ABOUT:
This fiery beauty is just so fun to wear. A little over 1 full carat old mine cut diamond solitaire suspended in triangular prongs that give the ring face a star or sunburst shape. The beautiful old cut diamond has a slight warmth to palest yellow hue that I and many collectors seek out in our antique stones. This French antique piece is from the Art Deco period, crafted and hallmarked for 18k white gold and platinum.
A simple and elegant shank propping the chunky cut diamond nice and tall. Adding to its appeal, those unique prongs are holding the diamond securely on all sides making this beauty ready for regular wear.
The diamond seems to vary in hue based on the lighting. It isn't a vibrant yellow but doesn't have the bright white color so you can see the slight warmth while wearing which I just find so beautiful. Hopefully the photos in various lighting condition help as they are a true representation of how the piece responds to sun and ambient light. (See my website for additional photos).
I love antique diamonds, even those with inclusions typical for the time, because some of those were still among the best available in the market during that period, and were expertly cut by hand to enhance their best characteristics. So I don’t often like to compare antique stones against modern grading standards that were created for mathematically perfected machine cut stones - BUT This diamond, for an old stone has particularly lovely fire reflecting a noticeable flash with the other colors of the rainbow. It was actually quite noticeable, especially while trying to photograph it. I'm amazed by it now as I wear it in low light how glittery and it is.
Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures. Antique box is not included.
MEASUREMENTS:
Size 6. The diamond measures about 6.1 by 6.4mm, slightly out of round as we expect to see in these old, expertly hand cut stones. It has a wonderfully chunky depth at 4.15mm and a slightly thick frosted girdle taking it to a little over 1 full carat. It stands a proud 7mm tall off the finger, suspending the chunky cut diamond to be viewable from all sides.
The piece weighs 2.5 grams.
CONDITION NOTES:
A smattering of tiny crystal speck inclusions that can sometimes catch the light but are so small, they are only very slightly eye visible one has a bit of gray carbon but is difficult to spot and the diamond was expertly cut so that they are hidden when the diamond faces up and are seen more when studying the stone under magnification at angles. It has a slightly thick frosted girdle with one area that has a nibble and a shallow flake of loss on the underside edge, nothing visible while wearing and seen by my eyes only when I study it under strong magnification. Exceptional fire to this diamond with such a beautiful warmth. My favorite of the solitaires I have been able to source this year.
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 : )
I enjoy making my customers happy and matching unique pieces with new homes. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions! It means a lot to me that you are visiting my shop! : )
SOCIAL:
Please feel free watch @mouseshouseantiques on Instagram for inventory drops, sneak peaks and previews! And check out my website www.MousesHouseAntiques.com as I can add more pics there so you can get extra looks : )
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A note about antique diamonds:
The whole "4 C's" of cut, color, clarity, carat didn't come about until the 1940s so prior to that and especially on antique pieces, there was not as much emphasis placed on those things. (Sure people probably appreciated a certain look of a certain diamond as it appeared to the eye but it was not a graded scale like we have today for machine cut stones.) It is difficult to judge antique stones against modern day diamonds with their grading system evaluating their mathematically perfected proportions using methods and standards that didn’t exist for hand cut old cut diamonds. No two old cuts are the same as they were crafted in times lacking those modern standards. The diamond cutters of the time were experts at hand cutting each stone to enhance it which means that even lower color grades can be cut to appear whiter. (Although it is also worth noting that many antique collectors prefer and seek out antique diamonds with warmer hues.)
It is also interesting that "lower graded" diamonds in today's scale system, were some of the best on the market during that period! So it is less about their grades and more about the unique play of light and color that each one can offer. I read one article that put it: “When searching for the perfect old cut diamond (for you), you need to view them through different eyes as you would for a modern diamond." Laboratory grading reports don’t offer too much information in regards to the beauty or sparkle of an antique diamond, which is based on the individual character and uniqueness that each hand cut stone potentially offers.
