Van Craeynest 484 Ready!

[chrono]

This ring took quite a while to complete but here it is. Being a coloured gemstone buff, I decided to have a cobalt bearing blue spinel set instead of a diamond. It seemed a perfect fit for the rich 18K yellow gold metal.

The spinel, although very small at 1.5 ct, has amazing colour, very reminiscent of fine blue sapphire or tanzanite. It is a fabulous blue outdoors and a tanzanite purple indoors. My dilemma was how to set such a small stone without further dwarfing it. It deserves more than a simple basket setting and a halo will emphasize its smallness so that wasn't right either.

All of a sudden, inspiration struck when I heard that Van Craeynest is considering casting their previously die struck pieces. I'd always admired their designs, workmanship and level of finess and detail, not to mention a dying art of jewellery making. It seemed like the right time to own a die struck piece before it is no longer an option, plus the designs are suited to smaller sized stones.

The delicacy of the setting in person is unbelievable. This ring is indeed for the pleasure of the wearer. From afar, it looks like an ordinary very fine ring but up close, the details takes your breath away. The milgraine is so fine as to feel smooth to the touch and only visible when very close to the eye. The scrolls are perfectly rounded and even. VC pieces are indeed heirloom pieces and this will be one of my treasured pieces.

 

[chrono]

The fluorescent lighting in my office is very poor and I'll have to wait until later to get better outdoor pictures.

 

[chrono]

This one is purely just for kicks to show the purplish side of the blue spinel. The picture is very dark due the lack of sufficient lighting. I need a professional light box like Kenny's.

 

[rainydaze]

Oh Chrono! It's gorgeous... I am anxiously awaiting more pics!!

I love the basket... I love how it is integrated in with the shank, it just flows beautifully! I have their traditional basket with clefted claw prongs for my RHR, and while I admire its beauty, it sticks up and catches on everything, making it somewhat difficult to wear. Yours is the perfect solution - beauty and function!! I love how it shows off the color of your stone from the side, divine!!

 

[chrono]

Rainydaze,
Thank you for your kind words. Yes, the original basket seems a bit on the high side and with my stone being very deep, I didn't want it to end up like a skyscraper and catching everything, further compounded by my klutziness. Yes, hand shots are coming up next.

 

[chrono]

Hand shots.

 

[chrono]

There was concern that the spinel might be a smidge to large for the setting, both length and width wise but it all worked out. There's little to no overhang of the stone over the side accent diamonds.

 

[Catmom]

What a gorgeous stone and setting! I love it!!!

 

[justginger]

Obviously the stone is stunning, but I am astounded by the level of detail and perfection in the setting. It's a work of art!

 

[chrono]

Thank you Catmom and JustGinger.

More pictures to follow. Again, these are indoor pictures under the dreaded office fluorescents, hence the reason why everything is so dark. To be sure, the spinel is solidly a medium dark toned stone and this is about as dark I can accept.

 

[sapphirering]

Wow, Chrono, I absolutely love your ring. Would you mind sharing the dimension of your spinel? It's such a treat to see a colored stone (and a gorgeous one at that) in a stunning setting such as this. My taste has veered toward clean/modern lately but seeing your ring has gotten me all bothered and confused.

 

[GregS]

Puts most Sapphires to shame, with its higher dispersion, almost equal toughness, amazing color and better price point. Beautiful!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, that is absolutely gorgeous!!!

Is that the 484 regular or large?

(Just for other readers, Van Craeynest said they have decided not to cast these original pieces. They do not plan to sell cast settings under the VC name.)

 

[chrono]

Sapphirering,
The spinel measures 7 x 5 mm.

DS,
It's good to know VC is abandoning the idea of casting. I just don't see how they will be able to maintain the level of detail and finess with the cast method. In any case, it spurred me on to quickly get my own. Mine is the regular because the stone is small enough although it was pushing it size wise.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

They would have cast the piece large enough so that all of the hand work would still be done as it is now. Basically we wouldn't have been able to tell them apart. But I think partly due to the strong preference here to keep them done the old way, they decided not to change the way the old ones are made. They will likely have to charge more in order to do that, so I hope to get one sooner rather than later, too!

 

[JewelFreak]

Chono, it's scrumptious! The milgrain is SO delicate & fine & the U-prongs just what blue spinels need -- allow its marvelous colors to show their best. The looking-down-on-it shots make you feel like you're staring into the deep blue sea. Brava!

--- Laurie

 

[rosetta]

Aaaah I love it!!

 

[pandabee]

Wow this looks amazing!!! And so incredibly detailed! Will you be wearing it with your new orange blossom ring?

 

[MrsM]

Love the stone and the new beautiful setting. The rich gold color highlights the stone perfectly!

 

[tyty333]

Its quite beautiful!

 

[rainydaze]

Oh man Chrono! I've been gone all morning and just now saw the additional pics.... BREATHTAKING! I love it, and it looks ah-mazing on your finger! Perfect combo!

 

[Laila619]

Wow, that is stunning Chrono!

 

[stci]

Beautiful! Is this to wear with the magnificent wedding band I see in another post?

 

[Rosebloom]

I adore this ring!!! What a beauty!

 

[lorrissey]

This piece is stunning!

 

[minousbijoux]

Chrono: totally worth waiting for. Now that I can see it close up, this is what I love about it:

1. That rich, deep blue (or purple, depending upon its mood) with yellow gold.

2. The stone itself - no surprise there, but it is beautiful. Who needs sapphires when you can find blue spinels like that (only I can't which is why I have sapphires)?

3. Fantastic setting. The detail, the scrollwork, the dimensions, and quality of the diamonds make it delicately beautiful and frankly, would make a lump of coal look pretty awesome.

4. Proportion of stone to setting. Perfection.

5. How it looks on your hand. I would say it suits you really, really well. Not to big, not too small. It complements you beautifully.

Now, I know you are modest and don't like to praise your own tremendously, but tell us how it feels to wear it. Have you worn it officially? How does it feel? Do you absolutely love it? What's your favorite part?

All in all, Yay!!

 

[stargurl78]

I agree with everything minousbijoux said! It's an absolutely beautiful ring, I love everything about it

 

[chrono]

Stci and Pandabee,
I know most would wear this ring together with the orange blossom band but I dare not. I'm so worried that over time, the two designs will rub each other and wear the details of the rings away. I don't know if my fears are unfounded but why take the risk?

To All,
Thank you for looking, all the overflowing compliments and sharing my enjoyment of this new ring.

 

[chrono]

Minou,
I've never thought back and wondered / regretted not setting the rectangular pink / lavender colour shift Luc Yen spinel in this setting instead. Not one bit. As soon as I opened the package, I think my jaw dropped a little. If I may brag a little for being biased, I think the combination of velvety dark blue with the rich yellow gold is perfect and the package is perfection itself.

I hunted for years to find the right blue spinel and am so in love with this guy even though it is far smaller than what I normally purchase. Not a hint of green or gray under any lights. Price was very reasonable for the quality and zero treatment, which is always a plus.

As you can tell, I'm in love with the setting too. I used to wonder what was so great about VC's settings and now that I've seen it myself, I understand why people pay $$$ just for a setting. No CAD/cast can come close to this level of detail and the fact that it is done the old fashioned die struck method adds another level of specialness to me.

It is extremely comfortable to wear and are you kidding? Of course I am wearing at the moment and will for the next few days. It looks very at home on my middle finger, which is a new thing for me. I've always worn my rings on the 4th finger but I decided to try something different this time as well. Yes, I agree that the proportions turned out to be just right too, not just stone to ring, but also ring to the finger.

 

[JaneSmith]

That is truly beautiful, every part of it. I adore that blue!
Could you, pretty please, take a picture of this ring with your other new ring together? I know you said you don't want to damage that delicate gold detail, but just one picture to drool over won't hurt!