Antique 1 Carat 1Ctw. OVAL Light Yellow Cape Color Old Mine Cut DIAMOND Stud Earrings w/ Certificate 18k White GOLD

ABOUT:

Beautiful pair of antique pale yellow oval old mine cut diamond stud earrings in 18k white gold. I purchased these in France and each diamond comes with a certificate from LFG Paris (Laboratories Francais de Gemmologie) / the French version of GIA.

The pair totals 1 carat total weight in diamonds (about half a carat each). Aside from being a highly sought after old mine cut pair, my favorite thing about them is the fabulous but subtle pale yellow color. One is an M in color and the other is just slightly more yellow in the N-R range - these are referred to as "Cape" colors. Just love to find warm to light yellow hues in antique diamonds.

These are scarce and sought after for a few reasons - the first is that all antique hand cut antique diamonds of course have a more limited supply since they are no longer made in this way. There are only so many in existence compared to the millions of carats of modern machine cut diamonds made every year. These have withstood the test of time.

The second is the shape and color - we usually see old mine cuts in round or cushion shaped but these are oval. And with the added bonus of their pale yellow color - it is believed that only 1 carat in every 10,000 carats mined are yellow diamonds. So putting the old hand cut together with the color and shape and a matching pair - mwah! (chef's kiss). I enjoy looking at them side by side to compare the slight differences in how they were hand cut over 125 years ago.

I'm not sure if the settings are very old, the push backs are definitely later. These have the Alpa style push button push backs that have little spring loaded panels on each side of the push backs to secure the earrings. The white gold setting was certainly chosen intentionally as it makes the color contrast of the yellow stones more apparent.

Would be a beautiful something old for a bride.

The push backs are stamped 750, the numerical hallmarking system for 18k used in Europe.

Antique box not included. Please note the measurements as I have small hands and it can be difficult to decipher scale from photos.

SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:

The earrings are about 5.4mm oval give or take, the pair weighs 1.5 grams.
One stone measures .47 carat and the other measures just slightly chunkier at .53 carat to total the 1 carat for the pair.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:

I don't typically care to compare antique diamonds against the "Four C's" scale which was created much later for mathematically perfected machine cut diamonds, but as the information was provided I will certainly pass it along. The .53 stone that is N-R in color is VS1 in clarity and the other .47 carat stone that is M in color is VS2 in clarity. Also translating the French certificate, the florescence is weak to none.

No chips, nibbles or nicks. The prongs are in good shape.

Please note that all my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. They will have patina, surface wear, a few small nicks. These pieces may also have evidence of a sizing, some build up around the stones and / or inclusions seen under magnification, typical for antique pieces. I have mentioned any noticeable issues above and they are all still wearable and eager to be loved and accepted for many years to come, (the preservation of antique jewelry, even those with signs of their age and history, is important to me. : )
But - Please note due to age, this piece is not in mint condition. Pictures also serve as part of the description and condition report so please utilize the zoom feature which will magnify any wear significantly more than what is visible to the eye while wearing : )

Thanks so much for looking at my items!

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