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Best designer to create a custom vintage style ring?

Serendipity99

Serendipity99

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 10, 2014
Messages
58
All,

So I am currently leaning towards keeping a stone I just got from JA (see below).

photo_3_3.jpg

photo_2_10.jpg

If I can get over that dark spot that is sometimes in the middle.

I really love vintage styles and ran across this setting from someone's post on PS: http://www.knoxjewelers.biz/products/design-2473

As Knox Jewelers will not create a ring unless they furnish the diamond, I thought I was basically SOL.

However, now I am thinking perhaps I can find another jeweler who is willing to work with me on a recreation of a setting very similar to that? Is that considered to be a faux pas as it is originally designed by Knox? I would go to Knox, and even emailed them, but due to their policy that is a dead end.

If it is considered acceptable to go the route of working with another jeweler, does anyone have thoughts on someone who would be best suited to do vintage styles like this?
 
CVB inspired designs (on easy) could make a very similar design, i bet.
 
Too bad for Knox. They would have a LOT of PS business if they would set customer stones. Maybe they just can handle only a small workload.

Sure, Caysie van Bebber might be worth a try. Singlestone could do it, but they would cost more, probably. Maybe David Klass.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CVBinspiredDesign?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav

Do you have close up photos of your stone? You sound uncertain, and I would only keep a stone if I LOVED it! (See my tagline at the bottom!)
 
Thanks Niel and DS! That is really helpful. JA said they could do it as well, what are your thoughts on JA's custom abilities?

As for the stone, here is a youtube of it (best I could do with my phone..) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQr7uIuGbB4

And some more zoomed in pics (not sure how helpful these are):

1a_1.jpg

3a_0.jpg
 
Serendipity99|1400549732|3676462 said:
Thanks Niel and DS! That is really helpful. JA said they could do it as well, what are your thoughts on JA's custom abilities?

As for the stone, here is a youtube of it (best I could do with my phone..) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQr7uIuGbB4

And some more zoomed in pics (not sure how helpful these are):

1a_1.jpg

3a_0.jpg
Click to expand...

CVB has done (in the process of finishing) ring for me, and JA has as well. The JA one is very simple and minimalistic. I did that intentionally, but because of that, i can't comment on their work with a more intricate design like yours. CVB did a more intricate design and it looks quite lovely from the pictures I've seen so far. Id show you when its finished, but i don't have anything for you now, unfortunately.
 
Oh. Oh Oh.

Beverly K makes a similar ring!! Hold on!
 
OP, what are the specs of your stone? I may have missed that. I honestly think it is very common that we are inspired by already existing designs, one can come up with entirely new designs but many times people ask to have jewelry reproduced (with tweaks). We often recreate Faberge, Art Noveau, Art Deco style jewelry that already exists, with some changes of course but even for myself I would like to make a Faberge pendant I have recently seen at a museum and really love. I do not think there is anything wrong with that. Of course I would never make something exactly the same but I see many jewelers make designs similar to some very popular ones, say the Tiffany DBTY. I have to say that I am not sure who are the best at vintage work in the US and I would personally want this 100 % handforged but not sure of the costs involved there. Very pretty ring but also because this style was relatively common Art Deco,there is nothing wrong with making something similar because they copied it from somewhere too.
 
Ok so the ring Gypsy posted is gorgeous in person, I actually tried it on at GOG in NY. The details are just beautiful in person and it is very delicate looking. It is a great buy for a non-custom option!
 
MissBliss|1400564474|3676570 said:
I'm betting that CvB could do a similar design as this one; I was contemplating uploading a pic that she just posted on FB of a client's ring in progress...it looks awesome, & the millgrain and details look amazing!! but apparently is undergoing some adjustments (Niel...? Lol :naughty: ). Anyhow, I almost posted the image but instead, I'm just going to suggest that you like her FB page (CVB Inspired Design) so that you can access some of her projects that don't end up here on PS...or haven't yet, lol.
Click to expand...

Haha shhhhh. I don't want people to see pics till its complete. Plus those photos make my chryso look olive, and its anything but

But oh my gosh I just saw that daisy ring she posted today. That's ridic. Yours will looks amazing MB!
 
If you aren't happy with the stone, return it and keep on looking. Over time, this might not be mind clean for you and you'd be out of JA's generous return period. No matter how great the setting is, it cannot compensate for any perceived flaws the diamond has for you.
 
I agree, it stinks Knox doesn't take outside stones. They'd have had my business as well if they did.

Since you're not in love with the diamond, what about asking Knox what they've got available? Maybe they have a diamond that knocks your socks off, in which case you can get their setting too. Either way, I don't think this diamond sounds like the one for you and while I am no expert at diamonds myself, I noticed that dark spot right away. It seems to me that you could do better.
 
I do agree with what was said above; you should definitely first be sure that you love the diamond and only then think about a custom setting. Sometimes I am not even saying it is not an option to make something nice with an inexpensive stone; I have done that with colored stones but when it comes to diamonds that are not inexpensive to begin with I would first select the stone that you really love and then create the setting. This is why I was asking about the specs; perhaps it is on another thread but I am wondering about the cut of the stone first and foremost. It does appear on certain pix that the color is tinted but that can be fine or it could be your lighting, some people really love creamy stones anyhow. I am not sure what the black spot is as the video is too far away but yes I too see a large black area; question is whether this has to do with the cut, the clarity or both or that the shank of the ring is showing through, have seen that too and it bothers me personally. A new setting would help that but perhaps there would still remain other issues. I cannot tell by looking from this far and the photos do not reveal what the exact problem is. The one thing I noticed is that to me the symmetry of the stone was not such that I am used to in well cut radiants but again I am only basing this on the pix and video you posted. Please do not take offense, I would like to know more about the stone then we can advise further.
 
Thanks OVincze!

While I'm calling it a radiant as that is what people seem to call it, it seems to actually be a generic Lucida cut. GIA's report calls it a "cut-cornered rectangular mixed cut"

More stats:
(GIA)
1.01 carats
FL clarity
F color
Depth: 73.9
Table: 58
Symmetry: VG
Polish: Ex
Fluor: Faint
Girdle: Slightly Thick - Thick
Cutlet: None
6.61x5.18x3.83

Just as a note, it isn't that I am not in love with it. It is that I will not let myself "go there" unless I have peace of mind that the stone is a good choice to begin with. As I know I know nothing about diamonds (I am learning but far from an expert), I don't know how to know if it is a good choice really. Maybe the dark spot was how I was holding my hand, maybe it is because of the make-do holder, maybe it is a real issue - I have no clue.

What I do know though is that as far as color and clarity, it is amazing. It is completely mind-clean to me. It is just that dark bit that shows up sometimes.

I don't mean to direct the thread to discuss the stone only, but it is key here of course. With all that in mind, thank you everyone for your suggestions!! I'll definitely look up more for CVB.

Also, Gypsy, I really like the ring you posted - thanks! It is now in the bookmark file for ideas!
 
Thanks Julie! I'll sit down and read those tonight with the stone in hand to compare. I really appreciate the guidance!
 
Hi OP, I was thinking that the pix obviously do not do justice to the stone; I was almost positive that this stone is not tinted but that it was yellow lighting reflecting into the stone from the environment, I did not see inclusions either but that dark spot in the middle of the stone. Now that could be lighting, a problem with the cut or as I said if the shank runs under the stone, that can definitely do this. If this is the case that may be the only problem. Otherwise, I was wondering if we are seeing a dark area that can happen in many fancy cuts, I have not seen it as much in radiants but perhaps Lucidas are more prone to them. I also did not realize until now that you were not talking about a radiant as in a classic radiant but a Lucida.

I also liked the ring Gypsy posted although I have to admit that I think I prefer the style of the first ring you picked. Of course this is entirely subjective, either would be a great option.
 
Thanks OVincze! I am going to take it out of the holder and see how it looks in locking tweezers so there is nothing behind it to make the mark. I'll read through the postings Julie mentioned too in order to (try to) figure it out.
 
OP, do try and let us know. Julie posted some very helpful threads, which relate to diamonds going dark in bright light. I could not tell for sure but to me based on your photos and video it appeared that the dark spot we were seeing was not because of strong light. This was gthe reason I was wondering about cut but most likely the shank reflecting into the stone. If you are only seeing this effect in bright light then you do not have a problem at all. My initial thought was the shank and then was also thinking of dark shadows, dead areas in white stones and color leakage in fancy colors due to cut. It does not sound now that this is the case but let us know what you find. Probably nothing to worry about but still curious.
 
It is not obvious she is under spotlighting in the pictures. In the video, the stone is throwing off too much fire for indirect lighting, plus you can see the reflections of the light source in the stone countertop and her lacquered nails. Looks like recessed ceiling lights plus an LED light from a phone is shining on the stone?

Serendipity,
If you look at the pictures, you will notice that part of the stone that has the least darkness is the perimeter of the table. This is where leakage is. Your last stone was leaky, so likely there was no darkness under spotlighting. This one is not as leaky, so there will be darkness.

You can see this poster's August Vintage Round is all dark in her photos (5th photo captures some nice fire and strong reflections.)
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/in-love-with-my-first-diamond-buy-a-half-carat-avr.202180/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/in-love-with-my-first-diamond-buy-a-half-carat-avr.202180/[/URL]
It is all dark because her stone is an excellent cut round. For a radiant, yours is very nice.
 
Excuse me for sounding inexperienced- but I have not heard before of the shank reflecting into the stone? Is this a common occurrence? So, with a poorly cut stone, the shank is reflected and causes dark spots?
 
Hi Artdecolover, yes it can happen that you see a dark shadow where the shank is, I will look for the thread for you where the OP and I were discussing that. In many cases it may not be a problem but in that case, e.g., it was a pear, a nice stone but almost all pears have some degree of bowtie effect causing a dark shadow and the shank was positioned exactly in the bowtie area which then emphasized the shadow making it look like the stone had a bad bowtie, which in fact was not the case. Imagine placing a diamond right over text, you may not be able to read it but in most cases you can still see black in the stone from the text. This is what I meant. This is also one reason I prefer using crown style settings or baskets and not have the shank run across the back of the diamond because I think it can affect light return, the more open the back area the better the light return; this is why when we set melee we also use ajoure, which is a technique used to fully open up the back side of the setting to ensure best light return. How should I explain, the gap created is just small enough for the diamond to not fall through but it is completely open in the back, very precise technique must be used to make just the right sized gap (prongs of course can still be used on top). Does this make sense?
 
Also to add Artdecolover, you did not sound inexperienced at all and perhaps my wording was not entirely clear. Excuse me for this. To add also, I do not think this can only happen in poorly cut stones; I meant too separate things by that. Poorly cut stones can create dead areas, light leakage, color leakage, etc. The shank you can still see in well cut stones too perhaps not so much in RBs. I am not sure if reflecting into the stone was the right term to use here. I hope I am making a little more sense now.
 
It makes total sense- thanks for the clarification! I have never heard that before but it seems like an important point when choosing a setting.
 
I've just had David Klass make me a custom platinum vintage style ring. I don't have the ring yet but here is a couple of pictures so you can see his work. This setting cost me half what I was quoted by a PS vendor. He is super easy to work with.

_18424.jpg

_18425.jpg
 
beautiful ring, terrible photography. :nono: hasn't anyone told him that yet??
 
I'm having DiamondZone in Chicago recreate this Knox ring for me (with a few tweaks):

http://www.knoxjewelers.biz/products/rachel-lily

Here are the CADs they sent me. Hopefully it should be done soon, then I'll post how it looks in real life!

emerald_ring_3.jpg

emerald_ring_3.png
 
I love Ilya! Working on a project with him now and he is amazing to work with- I love working directly like that. Your ring looks like it's going to be beautiful!
 
Maisie|1400674786|3677375 said:
I've just had David Klass make me a custom platinum vintage style ring. I don't have the ring yet but here is a couple of pictures so you can see his work. This setting cost me half what I was quoted by a PS vendor. He is super easy to work with.
Click to expand...

Wow, Maisie, that is gorgeous!!!! :love: :love: :love:

I am going to try him for something eventually. I am just not willing to pay the inflated prices some are charging.
 
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