ABOUT:
This fabulously sparkly, all original French antique ring ranks among my very best all time in terms of size and quality. The Belle Epoque ring features the center old European cut diamond which is a glorious and fiery 3.5 carats. The special stone displays a better than often found clarity for an antique stone of this size and scale along with a wonderful color and fire, shooting rainbows from within while wearing. It also has an amazing kozibe effect, a fun phenomenon of old cut diamonds and the way their faceting reflects the light - something to look for in photos! This fiery beauty is just so fun to wear. The antique diamond is nearly eye clean in an elegant and classic setting.
Found in France but no hallmarks remain. This is actually common for French pieces as they are marked in the back and often lost during a sizing or from wear. But sold to me from a reputable source in France where the standard is 18k and tested to confirm. The gold has quite a rosy hue to it. The prongs are crafted in platinum as was customary for the period to set diamonds in a white metal.
The base of the setting also creates a white "ruffled" halo of platinum around the stone, almost serving as an illusion setting to make the stone appear even bigger by surrounding it with a white metal. With graceful sloping designs between each arching below each prong.
See my website for additional photos. This antique piece is yet sturdy, and ready for regular wear which we love to find in old pieces with antique diamonds in their original settings.
I don't prefer to grade my antique diamonds with the Four C's grading scale which came about way later for machine cut diamonds with mathematically perfected facets. The scale does not do antique stones justice as they were expertly hand cut to their best advantage, in a much more limited supply compared to the millions of carats of machine cut diamonds made each year now. Their uniqueness and quirks are expected and part of their charm, but I look at antique diamonds every day and always describe everything I see while studying it under magnification. My items do very well without paperwork as I describe everything in detail so there are never any surprises, so there is no certification included.
Especially considering the age of the stone, it is very lively and sparkly, not dull or lifeless in any way. The rainbows shooting from the fiery stone are visible even in ambient light. The frosted girdle that we look for to authenticate its age is medium in thickness. There are no large inclusions. The condition is also amazing with no damage of any kind to the stone, so nothing glaring, the majority of the stone's eccentricities are seen mostly under magnification and it is better than most for clarity for a large antique diamond. Again, a very special stone.
Without removing and sending it off, I would estimate around an L (?) in color with a beautiful subtle warmth in some light, often found in antique diamonds, again expected and even sought after as most of the rough diamonds from the period came from mines that produced warmer stones. But with antique diamonds, it is difficult to be definitive here. As seen in the photos, it seems to warm up at some angles but then it faces up quite white in other lighting conditions which I find quite fun. This is an example of how the Four C's scale for modern machine cut stones don't always do vintage and antique stones justice. We love to find these eccentricities in these special, one of a kind older stones. Hopefully the photos in various lighting condition help as they are a true representation of how the piece responds to sun and ambient light. It's certainly one of my best in terms of quality and to me, it wears quite large in scale with the 3.5 carats, but I suppose that is a subjective opinion : ).
Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures. Antique box is not included.
MEASUREMENTS:
Size 7 1/2, just slightly snug but does touch the line. But sizable with good prongs to enable sizing, usually within 2 sizes is a recommended guide to discuss with your local jeweler who would be doing the work and also note that the shank is a bit thin in the back, having been sized in the past.
The diamond measures about 9.26mm with a deep pavilion, quite a chunky cut. I do not remove antique stones from their settings for exact measurements but calculates out to a little over 3.5 carats.
The piece weighs 4.6 grams.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
The prongs are excellent, she is ready for daily wear. Not a single bump or bruise or even nibble to the antique stone.
Evidence of a sizing to the back where the gold has a slightly different hue. There were also some weak points at the base of the platinum prongs connecting to the circular gold part of the ring face. I had my jeweler reinforce these very precisely with a laser welder to make the 125+ year old piece ready for daily wear. It is very tidy, no evidence of repair except for under strong magnification where you can see a slight reinforcement there at the base and faint difference in hue to the gold but this is not seen while wearing in any way.
Typical antique diamond characteristics with a frosted girdle, which adds to the authenticity of the old cut stone (we'd have concerns about age if it were perfectly polished). There is a small needle inclusion with a smattering of the tiniest carbon specks in one area of the stone, very slightly eye visible if you are seeking it out, the needle more than the carbon specks as it can catch the light when I use lit magnification to view it. There is an indented natural inclusion under one side of the girdle, completely hidden and not detectable even under magnification until you turn the piece over and study the underside of the stone. Exceptional fire to this diamond. One of the best solitaires I have ever sourced, I am in love with the color and the classic antique setting.
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 : )
Apologies for the wordy description : ). I always spend a lot of time in my listings to make sure my buyers know exactly what they are getting.
I enjoy making my customers happy and matching unique pieces with new homes. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions! It means a lot to me that you are visiting my shop! : )
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).
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More notes 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 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 for machine cut stones.) It is difficult to judge antique stones against modern day diamonds with their grading system evaluating their mathematically perfected proportions using methods and standards that didn’t exist for hand cut old cut diamonds. No two old cuts are the same as they were crafted in times lacking those 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 the antique 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 their individual beauty or sparkle which are based more on their individual character and uniqueness that each one potentially offers.”
As an example, I recently purchased a ring for my own collection that prior to me buying, had had the stone removed from the antique setting. Removing it broke the basket setting and chipped the stone so for me personally, I dearly wish they would have sold it to me without the paperwork, this is me speaking as a buyer in addition to being a seller. Of course everyone is entitled to their own wonderful opinions but this is just one other perspective / point of view. : )
