Since so many posters mentioned
Victor Canera, below is the thread that consolidates most of his pieces. Some people have just gotten settings from him, and some people have purchased both diamonds and settings. Victor does cut super ideal cut modern round brilliant stones, and ideal cut old european rounds and antique cushions as well.
I thought it would be great to have an archive of all the gorgeous Victor Canera e-rings on PS. Please feel free to add your own, and any other VC rings you find! :naughty:
www.pricescope.com
He posts on Instagram regularly.
Seems like you might be in CA. He's located in LA. At this point, he is mostly setting stones purchased from him. If you find a beautiful stone you love (not from
Victor Canera) and want a stunning setting, I would consider Steven Kirsch in NYC.
I could not find a thread that consolidated all of Steven's work, and it's so hard to recommend him without a thread that pulls it all together. So PSer's, please help fill in this thread... https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/steven-kirsch-glacier-ring-with-pictures.225977/...
www.pricescope.com
Both Steven and Victor do hand forged platinum settings. Hand forged means they do not use cast molds. I personally do love knowing that someone worked my piece by hand.
I have worked with Victor, and he is lovely. Very easy to reach him. Just call.
And I find Steven absolutely wonderful too. I hope to have something from him at some point. And just call him. Super easy.
You can read about
@yssie's experience with Erika Winters below.
Erika Winters also does stunning settings. She uses a mix of forging and hand casting, according to what she thinks works the best for the work and the piece.
Erika Winters Fine Jewelry designs fine contemporary bridal jewelry featuring antique-cut diamonds. Erika’s bridal designs explore a fine balance between old and new, or timeless beauty and fresh perspective. Her collection also features a signature finish that expreses Old World sensibilities...
erikawinters.com
@yssie has one of the most beautiful examples of Erika's work. And it doesn't hurt that her photography skills are off the charts.
A couple of years ago I re-purposed my engagement stone for a pair of studs, which left me without a diamond centerpiece ring. I'd initially thought I wouldn't miss having one, as I so rarely wore the one I'd had, but my feelings on not having that solitaire-style cornerstone in the jewellery...
www.pricescope.com
Of course, these are the pricier of the artisans but given the stone you are considering and the quality of product to which your SO is accustomed, it probably would not be a sticking point.
And I definitely don't think that you are making a mistake by NOT going with a high end brand. I think the benefit of not going with a high brand is how much you are educating yourself by doing your own research, learning about the characteristics of diamonds and deciding for you and your SO what is most important to you. Knowing what is even out there is a big part of it. You don't know what you don't know, KWIM?
But enough about settings. What about THE ROCK? If you want to consider something more traditional and classic like a modern round brilliant...
I don't know if it's been mentioned, but something that a lot of people here like about certain vendors is their upgrade program. At first glance it may seem like that would not be relevant to you since you are making such a significant purchase the first time around. Maybe you never want to upgrade. BUT just in case you want to leave that option open for your SO, that at some point in the future, she may want to go up in size, color, clarity certain vendors have great upgrade policies. There are countless Pricescopers that have used this benefit, and for multiple upgrades. For these vendors, to upgrade, you just have to spend more than the original stone. There are some details to it, so ask when you speak to them. In no particular order:
1.
Whiteflash - located in Houston. They cut super ideal modern round brilliants (MRB) and their patented cut A Cut Above (
ACA) stones are stunning. They can also help you hunt down certain non
ACA stones. They will procure it and do a full performance evaluation, light performance, videos, evaluate the inclusions to see if they compromise the stone, etc.
My 2.1ct K-VS2 ACA (upgraded from a 1.4ct ExpSel in Sept. 2019). The 2.1 was sent back to WF recently & I should have a new addition to this thread in a few weeks. :shifty: ???:Up_to_something:
www.pricescope.com
2.
HPD -
High Performance Diamonds. located in Idaho. They are a vendor for
Crafted By Infinity, also cut super ideal MRBs. Stunning stones.
Hello all -- I am very interested in seeing your Crafted by Infinity stone, set in the real world. I am intrigued by these beauties and would like to see more. Their lower colored diamonds are marvelous and definitely a contender for my ER. If you wouldn't mind posting a photo or link and your...
www.pricescope.com
3.
Victor Canera - Located in LA. Cuts super ideal MRBs, Antique Rounds, Antique Cushions. Out of all three, I prefer his settings. But the other two do very nice basic settings as well. However, you will likely need to buy a stone from Victor if you want his setting.
Their stock may be limited right now, given covid and supply chain issues. Call them each and talk to them, and get a feel of who they are and how they work.
Both Victor and
HPD will do custom cut diamonds. If there is a certain spec you want, for example, 3 carat H VS1 Antique Round, Victor can acquire the rough and cut it to your specifications. There are threads where people have done exactly that with both Victor and
HPD.
There are other vendors, and I will let other members share other vendors as they like and their experiences. I have had personal experience with all three vendors, and they are top notch in quality of product and level of service.
Good luck on the next steps. There is a lot out there. Good for you for doing your due diligence.