Antique 1.5 Carat Mixed Rose Old Mine Cut DIAMOND Navette Ring Champagne Light Brown Green Yellow Chunky Cluster 18k Gold Silver Cobblestone

I am back from my inventory trip to Europe with quite a lot of antique treasures to share with you! I will be rolling out new pieces almost every week from now, all the way through the holidays. Please stay tuned and feel free to follow on Instagram!

ABOUT:
Those that follow me I'm sure see my weakness for diamond clusters and navettes are a personal fav - I love their drama! This is a personal collection release from Paris and it has a great antique look to it. Amazing sparkle to the completely encrusted ring face that is set with a fascinating mix of 27 old mine cut diamonds totaling over 1 1/2 carat.

What we love about antiques are their quirkiness and this piece has it. The cobblestone ring face is a mix of rose cuts and old mine cuts, and the antique diamonds come in a mix of hues. Many are warm, having been cut during the period when the mines used produced warmer rough stones. A handful are fancy light brown to champagne in color, one is pale yellow and yet another is a more vibrant greenish yellow. All natural diamonds, each one of a kind having been hand cut in much more limited quantity compared to the millions of carats produced each year now. This one is all about antique character.

I love the way the elongated largest old mine cut diamond at center crops out of the ring face with its high crown and chunky cut. The ring face has a wonderful texture from the old cuts, the bead prongs of the silver work and the fact that every vacant space is set with a varying sized diamond for all over sparkle. So fun to view from the side to see those wonderfully wonky old cuts.

This piece is crafted in 18k gold with the diamonds set in silver as was customary for the period to set diamonds in a white metal. The outside edges of the ring have a cut down collet appearance.

Sturdy shank with a rich antique rosy gold patina, it has French hallmarks for 18k and silver.

Antique box / props not included.  Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures.

MEASUREMENTS:
Exact depth of the diamonds is unknown as I would not remove them but estimated carat weight is over 1.5 carats. The largest center old mine cut measures about 5.2x3.7mm and is about .35 carat alone. The others are in the 2 to 2.5mm range with the four smaller diamond spacers at 1.5mm.

The ring is a size 8 and weighs 5.1g. The ring face is 26x12mm and stands 5mm tall off the finger.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:

Please note that all my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. This one is in all original condition with some wear to the silver face and on a piece of this age with many stones, we usually recommend gentler wear. We do expect to find this on pieces of this age and while many modern jewelers may advise you to make it "like new" many of my buyers prefer keeping the piece in original condition and wearing it more gently. None of the stones move but it's just under magnification where I can see some wear to the silver settings. It's priced accordingly as typically the price tag is higher for a 1.5 carat Victorian.

Typical antique diamonds with some natural inclusions, one of the smaller stones has a smattering of carbon seen under magnification. Many of the others have some frosty spots and specks and a few of the rose cuts are quite frosty all the way through. The diamonds look quite ancient with free form shapes and unpolished areas which is how they originally were cut. A few have some nicks and nibbles and shallow flakes of those so these stones do look their age, especially with the mix of hues giving the piece a more moody vibe and a more muted sparkle. Still - A Wonderful and impactful antique sparkler. I love antique diamonds, even those with inclusions or hues 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.

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 would be delighted if you'd follow me in my shop. Thanks for stopping by!

SOCIAL:
Please feel free watch @mouseshouseantiques on insta for inventory drops, sneak peaks and previews!

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.) So it is difficult to judge antique stones against modern day diamonds and their grading system. No two old cuts are the same as they were crafted in times lacking any 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 this 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 their individual beauty or sparkle which are based more on their individual character and uniqueness that each one potentially offers.”

Box#sc.!)2#