ABOUT:
If you follow along with me you know I love old cut diamonds with hues! This one is so fun and fabulous! We'll start with the 1 3/4 carats of chunky old mine cut diamonds. They are a gorgeous mix of hues from yellow to champagne with two in the center row ends that are a warm white. Under lit magnification, the largest center diamond and one other are a greenish yellow, one of the corner diamonds is a truer yellow and the others read as champagne to yellowish brown to pale brown. The hues vary based on lighting conditions and in some light are not super vibrant, but even in ambient light they are eye visible differences giving the ring face a multi hued look. Always fun to find in antique rings.
Aside from being a popular cluster setting, this one has a striking rectangular grid face. It is raised to hold up the chunky diamonds and when viewed from the side, you can see ornate antique engravings all around the base of the ring face. Very sturdy shank with forked shoulders and an antique hallmark for 18CT / 18k gold.
These are scarce and sought after for a few reasons - the first is that all antique hand cut diamonds of course have a more limited supply since they are no longer made in this way. There are only so many in existence compared to the millions of carats of modern, machine cut diamonds made every year. These have withstood the test of time.
The second is the color - it is believed that only 1 carat in every 10,000 carats mined are yellow diamonds. So putting the old hand cut together with the color makes a yellow OMC even more scarce. Such a quirky little babe with the mix of hues to the diamonds.
Antique box not included. Please note the measurements as I have small hands and it can be difficult to decipher scale from photos.
SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:
The ring is a size 7 1/4. The piece weighs a sturdy 4.8 grams. The ring face is 15x12x5mm.
Exact carat weight is unknown as I would not remove the stones from the setting but estimated around 2 carats total weight in diamonds. The center stone is the largest at 4.5 x 4mm with a chunky cushion cut that measures around .37 carat alone. The others measure 2.7mm to 3.2mm each. The eleven diamonds total around 1.75 carats total weight in diamonds.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
Many more pics of it can be found on my website!
All my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. Prongs are in good shape and none of the stones move but always good to keep an eye on them over time. Some solder on the inside edge of the center row diamonds on each end - just a slight variance in hue there that can be visible in some light where that inside edge has more patina. As mentioned the stones vary in hues. They all have some warmth to them, which is often found and adored in old cut diamonds. Also typical in that they have some natural inclusions. No dark carbon spots but frosty specks and needles here or there. Some are eye clean, others slightly eye visible. Two stones have indented natural inclusions, one a crease or unpolished notch along the outside edge and the other a circular impression. GIA defines this as a dent that occurs under the surface of a diamond as a result of the diamond cutter's decision not to polish it off, because doing so could end up harming the diamond so the cutters would work around it - this is not considered a defect or blemish but these can catch the light where you can see the irregular unpolished area. These two spots are only very slightly eye visible if you study the surface edge in a reflection to see the interruption. Anything else not mentioned are faint inclusions that are not eye visible.
You should be able to detect the hues in the photos and videos as they are true to life with some taken in sunshine which enhances that yellow and brown warmth which is still visible in ambient light. Hopefully the pics in various lighting conditions give you an accurate representation of how it will wear, I tried to show several in lower light aside from the sunshine ones that accentuate the gorgeous colors. I and many other antique jewelry collectors really enjoy finding these unique characteristics in pieces from the period. I also took some pics of it next to a white OMC cluster ring to help with color comparison. You will also notice while wearing the piece, the diamonds have a moody sparkle with the chunkier cuts but these are relatively fiery as well - it's quite wonderful. Timeless piece and certainly unique - nothing boring or dull about this one - I love it.
Shank is very sturdy. Some solder around the forked shoulders on one side. But Due to age - please note this is not a mint condition item.
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 : )
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 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 these stones to enhance them, which means that even lower color grades can be cut to appear whiter. 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.” Just an interesting comparison of antique vs. modern diamonds. : )
Thanks so much for looking at my items!
Expedited shipping with signature upon delivery will be at my cost.
Box#N.424
