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The tapered French cut reset kool-aid

LGK

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
2,975
I drank it. It was yummy.

So I contacted Victor Canera and got a quote after setting Love Street's ah-maaaa-zing M colored cushion with the low colored French cuts, by Leon, to ask Victor if he was down with making something similar for me, but bezeled. The quote was *totally* reasonable for completely hand fabricated with a lot of side stones going on. Also he was super quick to email me, which is... awesome and surprisingly unusual, I've even found BGD to be not-so-great with the email follow up.

I'd felt constrained to avoid sidestones mostly since I liked the M colored stone alone, but I think LoveStreet proved matched French cuts will be flattering too and I've always adored tapered shanks, quite a lot in fact.

I should sit on it for awhile and wait, but god I'm sick of losing stones out of my current setting, and looking at the missing ones! I really would just like to get a setting it's going to be safe in, that it's going to look nice in, and that's secure and not going to drive me batty with missing melee.

The only other option I'm seriously considering right now is Van Craeynest, but I am afraid that their settings are going to be really bulky with a larger center stone, and though I adore them with 1 carat or less centers, a 3.5 ct center is going to make for a massive ring. Plus it's prong set, yes it has some protective metal, but I really prefer bezels. And I just feel like though I'd love to put a smaller stone in a VC setting, a 3.5 ct diamond should be a bit less overwhelmed with stuff going on. (Also, DH doesn't like the two settings that would probably work best- too floral in his opinion, which I get.)

I thought about having BGD or Greenlake make something custom for me, but I'm feeling too indecisive really. And though I love GLJ's engraving particularly, they tend to have a very metal-intensive style, and again- I have gone through their site, my own saved photos, a zillion times and not come up with one single idea I felt terribly strongly about.

So. Tapered French cuts by Victor. I also asked for some engraving and other filigree detailing for the side profile view, too. Yay! Now, I'm for sure gonna be whining while I have to be OEC-less but it'll be worth it . Really worth it.
 

slg47

Ideal_Rock
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Apr 4, 2010
Messages
9,667
ooh, I can't wait to see it. what color are you going with for the french cuts?
 

LGK

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
2,975
Thanks SLG! I asked for L/Mish French cuts. I'm sure they'll be custom cut or something, maybe from princess cuts or something.

He said that mine will probably require larger/more carat weight in French cuts than Angietarin's (she has the Canera french cut lovely with the round center stone) since my center stone is a bit larger. He also suggested a stronger taper, a la LoveStreet/Wintotty, even before I asked for it :bigsmile: so the man may be a mind reader as well as an excellent jeweler, lol.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Jan 11, 2006
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58,547
I think you made the right choice for your stone and it will be great to see how VC (uh-oh, same initials for Victor and Van Craeynest!) is to work with! I so love Van C. but also believe those settings are just prettier with smaller stones.

Can't wait to hear your story on the new ring!
 

CharmyPoo

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 10, 2004
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7,007
Oooh ... I can't wait to see the finished product. I soooo want one to .. really really badly.
 

Circe

Ideal_Rock
Trade
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Apr 26, 2007
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Oh, that is going to be GORGEOUS. My heart is palpitating with excitement!

What are you going to do with your old setting? Do you think it'll be possible to slice the top off the bezel and leave it reusable?
 

starshine

Shiny_Rock
Joined
May 3, 2007
Messages
461
:appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl:

Love the french cuts! Glad to hear that VC is reasonable!
 

Love Street

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 29, 2003
Messages
422
OMG That is SOOOOO exciting!!! I'm so happy (and very flattered) my ring was inspiring to you :oops: :razz: Hooray for the koolaid - I totally drank it too :bigsmile:

I think warm French cuts will look amazing with your gorgeous, huge OEC - and I'm so happy with the warm colors (and I had never owned a warm diamond, but now love the color). And engraving - yay! That will be such a pretty touch.

I can't wait to see how your project with Victor evolves!

I also contacted Victor recently about another French cut project (not immediate future) - he was extremely quick to respond with detailed information and very gracious to boot. I look forward to seeing more of his work around here.

YAY!!! :appl: :appl: :appl:
 

dani13

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Nov 12, 2004
Messages
6,183
Ohhh, how exciting LGK!! Cant wait to see the finished product!!!! :appl: :appl:
 

Hospatogi

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
Messages
671
Your ring is going to be soo beautiful ! I think all of us are going to be starting a frenchie trend very soon ! :) I cannot wait until I get my ring so I can join the club !!! :D
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Aug 14, 2009
Messages
27,242
It is definitely french cut season - and I'm excited for it!

Gosh, your gigantic old cut with matching-colour french cuts... LGK that's going to be FABULOUS!!
 

CherryBlossom

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
311
Oh nice nice!! so exciting! was he cool with having you involved in the design making process? I have not seen a lot of french cuts in person, but I think they are beautiful and he obviously knows what he's doing w/ them.
 

lokelani

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2010
Messages
76
I am reeeeally excited for this one. :appl: What's the ETA for this bad boy, LGK?
 

LGK

Ideal_Rock
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Nov 27, 2007
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CherryBlossom|1297134939|2846222 said:
Oh nice nice!! so exciting! was he cool with having you involved in the design making process? I have not seen a lot of french cuts in person, but I think they are beautiful and he obviously knows what he's doing w/ them.

Yes, he has been super easy to work with, very friendly and open to my random ideas and also helpful with suggestions too- I was lamenting that I couldn't get his lovely claw prongs (the girdle on my OEC is wayyyy to thin) and he mentioned that if it was only x-thin in part of the girdle he could maybe make it secure in the basket/prong setting. And he suggested the swoopier taper that I want (like LoveStreet's setting, and Wintotty's) all on his own. I'll be calling him on Wed. So far he's absolutely been top notch in customer service; which honestly is really quite rare via email for jewelers... even for bigger operations where there's just one person doing emails.

Circe, I hope the antique setting is salvageable. The bezel was an addition, so maybe so? I'm crossing my fingers anyway! I'm so excited to have finally found the right setting, can't wait!

Hospatogi, when is your French cut lovely coming? PS is definitely getting all sorts of fun French cut designs lately, how cool.

Lokelani, Victor said 4 weeks more or less, which seems super quick considering hand fabricated and custom cut stones. But it will probably take me a week to get myself together to ship registered mail, so a bit longer actually, haha. (OMG dreading having a naked finger!)

LoveStreet, for sure your ring was the reason I went for it. I had been wistfully mooning over the other French cut settings that had popped up recently but it never occured to me to consider getting the French cuts in a matching color to my OEC. And good lord, your ring sure showed me that it looks amazing! I'm so glad to hear you're loving the color of your stone- personally I think it's gorgeous, the slightly chameleon quality of a lower color antique cut is lovely and the fact that they're cheaper is just an added bonus, right? ;)) You got some great pics of your lovely new ring, I have been visiting your thread and wiping the drool off my keyboard frequently :lol:

Yssie, Dani, Starshine, Charmy, Diamondseeker, thanks! :bigsmile:

(And also thanks to Wintotty, Art Nouveau and Angietaren for posting pics of their gorgeous French cut masterpieces too.)
 

Echidna

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
723
Since you're done with the Kool Aid, can you pass it my way? I cannot WAIT to see this! :appl:
 

kelpie

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
2,362
That is going to look so sweet. I can't wait to see the french cuts with a bezel. Are you doing millgrain or smooth? Do you mind me asking, was it really within your 3k budget or did you make the exception for something that spectacular? For under 3k, we'd all be drinking the kool-aid for sure!
 

luv2sparkle

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Feb 3, 2008
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7,950
LGK, I can't wait to see your ring! Sounds absolutely gorgeous! I have drank the kool-aid too, and I want some french cuts!!!!
 

mrssalvo

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Jan 3, 2005
Messages
19,132
I agree with the others. Sounds like your ring is going to be gorgeous!
 

Victor Canera

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Hi everyone, first off thanks for the kind words LGK and Love Street.
I agree with everybody that your ring will be gorgeous:)

As far as the taperedness of the stones. With Angie's ring it was a technical issue not a design issue that we didn't taper the first couple of stones as much. This is why; a round diamond doesn't have the same surface area (flat) as a cushion on the sides. Look at these two letters to describe what I'm saying: "IO". The side of a round is circular, french cuts flat. So if we had used larger french cuts for the first couple of stones, you would see a small gap on the corners of the basket between the french cuts and the round center. With cushions (radiants, emeralds etc.) the sides are more flat, and you have a larger surface area to use larger french cuts. We could have made the remaining stones smaller but then they wouldn't show up as much. Flexibility is the name of the game here. You have to show off the stone as much as you can with what you got.

For cushions LGK, chipping isn't as much of an issue as a Round diamond. A round has bulging sides, a cushion more flat. We could also create the basket maybe a tenth of a milimeter bigger on the top and bottom and set your stone a bit lower so that the basket protects the stone as well. I can give you my recommendation when I receive the stone and take a look at the girdle.
 

LGK

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
2,975
kelpie|1297166622|2846458 said:
That is going to look so sweet. I can't wait to see the french cuts with a bezel. Are you doing millgrain or smooth? Do you mind me asking, was it really within your 3k budget or did you make the exception for something that spectacular? For under 3k, we'd all be drinking the kool-aid for sure!
Oh I made an exception, lol! :bigsmile: But not as much of one as I was thinking it would be, for sure.

Victor, thanks! Ah, that makes sense about the shape of the taper. Cool, then maybe it'd be OK in a basket. Just let me know when you get it.
 

poshpepper

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Messages
2,398
How exciting, I cant wait to see the process and final product, I am sure it is going to be fabulous :lickout: :naughty: :love:
 

missydebby

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Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Messages
1,815
count me in as one who's also waaaaay excited
 

Hospatogi

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
Messages
671
LGK- Well I got cold feet about my stone which is a beautiful 1.04 H VVS1 AVC and am now wondering if I should go for a lovely creamy 1.50 K VS2 especially after seeing Lovestreet's beautiful ring. My boyfriend and I are going to be visiting GoG this weekend to make a final decision. I am also torn about the design as I really think the tapered french cuts are beautiful but I am not sure if it will look right with my smaller stone or if more uniform sized french cuts such as in MissyDebby's ring would be a prettier choice. My hope is that I can get my stone sent out by the end of next week .

Which design do all of you prefer?
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225
Oh, this is the perfect choice for your diamond! I can't wait to see the setting Victor comes up with. I know you'll be thrilled with it.

Congrats on making a great decision!
 
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