ABOUT:
One of my most popular styles - the wonderfully stackable five stone band. This is one of my larger ones when it comes to carat weight, it has a nice height off the finger and splays slightly to provide full coverage of diamonds across the top of the finger. Layers well with other pieces too! It is a lovely warmth to pale yellow in some light, often sought after by antique collectors when it comes to old cut diamonds. And period appropriate as many of the rough stones came ethically from mines that produced warmer diamonds, compared to the millions of carats produced each year in the modern eara.
I acquired this piece in England. It is stamped with an old 18CT stamp for 18k gold. The old mine cut diamonds are all quite a nice size with slightly graduating a step smaller on the outside stones. With the tall face, it stacks well next to bands so it would make a wonderful anniversary ring or even engagement ring to stack next to a wedding band. I have some additional pics of it stacked on my website so feel free to check those. It is also quite substantial and wears beautifully on its own. This one grabs the attention for sure! I try to acquire as many of these diamond bands as I can because they are so versatile and wearable that they are quite sought after at the moment.
Adding to its desirability are the secure prongs which are in great shape holding each diamond securely. We often see worn prongs on pieces of this age but this one is ready for regular wear.
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:
It is a size 6 3/4. It weighs 3.6 grams.
The largest center diamond is 5.7mm and is about 3/4 carat alone. The adjacent two are around 5mm each. The end stones are just slightly smaller, about 4.4mm each. I do not remove stones from antique settings for an exact measurement, for fear of damaging the piece. but estimates to around 2.5 carats total weight in diamonds.
The ring face splays 21mm east west on the finger from diamond to diamond and it stands 5mm tall off the finger.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
All my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition.
The prongs are excellent in this rare instance making this antique piece ready for regular wear.
Typical antique diamonds in that they have some natural inclusions. Three are eye clean, one has a linear silk inclusion that I warm in color that is eye visible if you are seeking it out with very good eye sight. and the center diamond has some icy inclusions and a crystal with a tiny smattering of carbon when studied from the side that can sometimes catch the light. These can reflect and create some cloudy spots when studying within the stone, being slightly eye visible. No glaring ink spots or anything that jumps out with normal wear, it's just that one center stone where you can see the smattering of carbon within the crystal at eye level from the side. The old mine cuts have a some warmth to very pale yellow hues. Some of the warmth is amplified by the diamonds splaying outward so they reflect the light differently than when they are being viewed face up where they were expertly cut to face up brighter. The diamonds are quite lively with a great sparkle, not dull at all. All the stones are secure and do not move with several long prongs on each so this one can shine with regular wear which is harder to find on pieces of this age. : )
Shank is sturdy and appears to have been reinforced. It was very tidily done, almost to be unnoticeable but you can see at the banded shoulder detail that it widens a bit there so it must have been thinning from age and needed some bulking up. They did an excellent job, looks great and is comfortable to wear. It wears beautifully and great to see the prongs in such good condition! But Due to age - please note this is not a mint condition item.
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 strict graded scale like we have today.)
So it is difficult to judge antique stones against modern day diamonds with mathematically perfect proportions 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 these stones to enhance them, which means that even lower color grades can be cut to appear whiter. It is also interesting that "lower graded" diamonds in today's scale system, were some of the best on the market during this period! Many antique diamonds with warmth to their color were often chosen intentionally by diamond cutters of the time and are even sought after by collectors.
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.” An interesting comparison of antique vs. modern diamonds. : )
Thanks so much for looking at my items!
SOCIAL:
Please feel free watch @mouseshouseantiques on Instagram for inventory drops, sneak peaks and previews! And check out my website www.MousesHouseAntiques.com
Expedited shipping with signature upon delivery will be at my cost.
Box#mo.3%2
