THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT ~
Type: Ring
Materials: Diamond, Platinum
Size: 7, 2.9 Carats
Era: Edwardian / Early 1900s
ABOUT:
One of my biggest and brightest stacker bands of all time - Fabulous French antique platinum ring with a lovely splay of 4 old mine cuts propped up tall on long and excellently secure prongs. At the moment I am especially drawn to stackable diamond bands and this is my loveliest one. I try to acquire as many as I can because they are so versatile and wearable that they are quite sought after at the moment.
This French antique piece from the early 1900s is crafted in platinum with lined shoulders leading up to the four diamonds. The old mine cut diamonds are all quite a nice size with slightly graduating a step smaller on the outside stones.
With the tall face, it stacks well next to bands so it would make a wonderful anniversary ring or even engagement ring to stack next to a wedding band. I have some pics of it stacked so feel free to request those. It is also quite substantial and wears beautifully on its own. This one grabs the attention for sure!
While it is typical for antique hand cut diamonds to have what are considered "imperfections" when comparing it to modern machine cut diamond and the Four C's grading scale which came about way later, these antique diamonds have quite a nice clarity and wonderful fire.
Adding to its desirability are the platinum prongs which are in great shape holding each diamond securely. We often see worn prongs on pieces of this age but this one is ready for regular wear.
Antique box not included. Please note the measurements as I have small hands and it can be difficult to decipher scale from photos.
HALLMARKS:
French hallmark for platinum with a goldsmith / maker's stamp.
SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:
It is a size 7, slightly over on my mandrel but does not reach 7 1/4. It weighs a sturdy 6.6 grams.
The largest diamonds, the center two are 6.4mm and 6.1mm and each measures about one carat, one slightly over and one slightly under due to varying depths. The end stones are 5mm each. I would not remove them for an exact measurement but just using calculator and estimates it is around 2.9 carats total weight in diamonds.
The ring face is 21mm east west on the finger from diamond to diamond and it stands 7mm tall off the finger. The shoulders of the ring are about 3.8mm north south with the four circular bases underneath the diamonds measuring a bit under that and the long prongs flaring slightly outward as they reach up towards the diamonds.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
All my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. One of the smaller end diamonds is chipped at the girdle, sorrows sorrows, but we see this sometimes with these old cut stones. This is eye visible making that end stone slightly out of round with the loss to the girdle edge so please look for that in photos. That same stone also has a shallow flake of loss to the underside, at the edge of the pavilion where it meets the girdle underneath the stone and causing a lesser area of loss to the girdle. This is less noticeable than the opposite side of that stone but is also eye visible. The other diamonds also have nibbles to the girdle edges but for the other three diamonds, this is seen mostly under magnification and they still appear complete / round to the eye, Typical antique diamonds, they have a slightly warm hue but were hand cut to face up brighter and have a wonderful fire. Also typical in that they have some natural inclusions but nothing glaring. They are eye clean with just one small carbon speck each on two stones seen under magnification only. One of the largest diamonds has exceptional clarity for the period with no noticeable inclusions even under magnification. All the stones are secure and do not move with several long prongs on each so this one can shine with regular wear which is harder to find on pieces of this age. : )
Shank is sturdy. Still an unbelievable amount of sparkle on this fun stackable piece. It wears beautifully and great to see the prongs in such good condition! 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.)
So it is difficult to judge antique stones against modern day diamonds and their grading system. 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!
SOCIAL:
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