Antique .75 CARAT Natural Old Mine Cushion Elongated DIAMOND Solitaire Engagement Ring 18k Gold Solid Yellow Prong

ABOUT:
Here is a striking all original antique diamond solitaire with the .75 carat old mine cut diamond having an elongated cushion cut shape. This is a design I have seen hundreds of times in France. I'm sure it wasn't limited to just there, but it was super popular during the antique period.

The diamond is propped up in long straight prongs with a halo of white metal around the base to serve as an illusion setting to make the stone appear larger on the hand. Aside from the top of the halo and prongs, the rest of the piece is in 18k gold.

Sits tall and proud to catch the light in a classic 6 pronged setting. I love my antique diamonds like this where the shape isn't perfectly symmetrical. Rather it has a more organic shape, just slightly oblong in its cushion cut, clearly a hand cut antique stone with so much character.

No hallmarks remain which is actually common for French pieces as they are marked in the back and often lost during a sizing or from wear. But sold to me from a reputable source in France where the standard is 18k and tested to confirm.

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 1/2 slightly snug.

The diamond measures 6.2x5.2mm with a depth of 3.5mm and totals around 3/4 carat. This is an estimate as I would not remove it for an exact measurement.

The piece weighs 1.9 grams.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
There is a natural inclusion above the open culet that appears like a cloud at some angles, nearly disappearing when you spin it some ways, and in others, the crystal inclusion can catch the light to become slightly eye visible. You can try to seek this out in the 20x zoom of the already zoomed photos which will make it more evident than while wearing. There is also an indented natural inclusion on one girdle edge that can make the stone appear nibbled or out of round but it is actually a natural characteristic of the stone. GIA defines this as a dent that occurs under the surface of a diamond as a result of the diamond cutter's decision not to polish it off, because doing so could end up harming the diamond so the cutters would work around it - this is not considered a defect or blemish and is seen mostly under magnification. No dark carbon or glaring inky spots, it's a lively stone with better clarity than the majority from the period.

Also typical the stone has a lovely warm to pale yellow hue in direct light. We antique addicts seek this out for our hand cut antique diamonds. Not a detectible yellow in most lighting but just the antique warmth having been cut during a period that the mines in used produced warmer rough making it perfectly period appropriate and one of a kind, as no two hand cut diamonds are ever exactly alike.

A little wear to the prongs but well held on all sides and ready for wear which we love to find on original antiques. Just something to keep an eye on over time.
Love the shape of this stone!

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 : )

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.

Box#o.^62