Thoughts & advice on recutting OEC stone w/VC reset

[violetjane]

Hoping some of the wise and wonderful PSers can share some thoughts on my reset process.

My current ER is a lovely OEC that we bought from Ross Nacht at Under the Crown in NYV a few years ago, a lovely experience with a wonderful jeweler and family. At the time I bought it for the stone which has a ton of charm, has all of the qualities I love in old cuts- chunky, warm pastels, and when very clean and in the right light spectacular fire. However, it has ( IMO which is not as advanced as many of you ) is cut to 'shallow" , has a nice spread but I think the overly large table really affects the sparkle.

Stats:

OEC
M color
SI2 ish
3.32 but measures 10.2x10.4 , more like a 4 ct due to shallow cut.

Currrently in a lovely but fragile Edwardian setting from about 1910 ( in my avatar) and on its way to VC right now to be set in my holy grail of settings that I've been lusting over for years, the iconic Anne Marie.

Questions-

Has anyone used VC for recutting/repolishing a stone, and are you glad you did it?
How much risk is there in recutting a hundred+ year old stone? Is it worth it?

My diamond is beautiful but I'm sure it could be spectacular, and since its already so big, I wouldnt mind losing CT weight to improve the stone, also it will be huge with the halo already so losing some ct weight might actually be a good thing (on my 5.5 finger.)

I just emailed VC's rep to ask Victor to look at it and give an opinion on recutting, obviously I'd prefer he do it then set in AM but dont know if he does recutting at all.

Anyway, I so appreciate all of the generosity of wisdom and advice here, so TIA for any thoughts you have to offer.

 

[tyty333]

What is the mm depth of your stone?

 

[violetjane]

What is the mm depth of your stone?

 

[violetjane]

Hi tyty333,

This was all I could find of the ring, I dont recall if I got anything else, does this give the dimensions you meant? Thnx

 

[scarsmum]

I don’t believe you can safely recut an SI2. But maybe others disagree.

 

[tyty333]

It looks like the clarity is an I1. That could be an issue. I think you would be better off selling it and buying another stone that has the depth and charm you
are looking for. I dont think I've ever heard of VC recutting a stone.

 

[missyminx]

I'm curious about recutting a shallow stone as mine is also shallow at 55.7%.

@violetjane based on the report the depth of this stone is 50.59%. I think 58% is the minimum depth to have decent performance in an OEC. For a depth of 5.14mm, it translates to a diameter of 8.862 or so. If I am wrong, please feel free to correct me.

I am interested to hear what your recut estimate comes back with. Ari of Single Stone did a very good job on @kelpie shallow OEC. Her depth was also 50ish IIRC.

Here it is. She did both a repolish and a recut
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/single-stone-re-polish-results.142112/

 

[marymm]

You post the clarity is "SI2 ish" - I am sure VC will carefully examine & analyze your diamond particularly with respect to type/size/location of inclusions - but FWIW personally, if my stone, I might have reservations about a re-cut of an antique-cut SI2 diamond I otherwise love as (I assume) the risk of fracture/crack would be on me the owner and not on the cutter.

 

[violetjane]

You post the clarity is "SI2 ish" - I am sure VC will carefully examine & analyze your diamond particularly with respect to type/size/location of inclusions - but FWIW personally, if my stone, I might have reservations about a re-cut of an antique-cut SI2 diamond I otherwise love as (I assume) the risk of fracture/crack would be on me the owner and not on the cutter.

Yes I have to correct that, the grading from the jeweler has I1 and the jeweler I took it to locally for sizing ( I bought in MYC but live in metro Detroit area) called it an S2, so its somewhere in between

There aren't any big inclusions that I know of, I do know my local guy said there's a crack on the girdle. I'm certain Victor C will look it over and give me his best opinion, he's the master and I would trust whatever he tells me.

Missymix that is super helpful- Kelpie's results are gorgeous, love the setting too. I wonder if VC ( if he doesn't recut) would send my stone to SS since I think they're both in LA? I'll keep you posted when I hear back from VC . I SO appreciate all the feedback

 

[marymm]

Note that Kelpie's stone had better clarity (VS2) versus your stone's I1/SI2. An existing crack on the girdle is pretty alarming to my way of thinking ... generally speaking on re-cuts the risk of loss is on the owner of the stone, not on the cutter ... please be very sure you understand VC's policy on that.

 

[Acinom]

What an exciting project. The Anne Marie is a stunning design.
To my knowledge, Victor is not a diamond cutter himself. I believe he works with an excellent cutter with whom he designed his own Canera diamonds. But correct me if I am wrong. In any case, your stone is in the best hands

 

[Bonfire]

As others have advised a recut based on the clarity of your stone isn’t a good idea. If you don’t love your stone as is, you are far better off selling or trading it for one you do. I agree with @Acinom, you are in excellent hands with Victor! The Anne Marie is gorgeous!

 

[violetjane]

As others have advised a recut based on the clarity of your stone isn’t a good idea. If you don’t love your stone as is, you are far better off selling or trading it for one you do. I agree with @Acinom, you are in excellent hands with Victor! The Anne Marie is gorgeous!

TU and TU all. I do love the stone and would have no qualms about setting it as it is, I was thinking that if it was generally 'simple" to recut for better overall look I wouldn't mind at all to pay for that or to lose even 1/2 ct or so of weight, since its already large and I'm not hung up in size. What I am likely to do first and foremost would be to follow Victo's counsel, and assuming he'll agree with many of you here, I will someday upgrade the stone to something that will fit in the AM setting.

I am beyond thrilled to finally ( finally!!) be ready to finalize my ring with the most gorgeous setting. I've probably looked at the "introducing my 3.92" thread a thousand times. I even saw that Anne Marie herself switched up and sold the original ring with JBG last year, I am SO bummed BC had I been lurking here at the time I would have absolutely loved to buy it, because it's stunning but also it has a such a PS "presence". Wherever it is I'm sure it's well loved.

I will happily post my finished ring when I get it if anyone is interested in seeing what I'm sure will be another grand slam for VC.

 

[Acinom]

Please indeed keep us updated on the results... but also on the process. So curious to learn what Victor advises on the recut

 

[foxinsox]

Looking forward to seeing your reset! If you do get it recut, you’re keeping it as an OEC right?
From your avatar, it looks like a lovely stone!

 

[violetjane]

Looking forward to seeing your reset! If you do get it recut, you’re keeping it as an OEC right?
From your avatar, it looks like a lovely stone!

thank you , and yes, I love the OEC. Its really lovely and I'm sure it will be beautiful. The setting in gorgeous too, I'm going to save it for a future project- classic Edwardian filiagree basket with diamond shoulders.

 

[violetjane]

 

[LLJsmom]

If he is willing to recut it I couldn’t throw my stone at him quickly enough. If He would I would be booking a flight to LA as we speak. I trust him that much. I am so excited for you and I CANNOT wait for the outcome!!!!

 

[MollyMalone]

Please don't be surprised if he declines to shepherd the stone through a re-cut. This Q & A is the next-to-last one under the Diamond-Related Questions on his FAQ page:
https://www.victorcanera.com/service/faqs

Q I have a diamond that I'd like to have re-cut. Is that something you could help with?

A We unfortunately don't offer a diamond re-cutting service.​

 

[MollyMalone]

5 years ago, Barry Rogoff Diamond Cutters, Inc.
http://wecutdiamonds.com/index.html
was one of the recommendations CharmyPoo gave to someone with an heirloom OEC that needed attention:

I would not trust an old cut diamond to just anyone as many will want to recut it to a modern RB. You need someone that appreciates an old stone. Adam at Old World Diamonds was so kind to do this for me but they don't usually fix up stones that aren't theirs - he did it for me because I was trying to buy a diamond for him. I am very glad to get to know him better because he is awesome.

I would consider GOG, Singlestone, and JbEG's cutter. I would also be comfortable going to Barry Rogoff (http://wecutdiamonds.com) but he is in LA. I went to him to recut a diamond and found out that he LOVES old cuts!! [boldface added by MM]

And Barry Rogoff is less than 2 blocks from VC,
https://goo.gl/maps/HLVasBcFs9T2
so perhaps Victor would be willing to "walk" your stone to Barry Rogoff for re-cutting or less major repair, if you decide to not leave the diamond as is.

 

[violetjane]

Please don't be surprised if he declines to shepherd the stone through a re-cut. This Q & A is the next-to-last one under the Diamond-Related Questions on his FAQ page:
https://www.victorcanera.com/service/faqs

Q I have a diamond that I'd like to have re-cut. Is that something you could help with?

A We unfortunately don't offer a diamond re-cutting service.​

Thank you Molly,

I read the FAQs there, very helpful and fascinating info on the melee ( single vs full, I’m Very much hoping that Victor can do single cuts, I’m just not sure if he will be able to because the color of my stone is an M and I don’t think the single cut mail a common anything lower than J but I’m not positive.

 

[violetjane]

5 years ago, Barry Rogoff Diamond Cutters, Inc.
http://wecutdiamonds.com/index.html
was one of the recommendations CharmyPoo gave to someone with an heirloom OEC that needed attention:


And Barry Rogoff is less than 2 blocks from VC,
https://goo.gl/maps/HLVasBcFs9T2
so perhaps Victor would be willing to "walk" your stone to Barry Rogoff for re-cutting or less major repair, if you decide to not leave the diamond as is.

this is hugely helpful, thank you so much, when I hear back from Victor Canera’s customer service manager tomorrow, this is something I can ask. If someone with experience in re-cutting an old stone simply to improve the look of the Stone while maintaining the integrity and essence of it could do it, that would be wonderful. But I would prefer to keep the stone as is if it wasn’t able to simply improve , not looking to turn an Apple into an orange so to speak.

It sounds like there are a lot of resources in LA who could give good advice on that, if Victor things that the stone will look fantastic in the new setting, then I’m perfectly happy with whatever he advises. I will definitely keep this thread updated, and will post my pictures with great excitement when I do get the ring back which hopefully will be in a couple of weeks.

 

[MollyMalone]

Not sure if you noticed that Barry Rogoff provides a "to the trade" fee schedule on the bottom half of this page:
http://wecutdiamonds.com/services.html
That suggests that BR isn't currently dealing directly with consumers, but even if they do, think you'd feel more comfortable with Victor Canera acting as your liaison, if he's willing to do that. I'd expect Victor would charge some kind of mark-up on the business-to-business price as that is generally customary (and fair imo).

But I also thought BR's trade fees could be a touchstone for reference should you ask Single Stone, suggested up-thread, for a price quote. Ari Medillian (he and his wife are the owners of SS) doesn't do any diamond cutting himself & I don't know if they have an in-house cutter on staff; SS may send out such work, maybe even to Barry Rogoff.

Of course, Victor himself may recommend a diamond cutter, which would probably provide you with greatest peace of mind. Looking forward to your updates -- and seeing pics of your very own Anne Marie ring!

 

[xxxxxx]

@violetjane did you ever recut your diamond? (: