Antique OMC 1 Carat Old Mine Cut DIAMOND Ring 5 Five Stone Chunky Band French 18k Gold Stacker

ABOUT:

At the moment I am especially drawn to stackable diamond bands and this is a lovely one. I try to acquire as many as I can because they are so versatile and wearable that they usually sell quickly.

This is a French Antique wide band in 18k buttery gold with beautiful scrolled setting holding five chunky old mine cut diamonds totaling around 1 carat total weight. It is glittery and a striking one to wear and stack, it layers well with the 5 old mine cut diamonds almost uniform in size and just slightly graduating towards the end.

I love the scrolling detail on the vertical edges of the ring gallery leading up to the textured outlined ring face. The shoulders are also beautifully decorated. Buttery 18k gold to the sturdy shank which is topped in platinum or white gold as was customary for the period to set diamonds in a white precious metal.

I love antique diamonds, even those with inclusions or hues typical for the time, because some of those were still among the best available in the market during that period, and were expertly cut by hand to enhance their best characteristics. So I don’t often like to compare antique stones against modern grading standards - BUT these diamonds, for old stones have particularly lovely fire reflecting a noticeable flash with the colors of the rainbow. It was actually quite noticeable, especially while trying to photograph it. They also have a bright white color and a high clarity with only one diamond having a slightly eye visible inclusion. So even though the stones were made long before the 4 C's existed for mathematically perfect machine cut stones, it sparkles really beautifully. I'm amazed by it now as I wear it in low light how glittery and bright it still is.

French hallmarks to the back, they are worn but the goldsmith stamp is visible and a partial hallmark.
Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures.

Antique box not included.

SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:

It is a size 6 1/4. It weighs 4.25 grams.
I would not remove the diamonds to get exact measurements but the largest center diamond is about 4.3mm with the stones tapering in size as they extend outward, with two at 4mm and 2 at 3mm for an estimated total carat weight of a little over 1 full carat.

The ring face is 5.8mm wide north to the south on the finger and it stands 4mm tall off the finger. The five diamonds span about 19mm across the finger.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:

All my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. Excellent antique diamonds with no damage, chips or frosty nicks or nibbles. Only one has slightly eye visible inclusions that can catch the light, a small speck towards the culet and a silk inclusion along one side that carries up to the surface leaving a hairline crease in one spot. You can see the crease if you really search for it in the zoomed video which shows the piece with greater magnification than seen by the eye. The others are eye clean. The diamonds have a lovely antique look, and can appear warmer as they splay outward catching the light from the side instead of facing directly up. They have a lovely fire and very nice white color. The center diamond moves slightly and clicks when you tap it but all the stones are secure. It is always good to keep an eye on the prongs over time considering age of the piece which is in all original condition which is typically preferred by my buyers. I have additional videos that highlight the sparkle a bit more so feel free to reach out to view those.

Shank is sturdy. Still a very nice sparkle on this fun stackable piece. It wears beautifully! 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 graded scale like we have today.)
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 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!
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 nicely: “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.” Just an interesting comparison of antique vs. modern diamonds. : )

Thanks so much for looking at my items!

Expedited shipping with signature upon delivery will be at my cost.

SOCIAL:
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