ABOUT:
There are so fun to wear out and about with the most amazing sparkle! Crafted in 18k white gold, this French early 1900s bracelet is set with 2.8 carats of chunky old mine cut diamonds all the way around. The diamonds being the star of the show, settle in nicely amidst the white gold, making this one wearable even in a yellow gold wrist stack where the diamonds can add the attention grabbing glitter effect.
The piece has a nice geometry with each diamond set in a square bezel that is hinged to the next, allowing it to flex slightly to curve around the wrist. This also allows the piece to ripple and move so that the diamonds can catch the light. The vertical edges of the bracelet have a bit of height to them to allow the diamonds to stand off the wrist with sleek undecorated sides.
Underside of the clasp is stamped with the French mark for 18k gold.
The bracelet comes as pictured in an antique box that is not original to the piece, but is collectible in its own right - this piece deserves appropriate housing / storage.
Please note the measurements as I have small hands and it can be difficult to decipher scale from photos.
MEASUREMENTS:
The old mine cuts are hand cut with the majority being cushion cut, so they vary slightly. They are each around 2.3mm to 2.6mm and there are 47 of them. I would never remove them from the piece for an exact measurement, but estimated at least 2.8 carats total weight in diamonds.
It weighs 18.65 grams.
The line of square bezels is about 3.5mm north to south. Depth off the wrist is 4mm with the smooth sides leading up to the diamonds.
It is about 7 1/4 inches stretched end to end, not including the tongue insert of the clasp which does not add length since it nests inside the other end.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
It functions well, clicks into place, the push button loosens it and the side latch also clips securely to the little rivet on the other side. So it wears very securely
Some patina to recesses around the diamonds which adds a nice antiqueness to the piece. Some surface wear to the sides made more notable when they catch the light due to the mirrored finish of that area.
Typical antique hand cut diamonds with some slightly warm hues here and there but overall well matching and the chunky sparkle that these antique diamonds display reflects the light differently so as to face up brighter. These were cut long before the "Four C's" scale was invented for modern machine cut diamonds with their mathematically perfected facets. The modern grading scale for diamonds doesn't typical do justice to the uniqueness of these stones that were hand cut with methods and standards no longer practiced.
Two of the diamonds have a nick, one being the result of an inclusion that has carried up to the surface. To the eye they still appear complete.
Also typical for antique stones, some have natural inclusions, many being eye clean to slightly eye visible inclusions, just a few with a frosty crystal area or a larger silk eye visible inclusion. No large dark carbon spots. None of the diamonds are deeply chipped or cracked with loss - they all fill the bezels and have retained their original shape so any spots of loss are very shallow flakes but studying it under magnification I really only detected the two out of the 47 diamonds with this.
As expected for a piece of this age, 100 years old and counting, there is some wear to the bead prongs. Each stone has four bead prongs holding it. Some of the stones do move slightly but all stones are present with none coming free. It wouldn't make sense to re-fortify every one of the prongs and most of my buyers prefer original condition so this is one where you'd wear it with an understanding of its age and deal with any loss as it comes, which may be never. To be honest, I see more loss on vintage machine made pieces than I do on these antique hand made items, but I always recommend gentler wear on any piece with multiple stones.
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 : )
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 : )
Additional cost for insurance, expedited shipping and signature upon delivery will be covered by me.
Box#ms.^42
