ABOUT:
This is my all time biggest and best of my career thus far! Thanks, folks for being here for it! A French Art Deco period tennis bracelet totaling around 22 carats.
I focused my sourcing budget on really special, one of a kind pieces on my recent inventory trip to France. When I saw this one, it just felt like the best diamond bracelet I had ever seen so I took the leap (gulp!). The reason this one stood out for me is because unlike many 20+ carat bracelets to be found on the market, this one is not constructed with a melee of smaller stones. This one is uncommon because most of the carat weight of the piece comes from the larger stones, slightly elongated old mine cushion cuts, half of them measuring over 1 and up to 2 carats each! I love looking at it from the side to see the way the diamond crowns show their heft and shoot rainbows everywhere. We love finding diamonds with such bulky cuts from the period.
The other thing that is so special about it is the amazing quality of the antique diamonds. Many of the larger stones are eye clean which is indeed difficult to find on antique stones of this size, since they were cut in such a limited supply compared to the millions of carats produced each year now. And as mentioned these are extra chunky cuts, with the crowns cropping out of the four square pronged settings. The piece is crafted in 18k white gold with French hallmarks. It is entirely diamond encrusted, as they have inlaid a pair of baguette diamonds between each of the larger diamond settings. There are 51 diamonds in all - The 17 old mine cuts totaling nearly 18 carats, with the addition of the 34 baguettes carrying it up to the 22 carat total diamond weight.
Clasp functions well, very sturdy with firm hinges with a nice and tight, clicky safety catch.
Found in France with the French hallmarks for 18k gold.
The piece comes as pictured in an antique box that holds it well (not original to the piece.) Any other props or additional items not included. Please note the measurements as I have small hands and it can be difficult to decipher scale from photos.
Note that I do not remove stones from my antique pieces to send them off for certification. I've seen too many antique pieces damaged by this. My items do well without paperwork and when it comes to appraisal, the piece is one of one so it is indeed priceless! So there would be no one definitive valuation between varying appraisers.
MEASUREMENTS:
The diamonds taper in size becoming larger towards the top / center of the bracelet. The largest diamond at center is an 8mm elongated cushion cut that measures about 2 carats alone. There are two flanking diamonds on each side that measure 1.7 to 1.85 carats each, tapering down towards the ends to 1 carat, 3/4 carat, a few around a half carat and then the smallest end stones measuring .35 and .49 carats. The 22 carats is an estimate as I would never take the piece apart to weigh each one, but I was able to get depth measurements on all the larger old mines. As mentioned above, the 17 old mines total almost 18 carats. The baguettes are each about 4.2 by 1.5mm and 4.5 by 2mm give or take as they are slightly larger at center. I went through and measured each and every stone and without removing them, arrived at an estimated total carat weight of around 22 carats.
The piece measures 7 inches end to end. It weighs 24.7 grams.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
The push button clasp works perfectly, the hinges are sturdy and there is the additional safety catch that is very strong and tight.
Typical antique hand cut diamonds with some slightly warm hues to half of the old mine cuts, but overall well matching and the awesome chunky sparkle that these antique diamonds display as they reflect the light differently. They all have a very good rainbow fire. None appear dingy or lifeless and they face up brighter, the warmth detected more when studying them from the side so these are of excellent quality. Of the 17 larger stones, at least 12 are eye clean. Three or four have the tiniest carbon speck but even that is not really eye visible as many of what are found under magnification tend to disappear in the faceting when facing up. There is an occasion crystal fleck here or there and one of the larger stones has an indented natural inclusion on the side that appears as a tiny crease to the surface. They are better than most quality for antique diamonds.
These were cut long before the "Four C's" scale was invented for modern machine cut diamonds with their mathematically perfected facets. The modern grading scale for diamonds doesn't typical do justice to the uniqueness of these stones that were hand cut with methods and standards no longer practiced.
Typical girdles to the antique stones but the thicker areas were turned into a polished facet, and the bruted areas are much thinner so we don't have the frost reflecting around the stones. No damage, no chips to any of the stones and all still perfectly formed aside from an occasion uneven girdle spot that was done in the cutting. None of the diamonds have any frosty flakes loss - they all fill the settings and have retained their original shape. None of the diamonds move in their settings, each of the old mines are held by four triangular prongs, one at each corner. These show some wear in a few spots but they are larger corner prongs so all the stones are well surrounded.
This piece is exceptional. Now more than ever I wish I could have known the person who owned it as it is fit for royalty!
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 : )
Additional cost for insurance, expedited shipping and signature upon delivery will be covered by me.
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