Show me some Van Craeynest!

[Love in Bloom]

Hehe, I hope it works Deelight

Finally got a favorite pic of my ruby ring. It's not exactly in focus, but I like the background:

Style 457 set with a 4.2mm ruby in a platinum half-bezel. Van Craeynest told me that they make all of their bezels by hand. The band is 18K yellow gold with platinum inlaid shields and flowers (usually just the shields are inlaid). The band is 3.5mm at the widest point where the flowers are, and tapers to 2mm wide at the narrowest point on the shank. The ring sits 2.5mm off the top of my finger, and 2mm high on the underside.

Link

 

[seahorsegurl]

LIB - Thanks so much for posting mine! I was getting on here with the intention of oogling over your pic of this set that shows the matching wedding band attempting to decide if I wanted to get the band w/ diamonds or w/o and I realized I hadn''t posted my pics on here.
Mariposa - Your rings are beautiful!
I''d briefly thought of getting a non matching wedding band, but realized after I''d tried on a few that none of them looked right. Then when I looked thru this post again, it seems everyone that has a VC for an engagement ring also has a VC wedding band. Just out of curiosity, does anyone wear a non-matching wedding band w/ their VC?
Selkie - Thanks for posting about the PDF, I actually hadn''t seen the men''s matching version of my ring until looking at the brochure. Very tempting

, even though FH said he just wanted a plain band....

 

[Mariposa]

Hi, Seahorsegurl. Thank you so much for the compliment! For several months I wore a plain 2.0mm palladium band with my VC e-ring. I don''t know if this is what you''re looking for but here''s a pic:

 

[Mariposa]

I was playing with the camera today and decided to post some more pics. I know everyone''s already seen this but...I just CAN''T help myself!!!

 

[Mariposa]

.

 

[Mariposa]

.

 

[Mariposa]

.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Beautiful photos Mariposa!
That last one is exquisite!

 

[Selkie]

Mariposa:

!

 

[Mariposa]

Thank you!!! I think I finally got the hang of it. That last one is my favorite!

Mariposa

 

[Love in Bloom]

Mariposa.... W

W !! Your new pics are amazing; I especially love that last one too

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 4/22/2008 6:59:22 PM
Author: seahorsegurl
LIB - Thanks so much for posting mine! I was getting on here with the intention of oogling over your pic of this set that shows the matching wedding band attempting to decide if I wanted to get the band w/ diamonds or w/o and I realized I hadn't posted my pics on here.
Mariposa - Your rings are beautiful!
I'd briefly thought of getting a non matching wedding band, but realized after I'd tried on a few that none of them looked right. Then when I looked thru this post again, it seems everyone that has a VC for an engagement ring also has a VC wedding band. Just out of curiosity, does anyone wear a non-matching wedding band w/ their VC?
Selkie - Thanks for posting about the PDF, I actually hadn't seen the men's matching version of my ring until looking at the brochure. Very tempting

, even though FH said he just wanted a plain band....

Hey Seahorsegurl, you are welcome...thank YOU for not minding that I posted your beautiful pix!

Just a note about a wedding band:
I had a chance to see the scroll band with diamonds that matches your ering. It is so gorgeous, and I even considered getting it to wear by itself (alas...my hollow pockets

). I would totally go for that one if you do go with VC for a wedding band.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Your rings are beautiful, Mariposa!! Great pictures!

I feel a little sick everytime I see the picture of the VC rings I wanted, because it reminds me how incredibly beautiful they were. When it came down to it, I really decided against it because of the cost. Since I have been married so long already, I wouldn''t have gotten the many years of wear from them that you girls will get from buying them in the first place. But if somehow I won a few million, I would certainly put a VC set on my list to buy!

 

[AnitaT]

Mariposa,
What beautiful pictures! I just love VC rings. Thanks for sharing the latest pictures.

Diamondseeker--I looked at a VC ring a long time ago and it was way out of our price range and I was bummed. Then, I saw a different, yet similar, style and found the price more comfortable. Just a thought. The VC rings are simply breath-taking.

 

[Love in Bloom]

Poor impulsive me ... I was shocked by the prices at first too, but realized I couldn't find jewelry with as much detail, technique, and charm in any other designer/artist I could find. Van Craeynest totally does it for me, and with all that I have spent on settings I could have easily had a giant rock by now...perhaps several

. Well, maybe not giant by PS standards, but pretty big to me...

I guess I see it as me being fairly young, and since my jewelry obsession has brought me here, I might as well enjoy it. So I get the smaller, more elaborate pieces (although sometimes equally as

as cast ones with larger stones) and am leaving larger gems and diamonds for anniversaries and stuff. Hubby has to have something to get me when we get older

.




Hey AnitaT...any progress on your ringy?

 

[AnitaT]

Hi LIB,
We are still center stone hunting. Thank goodness for PS is all I can say. There are some candidates and I think we are getting close. I get excited thinking about the final product and then get nervous thinking about everything else. When getting married was abstract, a wedding seemed fun. Now, I can''t help but think it will be a lot of hard work and super expensive.

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 4/27/2008 11:02:05 PM
Author: AnitaT
Hi LIB,
We are still center stone hunting. Thank goodness for PS is all I can say. There are some candidates and I think we are getting close. I get excited thinking about the final product and then get nervous thinking about everything else. When getting married was abstract, a wedding seemed fun. Now, I can''t help but think it will be a lot of hard work and super expensive.

Oooh goodluck stone hunting AnitaT!

Hubby and I just got married October of last year. It was a lot of hard work and it did end up costing a lot...but this is to celebrate your new lives together, enjoy it! We entertained eloping, but after the wedding I was so happy we didn''t!

 

[akmiss]

Date: 4/27/2008 10:44:19 PM
Author: Love in Bloom



Poor impulsive me ... I was shocked by the prices at first too, but realized I couldn''t find jewelry with as much detail, technique, and charm in any other designer/artist I could find. Van Craeynest totally does it for me, and with all that I have spent on settings I could have easily had a giant rock by now...perhaps several

. Well, maybe not giant by PS standards, but pretty big to me...

I guess I see it as me being fairly young, and since my jewelry obsession has brought me here, I might as well enjoy it. So I get the smaller, more elaborate pieces (although sometimes equally as

as cast ones with larger stones) and am leaving larger gems and diamonds for anniversaries and stuff. Hubby has to have something to get me when we get older

.




Hey AnitaT...any progress on your ringy?

Are they extremely expensive? Could the sticker price be comparable to say Tacori? I am just curious.

BTW - Mariposa You did a terrific job taking pictures! I love your ring

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 4/30/2008 12:37:15 AM
Author: akmiss

Are they extremely expensive? Could the sticker price be comparable to say Tacori? I am just curious.

BTW - Mariposa You did a terrific job taking pictures! I love your ring

The bangle rings are perhaps comparable to Tacori prices. The chased rings like Mariposa and I have are somewhere in the middle, but the pierced rings are up there. That is probably because of all of the time that goes into them ... I called VC about some settings for my garnet and asked my usual arsenal of questions about how things are made. Found out that at least three different people work on one ring, and even then the pierced setting I was most interested in it takes about 3 weeks to make

.

Van Craeynest also die-strikes their jewelry (Tacori casts their rings, according to my local B&M), a method I think requires more metal from the beginning than cast jewelry. You can read about the techniques here. VC actually forms their rings without heating the metal, a technique referred to as "cold forging." They start out with a smooth block of metal, roll it in a mill roller (I got to see it in SF; it also squishes pennies!), and then force it into shape using a die and many, many tons of pressure. I remember as one jeweler formed the rough stamping of the cross I scoped out for Diamondseeker2006, I could feel the drop hammer shake the ground under my feet! After carefully studying my own Van Craeynest stuff in person, I can honestly agree with the note in the link about them being able to achieve 'much finer detail' ... such an understatement.

 

[Mariposa]

Thank you all very much! If only I spent as much time studying as I do trying to take decent pictures of my bling......

Akmiss, the prices are *somewhat* comparable to Tacori - it all depends on which style you choose. I used to own a Tacori e-ring setting that (7 years ago) cost almost exactly what we spent on my VC e-ring setting in June of 07. Having experienced the quality of each, I would go with VC in a heartbeat. The Tacori I owned was engraved platinum and it didn''t have NEARLY the detail of my VC; the level of detail and craftsmanship just wasn''t there.

LIB - I can totally relate to your comment about affording a much larger diamond with what we''ve spent on the setting. I was more than willing to sacrifice diamond size in order to get the Van Craeynest wedding set I had been covetting for so long

!

Mariposa

 

[AnitaT]

Date: 4/30/2008 12:37:15 AM
Author: akmiss

Are they extremely expensive? Could the sticker price be comparable to say Tacori? I am just curious.

BTW - Mariposa You did a terrific job taking pictures! I love your ring

Akmiss,
I am going to echo what LIB and Mariposa have already said and say it depends and that the quality of the detail is in a league of its own. It is interesting that you reference Tacori because that I was initially interested in one. The price I was quoted for the Tacori setting was around $2900 which made me pause and motivated me to keep looking at other pieces.

Boy, am I glad I kept searching because I stumbled across VC. The first VC ring I tried on was a pierced one (1034-2) and was way, way out of our price range. Plus, the store I saw it in is pricey too. I had put VC rings out of my mind and started looking at another brand...until one of the VC fans on PS posted her ring which was chased rather than pierced. With trepidation, I called Larry and was thrilled to learn it was within our budget (I remember I was feeling so timid about asking the price that at the end of our call Larry asked if I would be okay with leaving my name--LOL). Larry sent me some samples and they were beautiful.

In fact, I think my eyes misted up for a second because they are tiny pieces of art and evoke this sense of ...reverance in the face of its old world charm. Even my adorable, but very logical bf was impressed when I showed him the samples.

Anyway, the ring I am getting is a modified version of #460 and I am pretty excited about it (as you can tell). Now, if I could only find the right center stone...

And, LIB, thanks for the encouragement regarding what comes after we get the ring.

 

[akmiss]

Thanks Mariposa, LIB, and Anita. You have all been very helpful and AnitaT you ring is going to be gorgeous. I discovered VC recently through LIB''s wonderful threads and have developed a fascination for the rings (even though I have never seen one in real life.) I love the history and romanticism behind the company. Its all so timeless. Just thinking, has anyone seen a vintage VC ring?

I have always wanted an antique looking ring and have been looking at Tacori settings. I like the craftmenship of VC rings and the fact that the settings are more substantial with a ticker band. Its hard to explain, I want a thicker band that will not overpower my center stone or look odd on my shortish fingers. If you understand what I just said

I just don''t want to get my heart set on something and find out it is out of my reach

 

[thekinglives]

Just received these babies today. Styles
484 (engagement) and 584 (wedding) in
antiqued (rose) 18K gold. Ruby (1 ct) sourced
by Larry Van Craeynest (a dote). The whole
set was very reasonably priced as we worked
with Larry directly. Workmanship is just
beyond belief, I've never seen anything
like it outside of the Victoria and
Albert museum in London. Like all the
rings on this thread, they're really
something to behold. Many thanks ladies
and to you in particular Love in Bloom,
if it wasn't for your lovlies and your ruby
project I wouldn't ever have approached
this (or have been able to inspire
my husband to be so interested in it

)

 

[Love in Bloom]

Oh...my...goodnesss

Your rings are

amazing

Thekinglives! I am also quite touched that I could help inspire some ideas for jewelry

. I like to dote on Larry too (*people probably think I'm nuts for that*) but he is most interesting artist I have ever met and I simply can't help it.

Just one request for you: MORE pictures of your rings !

P.S.
Are you by any chance an Elvis fan?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Just gorgeous, thekinglives!!!!

You need to start your own thread to show those off if you haven''t already! That was the set I wanted except in platinum.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The thought is crossing my mind that maybe I could use the larger e-ring setting like that and set a cushion sapphire for a right hand ring. Do y''all think that would work as a stand-alone ring or do you think it really needs the w-band? I still want something from VC!!!

 

[Love in Bloom]

Count me in for YES to this setting as a RHR too! I love the idea of that setting with a fancy shape colored stone and was even considering the same thing for my Umbalite.

DS, do you have the dimensions for the 484LG versus the 484 Regular? I think either would stand alone, but perhaps the larger one might look a little less solitaire-ish or engagement ring-ish?

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 5/9/2008 9:34:53 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
The thought is crossing my mind that maybe I could use the larger e-ring setting like that and set a cushion sapphire for a right hand ring. Do y'all think that would work as a stand-alone ring or do you think it really needs the w-band? I still want something from VC!!!

Stand alone ring for sure DS!!

Thekinglives--BEAUTIFUL!

More photos--pretty please? Your rings should be showcased!

LIB-question for you: What is the width of your shank? (forgive me if I've asked you this before) I have my eye on two vastly different styles for my future reset, and the shanks look about as wide as yours, which I adore.

 

[Love in Bloom]

Hey Coati! How are those classes going??

My ering is 2.5mm at the narrowest point (on the underside) and 3.5mm at the widest point (right beneath where my diamond is set). I posted in a thread a long long time ago that at the widest my ering was 3mm, but I was playing around with the calipers in hubbys lab a while ago and measured more accurately. What is the other style you are eyeing for your reset?

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 5/9/2008 1:05:01 PM
Author: Love in Bloom


Hey Coati! How are those classes going??


My ering is 2.5mm at the narrowest point (on the underside) and 3.5mm at the widest point (right beneath where my diamond is set). I posted in a thread a long long time ago that at the widest my ering was 3mm, but I was playing around with the calipers in hubbys lab a while ago and measured correctly. What is the other style you are eyeing for your reset?

Hi LIB!

Classes start May 16. I'm very excited!

I love the width of your shank. I really want something thicker than I currently have and, of course, a VC.

Thanks for answering my question!

I fell in love with these last night.

(even contemplating a bezel or half bezel for this one)
http://www.mickyroof.com/vcimg905/107_207.jpg

http://www.mickyroof.com/vcimg905/813_913.jpg

http://mickyroof.com/vcimg905/483-lg-4.jpg

The last one is pretty ornate for me, but I love those squared off antique prongs! Hubby and I are going to take a trip up to San Francisco after I get my G.G. I really need to try them on. If I get one of the first two, I'd have it made in platinum. Someday, I'd love to get one in yellow gold to hold a ruby.

But that's WAY far away. Resetting my e-ring has to come first.

eta: and this one too! As you can see, I'm all over the map with VC! Must.Take.Time.

http://www.mickyroof.com/vcimg905/812_912.jpg