ABOUT:
If you follow me, you know I love the cluster rings with the "crustily encrusted" texture of the chunky old mine cuts with high crowns. This is a fun one to wear - comfortable but very impactful with 4.75 carats of old mine cuts in various sizes completely encrusting the domed ring face. Really wonderful texture, with some chunky cuts popping out of the impactful ring face and giving it a true cobblestone look - fun to view from the side! The 31 diamonds are all set with numerous platinum bead prongs which adds to that texture.
The north and south edges have linear engraved details mimicking a sort of collet setting or pie crust type of edge detail. The other thing I like about this one is that the north and south edges are quite flat so it is actually fun to stack compared to ones with a more oval ring face that would show a big gap at the sides if layered with other pieces.
Antique box is not included. Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures.
MEASUREMENTS:
Size: 8 1/2
Weight: 10.8g
Ring face north south measurement: 14.5mm, 23mm east west measuring the end diamonds to the end diamonds at each shoulder.
Height off the finger: 5.5mm
The largest center diamond measures about 6mm and is over .7 carat alone. There are fourteen stones in the 3.5 to 4.5mm range, eight around 2.7 to 3mm and then 8 little end stones at 1.5mm each. I would never remove the stones from the setting for an exact weight and their depths and cuts vary but estimates to around 4.75 carats total weight in diamonds.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
The largest center stone and some others are eye clean. The others are typical antique diamonds with some frosty inclusions here and there. I don't see any glaring dark carbon areas even under magnification. A few of the stones (3-4) appear quite frosty over half the stone from inclusions with one of those being quite eye visible if you are looking for it at the far end, the others can still be picked out with a discerning eye but less so as they are a bit smaller and a bit less included.
Typical for old mine cuts, there are slightly varying hues between the stones with some warmth. This again can be expected, partly because most of the rough diamonds at that time came from mines that produced warmer-colored diamonds. (For many collectors including myself, the varying warm colors of old cut diamonds actually add to their appeal!) As the jewelers of the time used whatever stones they had available to them (in a much more limited supply), this also contributes to varying hues but I would say the piece is over all well matching and again what we normally see. Of course this was long before the millions of carats of modern machine cut diamonds that are produced each year now - which is what makes it special. : )
The setting is sturdy but there is some discoloration on the inside and a difference in polish finish to some areas of the platinum inside - it looks like something that was patina causing made a spill pattern on the inside. It lightened with a polish and this is not at all visible when wearing, but I always mention everything I see!
The piece has a ton of bead prongs so of course from age we are going to see some wear here and there. A few of the stones including the center diamond can move slightly in the setting just from how they are set, but are not in danger of coming free because they catch on the many many bead prongs. The piece does not click or rattle so nothing is that loose, they can just shift slightly if you press on one edge of the stone. This is expected for age but I always recommend gentler wear on older pieces with multiple small stones, no matter what the piece. Most of my buyers prefer original condition and I don't see any in immediate danger because with all the prongs, each stone has enough length holding on all sides, but this would be something to consider also with taking it to a modern jeweler for sizing, for example, who may not understand these old pieces. If you do decide to fortify any areas, you would want to ask them to do the minimum possible vs. making the piece "like new" which can overwork the antique piece. It is not overly fragile so I am probably making it seem worse than it is, but some modern jewelers can have bad ideas when it comes to antiques - tee hee.
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 : ). I took several videos so feel free to request more!
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