting it. Can you take your top three and get some costing?

 

[foxinsox]

Those are all gorgeous - I love Victor Barbone. I agree that all of those would look amazing with a cushion and also that those bezels are delicious.

 

[Maggiemeans]

also this style came to mind this morning.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVagJGPFGUj/?taken-by=brilliantlyengaged

 

[prbaglady]

Just a quick update on this thread. I received the stone on Wednesday and it confirmed something that had been nagging me at the back of my head. The stone is beautiful, but it is not my stone. Also, if I wasn’t happy with his one cushion, so beautifully cut and with a great size, I probably wouldn’t be happy with any cushion!

I keep gravitating towards settings and rings with rounds and OECs in particular, so I have decided to return the diamond (since August Vintage has a 14 day return policy) and try to find an OEC. I think that a lot of my indecision stemmed from not being 100% happy with my choice.

 

[Niel]

Nice. What’s your budget? I can see if I’ve seen any good antique rounds around

 

[prbaglady]

@Niel I need to do more research and figure out some logistics before I can pull the trigger, but I would be curious to see what you recommend. Not sure about budget, but definitely under 20k. I was looking for A stone that was at least 8.2mm in diameter (8.5mm is even better!) and GIA J color, possibly K if the stone carries it well. As long as the stone is not too warm, I care more about the faceting pattern and light return

 

[prbaglady]

Hello everyone! I ended up exchanging the AVC for the AVR that I had looked at— it’s a 2.06 carat I color VS2. I clearly can’t decide on a setting to save my life so I had it set in a two-toned version of the stuller crown setting (white gold head and 14k yellow gold band). I had the jeweler pinch the shank slightly at the top and also do an approximation of claw prongs. I like how it turned out! Its a great temporary setting. A part of me still wishes for a larger OEC (since this diamond is only 5% larger face up than my original diamond and I was hoping for an “upgrade”), but I think that this stone is a great compromise in terms of size and specs. My husband thinks that it looks huge and anything bigger would be too much, but I’m not so sure about that! In any case, I love the perfectly shaped flower petals under the table, and the I color is perfect for an AVR— it 100% looks white, but with a slight creaminess. I am super excited to begin planning and shopping around to find the perfect vintage-inspired serring.

Here’s a quick iPhone photo that does NOT do the stone justice:


The greenish tint of the diamond in this photo is due to the fact that I am wearing an olive green coat and am surrounded by pine trees. I love how the stone takes on the colors of its surroundings!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

That's gorgeous, but I might be a little biased! I will tell you that in May I will have had my stone for 5 years, and it is still in its temporary setting!!!! I absolutely love the setting you have yours in, and if I didn't have the Vatche setting to reuse, that's what I would have loved to have for a very long term temp setting! I think the design is great for a forever setting, really! I hope you're happy with your diamond...it's beautiful and there just have been few AVRs above 2 cts!

Oh, and we need more pictures in a Show Me the Bling thread!

 

[natasha-cupcake]

So pretty! Please take more pictures, especially profile shots. I really like the Stuller crown setting and almost chose it for my ring. I'd love to see what yours looks like from all angles.

 

[nala]

Oh my wow!

 

[Laila619]

Dang, that is really stunning!! I like the "temp" setting, too! If you want more coverage down the road (though I agree with your hub that it looks huge!), you could always halo, bezel, or three stone that baby.

 

[Starfacet]

Love both the setting and stone!!!

 

[SimoneDi]

Gorgeous diamond! So happy that you found the one for you

 

[Slickk]

That is really a beautiful stone and setting! Love it! Congrats!!

 

[leukolenos]

It suits you perfectly!
Gorgeous stone (of course!) and I love the two tone setting!

 

[Maggiemeans]

Heavens!! Beautiful.

 

[Tekate]

I love your new stone and ring! my dream stone is an AVR set by Caysie VB. Congratulations!!! it's beautiful.

 

[JDDN]

You already know I'm a HUGE fan of your AVR and DS is right about there not being a lot of AVR's above 2 carats. Your photo is killer. The AV stones can take on such crazy reflections and look other worldly!

 

[Octo2005]

It's beautiful - Congrats!

 

[prbaglady]

@JDDN I can’t wait to see how your AVC journey turns out. It will look stunning in the Acacia. I’m definitely going to try to take more photos and maybe not wear as much green next time!!! Also, thank you for all your support and advice throughout this process.

@diamondseeker2006 Thank you! Yes, our diamonds are so similar... yours is one of my favorites on PS and is basically the perfect size!! I think that my size issues are more of a mental thing— feeling that if I am replacing my original diamond with a more expensive diamond, then it should at least be noticeably bigger... But to be honest, I never felt like my original diamond was too small, though it did have a partial halo that beefed it up a bit. Also spending too much time on pricescope looking at all the big rocks doesn’t help. I think that a more blingy, intricate setting might be all that it needs.

@natasha-cupcake thank you and I’ll see if I can do a show me the bling thread with more photos. I didn’t want to put too many on here since it’s the wrong forum for it. I will include side shots of the setting. I really the side profile, since you notice the two-toned look. It reminds me of some antique Tiffany two-tone crown/tulip settings that I had tried on. The two-tone adds to the vintage charm and I believe that back in the day the norm with yellow gold was to do a white gold/platinum head. I was pleasantly surprised by how delicate the band feels as well. The stone sits a bit higher than I originally expected but it makes it really pop! I also feels really secure with the six prongs.

@Laila619 I really love hexagonal bezels so those are definitely contenders for the final setting.

@Starfacet I love your AVR in its CVB Sienna setting/band combo too! I really want 6 or more prongs, so her Elsa in platinum is on my list.

@nala , @SimoneDi , @Sandeek @leukolenos , @Maggiemeans , @Tekate , @Octo2005 thank you for the kind words!

By the way, I need some sort of band to go with this. The finger feels a bit naked without a band. Maybe something that can add a little bit of sparkle...

 

[HappyNewLife]

Wowwwww. That diamond is dreamy. I love the setting too!

 

[Starfacet]

[USER=96138]@Starfacet I love your AVR in its CVB Sienna setting/band combo too! I really want 6 or more prongs, so her Elsa in platinum is on my list.

By the way, I need some sort of band to go with this. The finger feels a bit naked without a band. Maybe something that can add a little bit of sparkle...[/USER]

I bet Caysie could modify the Sienna for 6 or 8 prongs. On a side note, if I were to do my set all over again, I would have her make the Sienna shank the same width as the Sophia band. My Sienna is super delicate and while I love the look, you might want something sturdier because your stone is bigger than mine. :D
I also love the style called Stephanie on the AV website. I love the diamond festoons around the center stone!
[ATTACH]618293[/ATTACH]

 

[ac117]

Absolutely love your decision!!! The AVR is stunning in your picture and the setting compliments it nicely!!

 

[msop04]

Very pretty -- and I love the two-tone gold setting!

 

[prbaglady]

Wowwwww. That diamond is dreamy. I love the setting too!

Thank you!! I am also obsessed with your upgrade ring!!

I bet Caysie could modify the Sienna for 6 or 8 prongs. On a side note, if I were to do my set all over again, I would have her make the Sienna shank the same width as the Sophia band. My Sienna is super delicate and while I love the look, you might want something sturdier because your stone is bigger than mine. :D
I also love the style called Stephanie on the AV website. I love the diamond festoons around the center stone!
[ATTACH]618293[/ATTACH]

I'm actually a big fan of how dainty the shank of the Sienna is. The Stuller setting narrows down to 1.5 mm at the top and I just love the look of a big rock with a skinny band! My original E-ring had a super thin band as well. I was worried that it wouldn't be durable but I never had issues with it in the 10 years I owned it.

Absolutely love your decision!!! The AVR is stunning in your picture and the setting compliments it nicely!!

Thank you! It was a long process (I went from wanting an oval, to wanting an antique cushion, to wanting a genuine OEC, to getting this AVR) but I ended up in the right place. The flower pattern of the AVR gets me every time

Very pretty -- and I love the two-tone gold setting!

Thank you! My original ring was platinum, and I will likely return to platinum (I want to get a more intricate edwardian and art deco style setting and I think I prefer those in platinum) but I thought that the temp setting would be a good opportunity to try out yellow gold.

 

[YoManila]

@prbaglady I'm currently looking at the AVOs - the pictures you originally posted have been really helpful. I was wondering if you might answer a few questions for me (I'm currently looking for an e-ring for my girlfriend).

1. Would you mind sharing with me your ring size (for reference)?
2. Did the 2.01 I AVO appear warm/yellow (did the cut really minimize color absorption like Jon mentions in his videos)? Should I wait for a better color stone?
3. How eye-clean was SI1 that you viewed?

 

[prbaglady]

Hi @YoManila ! I am so glad to hear that my photos were helpful. My ring size is 4.75. I did not see the 2.01 I AVO since it was still under production at the time. I saw 2.0 F color AVO instead, which obviously looked very white, so I can’t speak to how the cut affects color absorption. The cushion in these comparisons was a J color, and the round was an I color, so you can get a better sense of how the colors compare by looking at the shots with all three stones. I have an I color stone and it always looks very white to me. I only notice the color when I see it next to whiter diamonds. The SI1 oval that I saw was completely eye clean.

Good luck with your search!

@prbaglady I'm currently looking at the AVOs - the pictures you originally posted have been really helpful. I was wondering if you might answer a few questions for me (I'm currently looking for an e-ring for my girlfriend).

1. Would you mind sharing with me your ring size (for reference)?
2. Did the 2.01 I AVO appear warm/yellow (did the cut really minimize color absorption like Jon mentions in his videos)? Should I wait for a better color stone?
3. How eye-clean was SI1 that you viewed?

 

[YoManila]

Hi @YoManila ! I am so glad to hear that my photos were helpful. My ring size is 4.75. I did not see the 2.01 I AVO since it was still under production at the time. I saw 2.0 F color AVO instead, which obviously looked very white, so I can’t speak to how the cut affects color absorption. The cushion in these comparisons was a J color, and the round was an I color, so you can get a better sense of how the colors compare by looking at the shots with all three stones. I have an I color stone and it always looks very white to me. I only notice the color when I see it next to whiter diamonds. The SI1 oval that I saw was completely eye clean.

Good luck with your search!

Thanks for the quick response!

 

[YoManila]

Hi @YoManila ! I am so glad to hear that my photos were helpful. My ring size is 4.75. I did not see the 2.01 I AVO since it was still under production at the time. I saw 2.0 F color AVO instead, which obviously looked very white, so I can’t speak to how the cut affects color absorption. The cushion in these comparisons was a J color, and the round was an I color, so you can get a better sense of how the colors compare by looking at the shots with all three stones. I have an I color stone and it always looks very white to me. I only notice the color when I see it next to whiter diamonds. The SI1 oval that I saw was completely eye clean.

Good luck with your search!

I have to ask. Any regrets on your purchase? I recently bought a 2ct I colo AVO for my girlfriend and not seeing it in person make me slightly uneasy. I also over analyze my decisions lol.

Is your AVO exactly what you wanted and would you make the same decision to purchase it again OVER a traditional oval?

For the same price I could have gotten a colorless stone that faced up larger but WITHOUT the brilliance.