Exceptional Antique 2.6 CARAT Old European Cut DIAMOND Solitaire Engagement Ring 18k Gold Solid Yellow Tall Prong Setting Stacker

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! : ). 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:
A bright and sparkly glitter bomb! Here we have a wonderful 2.6 carat antique old European cut diamond in a classic 18k gold vintage setting. Comes as pictured in an antique box!

What a wonderful stone, bright and sparkly and nearly eye clean! (I only say "nearly" because there are a few wisps off the open culet on the underside of the stone that can only sometimes catch the light when in direct sunlight and at only some angles to become very slightly eye visible. That's a lot of caveats : ) so for the most part, and especially with normal wear, it is eye clean.)

It is propped up to catch the light in long linear prongs that are sturdy and excellent, making this beauty ready for regular wear. With the height, it stacks wonderfully and wow is it impactful. The simple and elegant shank with shoulders that rise up to meet it, it allows the old cut diamond to be the star of the show - and it is worthy of the attention for sure. The setting makes me think of the tricks of professional fisherman, who hold the fish closer to the camera to make it appear at its largest. The way this stone pops off the hand, it gives it an even larger appearance. The stone has a deep pavilion but not a super high crown so by millimeter to carat diamond charts, at 9mm, it reads as about 2 3/4 carats while wearing on the hand!

For the setting, I am saying vintage only because, while the gold has a wonderful patina and is definitely not new, the hallmark inside doesn't look quite as old for me to confidently say it is over 100 years old / antique. The setting is a bit angular too which is more in line with the vintage period. We know the stone is because it was cut using methods no longer in use today. But it was also common during the vintage period for antique and heirloom stones to be reset at a later date. Without date marks we can't really say for certain so I am listing it as vintage to be safe. (Although we also see antique settings restamped for the secondary market so it is tough to say for sure.) We always wish we knew what stories these pieces could tell!

Definitely one of my best solitaires. Found in Belgium, it has the numerical hallmark used in much of Europe reading 750 stamped inside the shank, which is the equivalent of 18k gold. This beauty is just so fun to wear.

I love antique diamonds, even those with inclusions and hues and eccentricities 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 "the Four C's" modern grading standards that were created for mathematically perfected machine cut stones produced by the millions of carats each year - but I will pass along the grades as they were given to me of VS in clarity and J-K in color. My items do well without paperwork as I sell only one of a kind pieces so there is no certification included as I prefer not to take the piece apart to send the stone off for paperwork.

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 6 1/2.

The diamond measures 9mm in diameter with a nice depth to the pavilion. The setting does not allow me to get a caliper to the underside of the diamond but it is around 2.6 carats estimated, measuring it while set. The setting stands about 9mm tall off the finger. The ring shoulders rise up about 4.4mm on each side. Sturdy shank that tapers towards the ring face.

The piece weighs 4.9 grams.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:

Not a chip on it. In addition to the above tiny frosty squiggle wisps on one side of the open culet, there is one indented natural inclusion on the girdle edge of the stone. GIA defines this as a dent that occurs under the surface of a diamond as a result of the diamond cutter's decision not to polish it off, because doing so could end up harming the diamond so the cutters would work around it - this is not considered a defect or blemish and is not seen by the eye. It is only seen under magnification as it has a different sheen than the rest of the frosted girdle of the antique stone. There are two very tiny needle inclusions in one area seen again only under magnification if you are seeking them out, which disappear completely (!) when the stone is face up. This is an example of the incredible expertise of diamond cutters during the antique period, that cut the stones to their best advantage. No readable warmth to the stone.

The stone is secure in the setting and does not move, it is ready for daily wear. There is some warmth and patina to the north and south edges of the setting that could easily be cleaned up if desired, but most of my buyers prefer original patina.

The box is not original to the piece but it deserves special housing and these antique boxes are collectible / valuable in their own right, especially with us antique jewelry addicts. : )

Love this one!

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 : )

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.

Box#smd.!62