Mouse's House Antiques
Rare FRENCH Antique Edwardian 1 Carat Five Stone Old Mine Square Cut DiAMOND Half Hoop Ring 18k White GOLD
Rare FRENCH Antique Edwardian 1 Carat Five Stone Old Mine Square Cut DiAMOND Half Hoop Ring 18k White GOLD
ABOUT:
Gosh am I in love with old cut diamonds. This is a personal collection release that I have enjoyed wearing and stacking but just can't keep them all.
Amazing sparkle and eye catching impact on this chunky wide band half hoop whose face is encrusted with 5 nice sized old mine cut diamonds totaling around a full carat total weight. This antique piece acquired in France is from the Edwardian era, crafted in 18k white gold. The vertical edges of the shank / the bridge of the ring are open with circular designs typical of the Edwardian era.
However the diamonds may actually be older than Edwardian, as the center stone appears very similar to the rare and special Peruzzi cut with the more square corners. This cut was done while the majority of diamonds in that time were being cut as rose cuts. It is considered to be the ancestor of the modern brilliant cut diamond. However these only have a single row of facets to the crown, with very high crowns and long triangular facets so it may be a mix of techniques as diamond cutters at the time were experts and used their personal skill, knowledge and preferences when diamond cutting. Always a treat to see uniquely cut diamonds!
I love the linear row design of the ring face which is ever so slightly boat shaped to accommodate the graduating size diamonds.
Typical antique diamonds with some warm hues, please read important condition notes below.
The perfect stacker, and also a beautiful worn alone, as a wedding or anniversary band.
Antique box not included.
HALLMARKS:
No hallmarks remain but sold to me as 18k which is the standard in France and tested to confirm.
SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:
It is a size 5 1/4.
Depth without removing the stones seems to be around 2.2 to 2.4mm deep with the largest center diamond about 3.6mm deep. So nice and chunky cuts.
The diamond measurements are: 2.7mm, 3mm, 3.6mm 3.8mm and 4mm.
Again without the certified gemologist knowledge of carat weight on old cut stones, this is a loose estimate, but just plugging the measurements into an online calculator, we are getting a total carat weight of a little over 1 carat (Estimated!).
It weighs 2.4 grams.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
All my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. These are typical antique diamonds - Two of the diamonds, including the center one and one next to it, have a warmer yellowish greenish tint / hue. These were often chosen intentionally by diamond cutters of the time and can be sought after by many collectors. As these were hand cut long before the four c's of grading modern diamonds ever existed. The center one is the most noticeable because of its size. It has a wonderful shape, cuts and sparkle. The other diamond flanking it on the other side also has a slightly warmer hue but that is seen mostly under light up magnification, whereas with the other two, the coloring is visible to the eye, especially on the center stone.
Under magnification I can also see one or two tiny nicks not visible to the eye. And two of the stones also have an inclusion - a dark speck on one and dark line on the other. Slightly visible to the eye. Wear to one corner prong on the largest diamond but all the stones are secure and the Shank is sturdy. Still an unbelievable amount of sparkle on this fun stackable piece. It wears beautifully! But Due to age - please note this is not a mint condition item.
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 does happen in antique pieces to have varying tints on the same piece as the goldsmiths created pieces with the stones they had available to them.
Thanks so much for looking at my items!
Expedited shipping with signature upon delivery will be at my cost.
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