French VICTORIAN 18k Gold Ring .25ct Old MiNE Cut DIAMOND Ring

ABOUT:

Beautifully sparkling 1800s French Victorian antique old mine cut diamond solitaire in an ornate open work setting with leaf like details at the shoulders. Lovely antique patina to the gold with rosy and buttery highlights.

No hallmarks remain but purchased in France where the standard is 18k and tested to confirm.

Antique box is not included.

MEASUREMENTS:

Ring is currently about a size 5 1/2. I am not a certified gemologist but Diamond measures approximately 4mm and was sold to me as 1/4 carat / 0.25 ct.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:

All my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. Nice bright white color to the diamond, but it is a typical antique diamond with some feathery inclusions seen under magnification. Surface wear to the gold and a few tiny curves or a ripple to the open gold work where the detail is thinner straps of gold, seen mostly under magnification. This one needs gentle wear as two of the prongs are worn back. The other 6 prongs hold the diamond in place but with wear over time to the other prongs, they may need to be fortified.

But Please note due to age, this piece is not in mint condition.

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. : )

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