Antique Eye Clean Two Carat Warm Natural Old Mine Cut DiAMOND Solitaire Ring French 18k GOLD Engagement All Original Victorian Setting 2Ctw

ABOUT:

Perfection! One of my favorites from my recent inventory trip to Europe and actually one of my favorites all time. I purchased this all original Victorian era piece in Paris and wore it all around Europe - I'm completely in love with it and it's been super popular in the Instagram previews as well which brings me joy.

A nice and chunky old mine cut diamond measuring a little over 2 carats that is eye clean! Adding to that, it displays the most lovely warm to pale yellow color that we antique jewelry addicts seek out and love. This is because most of the diamonds produced during the period came from mines that produced warmer rough stones at that time. Even as I look at it here in ambient light, the stone has excellent fire and shoots a fabulous rainbow sparkle. Just a special antique stone and so sought after in its original French setting.

It is a setting with rich and warm 18k gold setting with the age and patina that can't be found on modern gold.

This is French made with their hallmarks for 18k gold and a goldsmith stamp. It also has an old serial number stamp on the shank! Just a timeless classic with a bunch of fun little antique details. It has platinum prongs and a softened knife edge shank, the prongs remain in good shape making this beauty ready for regular wear.

Comes as pictured in an antique box. The box is not original to the piece but this special treasure deserves beautiful housing and these antique boxes are collectible and valuable to us antique enthusiasts.

Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and the pictures can make it difficult to see scale.

SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:

Size 6 1/4, slightly over. There is space between the hallmarks where it could be sized without affecting the marks or serial number. Best to discuss with your local jeweler who would be doing to work to determine their comfort level as to what extent they would be able to size it.

The diamond is about a 7.7mm cushion cut and measures a shade over 2 carats due to its deep and chunky cut. I don't remove diamonds from their antique settings for fear of damage (the Four C's scale doesn't apply well to antique stones anyway) so this is an estimated measurement of the stone while set.

The piece weighs 3.7 grams. It stands 6.4mm off the finger.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
The diamond has one carbon speck so it would be considered SI in modern scales but here again is an example of how the scales don't do these stones justice, because it was hand cut by an expert to highlight its best attributes. In this case, the cutter expertly fashioned it so that the carbon speck disappears in the faceting when the stone is viewed face up. So it remains eye clean which can be difficult to find in antique stones, produced in much more limited supply. Aside from that there are a small number of frosty speck inclusions seen only under strong magnification. The stone appears complete and full in its cushion cut but has a few uneven areas to the girdle edge, too small to be seen by the eye. These are a result of an indented natural inclusion on the girdle edge and the old cutting and polishing style where a tiny unpolished crystal extends from the frosted girdle.

The shank is very sturdy as are the prongs. I can get it to click when I tap it but the stone is well set, it is just the result of a round basket setting combined with the fabulous quirkiness of the hand cut stone It is ready for daily wear.

The diamond seems to vary in hue based on the lighting. It isn't a vibrant yellow so in ambient light, it appears as a slight warmth. The yellow hue brightens in sunlight, what a wonderful stone! Hopefully the pictures in various lighting conditions help to display how the piece wears.

NOTE - 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.

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 : )

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. As one of many articles puts 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 another 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. : )

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