ABOUT:

Here's another one with a story!

So I bought an antique ring from one of my partners in France. It was in between my sourcing trips so they did me the favor of shipping it to me. However, not quite enough bubble wrap was used... sorrows sorrows! The package got crushed, I mean crushed, and the antique setting was harmed beyond repair.

Now ya'll that know me, know I would never scrap an antique piece that was in any way salvageable. I often times will break even or take a loss on antique pieces that I buy and take the time to have repaired just for the sake of saving them for another 100 years.
I. Love. these pieces and always want to protect them.

This piece had the fancy brown old mine cut bezel set in the middle and was surrounded by three halos of tiny rose cut diamonds in silver topped settings. The halos were all bent and misshapen, some diamonds fell out and to try and re-form the halos would have caused more stones to fall out. To try and reinsert them would have made the entire ring face a muddy mess. So... I had my jeweler take the fancy brown old cut out to put it in this ring, and we are saving the rose cuts from the other piece for future repairs if needed.

Because the setting was so badly bent, I used a vintage French wedding band that I had in stock to serve as the base for the prong setting. It is 18k gold and dated inside with an engraving: "Nov 1969" (For November of 1969).

So this ring is newly made, with sturdy modern prongs ready for every day wear, affixed to a vintage wedding band dated 1969, and set with an antique Victorian era old mine cut fancy brown diamond (phew!)

One other fun thing to note - this is a choooooonky cut. The diamond is about 5mm in diameter, which faces up around half a carat (0.5), but this stone actually weighs almost 0.7 carat! Because it has such a deep pavilion. Since the diamond was removed from the original setting we were able to weigh it exactly at .69 carat.

So that's the story with this quirky babe!

I am always seeking out diamonds with hues and this fancy brown one now comes in a timeless and classic traditional solitaire setting.

Rings such as these are scarce and sought after for a few reasons - the first is that all antique 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 fancy colored diamonds. So putting the old hand cut together with the color makes this old Mine cut ring even more scarce.

Lovely brown to more champagne color with the golden flecks depending on the saturation of light. I think the groups shots do the best job of showing the hue as you compare to some of the whiter diamonds in the picture.

Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and the pictures can make it difficult to see scale. Antique box is not included.

SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:

Size 6
5mm / .69 carat.

The piece weighs 2.1 grams. It stands 6.1mm off the finger.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:

With fancy color diamonds, color is the dominant value factor. Diamond clarity does not add as much value in fancy-colored diamonds because a diamond’s color is the most sought after feature. It is also worth noting it can be more common to find inclusions in colored stones due to how they were formed in the earth, the chemical structure of the stone causing the coloring can also lead to said inclusions. This antique stone has some natural inclusions including a cloudy pocket and some small carbon specks that are eye visible if you are seeking them out and you get the light to catch them. The color does help mask them certainly more than a colorless stone would, but they are still in there as they can catch the light sometimes. There are some that reach the table leading to a small indented natural inclusion that leaves a small crease. The stone is certainly stable and again this is not glaring, but a natural characteristic of the stone.

Please note that I take some photos / videos in the sunshine because it captures the lovely color and sparkle, but it also highlights any surface wear, scratches, abrasions, buildup or inclusions that can catch the light, making these things appear worse than they would with normal day to day wear. : ) Hopefully the pics in all lightning conditions help as they serve as part of the description.

Please also 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 : )