I take regularly scheduled inventory trips to Europe and around the USA to find unique antique items to bring you! I recently completed two Spring trips (see my instagram to follow along! : ). Some additional examples of my typical inventory seen in the group photo - These pieces were all hand picked one at a time to assemble a collection that I hope you will enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!
ABOUT:
This one of a kind piece is clearly a custom made and so much fun. The stars here are the amazing antique old mine cut diamonds in varying hues. These chunky stones were uniquely cut by hand and have a sort of color gradient effect with one being white / colorless, one champagne in color, one a pale yellow and one a more vibrant greenish yellow. The diamonds total almost 1.5 carat (about 1.45 ct tdw). These are then accented by a natural pinkish red ruby and a natural green emerald for additional pops of color. The sturdy shank is a bypass setting where each end of the band culminates in a cluster of three stones, giving it a double clover design.
The piece is crafted in 18k gold. It has a hallmark but I can't decipher it so while I purchased it in France, I am unsure of its origin. The diamonds are clearly antique but I can't discern if they are original to the setting or if someone took granny's old stones and had them reset. There is organic wear to the setting so it does have some age to it. But I love the whimsical setting and uncommon color combination. Certainly the only one of its kind!
I took some pics of the piece next to a colorless / white diamond cluster to help compare hues. Please feel free to check my website as well where I can add a lot more additional photos.
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 7 1/4.
The diamonds measure 3.8 to 4.4mm each, varying slightly between the hand cuts. Some very chunky cuts with the greenish yellow diamond for example being as deep as it is wide with an extra thick girdle.
Exact measurements are unknown as I would not remove them from the setting but estimating around 1.45 carat total weight in diamonds as they are each .3 to .45 carat.
The ring face is 17mm north south with the stones spreading 10mm east west. It stands 6.5mm off the finger.
The piece weighs a sturdy 6 grams.
CONDITION NOTES:
The fancy greenish yellow diamond is eye clean but has frosted facets around the culet that can be seen when looking through the stone under magnification.
The pale yellow diamond has a warmer eye visible silk inclusion and the other two diamonds just have a crystal speck, small fleck or needle inclusion here or there seen under magnification. Natural inclusions to the frosty emerald and ruby as well with a few faint nicks.
The diamond prongs are all excellent so those are good to go for another 100 years. The emerald has one worn prong. The inside edges of the ruby and emerald are set with a partial bezel that extends around about 1/3 of each stone - you can see how the gold work is smooth there on the inside instead of separate prongs as seen on the outside edges. Those bezels show some wear so I would keep an eye on that inside edge over time.
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 : )
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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.
