Mara
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2002
- Messages
- 31,003
warning...long rambling post below!
we went into carmel today, we go about 2-3 times a year...the last time we were there was new years day and this jewelry store i visit when we go was closed, i was soooooo sad. well we went today and i was so happy to see they were open. they deal in many vintage and consignment type pieces along with some pieces they design themselves or have commissioned for them. some of these rings are big big bucks and they have a bunch of them! so it's SOOOO fun to go in there and try things on. they have SO much eye-candy it's mind boggling. and i never even make it past the 2 diamond counters. they have tons of gemstone rings and jewels, and things like watches and other things as well.
so today we went in there (my sister and i) and we actually ended up being helped by the owner's son, josh, who spent about 25 minutes with us even though it was obvious we were just browsing. we kept up a steady stream of conversation and he was pretty knowledgeable which was a nice change from the typical B&M jewelers who seem confused by what they sell. he was a lot of fun to talk to because he and i seemed to like many of the same pieces, and he was pointing out things on rings he was showing me that i would notice which i appreciated. like fine details on the settings and things like that. at one point he said have you gone into the tiffany's here yet? i said no i haven't..i'm not really that interested in tiffany's items...i like items like this that have more personality in them (as i drooled over a 4c OEC in an amazing halo set with baguette sapphires and diamonds that he said was the actual ring his mother wore for 15 years!!)...he said 'now you are saying everything i like to hear, i will have to give you a really good deal on something today...'...i was like I WISH buddy..I am just window shopping!!
the first ring i tried on that caught my eye was this amazing art deco ring that reminded me of things i had seen on faycullen's website, it had a 1c RB and it was an octagon halo which was just divine, it was one of those halos that is set apart from the stone so there is a tiny space between the halo and the stone bezel. just divine and only $9k! not so bad. the setting was SO delicate i felt like i could snap it in two with my fingers. i am pretty grateful for my ole sturdy setting with lots of metal...hehe but it's fun to dream about a delicate wrapped setting.
THEN, i tried on a 3.6c I VS2 that was $79k. yikes! it was a spready cut with what appeared to be super thin arrows. but man it was pretty. it was set in a super simple 4 prong basket with a flared head and a thin band, maybe 2mm or less, knife edge. so of course the stone looked even bigger! then i tried on a 3c K VVS1 which was $39k and faced up pretty darn white! he told me that his friend was getting engaged, some high powered investment broker type and that he sent him that ring to consider...his friend said he didn't like the color and wanted something like a G. josh said he told him he'd pay WAY more for a higher color, he said his friend didn't care and he bought a $75k G stone. i said... 'well i'm so glad i don't have those kind of color issues, i couldn't afford it!'
oh and when i had the 3.6 on all i could think of was 'holy crap kristy darling, i can't believe that you felt like this size stone had shrinkage on a size 3 finger!!!!'...
i tried on a hodgepodge of other things, then he pulled out a stone and said look at this! it was a 10c cushion! set in a 4 prong clawish type setting, solitaire, super simple, man was that thing HUGE. funny thing was it was a J and in that cut and that size, the color was definitely visible. it looked more like what i would *imagine* something like a W-X would look like, maybe a little lighter. but pretty colored. it was an absolute monster.
they had some AMAZING cushion cut stones with big chunky facets....yum. of course, i thought of mrs salvo and her original search for the perfect cushion. he said that cushions were really popular right now. they had not one asscher in the store! i was surprised! he said that those were really popular a few years ago which shocked me given how popular they are on PS right now. are we falling behind the 'trend'? hehe. i was kind of bummed as i was looking fwd to seeing what sort of asschers these guys were carrying, esp if they had any vintage ones, and esp since asschers lend themselves to these old fashioned or art deco type settings, was sad not to see at least ONE.
the thing that struck me time and time again as i tried these rings on, and i have noticed this in the past and i think i keep forgetting...is that their settings are just plain amazing. they run the gamut from simple 4 or 6 prong solitaire with that scoop flared head so a ring can sit flush to ritani like 4 prong basket settings with pave to the super elaborate octagon halo or my personal favorite, a delicate 3 stone that had tiny diamonds set into each of the heads along with some very fine looking filigree....that setting was just stunning. if i did a 3 stone i was thinking that one would be just amazing. but i couldn't wear a w-ring with it at all.
we talked a bit about the settings and he said that they had a bunch of things designed by someone called Lucy Campbell in the UK? anyway her pieces were beautiful. the best part? you can buy just the setting from them...they don't even care if they set the stones there or if you have your jeweler do it. talk about an untapped resource....esp for settings with a bit of a vintage flair! i left that store with visions of all sorts of future potential settings floating in my head. and they seemed pretty affordable too. GOSH. poor greg!!! i could have easily spent another hour in the store trying things on but greg was waiting and i felt bad for eating up josh's time...though he was very sweet and said that it was fun to work at that kind of gig when they had customers as nice as us...AWWW.
greg said 'oh i see he had his sales face on'...HA HA.
anyway i just had to share with PS'ers....i was oozing with happiness as we left the store and of course talked off Greg's ear for 20 minutes later but he doesn't GET IT of course. it was such a jewelry-gasm. hehee. and SORRY i don't have any pictures, but the pictures in my mind are priceless. esp of that 3.6c on my greedy, wanting little paw!!!!
we went into carmel today, we go about 2-3 times a year...the last time we were there was new years day and this jewelry store i visit when we go was closed, i was soooooo sad. well we went today and i was so happy to see they were open. they deal in many vintage and consignment type pieces along with some pieces they design themselves or have commissioned for them. some of these rings are big big bucks and they have a bunch of them! so it's SOOOO fun to go in there and try things on. they have SO much eye-candy it's mind boggling. and i never even make it past the 2 diamond counters. they have tons of gemstone rings and jewels, and things like watches and other things as well.
so today we went in there (my sister and i) and we actually ended up being helped by the owner's son, josh, who spent about 25 minutes with us even though it was obvious we were just browsing. we kept up a steady stream of conversation and he was pretty knowledgeable which was a nice change from the typical B&M jewelers who seem confused by what they sell. he was a lot of fun to talk to because he and i seemed to like many of the same pieces, and he was pointing out things on rings he was showing me that i would notice which i appreciated. like fine details on the settings and things like that. at one point he said have you gone into the tiffany's here yet? i said no i haven't..i'm not really that interested in tiffany's items...i like items like this that have more personality in them (as i drooled over a 4c OEC in an amazing halo set with baguette sapphires and diamonds that he said was the actual ring his mother wore for 15 years!!)...he said 'now you are saying everything i like to hear, i will have to give you a really good deal on something today...'...i was like I WISH buddy..I am just window shopping!!
the first ring i tried on that caught my eye was this amazing art deco ring that reminded me of things i had seen on faycullen's website, it had a 1c RB and it was an octagon halo which was just divine, it was one of those halos that is set apart from the stone so there is a tiny space between the halo and the stone bezel. just divine and only $9k! not so bad. the setting was SO delicate i felt like i could snap it in two with my fingers. i am pretty grateful for my ole sturdy setting with lots of metal...hehe but it's fun to dream about a delicate wrapped setting.
THEN, i tried on a 3.6c I VS2 that was $79k. yikes! it was a spready cut with what appeared to be super thin arrows. but man it was pretty. it was set in a super simple 4 prong basket with a flared head and a thin band, maybe 2mm or less, knife edge. so of course the stone looked even bigger! then i tried on a 3c K VVS1 which was $39k and faced up pretty darn white! he told me that his friend was getting engaged, some high powered investment broker type and that he sent him that ring to consider...his friend said he didn't like the color and wanted something like a G. josh said he told him he'd pay WAY more for a higher color, he said his friend didn't care and he bought a $75k G stone. i said... 'well i'm so glad i don't have those kind of color issues, i couldn't afford it!'
i tried on a hodgepodge of other things, then he pulled out a stone and said look at this! it was a 10c cushion! set in a 4 prong clawish type setting, solitaire, super simple, man was that thing HUGE. funny thing was it was a J and in that cut and that size, the color was definitely visible. it looked more like what i would *imagine* something like a W-X would look like, maybe a little lighter. but pretty colored. it was an absolute monster.
they had some AMAZING cushion cut stones with big chunky facets....yum. of course, i thought of mrs salvo and her original search for the perfect cushion. he said that cushions were really popular right now. they had not one asscher in the store! i was surprised! he said that those were really popular a few years ago which shocked me given how popular they are on PS right now. are we falling behind the 'trend'? hehe. i was kind of bummed as i was looking fwd to seeing what sort of asschers these guys were carrying, esp if they had any vintage ones, and esp since asschers lend themselves to these old fashioned or art deco type settings, was sad not to see at least ONE.
the thing that struck me time and time again as i tried these rings on, and i have noticed this in the past and i think i keep forgetting...is that their settings are just plain amazing. they run the gamut from simple 4 or 6 prong solitaire with that scoop flared head so a ring can sit flush to ritani like 4 prong basket settings with pave to the super elaborate octagon halo or my personal favorite, a delicate 3 stone that had tiny diamonds set into each of the heads along with some very fine looking filigree....that setting was just stunning. if i did a 3 stone i was thinking that one would be just amazing. but i couldn't wear a w-ring with it at all.
we talked a bit about the settings and he said that they had a bunch of things designed by someone called Lucy Campbell in the UK? anyway her pieces were beautiful. the best part? you can buy just the setting from them...they don't even care if they set the stones there or if you have your jeweler do it. talk about an untapped resource....esp for settings with a bit of a vintage flair! i left that store with visions of all sorts of future potential settings floating in my head. and they seemed pretty affordable too. GOSH. poor greg!!! i could have easily spent another hour in the store trying things on but greg was waiting and i felt bad for eating up josh's time...though he was very sweet and said that it was fun to work at that kind of gig when they had customers as nice as us...AWWW.
anyway i just had to share with PS'ers....i was oozing with happiness as we left the store and of course talked off Greg's ear for 20 minutes later but he doesn't GET IT of course. it was such a jewelry-gasm. hehee. and SORRY i don't have any pictures, but the pictures in my mind are priceless. esp of that 3.6c on my greedy, wanting little paw!!!!
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