ABOUT:
My chunkiest chunk! This one is extra - in weight and scale. A French antique piece weighing nearly 20 grams of solid 18k gold! This cigar band is a very wide and sturdy 13mm with the slightest dome at the ring face to prop up the cobblestone platform. This one is substantial! And unisex in its design and size.
The oval ring face is completely encrusted with chunky old mine cut diamonds totaling around 1.5 carat - seven larger OMC's along with four small old mine single cut spacers in each of the four corners to completely encrust the ring face and provide a wonderful texture. I love it when I find antique pieces using diamond spacers so that even the prongs appear diamond encrusted. All are set with bead prongs to again add to that chunky cobblestone texture.
Old mine cut clusters are always among my most popular pieces but this one is really an uncommon setting with the sleek, wide shoulders. The ring face is topped in platinum, as was customary for the time to set diamonds in a white metal. Timeless design still so on trend for today.
I've only had one slightly similar a few years ago that was purchased by an instagram friend and I have thought of it often since. It always stood out as a favorite of mine so I was always searching for another similar and jumped on this one when I saw it in France. I was so excited to find it too because of its substantial footprint and quality of materials.
French hallmarks for 18k gold with a goldsmith stamp, it has a lovely patina with a rich and warm buttery glow. The shank is so thick and solid, with just the smaller oval opening behind the stones to allow the light to pass through.
Antique box, props, mice ; ) not included. Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures.
SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:
Size 8 on a mandrel to the center of the extra wide band, but seems to fit slightly more snug when it displaces the finger - 7 3/4?
It weighs a very sturdy 19.7g. The ring face/ diamond platform is 12x11mm and stands 4mm off the finger.
The cigar band is 12.5mm to 13.5mm tapering just slightly.
There are seven larger diamonds measuring 3.3 to 4mm each give or take with lofty crowns / chunky cuts. The four smaller diamond spacers in each corner are about 1.3mm each.
Depth of stones varies but some are a really chunky cut with deep pavilions and high crowns. I would never remove them for exact measurements but estimates to about 1.5 carat total weight in diamonds.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
All my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition.
I don't typically prefer to compare antique hand cut diamonds against the grading scales that were created much later for modern machine cut diamonds, but I always study each stone under magnification for a detailed report. Some natural inclusions here and there - A small silk inclusion, a few needles and a few faint frosty speck inclusions - these are slightly eye visible. There are two tiny carbon specks that are only very slightly eye visible because they are so small. There is one additional, larger carbon spot that is tucked under one of the prongs so I didn't see it the first several times of studying the ring. But I wanted to note it as that one is also eye visible if seeking it out, but thankfully masked somewhat by the setting.
The largest center diamond has some flakes of loss on one side - it is one area of several side facets and does not affect the table of the stone. The stone still fills the space and appears complete in its cushion cut but if you study the surface you can see the loss to the top edge leaving the slightly recessed and unpolished surface - that is really the most notable thing, and even then since the girdle was not affected, the stone still fills the space. There is one gold spot to the ring face deep in the prongs - looks like a bead prong was reinforced and the underlying gold came to the surface. The prongs look good, none of the stones move.
There are no dark or colored spots to the gold, it was just difficult to photograph because it is so shiny and mirrored that it reflects its surroundings, including the camera and the trees out the window. The surface wear also is magnified in some of the pictures more than with normal wear, as they can catch the light due to the sleek mirrored finish of the piece.
Fun piece to wear as it is so large, eye catching and sparkly! But Due to age - please note this is not a mint condition item.
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 : )
All items hand picked by me, one at a time from all over the world. All listings individually written by me, and not AI, after studying each piece to discuss its beauties and its ; ) eccentricities (which I am picky to point out).
A note about antique diamonds:
The "4 C's" system 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 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: “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 individual beauty or sparkle of an antique diamond. Antique diamonds are judged more on the individual character and uniqueness that each one potentially offers.”
Box #M@.1@24
