ABOUT:
I have been getting a lot of requests to source antique diamond eternity bands so when I discovered this Paris find totaling around 5 carats, I went for it. Of the old mine eternity bands out there, many are newly made settings - so, much harder to find an original condition antique. I also like that this one is slightly tapered which is a somewhat uncommon, making it a bit more comfortable to wear with the shank a bit thinner at the back. Each of the hand chiseled antique stones graduate slightly in size, nesting nicely for that all around sparkle. Perfect to stack, with the wonderful texture of 20 chunky old mine cuts cropping out of the sturdy band. Edwardian to Art Deco era French piece, crafted in platinum - I love looking at it from the side to see the diamond crowns catch the light. Please see my website for many more photos than the amount allowed here and as always, you're welcomed to contact me for additional videos as well. : )
Extra sparkly! Some of the chunkier old cut diamonds in this ring have the single row of crown facets that are long and triangular scissor cuts. These are sometimes mistakenly referred to as Peruzzi cuts but they are not, despite having some similar tendencies. (Mine cuts typically have three rows of facets to the crown whereas these have the single row of long facets.) Some of the diamonds are more square or rectangular shaped with that great antique sparkle. Perhaps a combination of a French cut / Old Mine Cut ? as diamond cutters at the time used their personal knowledge, taste and expertise to enhance each diamond. It is always fun to find uniquely cut antique diamonds! And also not uncommon to find a mix of old mine hand cut methods on the same piece, as jewelers of the time used what was available to them and these old stones were in much more limited supply compared to the millions of carats of modern machine cut diamonds produced each year now.
You might notice a shallow impression on the side of the shank towards the bottom thinner tapered edge - this is the French hallmark for platinum! It is not a ding or dent. The piece also has a goldsmith stamp near to that, and a French counterstrike mark on the other side.
Antique box not included.
Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and the pictures can make it difficult to see scale.
SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:
Size 7 1/2. Weight is over 7 grams. Eternity rings can't be sized unless a strap of gold is added to be worn at the back inside the palm but this would be something to discuss with your local jeweler to be sure they would take on the work as it could risk the stone settings and is generally not advised. Opinions vary with modern jewelers working on antiques.
It is 5.2mm wide north to south at the face, tapering to about 3.5mm at the back, by 2.6mm to 3.5mm tall / deep as the diamonds crop out of the band at various heights, the platinum setting is about 2mm deep all the way around.
The largest center diamond is about 4.9x4.3mm and is one of the chunkier cuts with the highest crown, measuring over .4 carat alone. The rest of the stones measure 3 to 4.5mm each with varying depths. It was sold to me at around 5 carats which aligns with my measurements as well. Note that this is an estimate, having to measure the stones while they are set, as I would never remove them for exact measurements.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
There are some small bubbles and uneven areas to the vertical edge of the platinum work at the ring face on both sides. It almost shows up like fingerprints but is actually unevenness to the platinum. It does not look to me like any of the stones were replaced or any work like that done, it appears to be all original construction so I believe this is related to wear. The piece may have been stacked and incurred some dings and dents on those vertical platinum edges. It was polished but you can see some ripples in that area on both sides. Feel free to request more photos to clarify this, as to which marks are the intentional hallmarks and which marks are from age and wear.
There is also the slightest curve to the platinum at the ring face, on the north south edges around the largest stone. Again, I believe this is age related as the platinum would have been at its thinnest there, above and below that largest stone, and has worn to a gradual and very slight curve as seen in the photos and video.
One stone at the back center of the ring is chipped with loss to one side and top edge. Sorrows sorrows, but we often see this with eternity bands in original antique condition, as the palm of the hand comes into contact with surfaces making the bottom side of the ring more heavily worn than the top. The stone is secure and almost fills the bezel space but appears overall quite frosty from the unpolished area where the flakes of loss occurred. That and if you are studying it, you can see a slight gap between the edge of the stone and the setting where loss to the girdle edge occurred. These things are eye visible.
There is one other stone with a corner crown facet that also has flakes of loss leaving a small unpolished area to the top facet edge. The stone still fills the space and this is only very slightly eye visible if studying the surface of the stone to detect the difference in texture.
They are overall very nice quality antique stones, hand cut long before the four C's scale was invented for machine cut diamonds with mathematically perfected facets. Some faint natural inclusions typical for antique diamonds but nothing glaring. Several of the stones are eye clean and anything else is only slightly eye visible, only two having a small carbon spot. And one said spot is within a stone that was cut to hide it, right over the culet - so again you really have to seek them out to see them.
A worn prong here or there as expected for age and original condition but none of the stones move. As a general rule, I don't advertise my 100+ year old pieces, especially those with multiple stones and little bead prongs as being for daily wear, (I really only ever do in the case of a solitaire if the prongs were already reinforced). Of course wear more regular wear is always possible, as I wear only antiques all day every day, but with the understanding that I may have to deal with a lost stone at some point if it happens. The piece is sturdy and well made, not overly fragile or delicate, but I often get the question about daily wear so I wanted to make that disclaimer as I do with pretty much all of my antiques, if for no other reason than their age alone.
Also typical for antique stones - some slight warmth and slightly varying hues, having been hand cut from rough diamonds that came from mines producing warmer stones during the period. Overall well matching with none really jumping out as different. Some of what you see in photos is also from the chunky diamonds splaying outwards as they curve around the band, which reflects the light differently since they do not all "face up" to the eye while wearing.
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 : )
All items hand picked by me, one at a time from all over the world. All listings individually written by me, and not AI, after studying each piece to discuss its beauties and its ; ) eccentricities (which I am picky to point out).
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