First, a bit of background. I first came to this forum a few years ago when I was researching diamond studs for my girlfriend's birthday. I learned so much about how to evaluate stones, about how cut is king, and which vendors could be trusted/relied on (i.e. Pricescope vendors). During my preliminary research, I became really intrigued by the modern round brilliant H&A stones - based on what I initially read, it seemed as though that cut was the gold standard for cut. Never having really looked at diamonds in person, I had no frame of reference as to what an ideal-cut stone would look like in person vis-a-vis a non-ideal cut stone. That said, I took a leap of faith and decided to order a set of H&A studs (.25ct, J color, VS2) through Good Old Gold. I knew they would be relatively small in size, but was hoping that they'd be as sparkly as I had hoped based on what I read. When I received them, I was blown away. Even without any frame of reference, I could tell that they were really sparkly. When I gave them to my gf, she loved them.
However, when we started casually discussing what kind of engagement ring she might want down the road, she was a bit hesitant about a round brilliant stone - while there's no disputing that they are timeless/classic, she wanted something a bit different (although she didn't know quite what). So, I started doing a bit more research on Pricescope, and came across the August Vintage Cushion stones from Good Old Gold. The idea of a vintage-cut stone with modern ideal optics was very intriguing. Also, having already bought the studs through them (and it was a great experience), I felt really comfortable dealing with them again. I thought this might be exactly what my gf might've been referring to, so I showed her some of the videos that Jonathan had posted, and she was hooked. As for the setting, she wanted something that was a "blend" of modern/vintage - kind of like the AVC - but, again, didn't have anything particular in mind.
So, now that I knew that the center stone had to be an AVC, it was just a matter of finding the perfect setting and saving enough to get what she wanted. In the meantime, I was researching potential settings. I wanted something that was a bit different - maybe double-claw prongs - probably pave. As I was researching, I kept coming across Victor Canera, and the more I looked at his work, and read about others' experience with him, the more I leaned towards working with him. However, I had a pretty firm budget in mind, and wanted to spend the bulk of it on the stone (naturally), and, by this time, I already had the particular stone in mind. I emailed Victor for some quotes based on settings I saw on his website, and, at first, was a bit disappointed that most of what I liked was out of budget. However, after discussing a few details, I decided that I'd be willing to go over budget to get the setting I wanted.
The folks at Good Old Gold were a pleasure to work with. They answered all my questions, and the video they made helped me to narrow down the stone. So, without further ado, here is the stone I chose - it's a 1.09ct L VS2 August Vintage Cushion Diamond (http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8981/).
As for the setting, I told Victor that I was looking for a blend between the Alaria and Collette settings - a non-cathedral, non-split shank band with a single-claw prong basket that sits on top of the shank (so that a flush fitting band would be possible), with pave added to the top cup,and using single-cut melee diamonds. I think it turned out well - here's a pic of the finished ring:
Victor was fantastic. As others have stated, he was very patient and very accommodating. Moreover, the quality of his work speaks for itself.
And, lastly, here's a YouTube clip of the ring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv8srx676a4&list=UUjKUkZZv7JZaLvAAGWUQBaw&index=1&feature=plcp
I plan on proposing on our 6yr anniversary next month in Carmel. My girlfriend has no idea I've bought the ring, but I hope she likes it. I should have some better pics/hand pics then
However, when we started casually discussing what kind of engagement ring she might want down the road, she was a bit hesitant about a round brilliant stone - while there's no disputing that they are timeless/classic, she wanted something a bit different (although she didn't know quite what). So, I started doing a bit more research on Pricescope, and came across the August Vintage Cushion stones from Good Old Gold. The idea of a vintage-cut stone with modern ideal optics was very intriguing. Also, having already bought the studs through them (and it was a great experience), I felt really comfortable dealing with them again. I thought this might be exactly what my gf might've been referring to, so I showed her some of the videos that Jonathan had posted, and she was hooked. As for the setting, she wanted something that was a "blend" of modern/vintage - kind of like the AVC - but, again, didn't have anything particular in mind.
So, now that I knew that the center stone had to be an AVC, it was just a matter of finding the perfect setting and saving enough to get what she wanted. In the meantime, I was researching potential settings. I wanted something that was a bit different - maybe double-claw prongs - probably pave. As I was researching, I kept coming across Victor Canera, and the more I looked at his work, and read about others' experience with him, the more I leaned towards working with him. However, I had a pretty firm budget in mind, and wanted to spend the bulk of it on the stone (naturally), and, by this time, I already had the particular stone in mind. I emailed Victor for some quotes based on settings I saw on his website, and, at first, was a bit disappointed that most of what I liked was out of budget. However, after discussing a few details, I decided that I'd be willing to go over budget to get the setting I wanted.
The folks at Good Old Gold were a pleasure to work with. They answered all my questions, and the video they made helped me to narrow down the stone. So, without further ado, here is the stone I chose - it's a 1.09ct L VS2 August Vintage Cushion Diamond (http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8981/).
As for the setting, I told Victor that I was looking for a blend between the Alaria and Collette settings - a non-cathedral, non-split shank band with a single-claw prong basket that sits on top of the shank (so that a flush fitting band would be possible), with pave added to the top cup,and using single-cut melee diamonds. I think it turned out well - here's a pic of the finished ring:
Victor was fantastic. As others have stated, he was very patient and very accommodating. Moreover, the quality of his work speaks for itself.
And, lastly, here's a YouTube clip of the ring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv8srx676a4&list=UUjKUkZZv7JZaLvAAGWUQBaw&index=1&feature=plcp
I plan on proposing on our 6yr anniversary next month in Carmel. My girlfriend has no idea I've bought the ring, but I hope she likes it. I should have some better pics/hand pics then
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