ABOUT:
Ya'all know my love for antique old mine cut clusters - this one really jumped out at me for the unique setting. It is fun to find clusters in bezel settings, lower profile, comfortable to wear etc. This one has a twist in that the east and west sides of the halo consist of the diamond encrusted ring shoulders which lead up to the largest center stone. This is then graced by an arch of three additional bezel set OMC's above and below the center. It adds a depth and dimension along with the additional sparkle of the gemset shoulders.
All the larger stones are old mine cut diamonds, while the smaller stones are a mix of old mine and rose cuts. I do not believe any are a replacement, but rather a case where the jeweler used what was available to them at the time and were the closest eye match in size. As this was made long before the influx of mass produced machine cut diamonds that are cut by the millions of carats each year, antique period jewelers had to mix and match sometimes : ).
It's a fabulous low profile piece with a great antique look.
No hallmarks remain which 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.
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 8 1/2
12.5mm north south and the ring face is 10.5mm east west measuring the largest stones. It stands 3.6mm tall off the finger.
It weighs 3.3 grams.
The largest center diamond is 4mm, the north south diamonds are about 3.5mm, and the other four are about 2.7mm. The eight smaller diamonds in the shank are about 1.7mm.
I do not remove stones from the antique settings for exact measurements but estimates to around 1 carat total weight in diamonds.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
These are typical antique diamonds, hand cut long before the Four C's scale was invented for machine cut diamonds. This was during a time when diamonds were in much more limited supply and not much emphasis was placed on "rating" them. The largest seven stones all have inclusions, they don't classify as salt and pepper but they all have tiny carbon specks amidst many frosty inclusions. The frostiness is eye visible and they have slightly varying hues of warm to gray, but overall well matching. Please see my website for additional photos and feel free to request more videos, it is not a lifeless or dingy piece, but they are not the highest quality antique diamonds I've ever had either. ; )
The center stone has a chip to the girdle edge which is tucked under the bezel, but has resulted in a shallow flake of loss to the underside on the pavilion which appears as a frosty spot when looking through the stone. The smaller stones are also typical rough cuts with some frosty spots and irregular facets along with the mix of cuts but they are small so this is not very eye visible.
Evidence of sizing to the back. The setting looks good with the stones well surrounded in the bezels - but I pretty much always recommend my antique pieces in original condition with small stones as being for gentler wear.
Thanks so much for looking at my items!
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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