So I just got back from Downtown LA Jewelry District. I finally got my girlfriend's diamond set. I am sooo excited and so relieved at the same time. All that's left is to propose, phew! 
Here is the ring! 1.235 H VS1 Canera Vintage Cushion in a 18k White Gold U shaped pave setting!
Side Views:
And finally, a series of pictures depicting the ring slowly EXPLODING in my face!
Anyway, so here's my story. I began ring shopping this past Spring. Like your average guy, I knew very little about engagement rings before shopping. I could probably guess three out of the four C's if I was lucky, but that's about it. My girlfriend is very sweet and simple, she would be happy if I put an onion ring on her finger, and knowing her, she would probably even let me eat some of it!
She is very modest and doesn't ask for much, so I wanted to go all out for her! And if there was anytime to go all out, it's an engagement ring, am I right?! The ring is a complete surprise, I am trusting my judgement of her taste and style. I think I know what she likes pretty well, and if not, there's no turning back now!!
When I began looking for rings, I started off looking at your typical round brilliant solitaire. I learned all about them: browsing, studying, obsessing over them!! I found out about blue nile, then white flash, to brian gavin and james allen. I looked at so many hearts & arrows, gia/ags certs, and online magnified 3D videos of diamonds, I swear my brain felt like it was melting. Honestly, I was starting to get jaded and fatigued. On top of all this, 3 of my friends got engaged while I was shopping around, and all of them got round cut solitaire rings for their girls.
Don't get me wrong, all of their rings were absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I just was itching to get her something special, something she could really identify with and call her own. That's when I stumbled upon this wonderful place called, pricescope. I began reading through the forums and realized that the REAL ring experts were here! I would spend all nighters reading through forums until I blanked out, and do it again and again. Through the forums, I discovered GOG and their AWESOME August Vintage stones. At first, I was sure I wanted to get her a AVR, but for some reason, the more I looked at the AVC's the more attracted I was to them. At first, I thought they were kinda funky looking, a little too symmetrical. But the more I saw them, the more I was sure it was the right cut.
I studied all the stones from GOG in my price range, over and over again, and then out of nowhere, I discovered Victor Canera. I know there seems to be some controversies out there regarding the two vendors, but to me, they are equally AMAZING and deserve respect. But when I found out that Canera was located in LA, within an hour a way from where I live, I had to check out his stones in person. So I gave Victor a call, and he was quite nice and professional. He was free to meet the next day, so I took the subway over to DTLAJD.
DTLA is a strange place, such a range of socioeconomic diversity intermingling. Anyway, upon arrival, there Victor was, kind, straightforward and professional. He immediately showed me the diamond I inquired about online, and at that very moment, I knew that was the one I was going to buy! So I bought it. That simple. And as I left, Victor and his secretary laughed as I trembled and stuttered out the door!
So 2 days later I picked up the diamond from Victor and we talked about settings. In all honesty, I broke the bank on the diamond and could not afford Victor's setting prices.
So now the hunt for settings began. I looked at various vendors online and downtown, and couldn't settle on a particular piece, all I knew was that I wanted to get her a delicate pave ring. I was about to go with a James Allen setting, but decided to give downtown one more look. I went to the International Jewelry Building and started from the top floor and went to every store, and told them what I wanted. If they gave me a good deal, I asked for a business card and something in writing. I worked my way down floor by floor, until I reached the bottom. Next, I sorted out all the cards and decided on my top three. I was surprised at how competitive these brick and mortar shops were, even compared to their online counterparts. In the end, I chose a place called, Bridal Diamond Palace. I know, the name is super cheesy, but they were outstanding! They were very patient and fun, not pushy at all. I had a great time talking to them and they gave me great advice. I even told them I liked a particular setting at another place more, and they asked me to show them a picture, so I went into spy mode and took a picture for them, and they said they could make it for me. They charged me almost $400 less, upped the tcw of the ring, and didn't charge tax, what a deal!!
Anyway, to make a long story, even longer, I bought the setting last week. Now here I am, super proud and super excited to offer my girlfriend this beautiful symbol of my great love for her!! I really can't wait! I will be proposing next week, wish me luck!
I highly commend anyone who actually read this whole darn thing, it was very therapeutic for me to let this all out. Thank you, pricescope, for all your help, I really couldn't have done it without you guys!!
-Mike
Here is the ring! 1.235 H VS1 Canera Vintage Cushion in a 18k White Gold U shaped pave setting!
Side Views:
And finally, a series of pictures depicting the ring slowly EXPLODING in my face!
Anyway, so here's my story. I began ring shopping this past Spring. Like your average guy, I knew very little about engagement rings before shopping. I could probably guess three out of the four C's if I was lucky, but that's about it. My girlfriend is very sweet and simple, she would be happy if I put an onion ring on her finger, and knowing her, she would probably even let me eat some of it!
She is very modest and doesn't ask for much, so I wanted to go all out for her! And if there was anytime to go all out, it's an engagement ring, am I right?! The ring is a complete surprise, I am trusting my judgement of her taste and style. I think I know what she likes pretty well, and if not, there's no turning back now!!
When I began looking for rings, I started off looking at your typical round brilliant solitaire. I learned all about them: browsing, studying, obsessing over them!! I found out about blue nile, then white flash, to brian gavin and james allen. I looked at so many hearts & arrows, gia/ags certs, and online magnified 3D videos of diamonds, I swear my brain felt like it was melting. Honestly, I was starting to get jaded and fatigued. On top of all this, 3 of my friends got engaged while I was shopping around, and all of them got round cut solitaire rings for their girls.
Don't get me wrong, all of their rings were absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I just was itching to get her something special, something she could really identify with and call her own. That's when I stumbled upon this wonderful place called, pricescope. I began reading through the forums and realized that the REAL ring experts were here! I would spend all nighters reading through forums until I blanked out, and do it again and again. Through the forums, I discovered GOG and their AWESOME August Vintage stones. At first, I was sure I wanted to get her a AVR, but for some reason, the more I looked at the AVC's the more attracted I was to them. At first, I thought they were kinda funky looking, a little too symmetrical. But the more I saw them, the more I was sure it was the right cut.
I studied all the stones from GOG in my price range, over and over again, and then out of nowhere, I discovered Victor Canera. I know there seems to be some controversies out there regarding the two vendors, but to me, they are equally AMAZING and deserve respect. But when I found out that Canera was located in LA, within an hour a way from where I live, I had to check out his stones in person. So I gave Victor a call, and he was quite nice and professional. He was free to meet the next day, so I took the subway over to DTLAJD.
DTLA is a strange place, such a range of socioeconomic diversity intermingling. Anyway, upon arrival, there Victor was, kind, straightforward and professional. He immediately showed me the diamond I inquired about online, and at that very moment, I knew that was the one I was going to buy! So I bought it. That simple. And as I left, Victor and his secretary laughed as I trembled and stuttered out the door!
So 2 days later I picked up the diamond from Victor and we talked about settings. In all honesty, I broke the bank on the diamond and could not afford Victor's setting prices.
So now the hunt for settings began. I looked at various vendors online and downtown, and couldn't settle on a particular piece, all I knew was that I wanted to get her a delicate pave ring. I was about to go with a James Allen setting, but decided to give downtown one more look. I went to the International Jewelry Building and started from the top floor and went to every store, and told them what I wanted. If they gave me a good deal, I asked for a business card and something in writing. I worked my way down floor by floor, until I reached the bottom. Next, I sorted out all the cards and decided on my top three. I was surprised at how competitive these brick and mortar shops were, even compared to their online counterparts. In the end, I chose a place called, Bridal Diamond Palace. I know, the name is super cheesy, but they were outstanding! They were very patient and fun, not pushy at all. I had a great time talking to them and they gave me great advice. I even told them I liked a particular setting at another place more, and they asked me to show them a picture, so I went into spy mode and took a picture for them, and they said they could make it for me. They charged me almost $400 less, upped the tcw of the ring, and didn't charge tax, what a deal!!
Anyway, to make a long story, even longer, I bought the setting last week. Now here I am, super proud and super excited to offer my girlfriend this beautiful symbol of my great love for her!! I really can't wait! I will be proposing next week, wish me luck!
I highly commend anyone who actually read this whole darn thing, it was very therapeutic for me to let this all out. Thank you, pricescope, for all your help, I really couldn't have done it without you guys!!
-Mike
My fiance also set my ring from a vendor in DTLA, but did his research and sourced the stone from elsewhere like you, and the end result was wonderful. Congrats!
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