ABOUT:
I so wanted to keep this special ring because I love that textbook floral embossed detail of the Georgian period and this one has all that loveliness leading up to an equally exceptional eye clean, pear shaped dutch rose cut diamond. The natural antique diamond is in excellent condition with no chips or frosty areas and a nicely domed top. So fun to find old cuts in shapes outside of round! The rose cut measures at least 1.2 carat, facing up even larger to the eye as a 1.7 carat brilliant cut would appear.
The beautiful natural diamond is set in a silver collet setting that was once enameled but has all since worn away, leaving only a slight evidence of it in the recesses of the pinched collets where it appears now more as patina, you really have to study it to find it.
Beautiful antique ring with still a nice reflectivity to the foil back, not appearing rusty or muddy or dingy. Just that slight warmth to gray that these closed back rose cuts give us, meant for fireside and candlelight with their moody antique sparkle.
The piece is in 14k yellow gold with the silver collet as was customary to set diamonds in a white metal. Beautiful patina, coloring and sparkle. Beautiful stacker or alone.
Antique box is not included. Please note the detailed measurements that I always provide, as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures where I am required to show zoomed in detail.
No hallmarks remain as is common for pieces of this age but tests as 14k.
MEASUREMENTS:
Size 8. It weighs 4.7grams.
The diamond is a nice size, definitely over a carat, 9x6.8mm with its wonderful visible dome. Like most rose cuts they have a lower comparative carat weight with their flat backs than a modern diamond would have, but the surface area gives it the appearance of a larger carat stone. Rose cut diamonds are typically quite spready. So it is difficult to speculate on carat weight when we can’t determine depth without removing them from the setting, which I would never do. But if you were to compare to a modern diamond, this one faces up at about 1.7 carat.
The ring face is 10 mm north south and stands 5.5 mm tall off the finger to the domed crown of the diamond.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
The antique stone itself has a wonderful clarity with really no eye visible inclusions. Typical antique diamond in a foiled setting though with some discoloration from age to the foil / closed back. Under magnification looking through the stone we can see some cloudy spots and darker specks within the closed back setting adding a grayish hue to the stone but considering it is 200 year old foil, it can still catch the light and reflect from within and does not have the overall brown, muddy rust we sometimes see. And it still shoots Rainbows! I have a video of it shooting sparkles off the wall - feel free to request more and check my website for additional images as well!
The enamel that was there originally is lost with only evidence of it when studying the recesses of the silver collet which has varying and uneven patina due to that enamel wearing away over time. Some wear to the collet as well where we can see some gaps between the outside edges of the stone and the collet edge but the silver pinched prongs surround the stone on all sides. It does have wear though so the stone can moves slightly, just the tiniest bit and does not click or tap, it is still surrounded but just not as well encased as it was originally. Considering age of 200 years these always need gentle wear and we can't get them wet as it can cause discoloration to the foil back.
Evidence of a sizing to the back of the shank with seams and some solder marks at the back. There is also some discoloration and solder bubbles inside the ring face. This is not seen while wearing but may have been a smoothed over reinforcement of some time during its long life. Very tidy and comfortable to wear.
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 glaring issues above and they are all still wearable.
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 : )
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