Victor canera - what is the process like?

[Nz310]

Hi, I currently have a round 1.82 carat ACA diamond that I am looking to have reset into a custom victor canera setting. I’ve never done anything like this before and would like for someone who has to walk me through the process. How exactly does it work? I asked them about it via Instagram-I was told I could mail my diamond in and then speak with victor. This makes me feel uncomfortable bc I would like to come up with the exact design and everything before I mail away my diamond.
I am also nervous about putting my diamond in the mail.
the specific setting I’m interested in is the Anne Marie split shank. With the halo, would I still be able to see and verify the number engraved on the diamond? Thank you for your time. Iwasn’t sure which forum to post this in.

 

[Lvoeshinythings]

I’m interested in this too. I contacted him awhile back and he said the same thing. I felt the same way you do.

Because I’m in Cali, I asked for an appointment with him to discuss my options first and back then, he agreed. I ended up resetting my ACA in something else so I cancelled my visit but would like to know others experiences as well. I love his stuff.

 

[Nz310]

I’m interested in this too. I contacted him awhile back and he said the same thing. I felt the same way you do.

Because I’m in Cali, I asked for an appointment with him to discuss my options first and back then, he agreed. I ended up resetting my ACA in something else so I cancelled my visit but would like to know others experiences as well. I love his stuff.

What did you end up going with instead? Thanks!

 

[Lvoeshinythings]

What did you end up going with instead? Thanks!

I went up going with the Vatche Caroline Pave from a jeweler near me who set it within a couple hours. Not even remotely close to VC stylings.

I was unsure of the halo Emilya and wanted to see it in person first before deciding. In order to do that, I’d need to fly to LA, plan a trip, etc. I think I still would have gone for it if I was at least 85% sure that’s the setting I wanted. I also asked him about melee diameter etc and he kind of said that he knows what looks best and will determine that himself once the diamond is in hand. No CADs since it’s hand forged. I don’t know why, it made me nervous. I’m sure it would have been fine but the angst would have gotten to me.

 

[Nz310]

That’s really helpful for me. I was wondering about the diamond sizes for the band and halo also. And just assumed there would be images provided before hand hah.
I guess I’ll call tomorrow to discuss my concerns. Thank you for your responses! hopefully someone who has been through this will also give their input.

 

[LLJsmom]

I've had two settings from Victor, and a couple of bands. I'll share my experience. There are others like @Acinom and @carbonfan who have had more, and they can definitely share more.

I'm a control freak and was very inexperienced with fine jewelry and custom hand forged work, so was really nervous about the process, but I knew I wanted Victor's work. I made an appointment with him to meet him at his office to bring my diamond to him (because I didn't feel comfortable sending it in the mail) and discuss the details of my setting. That was the only way I could have peace about it. I'm really glad I met him in person. He's very professional and courteous. I had all my questions and written out and discussed them with him. I also had a chance to see his other settings, and that affected the choice of my setting. And it confirmed my decision to go with him because I could see many examples of the super fine quality of his work.

I'm not shy, so I asked all kinds of questions. He answered everything. He told me what would not work and why. Everything made sense to me. I was fine with no CAD because that is the nature of hand forged. I wanted his hands to have worked with the piece that I would eventually wear on my finger.

As to the process, I asked him how long it would take. In both cases, it was 3-4 weeks, and he delivered in 3-4 weeks. For both settings, I emailed him once in between, and he just let me know he was still working on it. There was really no reason for me to have emailed him. I was just impatient. I think it was best to leave it to him once he and I had decided on a final design.

And if you haven't been through this thread with links to the SMTB thread for each of these beauties, it's worth the time.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/post-your-victor-canera-beauties-here.175281/

If you have specific questions, I will try to answer, and maybe some of the others who have worked with Victor can answer as well.

 

[sledge]

I haven't worked with VC personally, but did a custom with DK for my wife's e-ring and wedding band.

When doing the e-ring, BGD had the stone in their vault in TX and shipped insured to DK. Once done, DK sent insured to me. Prior to the wedding, I had to send back for a prong repair (my wife's fault) and also to have them solder the wedding band to the e-ring (per wife's desire). DK emailed me a pre-paid and insured shipped label so that I could send back to them.

In my case, DK or BGD has paid for shipping each time with no out of pocket expense. However, I'd be willing to pay for the shipping to have them insure the package. Jewelers tend to have better rates for insuring large objects than going traditional methods using FedEx, etc.

My point -- if you work with VC, ask them to send you a pre-paid and insured shipping label so that things are at least insured during shipping. Even if you have to pay, it's a worthwhile expense for the protection. Also, you might ask who insures the stone while in his possession and during setting. Many times the jeweler setting the stone will exclude liability, unless they also sold you the stone.

 

[sparlie]

I purchased a Victor Canera diamond on loupetroop without ever seeing it, and had the out of state appraiser who verified it for me send it directly to VC. I can't remember how it was sent, but it was insured and I received tracking info all along the way. I told Victor I wanted it set in the Emilya setting and was quoted 3-4 weeks, but received it in around 2 weeks. I did not have any problems with letting him do what he thought best because I knew he is a master! He did a beautiful job and there were no problems with mailing the diamond.

 

[Acinom]

To be frank: if you want to know all about diamond melee sizes, Victor might not be your man. If you want your piece to be stunningly beautiful, I would not doubt a second about working with him.

I have 4 settings from Victor and each piece surprised me in a good way. He is an incredible designer with a great eye for proportions. He knows which melee to use when he sees your stone, ring size and combines it with the setting design.

The Sophia design for my OEC was the first setting he made for me. He made it without the stone as I could not send my stone to the US from Europe. I asked a lot of questions and Victor answered swift, complete and patiently.

When he made my other rings I let it up to him entirely. And I am so glad I did. It’s so worth it to work with him

If you are nervous about shipping your stone, ask him how to ship it in a super secure way.

Victor works very fast. And always delivers within the timeframe he set beforehand. He is also super pleasant to work with. But I have never met him in real life as I am a customer from Europe

Let us know if you have more questions.

 

[arkieb1]

I've had ring settings made from Victor, and I'm in Australia. They don't generally do exact design and then you mail the diamond they like to get the diamond, see the proportions of it and then suggest to you what will work best with it, that is why they do it that way. They custom make the setting to best work with the size and proportions of your stone.

 

[NYNTX]

My experience setting my ACA with Victor Canera was amazing. The process: I looked at pictures online and knew what I liked (delicate Emilya, cathedral setting, inward stems with pave, donut without pave). I contacted via email (from his website). I corresponded with Nicholas and inquired about the setting I was interested in. I had no further input/questions and wanted Victor to determine the rest of the details according to my stone/his expertise. I mailed my stone per his instructions (scariest part of the process). I tracked the package/Nicholas also contacted me when he received it. He gave me online portal instructions to follow the progress. In a couple of weeks, it was mailed back. I used a Nikon loupe bought on Amazon to confirm the engraving. It is stunning.