Tacori, Van Craeynest, or ????

[LAtPoly]

My lovely boyfriend, no...fiance (that''s going to take some getting used to) just proposed this weekend.

He bought the diamond, but wanted to allow us (and by us, he means me) to pick out the setting. I want to find my dream setting asap so I can enjoy wearing the sparkle!

The diamond is a .65 D-color IF excellent cut.

I told him I don''t need a big showy one, I wanted a perfect one that I can appreciate - and that symbolizes how I see our relationship and want for the future. He listened, it''s perfect and actually is a good size on my hand.

SO...

I like delicate dainty looking rings. I usually prefer some engraving (wheat or floweral) instead of pave bands. I love small details too and would prefer a 18K yellow gold ring but not set on that. I want something that doesn''t over-power the center stone as it is lovely and the prettiest diamond I''ve seen.

I tend to be drawn towards some of the Tacoris that are delicate (2620 or 2502 with their delicate halos, or any of the hand engraved Tacoris like 10018 or HT219 and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the delicate engravings and craftmanship of the Van Craeynest rings. He''s only a few hours away from us and I hope to make a special visit in the near future. We had a local jeweler check and Tacori will do most of their rings in a yellow gold if we go with them.

What other designers/jewelers that make quality rings should I look into? If I like those, who else would you recommend?

I am not a jewelry fiend so am having a hard time finding things that catch my eye, but boy oh boy did those VC rings do it. As do those Tacoris, but I don''t like how commercial they are. I can spend a little on the setting - especially if it''s the right one.

AND...would love to see your bling if you think I''ll like it!

THANKS FOR ANY IDEAS AND YOUR TIME!

 

[cindygenit]

I am a die-hard VC fan... Larry sounds like a good guy, I have personally spoken to Sarah at VC and she is most helpful!

Their settings are all SO beautiful!

 

[angeline]

Have you read about how VC are made? the die-strike process and all the hand engraving and carving? If you want something truly handmade, and detailed, go VC imho.

Here''s a pic of one I especially liked from one of my visits there. It''s 18k with plat accents. It was just so PRETTY! Have you looked through the Show me your Van Craeynest thread?

I think .65 is the perfect size for these style VC rings.

 

[bgray]

wow! never heard of von craeynest

 

[Collee]

CONGRATS!

I prefer delicate detailed settings as well. At the top of my list is the Tacori 2620 and Sheldon Speyer 912 (LOVE this settings). The Speyer setting has a 1/2 micro pave band, delicate halo, pave prongs and basket, milgrain, and scroll on the inside of the band. Not a lot of stores carry Sheldon Speyer and unfortunately the website is being updated at the moment. If interested, call the company (212 354-3206) and inquire about retailers in your area. Not sure where you are located but Good Old Gold on Long Island carries Sheldon Speyer. You HAVE to view this setting in person to truly appreciate how delicate and detailed it is. IMO the prongs are a little too hefty but they can be altered to be made more delicate.

The Sheldon Speyer 912 can be viewed on the GOG setting page (have to scroll down to view). The setting shown does not have the scroll abd IMO the setting is SOOOO much nicer IRL.

GOG - Sheldon Speyer 912

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I love Tacori rings, but I see them best set in platinum.

I 100% would go with Van Craeynest for your purposes. Their rings are more unique and the yellow gold was used for those rings when they were originally designed.

Congratulations!!!!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 10/9/2009 10:52:35 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I love Tacori rings, but I see them best set in platinum.

I 100% would go with Van Craeynest for your purposes. Their rings are more unique and the yellow gold was used for those rings when they were originally designed.

Congratulations!!!!

I agree about Tacori. Here''s a thread that might help get you started: Show me some Van Craeynest!

Congratulations on your engagement!

 

[geckodani]

Okay, this has to be my favorite VC ever. I think it''s the head I love the most. It would look fantastic in yellow gold!

It''s AnitaT''s ring (link to her thread)

 

[LAtPoly]

Oh trust me, I have spent countless ridiculous HOURS pouring over the rings in the different VC threads here on PS. I <3 those silly rings and think they are the direction I want to go.

1. Does anyone know if his store is open on Saturdays? Because I may have to sneak my dear fiance and go there next weekend... He is concerned they''d get too dirty since the engraving is so deep and detailed. I don''t care, I love them and will take it off when I go ride horses or whatnot.

2. The ONE thing I don''t like about his rings, is how "thick" they are in front, near the diamond. I like some taper there - not much, but some. I wonder if Larry could customize one of his designs slightly? Another reason to visit his store.

The Sheldon Speyer settings are very pretty also, and I am googling them as we speak - thanks for that heads-up!

Any other suggestions or designers that are similar, please let me know!

-L

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 10/9/2009 10:52:35 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I love Tacori rings, but I see them best set in platinum.

Interestingly enough, I thought the same thing. Then Holly, one of the ladies who worked in our store, ordered her Tacori wedding band in 18k yellow gold and I have to say that I was shocked at how pretty it turned out to be. I think it is because most of the designs were originally produced in platinum because it lends itself so well to the style of engraving that Tacori employed when they initially launched their line.

 

[LAtPoly]

And P.S. - that AnitaT ring is beyond lovely. ::swoons:: -L

 

[iluvcarats]

I vote VC! I love my VC ring more than any other piece of jewelry I own. It is just so special. Read about how they make their jewelry. No one else makes jewelry like that anymore.

 

[LAtPoly]

I don''t know if he''ll see this again...but maybe.

Mr. NiceIce guy... I had showed my fiance your website when we were looking at Tacori settings because your photos are SO nice. We LOVED your FAQs, especially the "Help! I''m An Engineer" section, and we both got a chuckle from that. We''re both computer science/software engineer types. Not nerds per say, but we are...well, y''know. "Particular". We understood what you were trying to say.

We flew into Seattle for a night last week and debated calling you and finding out where your store was, but in the end didn''t have time before going to Sequim, WA. We were on a tight schedule. BTW, he proposed on the top of a mountain in Mt. Olympic Nat''l Park.

 

[Mariposa]

Hi,

Congratulations on your engagement! Your diamond sounds spectacular.

I am the proud owner of a VC wedding set and I absolutely adore it! I''ve never seen another designer whose quality compares to that of VC.

About 7 years ago I owned an engraved Tacori platinum engagement ring and if were to compare the quality of the Tacori vs. the VC, I''d say there is no comparison. The Tacori ring didn''t wear well over time; after only a year, the engraving started to look faint and worn. I don''t know how the gold would stand up to wear though and I also don''t know if they''ve changed formulas as this was almost a decade ago.

Happy hunting! I''m jealous that you''re so close to the VC batcave.

Mariposa

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 10/9/2009 12:30:40 PM
Author: LAtPoly
Oh trust me, I have spent countless ridiculous HOURS pouring over the rings in the different VC threads here on PS. I <3 those silly rings and think they are the direction I want to go.

1. Does anyone know if his store is open on Saturdays? Because I may have to sneak my dear fiance and go there next weekend... He is concerned they''d get too dirty since the engraving is so deep and detailed. I don''t care, I love them and will take it off when I go ride horses or whatnot.

2. The ONE thing I don''t like about his rings, is how ''thick'' they are in front, near the diamond. I like some taper there - not much, but some. I wonder if Larry could customize one of his designs slightly? Another reason to visit his store.

The Sheldon Speyer settings are very pretty also, and I am googling them as we speak - thanks for that heads-up!

Any other suggestions or designers that are similar, please let me know!

-L

Please note that they do not have a store. It is a workshop. They sell to jewelers and do not have a showroom. So you have to call and make an appointment if you want to go there. I think they can customize to some extent, but if you can go and see all the different styles, maybe you can find one you like! I really can''t think of anything that would compare with Van Craeynest. I personally think Sheldon Speyer is more for platinum like Tacori.

 

[geckodani]

As far as worrying about the ring getting dirty - if you''re anything like the rest of us, you''ll clean it regularly anyway, so that shouldn''t be an issue.

 

[D&T]

when I think of Tacori, I also see them in platinum. but I see more Van Craeynst in Yellow gold and they look exquisite!

 

[md74]

My husband''s wedding ring was done by Tom Herman of seven fingers (sevenfingers.com). I believe he was at Van Craeynest at one time. His work is really, really beautiful, and my husband gets a lot of compliments on his ring (of course it is more important how you and your fiance feel about it, but it just shows it''s a unique ring). My husband''s father had gotten a ring from him years ago. Tom was wonderful to work with, which made it a great experience (it was custom) and even more special. We highly recommend him.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 10/9/2009 12:48:15 PM
Author: LAtPoly
I don''t know if he''ll see this again...but maybe.

Mr. NiceIce guy... I had showed my fiance your website when we were looking at Tacori settings because your photos are SO nice. We LOVED your FAQs, especially the ''Help! I''m An Engineer'' section, and we both got a chuckle from that. We''re both computer science/software engineer types. Not nerds per say, but we are...well, y''know. ''Particular''. We understood what you were trying to say.

We flew into Seattle for a night last week and debated calling you and finding out where your store was, but in the end didn''t have time before going to Sequim, WA. We were on a tight schedule. BTW, he proposed on the top of a mountain in Mt. Olympic Nat''l Park.

Congratulations on your engagement! The proposal sounds memorable and he certainly picked a beautiful spot! Sequim is a few hours North West of where I was living in Washington, believe me your time was better spent playing in Olympic National Park and exploring the Washington coast! There are Tacori dealers everywhere and such a wonderful weekend need not be spent hanging out in a store...

I''m glad that you enjoyed the web site, so much of the engineer based content stems from growing up with a father and step-father who were both ''think tank'' level electrical engineers in Silicon Valley... analyze... analyze... over analyze... analyze some more. Once I made the mistake of asking "how would you like the lawn mowed?" trying to be helpful while down for a visit and two hours later I was explaining that I simply wanted to know whether he preferred the lawn to be mowed vertically, horizontally or diagonal to the house (in terms of how the stripes would appear) and I didn''t really care about the velocity of the mower blade to blade of grass ratio. So yea, that''s where a lot of the stuff on the web site comes from, poking fun at ''the dads'' and many of our early clients were people I knew growing up who were in related fields

I''m actually not located in the Seattle area any longer, I recently returned to Roseburg, Oregon. I need to change the phone number on the graphic at the top of the site so that people don''t think that we''re in Seattle due to the (206) area code, but the number still works because I ported it. The escape to Seattle was primarily to give me some space between me and a former in-law who was trying to sue me for the company, etc. thinking that he was entitled to it when Robin passed away, thankfully I won the case and he''s now in prison because his thieving nature crossed paths with a dog with sharper teeth. Now that he''s ''out of the picture'' I''ve returned to Roseburg, Oregon which is a region of the country that I enjoy very much. If you''re ever down in the area, by all means, give me a shout and we''ll have lunch and play with diamonds or something.

I''ve got a few pictures of a really pretty ring that Tacori just made in yellow gold with a fancy yellow radiant cut diamond in it. I''ll post them on Monday when I return to the office so that you can see a Tacori ring in yellow gold...

 

[mrssalvo]

i vote for the VC. I think it would be perfect for you stone and in yellow gold. they are heirloom type pieces to boot and just such amazing quality I think they are worth the price.

 

[LAtPoly]

The Seven Fingers website has some lovely stuff, still wading thru all of that but WOWZA! I do see a lot of VC look/feel in his work. Definately a great lead. Thank you!

Cracking up about the mow the lawn story. Reminds me of my college years in the computer science lab, sometimes I''d just stare at those boys with a "what Planet are you FROM!?!" look, I just asked a basic question. If you have a chance to post pictures of the gold Tacori''s, I would be so grateful.

I''ve been very impressed (and humbled) by everyone''s responses and generousity. So thanks for all the leads and thoughts and taking the time to post everything!

-L

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 10/12/2009 1:50:43 PM
Author: LAtPoly
If you have a chance to post pictures of the gold Tacori''s, I would be so grateful.

Here you go:

 

[Todd Gray]

Another vantage point:

 

[Todd Gray]

And the last image, note that this custom was not commissioned through Nice Ice, Tacori provided these photographs to us for the purpose of providing an example of their work in yellow gold...

 

[SizzyzziS]

I have to say that Van Craeynest is the best in the US. I have been working with them (Larry and Judy) for over 10 months now. My Boyfriend of 9 years popped the big question. I said yes, then we picked the perfect ring, called Larry and had it in the works. The day it shipped was the last time it was heard of. This is when the unfortunate events began. My original engagement ring was mail theft/mail fraud (stolen) from the USPS. We were absolutely devastated when the ring was taken. The diamond was a family heirloom, given to us by my fiances mother, which was her late fathers. 7 months of investigations, calling the Postal Service, arguing with them. We had many ups and downs, but Larry stuck with us. Larry is the greatest man (besides my fiance) , for taking on the USPS and working his butt off to resolve the situation. He and his company will go above and beyond for customer satisfaction. He takes pride in what he does, which in turn makes a great product. He has become a true friend in my book. Well I finally got my ring, this week and i wear it proudly. It is worth all the time, frustration, and a few blow ups we had to endure. The most beautiful ring in the world.....Van Craeynest= Beauty..Elegance..Artistic...Magnificent People.......what more can you ask for?
We will definitely purchase from them again in the future.


ML
Sizzy

VC Catalogue
#484 LG
White Gold
Round Brilliant Diamond 1.05c
G VS1

 

[LAtPoly]

Wow, Sizzy! Did they find your ring or did you have to start over? I would have been so upset. Tells you a lot about Larry that he stuck through and was so helpful. Makes me feel good about purchasing a ring thru him.

A jewelry shop in our area has a couple of his rings in stock and they had the same ring you got, but with a different head and in 18K gold. She was showing us other designers and I asked dear fiance when we left what his thoughts were. He said the VC made all the others look like crap, lol. (And he was right.)

Had spoken w/Larry yesterday and he was great, even gave me his cell phone. He isn''t available or in his shop every other weekend - so we''re thinking of going up in two weekends to see his shop and some of his other designs and then decide on what we''d like. I got to make sure that timewise that it works with both my fiance and Larry, but hopefully the weekend after next we can get something arranged.

I am very excited about calling Larry and setting something up officially. I just wish it was THIS weekend he was available, I don''t want to wait anymore! Oh well, whatever will be, will be. I hope in our case we can work directly w/him, but we''ll worry about that once we decide on something.

-L

 

[SizzyzziS]

We never got the original ring back and no further word from the USPS....its like pulling teeth, just to speak with someone there. We live in Texas so i believe its on someones finger or at a pawn shop in CA. It breaks my heart thinking about the whole ordeal. Not much we can do now. Larry did work with us on the new ring. We had him make us another one, and we bought a new diamond to fit the ring. Long process...but when we got our money back from the USPS it took us about a month to find a good diamond dealer, that we could trust. Long story...i could go on for days, on how the USPS gave us the run around for over 7 months. Makes it hard to trust them. But any who, i finally got my ring, the wedding is not on hold anymore and we can move on with our lives. I will always be thankful to Larry and his Staff!! Lifesaver! I''m going to boast about Van Craeynest till the day i die! Best company(family)ever....Definitely buy from them and definitely go through Larry..good, good, good man.

 

[LAtPoly]

I''m not sure if we''ll be able to buy direct from Larry, or have to go thru the local dealer (and get hit with their mark-up)...but cross that bridge when we get there. I''d rather pay mark-up direct to Larry and co., and the jeweler we saw told us they don''t really carry their stuff but are more fans. So who knows...

Regardless, I want to see his workshop since we''re only 3-4 hours away and see all the options so I can customize a bit.

I am really excited, it''s going to be a long week and a half. I want a ring picked out and bought, it''s so unfair to be engaged, have a diamond, and not be able to wear it. I feel silly saying I''m engaged without a pretty on my finger... but I am, so ho hum. -L

 

[SizzyzziS]

I feel ya on not having a ring on your finger!!! Your time is soon my dear!! We tried to buy through a company and the mark up was outrageous, $600-800 or so, i want to use that money on my wedding band

. Larry does outstanding work and he has a huge catalogue to look through...I would really have loved to see Larry''s whole get up, the shop and his store. Oh not to mention meeting the man behind the show. Well good luck with your ring buying adventure, i hope its not as bad as mine was......And enjoy the process, you will soon be wearing a one of a kind!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 10/14/2009 8:49:35 PM
Author: SizzyzziS
I feel ya on not having a ring on your finger!!! Your time is soon my dear!! We tried to buy through a company and the mark up was outrageous, $600-800 or so, i want to use that money on my wedding band

. Larry does outstanding work and he has a huge catalogue to look through...I would really have loved to see Larry''s whole get up, the shop and his store. Oh not to mention meeting the man behind the show. Well good luck with your ring buying adventure, i hope its not as bad as mine was......And enjoy the process, you will soon be wearing a one of a kind!

Oh, Sizzy! What a complete nightmare! I am so glad you finally ended up with a ring! I don''t think I''ve ever heard a nicer recommendation for a jeweler than what you wrote above. You have my very favorite VC setting! I haven''t looked in Show Me the Ring yet, but by all means please post a thread with pictures and your story there if you haven''t already!