Original Antique Rare PEAR Old Mine Cut 1.7 Carat Natural Diamond w/ Rose Cut Halo Dormeuse Earrings 14k Gold Victorian Cluster Dangle Drop

Back from my sourcing trip to Europe with many new antique goodies to share! Feel free to follow along on Instagram @MousesHouseAntiques!

ABOUT:
The pear old mine cuts!!! Always nice to find old mine cut diamonds in shapes outside of the more common round / cushion. (Although to be honest, you can't really call any antique old mine cut diamond "common", they are all one of one.)

These are such beauties, all original antiques with the pears surrounded by a halo of rose cut diamonds for added sparkle. As such, the settings remain teardrop or pear shaped as well for a lovely visual appearance on the ear. And the pear diamonds have excellent clarity for the period as well, one being eye clean and the other nearly there, with gorgeous high crowns from their chunky cuts. They each measure about .65 carat for a total carat weight of 1.3 carat for the pair. Adding in the texture of the rose cuts brings the total to about 1.7 carat for the pair, there's just a lot to love about these.

Super special and uncommon. These have the hinged backs and ear wires that are inserted from the back of the ear towards the front, with the hooked portion latching into a catch above the buttercup setting. Always super popular but do note that fabrication as it can take some tactile strength and practice.

Found in Germany, No hallmarks remain but sold to me as 14k and tested to confirm.

Antique Box IS Included! These old boxes are collectible and hold value. The box is not fitted for the earrings and is not original to them (I think it was a button box), but I am including it as a gift because it's always fun to store our antique goodies in period appropriate housing : )

Please note the measurements as I have small hands and it can be difficult to decipher scale from photos, especially with the zoomed images that I am required to present for detail.

SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:

19mm from top of ear wire to bottom of setting.
The pear halo settings are 11.1x8.9mm. The settings are 6.1mm deep measuring just the pronged halo portion not including the lever parts behind.
The pair weighs 3.2 grams combined.

The pear diamonds each measure 6.4x4.8mm and are around .65 carat each. I would not remove them from the settings and can't get a caliper into the setting with the hinged back to get an accurate depth measurement so this is an estimate.

The nifty trick of pear cut diamonds is they appear larger than round stones of the same size because they are elongated and cover more surface area. So you get a larger visual size per carat.

The rose cuts are small, about 1.6mm each. Exact carat weight of those is also unknown adding an estimated further .4 carat in diamonds for 1.7 carat total weight for the pair.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
One pear diamond has two small crystal pocket inclusions that look like flecks at the top and a small gray cloud that is still translucent and not an inky spot. These can sometimes catch the light to be slightly eye visible if seeking it out, but is not glaring are really seen at all while wearing. The other is eye clean with just a few pinpoint inclusions only under strong magnification.

The color of the pears is lovely, slightest warmth but facing up brighter, some of what is seen in photos is from the yellow gold setting. So pretty.

The rose cuts are quite rough with several being very frosty. You can see their varying hues and shapes and inclusions in the zoomed photos. They are super small and meant to add a glint of sparkle and I believe the majority were always cut this way with nibbled and rough edges and non uniform shapes, aside from one that has a chip and loss to one side seen under magnification.

The pears are securely held but there is wear to the prongs in the halo for the less important rose cuts. One earring has some high quality jeweler's adhesive carefully applied to hold them. It was tidily done and only seen under magnification and is the kind that does not discolor or yellow. I did not notice this even when I purchased them so I am selling them at a smaller margin than originally intended and priced them accordingly. I personally would not mess with this as the stones are still well set and it isn't really visible, and having it removed and all the tips re-done could muddy the appearance of the earrings. We always recommend gentler wear on these 125+ year old pieces with old gold hinges anyway so once on the ear they are certainly wearable, but would not recommend lying down on or showering in them which may be stating the obvious when it comes to jewelry of this age but just in case : )

The hooked ear wires latch perfectly and securely into the catch at the front and the hinges also have tension so they don't flop easily open.

These always need a gentle hand when putting on and can take some practice, patience and tactile strength. This is not a condition issue as they were made this way, have always been this way and are always super popular, but inserting from the back of the ear and latching on the front without too much pressure takes some familiarity with the style usually. But still appropriate for wear and the style is always this way and well loved then and continues to be now.

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).

Many of my listings include group shots – I find the comparisons between pieces help show scale, diamond hues, etc. All items in group shots are inventory, but refer to the website to see what items have sold out and to watch for new listings from the grouping to appear on the home page.

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