Does anyone know why Victor Canera do no longer allow for you to bring your own diamond?

[kathness]

All,

Does anyone know why VC stopped taking diamonds from other sources? Is this the case for other vendors now too?

Thanks!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It is on a case-by-case basis. If it is a stone that he could have provided, he might be more likely to say no. He stays busy but sometimes he will take outside stones. No, that is not the case with all ringmakers, because many do not sell diamonds.

 

[kathness]

Thank you @diamondseeker2006!! You're so helpful as always !!

 

[Thparkle]

All,

Does anyone know why VC stopped taking diamonds from other sources? Is this the case for other vendors now too?

Thanks!

I dealt with someone there recently and they were trying hard to sell me some pretty atrociously cut and lined lab diamonds. So my guess is that it's because setting customer stones is not as profitable and they have decided to narrow their market to consumers who aren't informed about things. Not to worry: there are many other jewelers who work with customer stones and do in house bench work.

 

[Wink]

Some of us do, and some of us don't. It is a choice that each jeweler must make for him/her self. There are liability issues and insurance issues and there is no right or wrong answer that fits all jewelers.

My attitude has always been to do it, as I love thinking about the reviews I will get when the project is stunning, the way it should be. However, there were times when we were working at full capacity and could not take away time from diamonds we had sold to mount one that we did not sell.

I know that one of my clients had VC set some of the diamonds I sold her, and she always received great pieces, so it makes a difference if you already have a good relationship with the mountings vendor, even if you do not buy every diamond from them. These are very interesting times in the jewelry industry, and answers will be evolving continuously.

Wink

 

[kathness]

@Thparkle & @Wink - thank you so much for providing some insights!

 

[Karl_K]

The most likely answer is time.
There are only so many work hours in a week and if your stone customers are keeping your setting department busy and you can not add staff the only thing to do is stop setting outside stones.

 

[MollyMalone]

All,
Does anyone know why VC stopped taking diamonds from other sources? Is this the case for other vendors now too?
Thanks!

fyi: This isn't a recent development; think he first abandoned a totally "open arms" policy at least 6+ years ago -- see this 2017 post of mine (#19) that refers to a change dating back to to the end of 2015:

DILEMMA - Stuck with a Stone, Micropave Experts in LA?

Long story short, the diamond search was placed on hold until recently and I just sourced a diamond from BGD. Emailed Victor Canera. Been shooting him a couple emails back and forth and he seemed open to the idea of setting an externally sourced stone. However, just got told clearly today he...

www.pricescope.com

He subsequently posted in 2018 that he was again accepting customers' own stones; see his post#10 in this thread:

choice of 2 VC settings

Hi all. Thanks to a previous thread I am considering a choice of settings for my 2.99 ACA diamond to one of the following 2 links attached....I would be very grateful for advice. I have chosen Victor Canera because I love his pave work. If I chose setting 2, I would get the band pave-set. My...

www.pricescope.com

But he obviously reconsidered, for his current and immediately preceding FAQ pages are-were completely silent on that possibility. Still, we have seen rings here on PS that Victor created in the past 9 months where a customer's own stone was the center stone. E.g.,

I’ve gone Modern - 3.33 G VS1 GIA XXX in a Victor Canera dress!

Well, here I am again with yet another ring! The diamond finding storyline. I’d been searching the WF ACA inventory for quite some time but nothing in my criteria was available nor coming down down the pipeline. One day I was wasting time searching via the PS search engine with the PS and WF...

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#JOTW - My new-to-me OMB in a Victor Canera trilogy!

I am playing catch up in posting several projects from the last year or two, and this one holds a very special place in my heart. It all started last fall when a preloved thread caught my eye last fall. I literally did a double take when I read @Resonance.Of.Life ’s post about selling Isla, as I...

www.pricescope.com

I think whether he agrees to use a customer's own stone depends on the stone (e.g., since he began offering his own signature, old cuts, it's been his policy to not accept August Vintage diamonds) -- and, as indicated in the 2018 post of his that I linked above, two additional factors: the style of ring the customer is hoping for & what all else he already has "in the pipeline" since (unlike some others) he is adverse to taking on a commission that he's not confident he can fabricate in less than 2 months.

I dealt with someone there recently and they were trying hard to sell me some pretty atrociously cut and lined lab diamonds. So my guess is that it's because setting customer stones is not as profitable and they have decided to narrow their market to consumers who aren't informed about things. Not to worry: there are many other jewelers who work with customer stones and do in house bench work.

We've heard some other complaints about initial responses from the "front of the house" rep, but I'll note that VC's website does not include any lab diamonds, so those don't seem to be of interest to Victor at this juncture -- and his in-house diamonds are obviously curated to appeal to those who are well-informed, not diamond ignoramuses.

@kathness - when considering a jeweler who accepts a customer's own stone, be sure to nail down, before you sign on, whether they will cover loss of-damage to your stone while it is in their possession. More than a few jewelers do not have insurance that covers "outside" stones. And even if you agree to assume the risk and not hold them liable & sign a waiver (as I've done with every colored gemstone), they may decline the commission. For even when a customer has formally waived liability, that doesn't preclude the customer from later making a stink on social media; demanding that the jeweler compensate him/her for loss or damage and/or filing a lawsuit that the jeweler has to defend against even if it has no substantive legal merit. So it's easier, less risky for the jeweler to simply say, "Thanks but no thanks."

 

[yssie]

@kathness - when considering a jeweler who accepts a customer's own stone, be sure to nail down, before you sign on, whether they will cover loss of-damage to your stone while it is in their possession. More than a few jewelers do not have insurance that covers "outside" stones. And even if you agree to assume the risk and not hold them liable & sign a waiver (as I've done with every colored gemstone), they may decline the commission. For even when a customer has formally waived liability, that doesn't preclude the customer from later making a stink on social media; demanding that the jeweler compensate him/her for loss or damage and/or filing a lawsuit that the jeweler has to defend against even if it has no substantive legal merit. So it's easier, less risky for the jeweler to simply say, "Thanks but no thanks."

We’ve seen time and time again - even right here on this forum - people choosing to use public venues as their primary outlet for dissatisfaction. More and more commonly. Your last comment resonates, and I’m confident it’s why so many service providers - not just in jewellery - hesitate to take on jobs that involve working with customer-provided goods. The profits (and potential satisfactions) from such work aren’t commensurate with the risks of uncontrollable social media blasts.

 

[Thparkle]

We’ve seen time and time again - even right here on this forum - people choosing to use public venues as their primary outlet for dissatisfaction. More and more commonly. Your last comment resonates, and I’m confident it’s why so many service providers - not just in jewellery - hesitate to take on jobs that involve working with customer-provided goods. The profits (and potential satisfactions) from such work aren’t commensurate with the risks of uncontrollable social media blasts.

You seem to have a perspective from someone in the business. As someone not in the business it is my experience many times over that the material sourced has ridiculously steep markups and is where the majority of the fat comes from. It has nothing to do with liability insurance.

 

[yssie]

You seem to have a perspective from someone in the business. As someone not in the business it is my experience many times over that the material sourced has ridiculously steep markups and is where the majority of the fat comes from. It has nothing to do with liability insurance.

If you’re implying that I’m in the jewellery trade you’re very mistaken.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You seem to have a perspective from someone in the business. As someone not in the business it is my experience many times over that the material sourced has ridiculously steep markups and is where the majority of the fat comes from. It has nothing to do with liability insurance.

I think you missed her point. The point is, if a vendor accepts a stone to set that he or she did not sell, then they are taking on risk of damaging that stone which may be worth far more than the $2-5K setting they are making. This is at least one potential reason why some vendors reject setting stones they did not sell.

 

[Fabtwinsmom]

This is good to know. I’ve been researching different jewelers to may be one day reset my mom’s ring. VC is one that’s on my list based on the beautiful pieces I’m seeing on this forum. I’m far from deciding on the style and jeweler though but it never occurred to me that some may not accept a customer’s stone. Something to add to my research criteria.