ABOUT:
One of my most special preciouses - This one is quite the bauble with eight disco balls cropping out of the ring face along with four smaller rose cut spacers. All around texture and sparkle to this shooter of rainbows cobblestone ring!
So impactful - appearing as a three carat mega cluster (but please read measurement notes below). This large and attention grabbing French antique ring is set with dutch rose cut diamonds, crafted in 18k rosy gold with the ring face topped in platinum as was customary for the period to set diamonds in a white metal.
The rose cuts vary in form and size giving the ring face an organic feel with some slightly larger than others, most round but some more oblong. The setting is open backed and has always been so, which makes it more scarce as these are often set in closed, foil backed settings. All the diamonds have a nicely domed top, compared to many rose cuts from the period that can be sliced quite thin. I love looking at it from the side to see some of those pointed tops!
You'll notice the listing video is actually in ambient light. This piece is super sparkly so feel free to request more videos in sunshine but I liked how the ambient videos show the form and rainbow emissions from the diamonds.
These diamonds, for antique stones have particularly lovely bright white color and excellent fire reflecting the colors of the rainbow. It was actually noticeable while trying to photograph it, how fiery and beautiful the stones are, even though this was made long before the 4 C's existed, it sparkles exceptionally and reflects the light beautifully. Also wonderful to see how bright white and sparkly they are!
Super eye catching - a fun piece to wear!
Antique box in photos is not included but I will include one from my personal collection. Please note the measurements as I have small hands and it can be difficult to decipher scale from photos.
HALLMARKS:
Found in Paris. French hallmark for 18k gold and platinum.
MEASUREMENTS:
Currently measures a size 7 1/2.
Weight is 4.7 Grams.
The eight larger rose cuts are each about 4.2 to 4.5mm in diameter.
The four smaller are about 2.5mm each.
Exact depth of each is varied and I would never remove the diamonds from the settings for an exact measurement but using measurements by millimeter it is at least 2.1 carats. This is conservative as they are quite nicely domed, but again without removing them to put loose on a scale, rose cuts are difficult to estimate.
Like most rose cuts they are quite "spready" with flat backs and have a lower carat weight than a modern diamond with a pavilion, but the surface area gives it the appearance of a larger carat stone. If compared to a modern diamond cluster, this ring faces up with the appearance of a three carat brilliant diamond cluster.
The ring face is 19x14mm and it stands about 5.7mm off the finger.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
Typical antique diamonds in non uniform shapes and sizes with some small natural inclusions. Some are eye clean, one has a smattering of carbon specks that is eye visible if you are seeking it out but not super glaring. One of the largest center stones has a larger warm silk pocket inclusion within the stone which is also eye visible, although the faceting of the chunky rose cuts does help mask it a bit at least. The other larger center diamond has loss to one edge where there is an angled chip and unpolished area making that edge out of round. It is on the side edge of the stone so it still faces up pretty well and complete in the setting. And then one of the smaller stones has an area of frosty inclusions. The other four stones only have faint natural inclusions seen mostly under magnification. The smaller rose cut spaces are all quite frosty and irregular, frosty most all the way through with some rough and uneven edges but they are smaller so the eye is drawn more to the disco balls.
None of the stones move, I think it's possible the platinum setting was touched up. It looks like it may have been reinforced in one area on the inside / underside of the ring face as there is a rail that has a thicker area of platinum. There is some wear and unevenness to the filigree gallery as well. There is patina inside both ring shoulders and one shows solder bubbles on the inside but these things are not visible when wearing the piece. These are all seen when studying it. Very Fun piece to wear with a great sparkle.
But please note this is not a mint condition item. 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 : ). The sun highlights the sparkle but also magnifies inclusions so that is also something to consider.
Will be sent with additional insurance, expedited delivery and signature confirmation upon delivery at my cost.
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.) So it is difficult to judge antique stones against modern day diamonds and their grading system with their mathematically perfected, machine cut facets. 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 each stone to enhance it 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.”
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