My two new Victor Canera masterpieces :-)

[yssie]

The pics are (finally!) in!


My reset thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/yssies-reset-thread.166349/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/yssies-reset-thread.166349/[/URL]
A big *thank you* to everyone who gave me thoughts, opinions, and advice in that thread!!

Verdict: two more happy Canera customers


Both rings are in nickel-wg. VC matched the colour to my original wedding band (which one of the cats made away with last night, DH and I have a full house search planned for Saturday!), so I can wear all three together. The centre is a 2.7 J, the first pair of sides are the same as from my old ring (0.43 J each), VC provided the second pair of 3.3mms. Rings are size 4.25.


In one of our conversations he told me he thought it was the hardest ring he'd ever made. I posted this paraphrasing of the difficulties he talked about in my other thread:

He detailed some of the difficulties in our first email conversation. Basically - what all those tradepeople say about some designs just being better suited to one method of manufacturing than another - is actually true! each individual part starts as a bar of metal, or a cylinder, or a slab, that he shapes properly and solders into place. The shank of my design is plain, so that's easy I guess, but the head is a trellis - so however many long cylinders that need to be bent perfectly to twirl around and between each other, soldered exactly symmetrically on L/R and front/back, with minimal room for error since the elements are close enough together that even a mm off would be glaring. Then there's the fact that I want it made specifically in Ni-wg, which is a hard metal - harder to bend and mould than plat., and gold solder is a slightly different colour so the solder joints would have to be well-hidden (mostly on the interior I guess) so that they aren't noticeable. Then there's the perfection of finish, prongs, polish inside and out that his customers have come to expect on all his pieces...

Looking at it... I think I see his points! The wires were laser welded instead of soldered to avoid colour differences between the gold and the solder. The prongs are edible and the engraving on the band is so, so delicate and precise...

Precise. That's the word. Handforged does *not* need to be synonymous with lack of precision in design or finish, even with nitpicky designs... I have proof!


Alrighty, on to the stuff people actually care about


This is how it started:

 

[yssie]

And the most incredible ring I've ever seen, let alone had the luxury of owning:





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[missy]

OMG!!!!! SO gorgeous!!!! I am literally drooling as I type this Yssie!!
I am so excited for you and cannot wait to see more pics!!
Wear in good health and happiness always Yssie!!!!!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Yssie IT'S PERFECT!!!!!! and the band WOW!!!!! your DH must be over the moon!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yssie]

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[yssie]

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[yssie]

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And VC's video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IyA5iHhUhs8

 

[missy]

Yssie, I just had to post again. The rings are so unbelievably breathtaking! They really are masterpieces and in hindsight so worth all the angst you guys went through! I think you and your dh are going to be forever in love with these rings (as well with each other of course)! What a wonderful way to symbolize your marriage and love and teamwork!

Keep the pics coming!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

I didn't mean to interrupt your photos Yssie! I am just sitting here hitting refresh, refresh, refresh...I can't believe how gorgeous you set is!!!!!

 

[LALove]

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS AND PERFECT!!!!!!!!!! x a gajillion!!!

 

[ihy138]

Ahhh!!! It's so lovely. Thank you for sharing your journey. I've been following from afar. This is a piece of art...dare I say, sexy?! It's amazing. Congrats to you!

 

[Aven]

Oh WOW. Holy spectacular profile!! Yssie your rings are amazing!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Impossibly beautiful. A pleasure to look at. And your hands are gorgeous too!

cheers--Sharon

 

[ZestfullyBling]

Gorgeous! Great photos Yssie!!

 

[armywife13]

I am completely and utterly in love with your rings!!!!

 

[slg47]

wow!!!!!!!!!! it's really gorgeous yssie I am so happy for you!!!!

I think it looks great on your hand, but how do you feel about it compared to your three-stone? Do you find it comfortable? I think the proportions are just perfect...really amazing ring I LOVE the 8-prong trellis!! and the engraved band is just perfect with it. Thanks for sharing pictures and please post more!!!!

ETA what did you get tweaked?

 

[maplefemme]

Yssie, that's INCREDIBLE! It's a work of art, even my SO leaned over when he glimpsed it and said, "WOW that's amazing" and it sure is!

 

[JuneRose]

cannot. actually. breathe.....

 

[AuntKiki]

Your rings are absolutely stunning! Congratulations1

 

[lulu]

I blacked out for a second.

 

[m-2-b]

Yay! We finally get to see your rings together! How do you like the look of the engraved band next to your 5 stone? Was VC able to hide the inclusions w/ the prongs (was that the tweaking you were talking about?)?

They really look beautiful together on your hand! I hope this is the final reset! Kudos to VC for pulling this one off!

 

[Okie_girl]

shut. my. mouth. That is amazing! Wear it in good health!

 

[minmin001]

just WOW is all I can say!

 

[sillysweetie]

Absolutely stunning!! Perfect at all angles.
Love the details of millegrain on the "donuts" (what're these called?) under the sidestones. Do you know if they have some practical function?

 

[junebug17]

Wow, simply amazing!!! Such a beautiful design and excellent craftsmanship, and I love the proportions of the stones! It's truly stunning yssie, I just love it - and the engraving on the band is exquisite, looks perfect alongside your ering - congrats on a gorgeous reset!

 

[Sundial]

Your five stone ring turned out beautifully. The design is so fluid with such intricate detail. I love the engraved band too. It is so nice when a custom project goes so well and both you and your husband are so happy with the end result.

 

[TravelingGal]

W W!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yssie]

Oh, wow! I didn't expect anyone to see this until tomorrow!


missy - awww, thank you! This story definitely has a very happy ending We're both really happy with our decision to reset - and the trellis is - incredible. Unbelievable. The band is the best sort of gravy

Bella - the two really do go so well together!! I don't think they'd fit nearly as well if the trellis didn't have that milgrain detail on the crossbars... amazing, how such a small thing makes such a big difference! Wish me luck in my wedding band hunt this Saturday!

LA - thank you!!

ihy - thank you, as well! It is art - and I need to get it appraised so I can wear it out and about! And... all those curves... and the little gap between trellis and band... definitely a sexy piece

Aven - the profile *makes* this ring! It's funny, the centre is set pretty low (at my request) so I don't actually see the profile at first casual glance when I'm wearing it - but when I do, well, it's completely arresting.

Sharon - thank you! They're just lovely, and I'm almost afraid to wear them!

Thank you [/b]ZestfullyBling, armywife[/b]!!

slg - thank you! It's amazingly comfortable actually - I can bring my fingers together and not touch any stone at all. My threestone had room to spare, and spun a little bit - this one doesn't have that excess space and it doesn't spin at all. I think VC set the second pair of sidestones a tiny bit higher to eke out a little more room - maybe that makes the difference? I *adore* the eight-prong centre (and I think I've maxed out on prongs... did I just say that??)

There was really only one aesthetic tweak - I had him add the engraving to the sides of the shank where it meets the trellis wires to add some visual delineation, and I think it worked out really well. That abrupt change was apparently inevitable in soldering round wires to the square block of the shank, and he couldn't file or engrave too deeply because without crossbars/cup around the centre he needed to keep as much metal there pressuring the struct as possible... I also had him turn the centre and round out the insides of the band for comfort

In terms of comparing... I am shocked by how *different* they are, despite both being trellis designs! I think I'll have to wear it around for a bit more to really get a feel for it... I actually had a surprisingly difficult time taking photos, the angles that brought the threestone to life did nothing for this one - this one has a very different personality!

maple - thank you! Hehe the pics were PITAs to get - they're all from either 7am right after sunrise/4pm right before sunset!

Thank you June, AuntKiki, lulu, Okie, minmin!!

mom2boys - he did an amazing job!! I LOVE them together. I won't wear them together like that often, because I'm worried about the milgrain eating into my prongs, but I really do think they're perfect together. My threestone looked best with a plain band - this one looks best with something busier, for whatever reason!

The inclusions are next to prongs, not quite under - he wound up not being able to set the stone exactly the way I wanted because the inclusions are too close to the upper girdle facet-meets, and the stone turned and settled so the prongs were lower on the ugfs. So we decided to just set them there safe and sound and leave well enough alone, as they're not visible unless you're really looking for them anyway

 

[yssie]

Thanks silly! They do serve a function - they were the cause of a mini-meltdown during the design, actually They're bits of wire bent into circles that cup the stones, and they're soldered/welded to the insides of the trellis structure. They're apparently really important in holding the trellis together, to prevent mobility side-to-side and back-to-front.

june - thank you, they truly are exquisite pieces. I hold them and just - look, and admire - I haven't quite accepted ownership yet, I think! The proportions wound up working out very well

Thank you Sundial! So much went into it, so many people... DH and I are really happy with how things turned out

Thank you TGal

 

[Dreamer_D]

There was really only one aesthetic tweak - I had him add the engraving to the sides of the shank where it meets the trellis wires to add some visual delineation, and I think it worked out really well. That abrupt change was apparently inevitable in soldering round wires to the square block of the shank, and he couldn't file or engrave too deeply because without crossbars/cup around the centre he needed to keep as much metal there pressuring the struct as possible...

Yssie can you post a photo and point out what you are talking about here? I am curious and can't get a handle on what you are describing.

The ring looks even better in your photos than it did in the VC pics. It is delicate and organic. I really like the 8 prongs. I hope you take this for the compliment it is, but there is something almost arachnid from certain angles, which is cool because you see the ring from some angles and it looks simple and swoopy and pretty and then see another and it takes on a very *alive* quality. Very cool. The end stones are the perfect size too, very subtle. If anything about a ring like that can really be subtle

I have only had 4 prong mounts until my OEC, which is six prong, and I am totally sold on it. Makes the stone look rounded and bugger and everything. I think 8 prongs is ideal