Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row Pave

[J_Rock]

It's been a whirlwind since this weekend after I popped the question with this VC masterpiece. More details to follow in a subsequent post, but I just wanted to share this link to the ring so you can see the creation that took a year (from concept to reality) in the making. Last December, my then girlfriend and I started looking at engagement rings. I bought the stone (1.52 K SI2 AVC) back in April after watching dozens of Jon's videos. I must give a big shout out to GOG for their excellent customer service. Here is a video of the ring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh4ML94m6dA&feature=youtu.be. Victor was an absolute pleasure to work with. I know I sent over 100 emails going back and forth over the details, but not once did Victor seem annoyed. Hand shots will be uploaded shortly.

 

[Laila619]

Re: 1.52 AVC in a VC Flower Halo with 3 row single-cut pave

Amazing ring!!

 

[Phoenix]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

That's very pretty.

Do you know how wide the band is? I love love it - the micropave work is exquisite!!

 

[Amys Bling]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

I love it!! It's stunning- unique but classic- congrats!!

 

[m-2-b]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

It really is a work of art!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Very pretty and unique! The pave work looks fantastic!

 

[bright ice]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

What a stunning ring. VC does it again, amazing work!!

 

[stargurl78]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

WOW, that is beautiful! Very unique.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Definitely a work of art! And one that she'll have to be very, very careful with. Gorgeous AVC, too!

 

[J_Rock]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

So here are some specs on the ring:

Single-Cut vs Full Cut
- Single cut, 1.4mm

Going into this project, I knew I wanted single-cut stones because of what I read and saw here on Pricescope. However, when I asked Victor what he thought had more fire, he recommended full cut. I was confused because it conflicted with everything I learned about on here. I asked Victor to send me one of each stone in the size that would be on shank so I could evaluate the cuts in different lighting and determine which one I liked best.

I put together an apparatus to evaluate light-performance side by side. I used the bottom of a Styrofoam cup and created seats to hold the diamonds. This allowed me to view the diamonds face up next to each in the same angle. This was a lot of fun to do in the bathroom lighting. My immediate observation is that the full cut gives you a lot of fast, tiny, glittery sparkles, but not a lot of bold fire. Rotating the cup slightly, my eyes are attracted by the activity on the full cut, but once you rotate and tilt, the fire from the single cut outperforms the pin sparkles of the full cut. The other thing I noticed is that the full cut stone went black when I brought it outside. This didnt happen with the single cut. In the meantime, I did go back and forth between single and full, because I struggled making up my mind about what type of effect I wanted: fast and glittery sparkles, or slow, bold rainbow flashes. In the end, it was the single cut that won and I am so glad I chose single cut. They are worth the premium. Vanessa told me that she trusted my judgment on this.

Halo
- Flower shaped halo
- Tilted 25 degrees to give the halo more depth and organic look
- Shallow u-cut pave

The halo is the focal point and Victor executed this flawlessly. Of the rings I have seen, almost all floral rings are done with round brilliants or round OECs. I took a leap of faith by attempting to design this ring around a square cushion. I got the idea of tilting the halo from Frankie's posts and some info I gathered from JBeG's site. The tilting really compliments the high crown angle of the stone. I was really intrigued by how he was going to give the petals the rounded look I requested and I was very pleased with the use of different sized melee. Very little metal is shown on the halo, and on the ring in general. When I first contacted Victor, I requested fishtail pave, but then changed it because he recommended u-cut and also because I had never seen fishtail on a 3-row pave ring, and I wanted the same type of pave on all parts of the ring. I really like the u-cut, its elegant and doesn't take away from the profile of the ring.

Stems/Doughnut
- Curved stems
- Pave on stems and doughnut

I requested curved stems to compliment the floral theme and I love the way this part of the ring turned out. I initially didn't want a doughnut, but Vanessa insisted on this. The trade-off is that I don't think she will be able to wear a wedding band next to this ring.

Shank
- 2.6mm
- Pave stops at 5 and 7 o'clock
- Shallow u-cut pave

Vanessa and I have been to a lot of jewelry stores this year and the one thing we both agreed on was that we wanted the shank to be more substantial than your typical 2mm. I think the shank on this ring looks phenomenal and doesn't overpower the halo/center stone. Victor recommended not to go thicker than 2.4mm, but he agreed to make it 2.6mm. i am glad I stuck to my guts. We saw rings that were ~3.5mm that had 5-row pave, so I kinda knew what I was getting into with this width.

Metal
- 18K yellow gold

Because the theme of this ring is a mix of vintage and floral, I wanted to do something different from the platinum look. Victor told from me from the very beginning that he didn't recommend gold for various reasons, and I had this same conversation with several jewelers, but Vanessa and I love the way yellow gold looks on our skin. We plan to have our rings matching in the same metal, so platinum/white gold weren't an option for us here. Given that, I do understand that this ring will require even more delicate handling because of the fact the gold wears away over time. I plan to only soak the ring in a mild solution and steam clean. Victor recommended that brushing the pave with a toothbrush should only happen a couple of times a year. I don't think I am going to brush the pave at all.

Center Stone
- 1.524ct AVC
- K color
- SI2
- 1.018 ratio
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8213/

The key to this ring was my selection of the center stone. I fell in love with AVCs through Pricescope and I spent months watching those videos on Vimeo. I decided the pull the trigger on the stone back in April once I noticed that prices were climbing daily. I am SOOOOOO glad I made that decision when I did, because GOG hasnt gotten any more stones in these specs, and at the price I paid. The K color really works with the yellow gold and the stone is completely eye-clean. There is a feather in the corner and even that is hard to see with a 10X loupe. I think Jon uses 20X magnification on his site. As any AVC owner can attest, the light performance of an AVC is mesmerizing.

 

[SCDP]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

It's beautiful! Looking forward to more pics

 

[J_Rock]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Real Life Shots

 

[J_Rock]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

I am having issues uploading more pics. When I upload them, I see duplicates. If anyone can help, that would be great.

 

[Mrs.W 514]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Magnificent!

 

[J_Rock]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Here is a professional pic taken by Victor.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

W W!

 

[SC86]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Very unique! Can't wait for handshots!

 

[LuvStr8Tth]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

So here are some specs on the ring:
My immediate observation is that the full cut gives you a lot of fast, tiny, glittery sparkles, but not a lot of bold fire. Rotating the cup slightly, my eyes are attracted by the activity on the full cut, but once you rotate and tilt, the fire from the single cut outperforms the pin sparkles of the full cut. The other thing I noticed is that the full cut stone went black when I brought it outside. This didnt happen with the single cut. In the meantime, I did go back and forth between single and full, because I struggled making up my mind about what type of effect I wanted: fast and glittery sparkles, or slow, bold rainbow flashes. In the end, it was the single cut that won and I am so glad I chose single cut. They are worth the premium. Vanessa told me that she trusted my judgment on this.

That is exactly what I thought when I compared the two. Single cuts had bolder flashes while the full cuts had little "dots" of sparkle. Single cut also makes the ring look whiter and brighter. Great choice!

 

[Hospatogi]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Simply gorgeous ! Wear it in much health and happiness

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

I love the high crown and the delicate prongs. Very beautiful.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Amazing!

 

[canuk-gal]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

HI:

Oh so lovely!

cheers--Sharon

 

[sparklyforever]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Amazing!

 

[Kalrik]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Absolutely beautiful.

 

[Lula]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Love the shape of the halo and love the yellow gold! Beautiful setting for a beautiful stone. Congratulations on your engagement!

 

[AuntKiki]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Seriously gorgeous!

 

[mitsui4]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

We need handshots~! The ring is too gorgeous~!!

 

[J_Rock]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I promise to have hand shots later tonight. Vanessa told me that the attention she has received at work has been overwhelming. Some people have repeatedly asked to see the ring. Word of mouth has spread at her job, so she has been inundated with questions about the ring. She told me that wearing a ring like this is a gift and a curse. LOL. She is a doctor and is in and out of gloves all day, so I am thinking of getting her a "temporary" ring to wear so she doesn't have to worry about getting this one dirty or damaging it.

 

[renogirl]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

Wow! That's simply beautiful...congratulations to you both!!!

 

[marygrace]

Re: Victor Canera Flower Halo featuring a 1.52 AVC & 3 Row P

What a beautiful, unique ring! It is stunning.