Dreamer and Demelza GTG Part Deux: Two OECs (and an MRB)

[NKOTB]

I really could never tire of looking at these pictures. BEAUTIFUL stones, all three! I'm a big fan of the old cuts these days, but I'm also LOVING that MRB, AND the setting it's in!

 

[Demelza]

Ahhh, I so love these!

Demelza, would you please tell us how you feel about your H&A stone compared to the antique stone? If you could only keep one, would you give up the H&A stone?

I'll let Demelza answer you, but since it looks like I got my kids in bed before she got her kids in bed I will give you this hint about Dem's feelings about her RB compared to our old cuts: When we were taking pics of the two oldies, she said, "Well I guess we better get this loser in there too" referring to her RB Now, she has a dry sense of humour, but I think her opinion is plain

Only on PS would the 2.35ct G VS2 be the "loser" haha! We got a good laugh out of the ridiculousness of that joke.

Right on both counts -- Dreamer got her kids to sleep before I got mine down AND I do prefer my OEC. Of course I was being silly by referring to my MRB as a loser, but I have to admit that the more splintery facet pattern simply doesn't appeal to me as much anymore. I've had that diamond for 6 years and it's always been very mind clean for me. It still is -- I love the color and the clarity and the "perfection" of the cut. But that's more psychological than it is a true aesthetic preference. I've thought very seriously about selling it since diamond prices have gone up quite a lot since 2006 and it feels a bit redundant to have two such similar sized round diamonds, but I do worry I would regret it. It's a beautiful diamond and I would not be able to replace it. But to answer your question, DS -- if I could only have one, I would absolutely give up the H&A, but not without a heavy heart.

I have always loved old cuts, but I unfortunately have seen few in person. I have to have a well cut stone with good light return, and as you know, you and Dreamer kind of lucked out on that since they aren't common! As I just told Dreamer, I probably will just order an AVR to really be able to compare an ideal cut mrb with a new ideal cut OEC. It's driving me kind of nuts and I need to get it figured out! I intend to have two rings, but not two solitaires. I'll probably do a three stone and a solitaire, but I have to figure out which diamond I want MOST in the e-ring (even though I am totally happy with the ring I have now).

Well, if you want two rings -- one of each -- I would do the big chunky cut for the solitaire and go with MRBs for the 3 stone. Like Dreamer said, the larger the stone, the better able one is to appreciate the amazing facet pattern of an old cut. And, personally, I would look at an AVR as well as some well cut authentic old cuts. I'm sure Jon could find you one or two to look at? Having never seen an AVR in person, I can't comment on their optics, but I love the idea of an old cut as much as I love the aesthetics of one. I like well cut with just a tiny bit of character or wonk mixed in there. Like I actually really like that my stone isn't perfectly round. What about jjc's stone that is currently consigned with JbEG? That stone seems right up your alley!

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Beautiful OEC'S

 

[backwardsandinheels]

Love it
Please do this monthly in different backgrounds

 

[rosetta]

Woof woof! Lick, lick.

These are delicious and I'm one happy puppy!

 

[Kim N]

Wow, such beautiful rings in one place! I'm so jealous!

 

[lknvrb4]

Gorgeous and drool worthy!

 

[Cachette]

Cachette

 

[ame]

As requested, here's a side view of my ring. It's a pretty setting, but doesn't wow me. And it's more than a bit rough around the edges.

It looks amazing with that band!

 

[Demelza]

Thanks for the compliments everyone!

I'm home in LA now visiting my parents and was going to take a trip downtown to check out Singlestone's collection of mountings. I saw a couple online I rather like, but unfortunately they are way out of budget, especially considering they have no sidestones whatsoever. I much prefer an authentic antique mounting anyway, but I realize those are hard to come by in just the right size for my stone. Hrmph, feeling a bit discouraged.

Here are the two rings from Singlestone I thought were pretty. Not nearly as pretty as Dreamer's mounting, of course, but lovely nonetheless. The one in yellow gold and platinum is $3200 and the bezel set ring is $4100. I'm sure they're very well made, but I just can't spend that much right now, especially since I don't completely love them.

 

[Demelza]

Oops, double post.

 

[Enerchi]

Demelza!!!! those are both OUT OF THIS WORLD perfect for your diamond... but YIKES! just a tad pricey - wow! Um, yah, I think they are gorgeous but I would not be able to comfortably spend that much on a setting, personally.

they are stunning tho! I love the "petal" around the YG and the detailed engraving on the bezel . Tough call....

 

[Rosebloom]

I love your playdates! Absolutely gorgeous rings. Thank you for sharing!

And DS, please do order an AVR and post one of your fantastic reviews. I'm dying to know what you think of them!

 

[Demelza]

Demelza!!!! those are both OUT OF THIS WORLD perfect for your diamond... but YIKES! just a tad pricey - wow! Um, yah, I think they are gorgeous but I would not be able to comfortably spend that much on a setting, personally.

they are stunning tho! I love the "petal" around the YG and the detailed engraving on the bezel . Tough call....

I think they're lovely, too, but for a simple setting, I can't spend that much. Maybe that's the going rate for a well-made simple solitaire these days -- it's been a while since I've shopped around settings.

I've had my eye on this authentic art deco setting for a while now. It's much more reasonable at around 2k. My problem is I don't love how fishtail prongs make a round stone look square. I much prefer a minimum of 6 prongs on my stone. My other issue is that the marquises look funny from the side. Dreamer pointed this out and she's right that they sort of look stuck on. I do, however, love everything else -- the marquise in a bezel, the two single cuts, the fleur de lis motif, the engraving, etc.

 

[Laila619]

I have to be honest, I'm not loving those Singlestone settings, esp. for that kind of money. Keep looking, Demelza, you will find something fabulous!!

 

[CharmyPoo]

You guys are killing me with these gorgeous photos!! Dreamer knows I have been dying for a stone like this for almost a year now .. and yours are sooooo beautiful.

Dreamer is right that I have an OEC I simply adore - it is 7.6 mm and looking at it makes me happy. I have spent a lot of time picking at the flaws of this stone (because I am used to modern stones) but there is something that I love about it. I sat on it for so long not knowing what to do with it but after seeing over 50 OECs in the past few months ... I have decided that I liked mine best. Steven Kirsch is "beautifying" an old setting I have ... by beautifying .. he is adding pave everywhere to it. I know some antique lovers are probably cringing at my setting choice but I am a setting nut. I love mdern designs with a touch of vintage.

 

[hoover]

Gorgeous rings and pics! Those are certainly dreamy stones, hope you find your dream setting, too!

 

[Kalrik]

What awesome stones and awesome pictures! Theyre all three equally beautiful. I'd love to own a twin of any one of them one day...

 

[yssie]

I am salivating, literally!

Good lord that is a stunningly handsome trio Oh, to be a fly on the wall...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Dreamer and Demelza....thanks to both of you for your comments regarding old cuts vs. modern. Also, it was interesting that you both would choose the chunky cut for the solitaire and the mrb for the 3 stone. That was the way I was leaning, actually! It would be good if I could compare some old stones to an AVR as well. The difficulty is not being able to order several to look at at once! I should probably drag myself up to GOG if I could find the time. Oh, and Dem...when JJC first listed her ring on DB last fall I was out of town but I emailed her immediately! I loved her ring! I was close to making an offer but she removed it from the listings because she decided to consign it locally. Even though it eventually came back for sale, I had decided that I really had to have a minimum of 1.5 cts (7.4mm+) for my e-ring and I was just afraid that going any smaller would be a mistake. I see that her ring sold and someone is VERY lucky to have it!

Dem...I agree about those SS settings...nice but not outstanding enough to be worth it. At least you have a really nice setting until you find "the one"!

Rosebloom...okay, I will order an AVR and write a review! Maybe I can do it next week!

 

[Mara]

Loovvveee the pics!!! Fantastic job on the photos. Both stones are absolute beauties, but Dem your stone faceting is the cats meow for me.

And I know the Q was for Dem on if you could only have one, RB or OEC and my answer is OEC! Don't regret selling my RB one bit and it was stunning.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Loovvveee the pics!!! Fantastic job on the photos. Both stones are absolute beauties, but Dem your stone faceting is the cats meow for me.

And I know the Q was for Dem on if you could only have one, RB or OEC and my answer is OEC! Don't regret selling my RB one bit and it was stunning.

Very glad to have your input, Mara! Thanks!

 

[Demelza]

Happy news to report! I found a setting and my stone has already been reset! I just have to say how much I love Craig Evan Small in Los Angeles. I called them up on Tuesday and asked if they had any authentic vintage mountings that would accommodate my stone. I spoke to the owner, Craig, who said he would look around for me and set some aside. I went in later that day and was shocked when the first one I saw was exactly the sort of thing I'd been looking for and for MUCH less than I thought I would have to spend. On top of that, they offered me a very good price for my old mounting which basically cut the price in half! And they didn't even charge me for setting and sizing. The ring was done a day earlier than promised and I picked it up last night. Needless to say, I was very nervous about how it would turn out, but it was even better than I had hoped for! The mounting is a very simple platinum 6 prong cathedral with a little detail around the basket and 4 single cut diamonds down each side. I only have some not so great iphone pics for now, so I might wait to post photos until I can get some really good ones. I'm so happy! Now I just need to find a vintage band to go with it.....

 

[TravelingGal]

Happy news to report! I found a setting and my stone has already been reset! I just have to say how much I love Craig Evan Small in Los Angeles. I called them up on Tuesday and asked if they had any authentic vintage mountings that would accommodate my stone. I spoke to the owner, Craig, who said he would look around for me and set some aside. I went in later that day and was shocked when the first one I saw was exactly the sort of thing I'd been looking for and for MUCH less than I thought I would have to spend. On top of that, they offered me a very good price for my old mounting which basically cut the price in half! And they didn't even charge me for setting and sizing. The ring was done a day earlier than promised and I picked it up last night. Needless to say, I was very nervous about how it would turn out, but it was even better than I had hoped for! The mounting is a very simple platinum 6 prong cathedral with a little detail around the basket and 4 single cut diamonds down each side. I only have some not so great iphone pics for now, so I might wait to post photos until I can get some really good ones. I'm so happy! Now I just need to find a vintage band to go with it.....

Yeah, they have a lot of nice stuff and go on the hunt for settings a lot. I found Craig nice, but he wasn't that great with follow up but since I didn't actually care to get a setting from them (I was in there to get pricing on selling a brooch and was referred to by 23rd street), that didn't bother me. I did kind of find it slimy though, that I was referred to him specifically by another jeweler to see if he'd buy a brooch (and was told this) and he told me they use the same bench and he could make the setting for less if I could get him a picture.

The other lady who works there is nice too though. I've mentioned them here on PS as a possibility for custom work if what they say is true (same benches as Singlestone and 23rd for "less.") They also have beautiful jewelry and a nice selection of antique stones/settings.

Look forward to seeing your beauty in its new home!

 

[Demelza]

Happy news to report! I found a setting and my stone has already been reset! I just have to say how much I love Craig Evan Small in Los Angeles. I called them up on Tuesday and asked if they had any authentic vintage mountings that would accommodate my stone. I spoke to the owner, Craig, who said he would look around for me and set some aside. I went in later that day and was shocked when the first one I saw was exactly the sort of thing I'd been looking for and for MUCH less than I thought I would have to spend. On top of that, they offered me a very good price for my old mounting which basically cut the price in half! And they didn't even charge me for setting and sizing. The ring was done a day earlier than promised and I picked it up last night. Needless to say, I was very nervous about how it would turn out, but it was even better than I had hoped for! The mounting is a very simple platinum 6 prong cathedral with a little detail around the basket and 4 single cut diamonds down each side. I only have some not so great iphone pics for now, so I might wait to post photos until I can get some really good ones. I'm so happy! Now I just need to find a vintage band to go with it.....

Yeah, they have a lot of nice stuff and go on the hunt for settings a lot. I found Craig nice, but he wasn't that great with follow up but since I didn't actually care to get a setting from them (I was in there to get pricing on selling a brooch and was referred to by 23rd street), that didn't bother me. I did kind of find it slimy though, that I was referred to him specifically by another jeweler to see if he'd buy a brooch (and was told this) and he told me they use the same bench and he could make the setting for less if I could get him a picture.

The other lady who works there is nice too though. I've mentioned them here on PS as a possibility for custom work if what they say is true (same benches as Singlestone and 23rd for "less.") They also have beautiful jewelry and a nice selection of antique stones/settings.

Look forward to seeing your beauty in its new home!

That's really fascinating that they supposedly use the same bench as 23rd Street and Singlestone (I didn't realize 23rd St and SS use the same bench). I'm curious what prompted them to say that? I have wondered if there were maybe just a few really good benches downtown that all the top-end LA jewelers use. I would consider Craig Evan Small to be one of the best vintage jewelry stores in LA in terms of quality and overall selection rivaled only by Singlestone, but I never would have thought of them for custom work. When I was there looking at settings, they told me that they could do a replica of any of the rings in the case for anywhere between $1500 to $3,000. That was surprisingly low given that I was quoted 3k for that simple gold/plat solitaire from Singlestone which, frankly, was surprisingly high. I'm not really much for custom work these days so I didn't pursue it further, but they did a lovely job setting my stone. I'm hoping to go back tomorrow to look at bands.

 

[TravelingGal]

Happy news to report! I found a setting and my stone has already been reset! I just have to say how much I love Craig Evan Small in Los Angeles. I called them up on Tuesday and asked if they had any authentic vintage mountings that would accommodate my stone. I spoke to the owner, Craig, who said he would look around for me and set some aside. I went in later that day and was shocked when the first one I saw was exactly the sort of thing I'd been looking for and for MUCH less than I thought I would have to spend. On top of that, they offered me a very good price for my old mounting which basically cut the price in half! And they didn't even charge me for setting and sizing. The ring was done a day earlier than promised and I picked it up last night. Needless to say, I was very nervous about how it would turn out, but it was even better than I had hoped for! The mounting is a very simple platinum 6 prong cathedral with a little detail around the basket and 4 single cut diamonds down each side. I only have some not so great iphone pics for now, so I might wait to post photos until I can get some really good ones. I'm so happy! Now I just need to find a vintage band to go with it.....

Yeah, they have a lot of nice stuff and go on the hunt for settings a lot. I found Craig nice, but he wasn't that great with follow up but since I didn't actually care to get a setting from them (I was in there to get pricing on selling a brooch and was referred to by 23rd street), that didn't bother me. I did kind of find it slimy though, that I was referred to him specifically by another jeweler to see if he'd buy a brooch (and was told this) and he told me they use the same bench and he could make the setting for less if I could get him a picture.

The other lady who works there is nice too though. I've mentioned them here on PS as a possibility for custom work if what they say is true (same benches as Singlestone and 23rd for "less.") They also have beautiful jewelry and a nice selection of antique stones/settings.

Look forward to seeing your beauty in its new home!

That's really fascinating that they supposedly use the same bench as 23rd Street and Singlestone (I didn't realize 23rd St and SS use the same bench). I'm curious what prompted them to say that? I have wondered if there were maybe just a few really good benches downtown that all the top-end LA jewelers use. I would consider Craig Evan Small to be one of the best vintage jewelry stores in LA in terms of quality and overall selection rivaled only by Singlestone, but I never would have thought of them for custom work. When I was there looking at settings, they told me that they could do a replica of any of the rings in the case for anywhere between $1500 to $3,000. That was surprisingly low given that I was quoted 3k for that simple gold/plat solitaire from Singlestone which, frankly, was surprisingly high. I'm not really much for custom work these days so I didn't pursue it further, but they did a lovely job setting my stone. I'm hoping to go back tomorrow to look at bands.

They don't advertise they do custom. He only mentioned it because I told him 23rd sent me and I was getting a ring made by them for the brooch I was showing him (to see if he was interested in buying). He then said finding an antique setting would be better and tried to see if they had anything they could sell me...$3000 plus for a three stone setting. I told him it didn't make sense to me to buy something I didn't love for that much when I was getting something made custom exactly how I wanted it by 23rd street. He then told me they all use the same guys and he could make it for me for less.

So I have never seen anything come out of them in terms of what their custom jobs look like. I personally wasn't comfortable with going with someone who after saying he thought Joni was great, then proceeded to try and take the business from them. Business is business, I get that, but I also had no proof of their past work and they are an hour away in no traffic so I wasn't going to go with them.

I have mentioned them here because some have said they love the work of SS and 23rd street, and since CES is claiming to use the same benches, I thought it might be worth checking out for some. It would be nice for many to get the same level of work more cost effectively.

That being said, I personally would just still going with 23rd street, and recommend SS to PSers for their understanding of custom work and what PSers expect.

 

[Mayk]

I'm a little late to this thread...but wow...the first visit photo session you did was awesome..this one even more fabulous! Beautiful perfect diamondzzzzzzzz!!! Dem, I can't wait to see your new setting!

 

[stargurl78]

Wow, all of those stones are gorgeous (including the big honkin RB)! And Dreamer, George looks great after her makeover!

 

[Demelza]

Finally managed to get a few pics of my OEC in its new (old) mounting from Craig Evan Small. I love the ribbon prongs! They look more prominent in the pics than they do in real life. They did a great job setting my stone. I would definitely be game to try them for custom, but doubt that will happen anytime soon as I'm more interested these days in authentic vintage pieces. Haven't yet found any bands to wear with the ring, but I'm definitely on the hunt!

 

[armywife13]

I love the new setting, Demelza! It showcases your OEC wonderfully!