THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT ~
Type: Earrings
Materials: 18k Gold, Diamond
Size: 4 1/3 Carats (4.35Tdw)
Era: Late Victorian c1900 to Early Edwardian c1910
ABOUT:
My best earrings of all time - ever!
Completely encrusted cluster earrings, each set with 24 chunky old mine cut diamonds - wow the sparkle of 4 1/3 carats of old cut diamonds - almost blinding in the sun! I'm in heaven.
Excellently sturdy latch backs (that function perfectly) hold a line of three diamonds fixed to the top fastening portion of the earring. This leads down to the large round clusters which are attached by a loop to dangle freely to catch the light. These fabulous clusters hold three halos of old mine cuts, each range slightly elevated above the next, to it to give the earrings a delicate dome. Only the center diamond is set in a bezel topped in a white precious metal, the rest of the diamonds are prong set in gold. The antique gold has a warm buttery glow with rosy highlights from age and patina.
So bright and sparkly with a timeless design and still an eye catching antique look. They are special. I couldn't find any hallmarks but they were sold to me from a reputable source in Europe as 18k and tested to confirm.
Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures. Some of my buyers draw them out to hold against the person to determine how they wear. Antique box is not included, unfortunately I don't have an antique earring box large enough to house them.
MEASUREMENTS:
Top of ear post to bottom of each is 30mm. Each round cluster is 15mm east west. They dome 7.2mm deep. The pair weighs a sturdy 7.5 grams.
The center diamonds are 3.6mm. The three in the line and the outside halo diamonds all measure around 3mm. The middle halo they are about 2.3mm each. Exact carat weight is not known as I would never remove them but just using online estimates by mm, I am getting over 4.35 carats total weight in diamonds for the pair, which aligns with the measurements given when I purchased them.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
All my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. The hinges and latches are in better than most condition considering age. They function perfectly with tension and a tight latch that actually "clicks" into the catch.
All original condition. I don't see any welds or repairs but there are some worn prongs here and there and a few stones move slightly. None of course come free but it is something to keep an eye on over time. Earrings end up pretty gently worn anyway (compared to rings) and of course these days we don't recommend all night 24/7 wear on these antique pieces. The wear to the gold is what we expect to see on pieces of this age, so if desired, some of the prongs may need reinforcing for daily wear. This can always be done - (you'd want to find a jeweler with a laser welder). But while many modern jewelers may advise you to make it "like new" many of my buyers prefer keeping the piece in original condition and wearing it more gently. So I am selling them in original condition.
Typical antique diamonds with some natural inclusions, most of them are frosty specks here or there, either not eye visible or only slightly eye visible (they do not all have inclusions, just pointing out the few on each that do.) But the largest center stones each have a carbon inclusions - one a dark speck with a gray silk line and the other a more gray speckled area. The aforementioned one is eye visible if you are looking for it, the other less so.
Each earring has one stone with a shallow flake of loss leaving a frosty surface to part of the stone. The stones still appear compete and round to the eye but if you catch the surface up close in a reflection you can see the unpolished, frosty area where the flake of loss occurred. No large chips and no cracks, and really nothing glaring. The rest of the wear is just a nibble or flea bite to a girdle edge here or there but this is not seen except with a loupe / strong magnification. Considering age - all things we expect to see on antique diamonds. They have a very nice bright white sparkle. Attention grabbing and wearable to dress up or down.
But of course Due to age, please note this is not a mint condition item. Feel free to request additional photos and videos as I have many others besides the 10 allowed here.
I dearly love, collect, use and sell antiques so please check out my other listings and thanks so much for stopping by my shop!
SOCIAL:
Please feel free watch @mouseshouseantiques on Instagram for inventory drops, sneak peaks and previews!
I am back from my inventory trip to Europe with quite a lot of antique treasures to share with you! I also have one additional inventory trip to Europe early this summer so I will be rolling out new pieces almost every week from now, all the way until the holidays. Please stay tuned and feel free to follow on Instagram!
Box#Dmq.!)@3
