SPECIAL 3.1 Carat Antique FANCY YELLOW Old Mine Cut Diamond Three Stone Canary Ring Gemset Prong Spacers 18k Gold Rare Chunky Band

ABOUT:

A unique and special all original antique three stone old mine cut diamond ring from the late 1800s to the turn of the century. I purchased this one to keep because I am passionate about antique diamonds with hues, but it's not a good time for me to be keeping top tier items so she is looking for a good home. I will always always remember her and send with her my biggest and best heart eyes emojis - tee hee! : ). This is one of my best!

This ring totals over 3 carats but remains so stackable and versatile to wear. It stands out to me not only for being an all original antique piece with known maker, and not only for being extra chonky fancy yellow old mine cuts, and not only for the ornate and stackable scrolled setting with diamond spacers / prongs.... But (phew!) also for the Fire (!) of these antique stones. They really emit the most amazing sparkle! And combining that with the rich hues especially to the center stone? It's just a show stopper. I love viewing it from the side to see the lofty crowns of the antique hand cut diamonds popping out of the ring face. I love all antique diamonds, even those with a moodier sparkle, but that typically found more muted fire is just not the case with this one.

Found in the UK, It is stamped with the old 18CT hallmark for 18k gold. It also has a maker's mark indicating this piece was made by Cornelius Saunders and James Francis Shepherd, a company founded in London in 1869. It has their maker's hallmark that was used from 1896 to 1915, after which the company name changed to Saunders, Sheperd & Co Ltd and they introduced a different hallmark. Just to double check, I compared the mark with some of their other pieces and found matching hallmarks (with date stamps) on items from 1896, 1908 and 1900.

Comes as pictured in collectible antique box which has value on its own. The ring slot in it was worn wide so I put some extra foam in it to hep the ring stand up and hold tighter, but we collectors love these antique boxes so I am including it.

Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures. Feel free to check my website or request more photos or video as I have many besides those allowed here.

SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:

Size 8 1/2. Weight is 3.65 grams. The ring face is 7.2mm north south and 5.2mm off the finger to the high crown of the center diamond..

The center diamond is about 7.9mm by 6.7 and a very chunky cut sold to me as around 2 carats alone.
The flanking stones measure about 4.8mm and were sold to me as .57 and .58 carat.
Estimated total carat weight 3.1 Carats per the gemologlist and appraiser on staff where I purchased the piece. Prior to them acquiring it, the piece had a verbal report from GCS Lab which was done by Bonham's in 2018 stating the center stone as fancy yellow, SI2 and the flanking stones as fancy light yellow, SI1. Again as it was a verbal report and done several years back, so I don't have any printed paperwork to provide but I thought I would pass that information along.

My items do well without paperwork and the modern Four C's scales were invented long after this ring was made so I don't have any certificate or paperwork on the piece as I prefer not to remove stones from these antique settings. The four C's scales don't apply very well to one of a kind hand cut antique stones anyway but I wanted to pass along the information that was given to me.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:

A worn prong here or there but all stones are well surrounded by the other prongs with plenty of length so this one is in good wearable condition. No damage whatsoever, no nicks or nibbles to any of the stones. No large dark carbon spots so nothing glaring. The center stone has three frosty pocket inclusions, one with a slight gray color to it, but they are specks. Two of them disappear into the faceting when the stone faces up - this being an example of why the grading stones don't apply well to these antique hand cut stones as they were often expertly planned to hide inclusions and face up cleaner / brighter. The specks can sometimes catch the light to be eye visible. The center stone also has a few less visible needle inclusions seen under magnification. The rich hue to the center stone also helps mask these things.

The side stones are a few shades lighter yellow than the center, thus the fancy light yellow designation by the lab. One seems to be a slight bit paler but they face up well matching. One is eye clean and the other has a similar frosty speck here or there.

The smaller old cut spacers appear frosty but they are very small and just meant to add a glint of sparkle.

As someone who looks at antique diamonds all day every day, I can also say they are fierier than most and the center is very rich in hue.

There is a rub mark to one of the scrolls on the side, likely from stacking so the detail has smoothed there but the setting is sturdy.

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.

Box#stmqc.*5@

My items do very well without paperwork so I have not sent the stone for certification but always provide as much detail as possible with measurements, condition notes and many extra photos (see website) to capture it true to life in various lighting conditions, which can be translated to grading scales if desired.

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 each stone to enhance it which means that even lower color grades can be cut to appear whiter. (Although it is also worth noting that many antique collectors prefer and seek out antique diamonds with warmer hues.)

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.”